"Nobody could ever accuse you of greed, Pippa," he said, remembering with some embarrassment how, unbeknownst to him, she had used her own wages to feed him. His pride would never recover.

He sat down in the chair he had occupied earlier. "Great transitions are always daunting." Then after a brief pause he added: "When I was about your age, I finished school and was ready to go to university. My school was a cold and cruel place and I had been miserable for years. Still, when it came time to leave, I felt overwhelmed and almost wished I had another year to go. I was frightened by the prospect of a big city and a new environment, with new ways of doing things. And I was certain I wasn't smart enough to pass my classes, or mature enough to take care of myself. Well, and the course was not of my choosing, admittedly, and I felt I would never be happy studying medicine.

"But then when I got there -, well, I won't say there were no challenges, but I found I was equal to them. And a few weeks in I was surprised to find to I was really happy; happier than I had been able to imagine back in school. I... I'm rambling," he stopped himself. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... change is part of growing up, of growing into the person we're meant to be, and it's scary. But you are better and more capable than you give yourself credit for. And who knows what happiness might be waiting just around the corner, once you take that leap?"