“I can’t go along with that. I realized then that if I stayed, I’d fall into the same trap all your other colleagues have . . . of inadvertently doing your thinking for you when we express our own opinions. The sad thing is that we aren’t, really. You decide yourself what advice you do and don’t listen to. The trouble is, you only remember when you go against advice and it goes wrong . . . like when you got drunk tonight. Any correct judgment calls you assume were made by your ‘advisors.’ Well, you’ve convinced me that you’re a right guy, Skeeve. Now all you have to do is convince yourself. That’s why I’m going to head on back to Djinger and let you work this problem out on your own. Right or wrong, there’ll be no one to take the credit or share the blame. It’s all yours. I’m betting your solution will be right.”
He held out his hand. I took it and carefully shook hands with this person who had been so much help to me. “I . . . well, thanks, Kalvin. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“It’s been a real pleasure, Skeeve . . . really. Good luck in finding our friend. Oh, say . . .”
He dug something out of his waistband and placed it in my hand. As he released it, it grew into a full-sized business card.
“That’s my address on Djinger. Stay in touch . . . even if it’s just to let me know how this whole thing turns out.”
“I will,” I promised. “Take care of yourself, Kalvin . . . and thanks again!”
“Oh, and one more thing . . . about your having problems with your friends? Forget trying to be strong. Your real strength is in being a warm, caring person. When you try to be strong, it comes across as being cold and insensitive. Think about it.”