Life Seller

I'm a seller of a product called life. I've sold mine, and I can sell other people's lives too. However, I most readily sell lives that have never belonged to anyone.

There are many potential customers. I don't really know what attracts them. Maybe it's the incredibly colorful packaging, with the manufacturer's instructions and promises of the contents, along with two photographs showing how beautiful this life can be? Or maybe the fact that you can receive some free gifts with purchase? I don't think I want to know the answer to that question... I don't want to fall into this carefully crafted plot myself. After all, I'm just a seller...

Today was a good day. I sold three lives. So far, no one has filed a complaint. However, I know my phone will ring soon, so I keep it with me. Other sellers laugh at me for always answering it. They usually reject all calls and don't respond to text messages. I'm quite the opposite: I prefer to talk to a dissatisfied customer, calmly explain that I can't honor their complaint because it's against the Terms and Conditions, and then comfort them that maybe things will improve soon. People usually find a way to free themselves from that damned purchase anyway, and I silently watch their lives fade into space. For a long time afterward, I can't shake the terrible feeling of guilt...

I know I shouldn't feel sorry for these people—a seller of lives can't succumb to unnecessary emotions, as they only make their work more difficult. And yet, the point is to increase sales, because only then can you prove yourself better than other sellers. Heartless? Yes...

I've tried to quit this profession many times and pursue something else. I always returned disappointed and contrite after yet another failure. Besides, I think I've become addicted to observing my customers. Sometimes I feel as if their emotions, which are, after all, part of the product I've sold them, are a kind of nourishment for me. I don't think I can live any other way...

I sell lives. All product information is on the packaging. The price, contrary to appearances, isn't exorbitant. Maybe you'll be my next customer?