“I’m glad you said that, Nick, because we don’t have a hundred companies willing to be involved.”
“I understand. As I said, any amount will help,” Nick repeated. He caught his father’s eye, which appeared to have a tear in it. The wind began to slip out of Nick’s sails.
“That’s good, because, uh, we have three hundred companies that are here tonight who would like to participate and pledge ten million apiece!”
The crowd erupted. Nick was stunned. He had just raised three billion dollars. Chills went up and down his body. He wanted to shout. He wanted to cry. He wanted to hug his dad. He wanted to hug his mom, his brother, his friend, Jerry. He wanted so much to share this with Shelly.
“Oh, my God,” muttered Nick.
“Now, I don’t know where this will take us, but I would love to join you one day at a press conference to proudly state that everyone in this room was part of finding a cure for cancer.”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Way to go, Nick!”
More applause followed. Suddenly, Nick was some sort of celebrity, some sort of hero. But he hadn’t done anything yet. He’d just made a speech. The pitch of his life, apparently, but just a speech.
Sal joined Nick on stage. They waved to the crowd. They’d just raised an unbelievable amount of money in less than two hours. Every face Nick could see wore a smile. The crowd buzzed with excitement. The Kristen Foundation Project was starting to move. But the work had just begun …
*****
Shelly’s phone rang, waking both her and the visiting cat from a deep sleep. She grabbed the phone and checked the clock on her nightstand. It was three in the morning.
“This is Dr. White.” “Shel, it’s me. Nick.”
“Nick, do you know what time it is?”
“Yes, yes, I know, but I had to call you about my speech!”