"You have to understand, Nicholas, that none of this is familiar territory for me. Since my mother's death, I haven't had someone whom I answered to or update on my whereabouts. This is going to be a challenge for me, and if you really want this to work, you'll have to compromise."

He smiled as he said, "I understand. I don't want to alienate you by being overbearing. However, I'd want to point out that there are a variety of other activities you can engage in outside of academics. I'm confident I could teach you everything you'd study at QCU, and possibly more." At this point, the grin had become...