Gina’s face was beet red. I could tell she had been crying. She got her composure and came over to hug me. She made sure she had a big smile on her face.

My dad interrupted. “Okay, okay, we’ll be down for parents’ weekend, and that’s just a few weeks away. Come on, now. We’ve got to go, or we’ll get stuck in traffic.”

Gina whispered in my ear, “Go find it, kiddo. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” Then she walked quickly out of the kitchen to the garage to jump in the car.

I didn’t know what to do, so I started to follow her. I hated seeing her upset. Gina was always happy.

Dad stopped me before I could get out to the car. “Let her go, pal. She’s very emotional about leaving. It’s for the best.”

My dad always said that—“it’s for the best.” But stand- ing alone in the garage didn’t feel like the best thing at all, especially after I watched the gates open and saw the town car pull out of the driveway.

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