Mark Thomas McDonough

Sunset over Happy Farm Mark Thomas McDonough

On the surface, Derrick James is a mild mannered socially awkward attorney, who works a modest federal government job. While Derrick lacks any particular legal acumen or academic prowess, and possesses modest legal writing skills, everywhere he goes and whatever he does, Derrick inevitably and always makes his way to the top of the pyramid. Possessing an unflappable mental skill set and seldom suffering fools lightly, he accomplishes what needs to be done and he does it superbly well, much to the chagrin of his peers. In the twilight of his legal career, Derrick finds himself working in perhaps one of the most boring brain-numbing federal legal jobs one can possibly imagine, but it's inside work - no heavy lifting - and the pay is pretty good too. Finally! Derrick relaxes satisfied with who he and where he is. Life reaches a comfortable working rhyme. Both daughters are in college. After many down years, he is finally setting aside some extra money for retirement. Life is good, that is, right up to the very moment that a group of jealous federal supervisors and co-workers ban together forcing him to accept a forced early retirement. Now having abundant free time, Derrick travels the world, begins a 'get out of debt' project and ponders how he got to 'here'. In doing all of this, he constantly runs into the ghosts of his past most of which is rooted in his ill-fated youth spent growing up in a Catholic Orphanage, which he facetiously nicknames "The Happy Farm". Within the realm of his forced retirement and even as life's ghosts taunt him, Derrick finds that truth and hindsight are not necessarily friends, but with enough time and grit, he finds that, by accepting his past, he can finally accept his present, and in doing so he finally says good bye to all the enemies, all the friends and all the ghosts that haunt him, as the sun sets over The Happy Farm.