A Man's Best Friend (pt.1)

Note: This is part one of a story that I have wanted to write for some time, but always found a reason not to do so. It is fiction, and any similarity to any person living or not, is purely coincidental.

Jerry Giger was always a self-absorbed jerk. As a child this trait was not particulary evident, as many children believe the world revolves around them. But as he grew older, his selfishness became more and more pronounced. Friendships were brief. All take and no give. His parents grew concerned, but held out hope that he would grow out of it. That he would grow up. And then came adolescence. His grades, always unremarkable, plummeted due at least in part to experimentation with drugs and alcohol. After Jerry got into and out of a few minor scrapes with the law, his dad left. He had had enough. One day he was just gone. Jerry wasn't sad at all. He saw his father's departure as nothing more than one fewer person to supervise him. Jerry's shattered mother responded by throwing herself into doting on her son. Jerry became more and more selfish, demanding more and more from his mother. Enough never was. Though money was tight, an inordinate portion of the household budget went towards Jerry's entertainment. Eventually, even that would not satisfy the insatiable boy. So Jerry, going nowhere in high school, dropped out and got a job at a fast food joint.