REM // Van McCann

57. We Need to Talk

"Back already? How was your trip?" he asked.

"It was good," I answered. "It was nice to get away for a bit." I didn't want to give too many details. If he knew what we were up to, I don't think he'd be too happy. I stepped into Clara's room and put her bag on her bed.

"What was the best part of your trip?" he continued.

"I think just seeing how much Clara enjoyed it out there. She was all smiles when we were on the beach and she liked looking at the houses."

"That sounds like my daughter," he chuckled. "Thank you for taking her out there."

"Of course."

The both of us walked back down. Clara was showing her mum pictures that she took and I took the opportunity to bring out the souvenirs I had bought for her parents.

"I got the both of you gifts," I said, unloading the contents of the bag.

There were sweets and preserved jams for her mum and a book on the history of Wales for her dad. Clara told me her dad is a big history buff. He always knows facts about all the places he's lived in and since he's never been to Wales before, I thought he'd enjoy the book. Her mum, on the other hand, is always in the kitchen cooking so I thought she'd enjoy the sweets and preserved jams I brought back. They were surprised and thanked me for the gift saying how thoughtful I was. It wasn't that I was trying to impress her parents. I think they've known me long enough to know that I'm always thinking about others.

We had afternoon tea and biscuits and talked for an hour or so before I told them I had to get going. They asked me to stay for dinner but I didn't want to. I've not checked my emails and the status of my job applications since Friday so I really wanted to get caught up. I'm gonna go mad with all this free time and I need something to do!

I was relieved to be home. There's something about the comfort of your own home. You can sleep in your own bed and everything you need is there. It's funny how you can be fed up of being home all the time but when you leave it, you always miss it. Of course this wasn't my actual home. My actual home was miles away with my parents but for the past three years, this flat has been my home. It wasn't until now that I understood the pain that Clara goes through every year. She's never lived anywhere long enough to know what home truly feels like but my hope was that she'd consider moving in with me wherever it is that we decide to go.

I spent the rest of my afternoon unpacking my bag and placed the dirty clothes in the hamper. I had saved my laundry for when I got back so I brought my bag down to start the wash. While that was going, I went to the supermarket down the street to do a bit of shopping as I was running low on some items and then I came back to dry my clothes. For dinner, I had Chinese takeaway and it wasn't until 8 PM that I could finally relax.

I turned on my laptop and began going through my emails. Most of it was junk mail but then I saw that there was a status update for my visa. I quickly typed in the web address for the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) and typed in my Immigrant Visa Case Number. I've checked it so many times that I've started to memorize my number.

Status: Approved

"Fuck yeah!" I shouted, standing up and punching the air with my fist. Once I had calmed down, I sat back down and placed my head in my hands in disbelief. "I can't believe it. I'm going to America."

I was starting to tremble from nerves and excitement. DecodeREM hasn't had the chance to see yet because it's Sunday but they'll no doubt reach out to me this week. How much time do I have? They seemed eager to have me as soon as possible but how quickly can I pack my things and say goodbye? I've got to find a place to stay over there, buy my aeroplane ticket, and say goodbye to everyone.

And then it hit me. In my excitement, I had forgotten about Clara and how'd she feel about the whole situation. This is exactly what she talked about. We've only recently just made up and now this was going to pose another problem. This can either make or break our relationship and I wasn't looking forward to that talk. I grabbed my phone and texted her.

Babe, we need to talk. My visa went through.

I left it at that, not wanting to give too many details. The both of us knew this was going to happen eventually but we didn't think it'd be so soon. Clara responded rather quickly.

How about tomorrow after work?

I agreed to pick her up after work and that we'd grab takeaway and head over to my place to talk. All I could do was worry about how our conversation would go. This is a great work opportunity for me. Working on dreams is much more interesting to me than working for a corporate business. I'm going to learn loads and put my degree to good use. The only downside was being far from home and family. I've never lived outside the UK before and didn't know what to expect. I'll be living in Seattle, a city I know nothing about and I'll be starting from scratch. I'll have no friends and family over there. I'll essentially be on my own and that scared me.

I'm no stranger to not seeing my parents for long periods of time. I moved out for uni and only visit them once in a while. But that's knowing they're a few hours away if I ever need them. Now they'll be a 9.5 hour flight away. My parents have always been supportive of me and my endeavors. They'll no doubt support my decision to work for DecodeREM but my mum will joke that I have to be home for Crimbo and that I must call her on her birthday.

Convincing Clara to join me is another problem. She's lived in America before albeit not Seattle. She's never been separated from her parents and prefers not to. She wants me to wait until she knows where her parents are moving but I can't. DecodeREM wants me to work as soon as possible and if I can't, they'll find someone else who can. Another opportunity like this might never come along. Instead of sleeping at a reasonable time, I spent the night thinking about how to convince Clara to come with me.