James was just a history teacher.
When he was younger, he aspired to greater things in life. He wanted to be perhaps a great politician that corrected his corrupt nation's government, or perhaps be remembered as one of the best authors in the literary world, writing best-seller after best-seller.
But his dreams withered with age. Time and time again, he failed. It wasn't once or twice either.
He tried to be a great politician but he could never get past the established unspoken rules, and he only would be able to achieve a greater position... By being corrupt himself.
After quitting politics, he centered his knowledge of history to try and write historical novels, or fantasy ones. But no publisher wanted his stories: they were boring and unnecessarily complex. They lacked the "flair" they said.
So he resigned himself. Being a teacher wasn't so bad.
He got a good salary, and a stable job, and he could even delve into some hobbies like playing grand strategy games or write theses comparing past times with modern times.
He became somewhat famous, a respectable university teacher that every now and then gave some lectures were even other teachers from the same city attended.
It all came with age.
He was, well, a notable local figure. Nothing too special. Hell, he even got his own Wikipedia article, albeit short and with just a small amount of local awards granted.
It wasn't a bad life.
He never got engaged, never experienced "true love", had few real friends and never got along with his family.
But he wasn't angry about it. That was... Well, that was life.
He was absorbed with classical and Victorian history. Those who he considered the greats! The empires of the east, the empires of the west... He longed to live on one of those glorious empires. He studied vehemently the Roman empire, the different Chinese dinasties, the formation of the Japanese Empire and it's industrialization...
He even was interviewed a couple times by history channels making documentaries. Not that his part was big or relevant. Just another "expert" they added.
He tried studying economics in the hopes he would find some use to it, and maybe he could make a change with money, which didn't give him any particular benefits. He acquainted himself with the stock market but wasn't a great enough mind to exploit it.
He improved his speeches, he improved his writing and he studied what was trending for his books. He tried everything he could.
But he was nearing 64, retirement was around the corner. He kept giving lectures from Monday to Friday, he even thought of maybe adopting a child, but dismissed such thoughts because he wouldn't be able to confidently raise a small child at his age. He was supposed to be a grandfather.
He became a conformist. He was somewhat pleased with his life, didn't want to take any risks at his age and thought of retiring and becoming a hermit.
Who knew.
Who knew that one fateful day, after exiting the bar with his colleagues, his life would suddenly end at the hands of a robber.
It wasn't such a bad life, he thought. Maybe some would even read his obituary.
And that was it.
That was Jame's Smith Life.