The Zero Sum

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Adult brothers Patrick and Leonard Paulson, both tortured souls, have long been affected by an incident in their childhood, which has manifested itself differently in the brothers. Patrick writes as therapy, specifically about his and Leonard's lives. Younger by one year, Leonard, who works a day job as a waiter, is, on the other hand, a thief, both in property and personal crime. Because of their relationship, Patrick ends up taking the fall and the associated seven year jail sentence for Leonard's latest crime. On an unrelated incident, Leonard ends up having mugger's remorse after the fact when he recognizes his latest victim as one the nicer customers in the restaurant where he works. She is Leah Herzog, a junior editor at a publishing house, she who is just getting out of a destructive personal relationship. Leonard can see the profound negative affect the mugging has had on her. In Leah, Leonard sees many things as he inserts himself in her life. In the reversed role now of being Patrick's guardian, Leonard sees her as a means of getting Patrick out of jail if he can get her company to publish his manuscript. But as his attraction to her grows, he begins to see her as a possible reason to turn his life around, that is unless he decides that her welfare is of higher priority in not exposing her to him and his criminal past and present.