ALEX TOUGH
FACT FILE
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 200lbs
D.O.B: 10.10.1980
Hair Colour: brown
Eye Colour: brown
Current Occupation: data analyst
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Alex has thick, wavy brown hair. He looks like the surfer type, but he's quite the opposite. He wears glasses occasionally — only really for when he's driving or reading. He's supposed to wear them when he's staring at a screen for too long, but that doesn't happen. He is of medium size and build, and has perfectly lined white teeth. In fact, that's one of the main reasons Karen, his wife, fell in love with him. He knows this because she told him.
PERSONAL HISTORY
Alex was born into a foster home. He doesn't know who his real parents are — not because the foster parents didn't want him to learn, but because he chose not to himself. The way he saw it, was that if they didn't want him, then he didn't want them. It was simple.
He seldom talked about his foster life with people he met, and he only entrusted the information with close friends. It took Jake a while to learn it himself; Jake respected his wishes.
Alex has three older brothers and two younger sisters. Four of the six children were fostered. They lived in a large house in the south west, in the middle of the countryside, close to the English Channel. Now and then, Alex would help out on the farm and tend to the cattle and ploughing the feeds. He was brought up around other farmers, but he didn't like it. It wasn't him. It wasn't in his blood to spend every day on the farm. So, when he was younger, he had a laptop bought for him, and he spent his time on that.
That's where his love for data and analytics stemmed from. And a job in the city was the most natural fit for him. There, he felt right at home. He assumed it was something in his DNA — something inherited from his biological parents.
Alex’s foster parents — and, by extension, his entire foster family — treated him very well. They all loved one another, even though they were all from separate lives, background, and countries. And he loved them. They'll forever be his family, no matter what situation the find themselves in.
LIKES/DISLIKES
Alex both likes and dislikes his job. He works as a data analyst in the IT department of a large corporate company. Sounds boring, but according to him it isn't. He has a logical, methodical brain, and the way numbers work excites him, and it also makes sense to him in many more ways than it does to other people. Every day is challenging and every day is new. Not to mention, he's quite high up the food chain so is able to delegate as much work as he wants to. The only reason he hates the job is because he's commuting for long hours at a time, and he sometimes has to travel up and down the country, which means spending long periods away from home, and away from the kids.
Alex enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible. And he likes to catch up with the news and local/global politics. It was always something he was interested in, but never found the time to pursue it. He has his opinions on political matters, but doesn't like to voice them. He thinks that those sorts of things should be kept to one side, out of the way of general discussion, lest he accidentally upset someone.
Particulars
Favourite food: venison. We used to eat it for dinner two or three times a week back in Cornwall.
Favourite drink: ale. Any kind. Doesn't matter which one, they're all as good as one another. We used to drink it religiously in
Favourite book: The Stand, by Stephen King.
Favourite film: Dodgeball
OTHER
What was his most embarrassing moment? This is a difficult one. There have been a few. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment of my life would be when I got lost on the farm. Well, I say “lost”, when I actually mean I fell down a ditch and couldn't get anyone to help me. I was stuck there for a few hours. It was raining. Cold. Horrible. Eventually, one of my sisters found me because they could hear me crying and screaming for help.
Or the other embarrassing moment would be that I asked Karen to marry once, when we'd only been going out for eight months or so. She said no. In front of everyone. That was horrifying. She said that she didn't want to do it yet because she didn't think we were ready. For someone reason, she stuck with me, and lo and behold, a year later we were married and ready to start our family.
What’s his greatest strength? In a work aspect, I'm very good at managing people. I'm a good boss when I want to be. I'm laid back when necessary, and firm when people are beginning to take the piss. I keep a fine line between friend and boss, just because I think it's necessary for people to like you as a person for them to trust you and respect you — that way they'll do what I want.
What’s his greatest flaw? Believing people will get better, and giving them the benefit of the doubt to do it. There was one guy at work who had an extended period of time off. He was going through a divorce, but when he came back to work he began to slack off. Inexplicably. I sat him down, spoke to him about it, gave him a warning. He promised me he'd continue working hard, but he never did. He betrayed my trust. And within a few weeks, he was out of the company.
Proudest achievement? Having the amazing, wonderful family that I have. Oh, and I'm proud of myself for not trying to find out who my birth mother is. Whenever I speak to people about it, they always tell me I'm mad for not caring. But I don't mind. It's my choice, and I'm sticking with it. Sure, there have been instances where I want to locate her, but it's never happened. Hey, for all I know she could be dead.
Biggest secret… There was a moment at work once, on a Christmas night out, where a colleague and I shared a moment. Now, I’d never act on it, because I love Karen and the kids too much. But with Karen’s recent behaviour, I'm beginning to regret that decision.
BOOK REFERENCES
Quotes about Alex taken from the books:
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