With the afternoon breeze blowing in my face, I pedaled back home with a sense of mission accomplished. The visit to the ice cream vendor and the walk around the neighborhood had given me a good sense of that world. It was time to make a plan.
"Well, I guess I'll head home now, I don't have much to do around here at the moment..." I thought as I pedaled through the familiar streets of Reseda.
"When I was arriving home... I came face to face with John Lawrence arriving in his car. That unexpected encounter left me a little apprehensive. After all, what would I say to that man who seemed to just want peace and quiet?"
"Hey kid, who are you living with around here? I've never seen you around here before...", John asked, his tone of voice mixing curiosity and suspicion.
"Hey, old man," I replied, trying to keep my cool. "So, I started living here yesterday..."
"Do you live here alone, boy? What's your name?" he asked, looking me up and down.
"Clark Fillesia," I replied, extending my hand for a handshake.
John just looked at my outstretched hand, without showing any reaction.
"Listen kid," he said, his tone direct and somewhat rude. "I only live here in this shitty place because I don't need to talk to anyone, so I'd rather keep it this way, not cause any trouble around here and everyone stays in peace."
"Okay, I get it, old man," I replied, lowering my hand and putting it in my pocket. "I'm leaving now..."
"Who's old, kid?" John asked, his tone irritated. "I'm only 40, still in my youth..."
I smiled, amused by his irritation. "Okay, if you think so, who am I to disagree?" I replied calmly. "Old man..."
"Tchi," John snorted. "Kids these days don't respect their elders..."
"With a nod, I grabbed my bike, locked it, and entered the apartment complex. That encounter left me with a flea in my ear. John Lawrence was an odd character, with his unsympathetic, "peace and love" manner. But I couldn't worry about him now. I had more important things to attend to."
"I arrived at the apartment and decided it was time to delve deeper into that world. I sat down at the table, turned on my laptop and started researching the financial market. 'I can't waste any time,' I thought. 'I need to start taking action now.'"
"I spent the rest of the day and night researching the financial market, how it worked in 2007, which companies were promising, market trends... It was a complex world, with its own rules and jargon, but I was determined to master it."
"After a full day of studying, I finally felt ready to take the next step. 'Ugh, man, I'm so tired... But great! ' I thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment."
"Based on my research, I came to the conclusion that this world was basically the same as the one I knew, with a few minor differences. The same companies, the same technologies, the same customs... This gave me a glimmer of hope. If the world was the same, I could use my knowledge of the future to build a prosperous life."
"To enter the financial market in 2007, I had to go to the bank and make the transfer through an attendant. 'What a headache!', I thought. 'Things were so archaic in 2007...' But there was no other way. I needed to invest my money to make it grow."
"With the information I had gathered, I invested about $15,000 in stocks of companies I believed would grow. 'I hope I can make a quick return,' I thought, with a mixture of anxiety and hope."
"After making the investments, I decided I needed to get out for a while, get some fresh air. 'I need physical cash,' I thought. 'I only have a debit card and a lot of people don't accept cards.'"
"I left the apartment and went to a nearby ATM. I withdrew $300 in cash. 'In my opinion, $300 was a lot of money in 2007,' I thought as I put the bills in my wallet."
"With the money in my pocket, I went into a convenience store and bought some things to eat. 'My fridge is empty, there's only water,' I thought, as I picked out some non-perishable food items."
"Back at the apartment, I put the groceries in the fridge and decided it was time to take care of another important matter: my wardrobe."
"Okay, let's go to a clothing store to buy something," I thought, leaving the apartment again.
"I spent about $20 on some basic clothes. I still have about $280 left, I'm sure I'll buy some better clothes later," I thought as I walked home with the shopping bags.
"When I was walking home after buying the clothes, it was around 2:30 pm," I noted mentally.
"As I walked home, my mind was racing with ideas. 'How can I make more money?' I thought. 'I need money so I don't have to worry about money anymore.'"
"In addition to investing in the stock market, I thought about other ways to make money. 'Since it's 2007, there are so many opportunities!' I thought. 'Google, Microsoft, Apple, Sony... All of these companies are in the early 2000s. I could invest in all of them and ride the wave of growth!'"
"Bitcoin was also in my plans, but I would have to wait a while. 'Bitcoin won't be launched until 2008,' I thought. 'But when the time comes, I'll buy as much as I can! If I can buy $1 million worth of Bitcoin, I could become one of the richest young people in the world!'."
"But the big question was: how could I get $1 million? It wouldn't be easy, but I was willing to risk it all. 'The only way to make money fast is to take big risks,' I thought. 'Nothing comes for free in this world...'"