“I’m not.”
“Marj…”
“Okay. Maybe. But it’s not the only reason I want to go.”
“Maybe it’s time to make a list of pros and cons,” she said. “They can be helpful.”
“You sound like Melanie.”
“Melanie’s a very smart woman.”
No disagreement there. A tinge of sharpness hit my upper thigh where my cut was healing. Jade, who knew me better than anyone, didn’t know about that.
“Okay, fine. We’ll make a pro and con list.” I grabbed my phone and pulled up the notepad. “Pro. I get to do what I love in a place I love.”
“You can even make that two pros.” Jade smiled.
“Con. I miss your baby’s birth.”
“And Joe’s baby.”
“Okay. Two cons.”
“Pro side. I get some distance from Bryce.”
“I’m not going to give you two pros for that one.”
“Fair enough,” I said, though I thought it deserved about ten pros.
“What else?” Jade asked.
“The boys. I’ve grown to love them. I’ll miss them a lot.”
“Con,” Jade said.
“Yeah. Two cons. One for each.”
“Anything else?”
“My mother. She doesn’t know who I am, but I feel I should be here for her. I read to her, and she enjoys that.”
“So far the cons are winning, Marj.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I know.”
“Let’s get serious for a minute,” Jade said. “This is something you want. Something you need, really, for your own well-being. Everyone should follow her dream.”
I nodded.
“But you’re young
. You have all the time in the world to follow your dream. You can put it off if you want to.”
“Believe me. I’ve been through all of this in my head, Jade. I know getting away from Bryce is a big reason I’m thinking about this, but look at it objectively for a minute. How many people in the world put off their dreams for valid reasons, and then those reasons turn into more valid reasons? It becomes a vicious circle, and before they know it, their lives are over and they never did the one thing they dreamed about all those years.”
“Those people didn’t have me for a best friend. I’m not going to let you give up on your dream, Marj. I promise.”
I smiled. No, she wouldn’t allow that. “You want me to stay, don’t you?”