Previously
A.J. looked at his father.
“Dad, I don't want you to just be my cheerleader. I want you to be my partner. Let's go on this journey together, and encourage each other.”
“Son, it's too late for me. But, I will encourage you as much as I have it in me.”
A.J. just stared at this dad. He would not take no for an answer.
“Dad, you are not too old for anything. In the archive room at the library, there are many biographies of people who achieved extraordinary things at an age older than you are now. Building successful businesses, becoming world-famous artists, starting worldwide charitable organizations, hiking across vast distances, and climbing mountains that even those much younger have failed to master.
“There are lots of other books in there also. Didn't you say you've been there?”
His dad looked down for a moment.
“Well, son, the truth is that I heard about the archive room at the library on my way back from that last disastrous defeat.
“I met a man who was sitting by the side of the road. He looked at me with a little twinkle in his eye and then proceeded to tell me exactly what I had been through.
“Then he told me about the archive room at the library and said, when I was ready, to go there. He said it would have everything I needed to regain my strength and courage.
“I was hurting so much and was so upset for letting myself be defeated so badly, that I started yelling at him and told him to leave me alone.
“As I walked away, he said, 'You've seen the truth, son. You will not be able to forget it. You will go there when you are ready.' Well, I just started running and never looked back at him.
“And, I proved him wrong. I have never gone there.”
A.J. remembered his own encounter on the way back.
“Dad, do you remember the name of the man you met on the side of the road? Did it happen to be Noble?”
His Dad was speechless when he heard the name. The memory of that occasion came flooding back in vivid detail.
“How did you know that, son?”
“Because it is the same person I met.”
“But, how is that possible?”, his Dad asked, incredulously. “It was close to twenty-five years ago now. Surely, this person can't be the same one!”
“Well, I am beginning to understand that there is much more to this man, Noble than meets the eye. Don't you see, Dad, he wasn't wrong about you. It just hasn't been your time, until now.”
“What do you mean by that?”, his dad shot back.
“Because one of the things I came here for is to invite you to go to the library with me, so I could show you what I have found there. I didn't know why, but now that you've told me more of your story, I know this is the right thing and the right time.
“I am the one who Noble wants to take you there. He didn't lie, Dad. He knew all along. It's like he knew that eventually, I would invite you. It's almost too much for me to grasp.”
His dad was having a hard time processing all this.
“You want me to go with you to the library archive room?”
“Yes, Dad. I want you to come with me the next time I go, which will be tomorrow after work. Will you go, Dad? I know you want to. I see it in your eyes. When you were talking earlier, I saw you change.
“It was like, mentally, you figured something out that you couldn't understand before. You didn't even have to say anything. It was written all over your face!”
“Son, I don't know what to say. There is a struggle going on in me right now. One side says to go, that I won't regret it. The other side says it's no use. I'm 'over the hill'. It's too late. I'll be disappointed just like last time.”
“Dad, we're just going to the library, not taking the journey to Transformatia. At least not yet. Just come with me. It's one small step.
His dad closed his eyes and thought about this for a few moments.
Finally, he looked up. “OK, son. I'll go. I have decided that I am not going to wait any longer. What do I have to lose? It already seems like I've lost a whole lifetime of opportunity.”
“Dad, that's awesome!” A.J. exclaimed.
He spontaneously got up and gave his dad a bear hug.
“Actually, there is another reason that I came over as well. I have met a girl. Her name is Plain Jane. She goes by P.J. Dad, I believe she is the one. I want to bring her over to meet you and Mom.”
“That's great, son. I know that family. Her dad is a client of mine. He is the manager of Conformity Community Bank. A solid family. When did you want to bring her over?”
“Well, I wanted to check with Mom about dinner tonight.
“Well, we are actually grilling some chicken. Just us and your sister. Now you and P.J. if she can make it.”
A.J. loved it when his dad grilled. He knew how to keep the meat tender and moist, adding just the right amount of herbs, spices, and a hint of BBQ sauce.
His mom made a vegetable rice stir-fry with mushrooms, zucchini, coarsely chopped onion, grated carrots, and minced garlic that was out of this world.
“Yes! I wouldn't want P.J. to miss one of your famous grillouts! We can bring a salad to go along with everything.”
“That sounds good” See you around six, then.”
About that time, A.J.'s mom walked out to the patio to see if they wanted a refill on the coffee.
“No thanks, Mom. I need to get ready for tonight. Dad invited me over. I'm bringing someone I want you to meet. Dad can tell you more. I gotta' run. Bye, Mom.”
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and was out the door.
“Well, what was that all about, Hon?”, she asked.
“It looks like A.J. has found, as he put it, 'the one'. All I know is her name is P.J. Her family has lived in Status-quo for as long as our family has. I know her father. He is a client of ours. He runs the local branch of Conformity Community Bank.”
“Sounds interesting”, his wife said.
“Also, I better tell you before he does – A.J. has invited me to go with him to the library archive room. I promised him I would go.”
His wife stared at him a moment. She got a slight, almost imperceptible smile on her face.
“After all these years, you are finally going to go”, she asked.
“Yes. I know, I said I would never go. But, during our talk, something incredible happened. I was actually happy for A.J. and told him I would be his biggest cheerleader. Well, while I was telling him this, it was like a load of guilt was lifted off my shoulders. I don't know how else to describe it.
“Then A.J. asked me to go with him. He said he didn't want a cheerleader. He wanted a partner. How can a man turn that kind of request down, especially from his own son?”
She smiled. “Well then, that settles it. I will take up the mantle of cheerleader and cheer both of you on to victory.”
A.J.'s dad stared at her.
They had never really talked about this subject since he declared he was never going to try to make the trek to Transformatia again. Now, here was his wife readily offering to become their biggest fan.
Had she always felt this way, but was waiting on him to make the move first? He knew that must be the case because that was the way she was.
Life was about to get very interesting.
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