Chapter 1

(T + 3 months) It has been three months since Dr. Leonard Hofstadter uprooted his life from California and found himself in one of the islands of the Bahamas. It was a difficult decision to completely turn your life around but a series of unfortunate events contributed to Leonard's decision to leave everything behind and do a little soul-searching. As to how long it would take, Leonard has no idea. All he knew was he needed to get away from everything – his work, his personal relationships, his family and friends. He loved his friends. They had a bond that only the four of them can explain and understand and he knew that they will still be his friends even if he went away.

His personal relationships was one disaster after another. He had a couple of serious relations but none of them worked out. He wanted more and the relationship just fell apart. His last relationship was the most disastrous. His girlfriend gradually controlled every aspect of his life. It started with his appearance – a minor change in clothes, his glasses and the next thing he knew, he hardly recognized the man he saw in the mirror anymore. Next was his hobbies and interests – from limiting his spending on comic books to not being able to watch new sci-fi movies with his friends anymore. Even attending game night was affected – according to her these activities are for children and she wants him to grow up and be a man. Even their private intimate moments became stale and predictable. It became a chore for him, like something he had to do just to satisfy his biological urges. He tried to confront her about him being uncomfortable with the dynamics of their relationship but nothing got resolved. The resentment just kept building up until both of them just exploded with all the built-up emotions they were brewing inside. It was a nasty breakup that left him emotionally drained.

His work was also in a standstill. He still published papers every few months but none of them was considered groundbreaking. It's as if his career was just trudging along a straight path without really a destination on the horizon. He is a scientist and he thought that like any other career, dry spells are bound to happen.

His family was the easiest decision to make. He didn't really have a functional relationship with them. His father was absent for most of his life and they only began to have an amicable relationship now that he is an adult. He wasn't really close to his siblings. They never had those 'I got your back' kind of bond between them. This stemmed mostly from how their mother raised them – cold and clinical. His mother never really gave him any motherly affection for most of his life. Every time he tried to make a connection with her, it was met with indifference. Distancing himself from his family would be an easy decision.

Realizing that the only way for him to stay sane is to get away from everything, he decided to make plans and how to execute them. First was looking for a place outside the country for him to settle down. It has to be near and cheap to live in – he didn't want to waste his life savings on luxurious living. He decided he will have to live on basics only, no hobbies, no luxuries, just food and inhalers. He found his retreat – the Bahamas.

Next on his list was his career. He requested a one-on-one meeting with the president of the university and the head of the physics department. He explained the reasons for him to leave everything behind. Although reluctant to lose one of their valued researchers, President Siebert and Dr. Gablehauser understood and relented on letting him go. They even arranged for Leonard to receive his severance pay and unpaid days off.

"Well I can't say I'm not disappointed to see you go Dr. Hofstadter, but if you really need to do this, you have my support." President Siebert said as he shook Leonard's hand.

"Thank you sir. I really appreciate it." Leonard stood up as he shook President Siebert's hand.

"We hate to see you go Dr. Hofstadter. But if you happen to find what you are looking for and decide to come back, our door is always open." Dr. Gablehauser said and shook his hand.

Leonard had only one request, that he retain his account in the university server so he could upload his papers to be peer-reviewed. He reasoned that he may have ideas during his sabbatical worthy of publishing. President Siebert agreed to his simple request.

His friends would be difficult to say goodbye to, especially Sheldon. He would have to talk to them one by one. Howard and Raj was sad to see him go but he knew that they understood his reasons. He asked the two to keep his plans a secret from Sheldon. They agreed to this. He knew that talking to Sheldon will not work. A letter would not be enough either. He settled for the next best thing – a video message. He recorded his message and gave the tape to Howard. When the time comes, he will play the video for Sheldon and hope he understands.

For his family, he decided to write them a letter. They were located all over the country and trying to talk to them one by one would be impractical. It took one whole night to finish the letters for his family. He asked Raj to mail the letters a month after he had left.

The time has come to execute his plan. He emptied his bank accounts and sold most of his collectibles to Stuart's comic book store. He informed him of his decision to leave and Stuart understood and let him know that he has friends here in case he decides to come back. He also sold most of his stuff of value including his cello, anything that will give him extra money for his upcoming journey. He went to Howard's place and said his goodbye to him and his mother. Mrs. Wolowitz was saddened to see him go as she considered him a second son. He then went to Raj to say goodbye.

(T + 0 month) His departure day was as normal as any. He told Sheldon that he was not feeling well and would not be going to work that day. As soon as Sheldon left, he called the guy at the nearby car dealership to sell his car. He already talked to him a week before and told him of his plan. He met him at the front of the building and gave him the key to his car. The guy handed him the payment in an envelope. They guy thought that Leonard was nice enough not to haggle over the price of the car that he offered to drive him to the airport so he could save money instead of taking a cab. Leonard accepted. It didn't take long for him to get his stuff and load them in the car. He didn't bring as much stuff as he would like to. He just brought the essentials with him – clothes, some books, laptop, his pocketbook of contacts, a month supply of inhalers and other important stuff. They arrived at the airport and he thanked the car dealer guy for dropping him off.

He went inside the airport to check-in his luggage. After going thru immigration, he made his way to the boarding gate. He looked out the viewing window and saw the Pasadena horizon. He doesn't know when or if he will ever come back to this place again. He heard the call to board his flight. He took a deep breath and went through the boarding gate. There is no looking back now he thought.

Everyone at the university was shocked at the sudden departure of Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. Sheldon took the sudden disappearance of his best friend the hardest. He was devastated and confused. Howard and Raj came to his office to show him the video Leonard made for him. He was crying the whole time he was watching the video while Raj and Howard tried their best to comfort him. It got so bad that they had to call Sheldon's mother to console him. Sheldon's mom Mary was also heartbroken of Leonard's sudden departure but understood after Howard and Raj explained his reasons to her. Howard and Raj found themselves in hot water as everyone wanted to find out why Leonard left.

A month has passed and Leonard found himself living in one of the Bahamas island's cheapest hotels. The hotel served it's purpose as he kept his expenses to the minimum. He found that living along the ocean has a dramatic effect on his health. He doesn't suffer asthma attacks as often as it used to and he had a nice tan on his former pale skin.

(T + 1 month) He was coming back from having lunch at a local diner when he saw a tourist – American from his observation, viciously complaining to the front desk staff named Galy about the TV in their room acting up. Galy said that they would replace the TV tomorrow but the guest said it was unacceptable since they are paying customers. Leonard went up to the front desk and told Galy that he will be willing to take a look if she wants.

"Oh hi Leonard, thank you but it's really not necessary. You're a guest here so it would not be appropriate." Galy said.

"Hey it's no problem. I know a little bit about these things anyway." Leonard offered.

"Well...ok if you insist. Thanks." Galy said.

Leonard went with the guest to his room to take a look at the TV. He went back to Galy to ask if they have any tools in the storage closet. Galy showed him the tool storage and Leonard took what he needed. In about fifteen minutes, the TV was working perfectly and the other guest was glad. Galy was so thankful that she sent a cold beer and some chips to Leonard's room as a thank you.

Leonard's good deed soon caught the attention of the hotel manager. The manager asked him if he knew anything about fixing any electrical appliance or electrical fixtures. Leonard said that he knows how to fix these things including anything related to computers and their internet connection. He didn't tell him that as a former experimental physicist, these things would be a walk in the park for him. Howard was the engineer and was better than him in fixing things but he knew he was no slouch in fixing simple stuff. The manager made him an offer, he will fix any electrical trouble in the hotel and they will pay him on-call. Leonard agreed as this will give him something to do to keep his mind occupied in addition to earning a little money which is better than burning through his savings.

It didn't take long for him to gradually takeover as the maintenance guy of the hotel. He became so reliable and efficient that other hotels in the area soon sought out his help with their place. This new found occupation has kept Leonard so busy that he realized he was earning more than enough to finally move out of the hotel and afford a place of his own. He eventually found a cheaper place along the beach and moved out of the hotel. He continued working as the maintenance guy for several hotels along the coast and found the satisfaction in his new found vocation. In addition to keeping himself busy, his new found 'career' had a positive effect on his physical well-being – he became fit and buffed.