Free Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic Page B

not see the value in the fact that the young woman I’d been obsessing over was not available. When I learned that Kanae had a boyfriend, I thought my heart might burst inside my chest.
    She looked at me with such warmth and interest, how could she have a boyfriend? Was I kidding myself? Am I deranged?
    Just then, Kanae entered with her boyfriend, who dashed up the stairs as soon as he came in the door and did not see me.
    Tammy did. Watching from the kitchen, she noted my look of disappointment, and her face went white. She realized where my heart had been directed when I struggled to smile at Kanae’s enthusiastic hug. Actually, I’ve never been so cold and mean to a girl in my life. Playing it cool was no longer in the game plan.
    “So, you have a boyfriend?” I said. “How long have you been going out together?”
    “About a year,” said Kanae.
    The abyss suddenly seemed deeper.
    I was so mad at myself for misreading this girl who obviously had no interest in me beyond friendship. I wanted to go off somewhere and use my forehead to pound nails, but there was steaming homemade lasagna on the table. Dinner was being served. Kanae’s boyfriend joined us, introducing himself. He was friendly and seemed like a nice enough bloke, but I wasn’t much in the mood to buddy up. God forgive me, this guy hadn’t done a thing to me other than have a girlfriend whom I’d fallen for like a sad sack of bricks.
    I managed to get through the meal without biting off the head of the poor unsuspecting boyfriend. My caregiver and I were staying at Tammy’s house and so were Kanae and Yoshie, so this was looking like a long night.
    I wonder if there’s a Red Roof Inn nearby?
I thought.
    But that would have been bad manners and hard to explain. I had to buck up and make the best of a bad situation. I joined Tammy and her kids in the recreation room, burrowing into a comfy spot on the couch. Kanae joined us after her boyfriend left. When Tammy and the kids went off to bed, I was left alone with my crush, and I briefly thought about pouring out my heart to her. I decided instead to maintain some dignity and let it go.
    Maybe I sighed a couple of times. I might even have whimpered once or twice. Despite great temptation I did not cry like a banshee. I was so busy wallowing in self-pity that I did not see Kanae leave her chair. Suddenly, she plopped down on the couch next to me and stared intently into my eyes.
    You are so beautiful, and you have no idea how I feel about you
, I thought.
    “Nick, can I talk to you about something?” she asked.
    My Ice Man act melted. I could not resist this woman. I could barely breathe around her. Using every ounce of what little self-control I still had, I responded as matter-of-factly as a quivering, lovesick mass of a man possibly could. I was thankful my nearby caregiver was listening to some music with his eyes shut.
    “Sure, what’s up?”
    The woman of my dreams proceeded to pour out her heart to me—about her boyfriend. The relationship wasn’t what she’d hoped it would be. Kanae had doubts and concerns about where it was headed. Her family did not approve of him, and she had been pondering a breakup for several months, even before we met. She liked him, but he was not the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, she explained.
    I put on my best “listening intently” expression. My concerned and caring face. My wise and empathetic look.
    As much as I wanted to be the crowbar that pried Kanae apart from her boyfriend, I knew she was seeking my guidance and putting her trust in me. Like a judge who has a conflict of interest, I had to remove myself from this case and defer to the most Supreme Court.
    “I understand your concerns. They are valid. You should pray and ask God to help you make a decision,” I said.
    If she had simply thanked me for my advice, left me on the couch, andwalked away, our story may well have ended there. Instead, she lingered, so close, with those