The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture
In the hotel, I spent much of the day on the phone with my
parents, telling them about the brick wall I’d just smashed into. Their
advice was incredible.
“Look,” my dad said. “I don’t think she means it. It’s not consistent
with her behavior thus far. You’ve asked her to pull up roots and run
away with you. She’s probably confused and scared to death. If she
doesn’t really love you, then it’s over. And if she does love you, then love
will win out.”
I asked my parents what I should do.
“Be supportive,” my mom said. “If you love her, support her.”
And so I did that. I spent that week teaching, hanging out in an
office up the hall from Jai. I stopped by a couple of times, however, just
to see if she was all right. “I just wanted to see how you are,” I’d say. “If
there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
A few days later, Jai called. “Well, Randy, I’m sitting here
missing you, just wishing you were here. That means something,
doesn’t it?”
She had come to a realization: She was in love, after all. Once
again, my parents had come through. Love had won out. At week’s
end, Jai moved to Pittsburgh.
Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show
how badly we want something.
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