Knight & Day

Roger had a very happy childhood. He was the youngest of four children, all children of Carl and Betty Knight. Sasha was only ten months older than him. She had been born prematurely but never let her smaller stature stop her from reaching her goals. Tommy was three years older than him and was believed to be the most athletic. Jackie, five years older, was considered the smartest — that is, until Roger came along. Don’t get me wrong. All four were very brilliant. Roger just seemed to catch on to things quicker than his older siblings.

At only eight years old, Roger was reading books and magazines on how to build computers. More than just getting the parts and putting them together like pieces of a puzzle, he wanted to know how each part worked and what it did. He wanted to know how he could design and build his own and make it better than what was already available on the market. With straight A’s in all his classes, his family had high expectations that he would one day obtain his goals. He was bound to gain what they called Magnitudo.

While Tommy was the most athletic, that didn’t take anything away from Roger. He was a whiz on the basketball court. At that young age, he was already beating people older and taller than him. Even Tommy found it hard to keep up with his younger brother. When in high school, the two were an unstoppable force.

In addition to being a basketball star, Roger was also great with a saxophone. In between classes, he was often heard playing his horn in the hallways. That was how he caught the attention of the beautiful Laura Green. The two of them were inseparable from the day they first met. Of all the couples in the school, they were voted most likely to get married.

Carl and Betty raised their children to get along no matter what. They never fought with each other. Whenever there was a dispute between any of them, they would sit down and talk to resolve it. No shouting. No screaming. That’s how things worked for them. The kids observed their parents working things out that way, so they followed their example — a loving family with not a single black cloud dividing them. So, you can imagine the shock when, shortly before his high school graduation, it was announced that Carl and Betty were getting a divorce. Roger took it the hardest. It tore him in half.

This is where I must leave you. I have to introduce you to two very different people. Two that were as different as night and day.

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Roger Knight

After graduating from high school, I received scholarships to two different schools. It seemed to all depend on which parent I wanted to be around. You see, after the divorce, my father found a new job in New York City. Columbia University was one of the schools offering me a full scholarship. They just wanted me to play on the basketball team. That sounded simple enough. Columbia was an Ivy League school — sounded like a no-brainer. Move to New York with my father and go to an Ivy League school, or stay in Chicago and go to Illinois Institute of Technology, the other full scholarship. Both schools had advanced tech programs. But this was the rest of my life I was deciding.

Illinois Tech was a great school. Although they also gave me a basketball scholarship, it didn’t have the prestige that Columbia had. So, I left my life in Chicago behind and made my way to New York.

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Roger Day

After the divorce, my father moved to New York. It didn’t take long for him to find a new job and a new wife to go along with his new life. He abandoned us, and I resented him for that. Although I was the youngest, I told my mother that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I would never abandon her. To show how much I was willing to stick by her, when she took back her maiden name, Betty Day, I legally changed my last name to Day also.

I received full scholarships to two different schools. Both had great tech programs. The first one was Columbia University, a prestigious Ivy League school. It was an incredible offer. I’d be playing basketball for one of the top schools in the country while getting a top education. The only problem was that I would have to move to New York. I wasn’t willing to do that.

Illinois Institute of Technology, on the other hand, was a twenty-minute drive away. I’d still be playing basketball for a great school. I’d still be getting a great education. But it would be easy for me to get back and forth from school to check on Mom. On top of that, I wouldn’t be that far from Laura either. She was the love of my life. The thought of going to Columbia was great, but Illinois Tech was my choice. I stayed in Chicago.

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Roger Knight

The day I moved into the dorm, Dad was there to greet me. Although I was upset when he left the family, I was very happy to see him. He explained that the breakup was due to irreconcilable differences. I never knew what that meant, but I still found it in my heart to forgive him.

College was a lot of fun. Just like in high school, I was the best player on the team. Dad was there at all of my home games. He kept in touch during all of my away games. In the beginning, I called Laura every single night. But after a while, we talked less and less. It wasn’t long before we stopped talking altogether.

One day, while playing at Binghamton University, I happened to meet a cheerleader named Esmeralda. What started as friendly conversations grew quickly into a romance. She was beautiful, sweet, and smart. She changed my view of cheerleaders forever.

When the next semester started, Esmeralda transferred to Columbia. This was a bold move. Tuition was much higher, but her parents were willing to pay. The assignments may have been tougher, but her grades were top-notch. She didn’t join the cheerleading team, but she did come to all of my games. The more time we spent together, the greater our love grew. Soon, I was moved to put a ring on her finger — a ring that she accepted with great joy.

It was a little awkward when we played against Illinois Tech. I looked for Esmeralda in the crowd just as I slammed a ball into the basket. When I saw her, she was sitting next to my mother. I was happy to see her. But sitting next to my mother was the very beautiful Laura. It made me wonder what it was that I threw away moving to New York.

I spoke to her after the game. She had a ring on her finger, but her husband wasn’t with her. Oddly enough, she was now Laura Day. Day was my mother’s maiden name. I wondered if she had married one of my relatives. I was sure they would have told me.

After college, I was offered a deal with the NBA — a two-year contract and $10 million a year. I accepted without hesitation. I wasn’t looking for a long-term career playing basketball, but $20 million would be more than enough to get what I wanted: to start my own tech business.

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Roger Day

The day I left to live in the dorms, Mom was there to see me off. I told her that I felt bad leaving her, seeing how Dad had left. She told me that I should try to make amends with him. She said that the breakup was due to irreconcilable differences. It wasn’t just one thing. I had no idea what that meant, but I did know that Megan was part of it. I would never call her my stepmother. I guessed I should try to forgive him. It would be hard. Maybe if he reached out to me, it would be easier. I decided I would be the bigger man and reach out.

College was a lot of fun. Just like in high school, I was the best player on the team. I was shocked to see Dad at my first game. He said that my phone call had touched his heart. I didn’t think we’d ever have the same relationship we had before the divorce, but calling just to talk once in a while wouldn’t be a problem. I had to admit — it was good to hear his voice.

One day, while playing at Binghamton University, I happened to meet a cheerleader named Esmeralda. We started a friendly conversation that she wanted to grow into a romance. She was beautiful, sweet, and smart. But I was already deeply involved with someone. Her beauty was far greater than Esmeralda’s. As a matter of fact, I had just bought her a ring. She said yes.

When the next semester started, I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment designed for married couples. It was a bold move. Rent was much higher, but Mom and Dad were willing to help out some. Laura was taking classes at a community college. She was able to attend all online classes. Thus, her commute back and forth to school was nothing. This was great since we could spend more time together.

It was a little awkward when we played against Illinois Tech. I looked for Laura in the crowd just as I slammed a ball into the basket. When I saw her, she was sitting next to my dad. I was happy to see him. But sitting next to him was Esmeralda. She looked at me, smiled, and waved. It was flirtatious. In that second and a half, I could see the look on Laura’s face. I could tell that they would not get along.

I wanted to talk to my wife after the game, but Esmeralda literally pushed her out of the way. As I grabbed Laura’s hand to pull her back close to me, I noticed that Esmeralda had a ring on her finger. This was upsetting to me. Although I didn’t know who her husband was, I was not going to be the cause of any breakup. I was not going to ruin my marriage to Laura. Interestingly, her name was now Esmeralda Knight. I wondered if she had married any of my relatives on my father’s side. I believed they would have told me.

After college, I was offered a deal with the NBA — a two-year contract and $10 million a year. It was a lot of money, but I turned it down. I wasn’t looking for a long-term career playing basketball. That would have meant that I’d be on the road most of the time. That would take me away from my wife for long periods of time. I couldn’t do that. So instead, I accepted a job at a tech company paying a six-figure salary. It was a great job, but $10 million starting off was hard to pass up.

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Roger Knight

I did my two years of professional basketball. I got my $20 million. I got tons of bonuses. In the end, my bank account was nine digits. I had a beautiful wife, a large house, and ten high-end cars. I had traveled the world, been to more islands than I knew existed, and even stayed in the White House for a week. I had been invited by President Obama herself.

I was able to start my own company — Knight Technologies. We made everything from children’s toys to aerospace components. My company profited over $20 million in the first year, and that number kept growing. My bank account continued to grow. I obtained more houses and more cars. I was even teaming up with a company trying to build a community on the Moon.

Everybody looking at me would have assumed that I had everything a person could want. But there was something missing from my life — something that was just out of my reach. Laura.

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Roger Day

After turning down the NBA, I got a great job with Grey Technologies. I got a position starting at $250,000 per year. A quarter of a million a year was a lot of money, but it was a far cry from ten million. I wasn’t able to get the large mansion that I wanted, but I did have a very nice house. I wasn’t able to get ten high-end cars like I had dreamed of having, but I did get two very nice cars. I was able to take a cruise every year with my wife. So, I had been to many exotic islands. I even stayed in the White House for a week. I had been invited by President Obama herself.

At Grey Technologies, we made everything from children’s toys to aerospace components. The company was merging with Knight Technologies. People claimed that the new CEO looked like me, but I didn’t see it. It would have been nice if I could have started my own company, but it wasn’t like I was missing any meals.

Some people may have looked at me and assumed that I had everything a person could want. But there was something missing from my life. If only I had accepted that contract with the NBA.

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Roger Knight

I was traveling to Chicago to give a speech at Illinois Tech. My company was looking to recruit fresh young minds as we had just partnered with Grey Technologies. This partnership would help develop the next generation of smart infrastructure. It was a multibillion-dollar deal. The funny thing was, the money didn’t excite me. It was the knowledge that we were building the future — something that would outlive me and even my children.

As I walked onto the stage, I looked over the crowd and paused. My eyes locked onto a man sitting in the front row about my age. It was like I was looking into a mirror. He had the same eyes, the same nose, the same jawline. His badge read Roger Day, Senior Engineer of Grey Technologies. I froze, just for a moment, wondering if I was dreaming. He had the same shocked look on his face — probably wondering the same thing.

After the speech, I had to speak to him. We laughed awkwardly as we shook hands.

“It seems as though you’ve had a pretty good life,” he said.

“I was just about to say the same thing to you.”

We talked briefly, but not about the impossible resemblance between us or the name we shared. Our conversation centered on our lives and the choices we had made. He mentioned Laura, his wife, and how they were planning another cruise. I told him how I met Esmeralda, about our kids, and our house in Hawaii. We both smiled politely, each wondering in quiet disbelief at the uncanny mirror standing before us.

Before we parted, he said something that stuck with me.

“You ever wonder if we’d have been happier the other way around?”

I had to smile.

“You know,” I said, “I thought about it for a long time. I have to say no. I think the world just needed both of us.”

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Roger Day

I was chosen to attend a seminar at my old college, Illinois Tech. The CEO of Knight Technologies was giving a speech about the merger. This merger had changed everything for our company. Roger Knight was like nobody I had ever met before. He was confident, polished — the kind of man who made you believe anything was possible. It was strange, standing across from him, realizing how much we had in common.

On the drive home, I must have had a look of deep thought on my face.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About how sometimes life seems to split in two, and somehow both halves still find their way.”

She smiled. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”