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phone number. Imagine that.”
    “A month later, she missed her period. A pregnancy test revealed what she already feared. Nine months passed, she gave birth to a daughter, and now raises the girl alone. Some might say her life was ruined. Others, I suppose, could look at it as a blessing or a gift. It didn’t settle well with me. She is raising a child who will never know her father. She’ll never have a family in a conventional sense. The child becomes the victim, and for what reason?” he turned from the window, walked toward the burgundy chair, and sat down.
    I sat quietly and listened as Kenton Ward began to become human.
    “Her story wasn’t awful, and it certainly wasn’t all too devastating. I had no ties to her or her daughter and I’ve heard far more saddening stories many times. But Parker, for whatever reason, her story was what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it. Here we had a woman who had fallen for a man who wasn’t necessarily truthful with her. As a result, she had been forced to raise her daughter alone. At that particular moment, as we sat in the restaurant, I thought about her misfortune. And something within me changed. A spiritual awakening, hell I don’t know. Something, ” he turned toward me and smiled as he placed his empty glass onto the coffee table.
    “Have a sandwich before the bread hardens. I’m almost finished,” he said as he reached for one of the plates.
    I reached for the remaining plate, placed it on my lap, and lifted the sandwich to my mouth.
    “Wow. This is amazing,” I said after I swallowed my first bite of the sandwich.
    “I think it’s the jam. Karen is quite a cook. She’s young and struggles with maintaining a diverse menu, but she can cook like no other,” he chuckled as he took a bite of the sandwich
    “At any rate, on that day, for whatever reason, something within me changed. I attempted to make amends with everyone I harmed in my wake of being me. In doing so, I learned a lot about myself, Parker. Not all of which, I might add, was good. The end result, you might ask? I haven’t been with a woman since. It’s been almost ten years, I guess. I had told myself I’d forfeit all of this, everything…” he paused, motioned around the room, and took another bite of his sandwich.
    “My belongings, wealth, as well as myself to the woman I love and only if I truly loved her. I just had to find her or allow her to find me. In that regard, I’ve tossed my respective hands in the air. For me, the search is over. In recent years, I’ve decided to live my life in a manner I believe to be kind, considerate, and caring. Along the way, I’ve selected a few people to befriend, help, or guide, if you will. You, Parker, are one of those people,” he placed the uneaten portion of his sandwich on the plate and stood from his chair again.
    “Parker, life is like a Texas Hold ‘em Tournament. The poker tournament, have you seen them?” he turned to face me, waiting for some form of acknowledgement.
    “I’ve seen them on ESPN. The tournaments, yes,” I nodded as I wondered what the similarities were, at least in his mind.
    Kenton began to pace in front of the window as he spoke.
    “Everyone gets two hole cards. Only you get to see these cards. Everyone has an opportunity to bet, check, raise, or fold. To bet is to place money on your belief that you’ll win. To check is to say, so far, I like what I see, but I want to see more . It cost nothing to check. To fold is to say, based on what I’ve seen, I give up . This isn’t worth my time or effort. Three more cards are dealt. The flop . Everyone gets to bet, check, raise or fold. Then, another card is dealt. The turn . Bet, check, raise, or fold again. Then, the last card is dealt. The River. Bet, check, raise, or fold. It’s a simple game.”
    “The tournament, like life, starts with a wide assortment of people. Wannabe’s, hacks, the hopeful, the desperate, the one or two who inevitably lied or