[ WP ] You have 2 lives , one in the virtual world and one in the real world . You are facing a decision of having to decide which one of the two you get to keep .

My wife cried, but my son was merely glumly silent. I would have preferred tears - in his silence I knew he judged me harshly, would remember this, would be shaped by it. I tired my best to keep an even face. 
 
'You do n't have to leave us! What's so great about that stupid world that you do n't have here? That you do n't have with us?' She got it all out in one burst rather than let her tear-strained voice betray her. My Marian, she was strong in her way. She knew her limits, but also knew how to work around them. I sighed and tried to explain, while my son Bill played with the small wooden toys on the floor in front of him. 
 
'It's not that I do n't love you, and it's not that you do n't give me a lot. But in there, in the other world, there are things I ca n't have here. It's hard to explain, as I know you've never tried it... But I'm sorry, I have to go. I've made arrangements, you'll both be looked after.' 
 
'Looked after! While you go gallivanting in some forsaken hell hole. You've told me about that place, Simon. It sounds so strange, so dark, like some kind of science fiction show. Why do you want to go there? Why not stay with us? What about our neighbours? We'll get a therapist, we'll make it work, I promise!' 
 I sighed again. How to explain? I knew I could n't, knew I was wasting my time here. I could feel the pull of the other world, the responsibilities I had to people there. There was piloting to be done, credits to be made. I stopped, did n't even give it a try. My wife's face became a mask of hate then, her heartbreak turning to anger. So be it, if it makes it easier for you, my sweet Marian. 
 
'Dad' said Bill.'Do n't leave. Please.' 
 That was it for me. I almost changed my mind there and then, but I had allowed Bill to sway me in the past and it always led back to the same place. I hoped he'd understand when he was older. 
 I turned my back on them and walked away, did n't even pause when I felt one of Bill's wooden toys hit me in the back. I walked to my office, turned on the interface, and left them both behind. 
 
'Welcome back, buddy. You were in there for a while longer than scheduled.' 
 The attendant looked me up and down, making sure I was n't suffering from post-VR trauma. 
 
'I'm fine.' I said.'My card's still good, right? You need anything else?' 
 
'Nah man,' he answered'We're cool. Same time tomorrow?' 
 
'No thanks Jack.' I replied, taking my jacket and making my way for the door.'I'm done with this.' He met my eye then, gave me the look of a fellow veteran. *The Golden Years* was a bitch to quit, and everyone knew it. 
 
'You want to take a save-state on a flash drive?' 
 I thought it over for a moment, considered the promises I had made. Thought then of what would happen to them in my absence - the man Bill might become without me, the other men Marian might turn to. It was stupid, of course, I could return in ten years and they'd be right where I left them. But still... 
 
'No thanks man. Too much temptation. Wipe the account, will ya?' 
 Jack shrugged, tapped a few keys, and just like that fully one of my lives vanished before my very eyes. 
 
 I thought one last time of Marian, and left for the heliport. 

