Will rubbed his temples and leaned against the wall. It appeared that this conversation was aging him.
"You had your terrible uncle but I didn't have anybody; I was a ward of the state. If they had found me that night, they would have locked me up again and I never would have been able to graduate from high school, let alone college. I had to leave so I could become a functioning adult and take care of you like I promised.
"I hitchhiked down to L.A. and met my mentor. He helped me enroll in school and taught me everything he knew about business. I wouldn't have ever made it without him. I always planned on coming back for you but I wanted to make sure I had enough money to give you a good life first. I didn't know when or if you would be able to talk again so I had to prepare myself to provide for you in case you couldn't go out and get a job."
