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“That you don’t know what to do,” he said simply.“Because I think you might know more than you think you do.”
Adam shook his head and stared at his foot in the water as he traced circles with his toe.
“Sometimes I find it helps to talk it out,” Uncle Jack said.“And if you like, I can be a pretty good sounding board.”
It couldn’t hurt.
“The way I see it, there are a few potential outcomes and they’re all impossible.”
Jack nodded, so he continued.
“I could turn down the offer and stay here with Maureen.”
His uncle raised one eyebrow.
It wasn’t a question but Adam shook his head.“We could be together, Uncle Jack.Maureen would go to school, and I could start up a practice.We would get married and have a family.Hell, maybe we could even spend our summers at the lake here?That wouldn’t be too bad.”
“It wouldn’t.”
The idea of having a life with Maureen made him smile.He could picture it.It would be a good life.
“You’d give up your dream for her?”
“Yes.”He didn’t hesitate.
“And Maureen would be okay with that?”
The smile fell from Adam’s face.“No.”He’d always known the answer to that question, which was why he’d never really considered it an option before.She would never let him give up his dream for her.She loved him too much.And if for some reason she did, there would be disappointment in what he missed out on.In time, resentment might grow.“She would never let me give up my dream.Not even for her.”
Jack nodded.“And what about her?You said you asked her to come with you.”
He nodded.That was the best possible outcome, in Adam’s mind.Together, they could change the world and make a difference.It would be an amazing adventure.
“And what do you think she’ll say?”
She loved him almost as much as he loved her.Adam knew he’d caught her off guard when he’d asked her about Africa with no warning, but he also knew Maureen.“I think she’ll say yes.”
“You do?”If his uncle was surprised, he didn’t show it.
“I do.”He lifted a foot and let it splash down into the water.“Maureen is a beautiful girl,” he said with a smile.“But more than that, she’s smart and passionate and stubborn.She won’t give up on us.If I know her, she’s probably spent the last few days making lists and researching and learning everything she can about Africa.”He smiled at himself and shook his head a little in wonder.“She’s incredible.”
“Then what exactly is the problem?”
“The problem is…she’ll say yes.”Adam turned to look at his uncle, who immediately reached over and put an arm around his shoulders.He pulled Adam close, as if he were a small boy again.In his uncle’s embrace, for the first time, Adam let himself cry because he knew what he had to do.He loved Maureen too much not to.
After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes and sat up straight.“I need you to do something for me, Uncle Jack.”
Present
“It was your Uncle Jack who dropped off the letter.”
Adam nodded.
Even after so many years, Maureen heard the emotion in his voice as he told her his story.
“I waited for you.”Her own voice cracked.
“I know.”
