Los Angeles, 4:45 AM.
The alarm went off.
Jason Miller pulled off his eye mask, quickly reaching out in the dark to shut off the alarm.
He sat up slowly on the edge of the bed and placed his feet on the cold floor, using the chill to wake himself up. He felt like an old machine waiting to be refueled.
"Jason?" His wife Megan's voice came from beside him. "Ugh... what time is it?"
"It's nothing, honey," Jason Miller said. "Go back to sleep. I have to leave for work."
"But it's..." Megan groggily grabbed her phone. "It's only 4:46."
"I have a packed schedule today," Jason said, turning to kiss his wife. "You get some more sleep."
"It's always like this..." Megan mumbled. "I wonder when all this hard work will finally pay off."
Jason opened his mouth, but wisely chose not to respond.
'If I say anything back, I won't be able to get out the door before 5:30.'
