Who is Jack Ferris from Short Story Masterpieces and what is their importance?

Jack Ferris is a man whose life is filled with temporary statuses. Faced with his own age at the death of his father, Jack finds himself reminiscing about his marriage to Elizabeth, a beautiful, charming, young woman. When he calls her unexpectedly and is invited to dinner, he sees her happy family, and finds himself lying to her about his own life to appear a more stable, permanent individual. He becomes aware, through viewing Elizabeth's life, that his own is merely passing him by. When he returns home, Jack promises the son of his girlfriend that they will spend more time together, showing that Jack does plan to change his ways in the future.