The Art of the Hustle

PART II – Riches

  C H A P T E R

  T H I R T Y - F O U R

  I checked to make sure I still had my boarding pass. I gave Ashley one last hug and kiss goodbye before I boarded the plane.

  “It will only be for three years. And I’ll visit you every few months, or you can come visit me once you’re done your MBA.”

  “You promise?”

  “Of course, Ashley. Being with you is the best thing that has happened to me. You’ve been with me throughout all the ups and downs over the past five years. I just have to go away for a while, but I’ll come back for you. Okay?”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  Leaving her was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. So much can change in such a little amount of time. It would be a shame to lose her, but that was the reality I was facing. I had every intention of going back for her because she was worth it. She was with me when I had nothing, a rare quality to find in a woman, especially one who had everything. I was just trying to be realistic about all this. There was a real possibility we would grow apart once the separation had gone on for a few months. Time has a funny way of doing that, making us forget.