Chapter 5

The interstate was boring and monotonous, stretching toward a horizon that promised nothing but more of the same. The dashboard screen lit up with a number from a country code, +61. Initially, I didn’t answer, assuming it was a scammer, but after a moment I answered on a whim. The car was filled with the boisterous Australian accent of an old friend.

“Jack! G’day mate!” came a roar with a volume turned to eleven.

David had been my closest friend during my doctorate. He was a bit homesick living in the US, so once he finished up, he made his way back to work as an academic at the University of Melbourne.

We relived old times for a few minutes, then he finally came to the reason for the call. He wanted to invite me to come to Melbourne to present a seminar at the medical faculty. He knew exactly the impact that I had in the corporate world and wanted to lean on our old friendship. A seminar from me, a renowned corporate researcher in the pharma industry, would draw a crowd of students and faculty alike. He also hoped that I would spend some time to visit.

“Come on, Jack. Come for the talk, but stay a while. Nobody ever actually visits Australia for a holiday because the flights are too long. We can do the urban city thing and visit wineries.”

The idea of travelling to the other side of the world, away from the wreckage of my life, was appealed to me. On impulse, the Vegas plan evaporated.

“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice stronger than it had in days. “I’ll give the seminar, and David ... I’ll stay for while. I’ve just broken up with Claire. I need a change of pace.”

The abrupt decision to fly to Australia meant that my Vegas plans had disappeared. As a result, I took an the next exit off the interstate to find a hotel where I spent a couple of hours researching Australian visas and finally booking a flight from Cleveland through to Melbourne. The rest of the day was spent looking up attorneys in Boston, trying to find firms that specialized in high-asset divorces. I wanted to push a divorce through quickly and remove Claire from my life with as little friction as possible. I felt a strange sense of calm when I finally clicked ‘Send’ on the email to a promising partner at a firm on Beacon Hill to start the divorce.