“Hey, Porter, I have a random question for you,” Wilson said over the phone. Porter was the last college friend he needed to talk to about their college entrepreneur class with Professor Santos.
“What’s up, Wilson?” Porter said.
“Did Professor Santos ever give a speech that began “you’re just scared?”
“You’re just scared,” Porter said in a dramatic theater voice. “You’re just scared of your own potential, of facing down the waves of the world, of having to draw a line in the sand as those waves are bearing down on you, of not knowing where the next shots are coming from. And people will take shots. It won’t be an easy road. You’re just scared of who you are and who you might be.”
Porter ticked Wilson’s name off a list.
“Great speech.”
“Yeah, I can’t remember where I parked my car. I have to look it up on my phone. But I do remember that speech. Why do you ask?”
“Our buddy Mitch is having a hard time,” Wilson said. “I sort of traced it back to his rocky relationship with Santos. I think that speech served as a turning point. He took that speech really personally. And when he told me, I told him Santos also gave me that speech. So I’ve called everyone, and six other people got that speech too.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” Porter said. “You know. I wasn’t scared of my own potential.”
“Me either,” Wilson said. “Neither was Mitch until after that speech. But man, did that speech apparently transform Wyatt. He considers that speech the positive turning point in his life.”
“Why did Santos give the same speech?” Porter asked.
“I think Santos was scared.”
“Of his own potential?”
“No, of his other speeches. Did you ever hear the one about how troubles are like turkey sandwiches?”