How Archie Dealt With The Yin & Yang Of His Extremes

    In his secret life he was much less open, which made sense as the less he said about anything to anyone, the less chance there was of him accidentally revealing that he was indeed leading a second life that was completely different from the one that the vast majority of the people who knew him would say was his life.

    The small number of people who knew him in his secret life had never had a reason to believe that he was anything but a likeable, quiet man who enjoyed working the night shift at the small convalescent home, walking the halls and checking on the residents, providing whatever support was needed by the institutions medical staff, keeping the common areas neat and clean, and generally keeping busy as best he could.

   He had never met up with any of his co-workers outside of working hours, and he never volunteered anything but the barest of information about himself. Of course HR ran a thorough background check when he was hired, but Peggy in HR said there was nothing in his past that made him stand out or even, to put it bluntly, the slightest bit interesting.

   Which is exactly how he wanted to be thought of in his second life. He wanted to be regarded as a dull as dirt but reliable nice guy. He did not want to form any friendships or even get to know the full names of the people he worked with - he just wanted to do his job, be pleasant but uninteresting, and then go directly home at the end of his shift.

   The home he went to was one he had lived in for over two decades, situated in the heart of suburbia. He knew most everyone in the neighborhood and socialised with them actively. There were a number of them that he regarded as close friends, and some were even closer to him than his own family. 

   On weekends he would join in with several of his friends for various functions, be it a poker night, an afternoon bar-be-que, or maybe a birthday party. There always seemed to be something going on in the neighborhood, and that right there was why he had sought out a night job where he could shut down his social side and just commune with himself. 

   For he was one of those people who both needed and enjoyed being around people, and also needed and enjoyed being alone.

   And that was why he had created his secret life, so he could, as he put it to himself more than actually said it to anyone he knew, "deal with it".