Calgary, February 2026
Dave didn’t consider himself to be a writer. For him, writing was just a hobby. He liked to put his thoughts on paper, in a clean and concise way, but he had no ambition to publish them. For him, writing was some kind of therapy, a way of clearing his mind. But he couldn’t resist showing his writing to his wife, Andrea.
“It is very good, you should publish it,” she said more than once.
“I couldn’t be bothered. I do it just for myself and perhaps for you. I already have a job, and I don’t want to waste time and money doing something which wouldn’t bring me any benefits.”
“Maybe it would. You might become famous.”
“I doubt that very much.”
This was the end of this conversation, but one day, Dave got a surprise. It was a day before his birthday, and he went to a bookstore to search for something Andrea could buy for him. A book would be better than a shirt or a tie. He saw a new publication called Stories, and since that was what he has been writing, he wandered how the real writers do it. He opened the book, and the first page was the beginning of one of his stories. He couldn’t believe it. He looked through the book, and all the stories were his own. He was also the author of the book. He bought it, brought it home and showed it to his wife. “Look what I have found.” She didn’t say anything, went to the basement and brought up the same book.
“It was supposed to be your birthday present, I wanted to show it to you tomorrow, but you already found it. Anyway, happy birthday, even though it is one day too early.”
Dave was impressed. “You did it for me? It must have been a lot of work.”
“Yes, it was. I had to find the editor, then somebody to design the cover and format the book, and finally, I passed it to the Amazon Kindle self-publishing service and ordered 10 copies. Two of them I put in the bookstore, and you bought one. The remaining copies are in the basement.”
“And what are we going to do with them?”
“We will try to sell them.”
“We will? You mean I will try to sell them?”
“Yes, you are the author.”
“And how am I supposed to do that? Should I bring the books to the store and try to convince customers to buy them? This is exactly why I never wanted to publish my stories; I am not a salesman.” Dave looked a bit agitated, and Andrea realized that maybe this birthday present wasn’t such a good idea.
“OK, leave it up to me. I will handle it.” The last thing Andrea wanted was to start Dave’s birthday with a fight.
The next day, Andrea sent e-mails to all her friends and relatives, saying that Dave published a book which is available in the local bookstore, and please, buy it to support Dave’s talent. This advertising campaign was reasonably successful, and Dave became not just Dave, but “Dave the Writer.” His friends were sending him e-mails praising his book, saying how they enjoyed reading it and encouraging him to continue writing.
“You see, I told you, you are now famous,” said Andrea happily.
His fame was confirmed when Dave and Andrea were invited to one of their friend’s party. There were a lot of people, a lot of drinking, and when the party was at its best, somebody called for silence. “I want to make a toast to my friend Dave to celebrate his book. I hope I speak for everybody, saying that I enjoyed reading it and wish him luck with his future writing.”
There was applause, looks of admiration, and Andrea was happy for Dave. But her happiness diminished when she saw a beautiful young woman talking to Dave, her smile suggesting that there could be more than just a smile. Dave didn’t seem to be rejecting that suggestion, and Andrea wasn’t sure if this birthday present was such a good idea. Having a famous husband also has its disadvantages.