Should he risk another disappointment?

Paul stares at the screen. There, in the centre, a message flashes between black and red. A simple text box, calling attention to itself. He sighs, wondering if this is the message he is waiting for. Too often, the message is selling Viagra, replica watches or, more annoying, the invitation to visit with some hot teenager whose face suggests years of experience in whoredom.

He moves the mouse. On screen, the cursor responds, stopping on the message. He pauses, finger poised over the button. A double-click, and he will see the message, whatever it is.

He leaves the cursor on the message box and examines the icons scattered over the screen, entry points to his tools of trade – the Internet, the word processor, the spreadsheet and database system, the integrated development environment, and new work folder.

Maybe he should just ignore box now dominating the screen he sees. The odds from recent experience say it will be SPAM of some kind.

He clicks the box. Why wonder when one can see what it is?

Relief and disappointment follow: it is from whom he was waiting for, but not the news he had hoped for…

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