No city represented the idea of the American dream better than the city of Greenville.  It was an up and coming city filled with young entrepreneurs.  It was a city bustling with activity and bleeding of ambition.  Skyscrapers filled the horizon while millions of people filled the streets.  There was something about Greenville that attracted a certain type of person.  A person willing to gamble everything for their success could not help but make their way to Greenville.  Thousands of young, handsome, and talented businessmen flocked here to test their skills and try to make it to the top of the food chain.  It almost felt like it was a requirement to be a young male businessman to merely step foot in this bustling city.  These men came to such a city for one reason and one reason only: to make as much money as their little hearts desired.  Joseph Corey was no exception.  He was fresh out of one of the most prestigious business schools in the nation.  Graduating at the top of his class, Joe had confidence through the roof.  He was quite the player, too.  Joe could walk into any bar and have a crowd of a dozens young ladies around him within ten minutes.  However, he chose to pursue his dreams of making six figures for his first job, rather than chase the females clinging to him left and right.   A smart man he was, going after a career instead of the women.  Joe came to Greenville because he was given a job interview for one of the leading leading insurance agencies in the nation, headquartered in the city.  He had all the credentials needed, and he had no doubt that he would get the job.  Joe was intelligent, hardworking, witty, confident, comical, and intuitive. 
Arriving in Greenville on his noon flight, Joe felt like he ran the city.  By the time he stepped off the airplane, he was ready to make his mark in the city of dreams.  Walking out of the airport, he called a taxi and made his way to the apartment that he rented.  While in the backseat of the taxi, the driver was attempting to make small talk with him. 
“So have you ever been to Greenville before?” , the driver asked.
“No” replied Joe.
“What brings you here then?” The driver acquired.
“Business” said Joe, too engaged with his phone to care what the driver was saying. 
“I’ll tell ya, I’ve driven hundreds of businessmen around this city, and none of them ever seem happy.  It’s almost like they came here to put an end to their youth”.
Joe put his phone on his lap and pondered why this could be.  He was assured that these men failed in their careers and became drunks.  Or maybe they got married and hated their wives, Joe thought.  Or perhaps this driver has no idea what he was talking about, Joe assured himself.  Joe was here to make big time money, and he knew that was what he truly wanted in his life.
“Well I’ll be plenty happy when I get what I wish for” said Joe. 
When the cab arrived at the apartment complex, Joe paid the driver and carried his bags inside.  Once he got inside, he could not believe what he saw.  Joe was expecting to walk into a clean, modern room.  His jaw dropped when he saw the pitiful room that he rented.  The place had holes in the wall, stains on the carpet, shattered glass all over the counters, and a foul odor coming from the kitchen.  How could this happen?  A successful young man can’t live in a dump like this, he thought.  Maybe this would be his place of residence for one month until he could afford a better apartment downtown where the wealthiest of the CEOs reside.  He was assured that he would be making great money in the near future, so Joe decided to stick it out until then.  Besides, his interview was in two days, he’d be making money in no time. 
In preparation for his interview, Joe pulled out his finest suit and put it on.  Nothing says confidence like the sleek grey stripes down his jacket, or the smooth wave of his brown hair.  Joe just had a look to him as if he was destined for the corporate world.  He talked to himself in the mirror of his bathroom, uttering complements to himself about how great he looked and how easy this interview would be.  He left his apartment and took the subway to the downtown district of Greenville, where Lifepro Insurance Company was located.  He was being interviewed for the head of the public relations department there.  On the subway, he sat among a dozen other men dressed just like him, all on their way to other interviews, Joe figured. 
When Joe arrived to the main building of the Lifepro Insurance Company complex, he approached the main desk and told the woman behind the counter that he had an interview with Mr. Andrew Fordham.  Mr. Fordham was the executive director of the company’s sales department.  The woman told Joe to take the elevator up to floor 78, where he would find a room to wait in before the interview.  Joe was accompanied by 3 other men in the elevator.  After he pushed the number 78 button in the elevator, none of them pushed a different button.  It suddenly occurred to Joe that these men were also being interviewed.  Joe knew nothing about these men, their education, or their qualifications.  It did not matter, he was sure that he would be given the position before them. 
Joe waited his turn in a room full of leather seats.  There were about twenty chairs, and fourteen of them were filled by men like Joe.  They were all young men dressed in fine suits, and they all had a distinct look of confidence to them.  Joe was the ninth man to be interviewed.  He walked in and gave Mr. Fordham a firm handshake and greeted him with a confident hello.
“Have a seat Mr. Corey, let’s get you know you a little, shall we”, said Mr. Fordham.
Mr. Fordham read through Joe’s files and shook his head in approval. He made an occasional remark about his college, education, and credentials.
“So, tell me why you want to be the head of public relations”, said Mr. Fordham.
“It has been a lifelong dream of mine to hold such a high position in a company like yours, Mr. Fordham.  I have prepared my entire life to earn such a title.” replied Joe.
“Right, but why exactly is it a dream of yours, I would like to know what intrigues you about it”, Mr. Fordham responded.
“Well to be honest sir, I am interested in the money that comes with the job”, replied Joe.
“Right, aren’t we all”, said Mr. Fordham with a chuckle.
He continued, “I’ve already reviewed your application and checked your background, and I think you are the most qualified applicant I have ever seen.  Welcome to Lifepro, Mr. Corey”.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you Mr. Fordham!” exclaimed Joe.
“You begin your work starting tomorrow, I expect you to be a professional and take this company to a new level, Mr. Corey”, said Mr. Fordham.
“Do not worry Mr. Fordham, I have been ready for this moment for years”, Joe replied.
“Thank you Joe, I will see you tomorrow”, Mr. Fordham said.
Joe went home completely ecstatic.  He went out to a bar near his apartment and had a few drinks.  He just wanted somebody to celebrate his victory with, but he had no friends or family with him.  Still, Joe was relieved that he officially got the job, and he could not wait to make the money that every businessman in Greenville would die for.  The next day, Joe returned to the Lifepro complex ready to perform his job.  For the next few weeks and months, he supervised the public relations department.  His days consisted of reading and writing letters to other companies, informing other employees of agendas, and putting finishing touches on the company’s projects.  After working at Lifepro for 3 months, Joe received his first substantial paycheck.  He had earned a total of fifty thousand dollars.  He took this money, combined with the money that he sold his old apartment for, and bought a brand new luxury loft in the downtown district of Greenville.  He lived in the same building as CEOs, owners, inventors, and other millionaires.  While he was quite proud to live with such wealthy young men of Greenville, he became jealous and wanted the wealth that they had accumulated.  Joe could not wait to make even more money to say he was a millionaire; he became obsessed with money. 
Joe was in the middle of a meeting with several associates one day when a secretary came into the room.  She informed Joe that there had been an accident and the tower that his apartment was in had caught on fire.  Joe rushed home to see the ruins of ash that remained of his apartment.  He broke down into tears.  He had lost everything he worked for.  He had lost a symbol of his wealth.  He had lost himself.  There was a family that lived on the floor right above Joe, and they were standing on the sidewalk next to him; they were crying and hugging each other.  Joe watched them as they mourned.  He was amazed; they weren’t crying because they lost their luxury apartment.  They were crying tears of joy because they all got out of the building safely.  This bewildered Joe, how could they not be upset about their apartment?  How could they not care about all of the money they lost due to the fire, even if they had saved it with insurance?  Suddenly, Joe realized that he had no family, no friends, and no life outside of himself and his money.  He remembered all of the friends he abandoned, all of the family members he never talked to, and all of the selfish things he did since he went to college.  He collapsed to the sidewalk as he was overcome by a combination of grief, guilt, and resent.  As Joe was lying on the ground in tears, he realized that no amount of money would ever make him content with his life again.  He decided that he was going to get back in touch with his family and friends, because they would surely comfort him.  Joe hadn’t talked to his parents in ten years.  Before college, Joe got into an argument with his father about how he treated his mother; and Joe and his father got into a violent struggle.  Joe pushed his father through a glass door, and left the house.  Joe had not talked to his parents since that day ten years earlier.  Joe took the small amount of money he had saved, and used it to travel to his childhood home.  He went to his house and rang the doorbell, already in tears.  When a young girl opened the door, he jumped back in surprise.  The girl’s mother came to the door, asking Joe what he wanted.  He said he was looking for Mr. and Mrs. Corey.  The woman looked Joe in the eyes and said that they died in a car crash two years earlier.  Joe fell to the ground in complete heartache.  He cried on his childhood porch for hours.  The woman offered him comfort in any way she could, but he denied her offers.  Joe sat on the porch and watched the children of the neighborhood riding their bikes.  Only then did he realize that he was broke.  He had no money, no family, no emotions, and no life.  Joe did not want to return to Greenville.  He was a broken soul, and he never forgave himself for leaving his parents like he did.  He had nowhere to go, and nothing to do.  All he could do was watch the children of the neighborhood run around on a summer night, riding their bikes, and catching fireflies.  All Joe could hope for was that these children never step foot in Greenville.