So he went back. He changed the pairwise comparisons. He lowered “Growth” from a 5 to a 2. He raised “Location” to a 7, because his mother had just turned 70. He raised “Meaning” to a 9, because the novel in his drawer deserved a life.

He downloaded it.

He didn’t know what it meant. It sounded like something that would require a PhD and a blood sacrifice. But the word “free” was a siren’s call, and “Excel” was his mother tongue.

He stared. Salary vs. Growth. He was 34. He had a leaking fridge. But he also had a novel in his drawer. He typed a hesitant (moderately more important).