15:30

Sixty Three

On Wednesday evening, Jay's phone rang and his eyes lit up. It was Tara, calling from Houston, calling to inform him about the outcome of her job interview. Under the table, he crossed his fingers.

"Did you get it? Did you get it? Did you get it? Did you charm those men with your absolute brilliance?!"

"I GOT THE JOB JAY!!! ITS MY DREAM JOB!"

"YAYYYY! I WANT TO HUG YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm flying in tomorrow. I still cannot believe this is really happening. It feels supernatural."

"Of course it does. All those years of hardwork finally paid off. I remember you used to keep yourself updated even when you weren't employed. You deserve this."

"I'm so glad to have you. Seriously. It is your belief in me that keeps me going."

"Oh nonsense. You went to Harvard Law. You worked your ass off at all your jobs. It's all you. Your application and records are all perfect. I merely sent them to the fine people of Dawson and Coop. They'd be stupid to not pick you."

"I really did it Jay. I got a job at Dawson and Coop."

"Yes you did. Come home. We will celebrate."

"Yes! But now we have some things to chalk out."

"I know."

"They want me to first finish a year long training programme at the office here in Houston. The programme begins next month. I will have to move to Houston. What about Miracle? What about our relationship? We just got married. I don't want to leave you already."

"Tara, don't be perplexed about anything. Miracle is only eight, I'm sure she will have no problem adjusting to Houston. For the first few months, I can take care of her. She is my daughter too now. Heather and Olivia will be happy to help, I'm sure. And then when you're settled in, Miracle can move in with you. We can't keep her from you for long. And as for us, I'll keep visiting you. Every month. Sometimes on the weekends too. We'll work something out, trust me. I won't be able to live with myself if I made you compromise on your dreams for this relationship. You deserve this. You never asked me to give up on my dreams, so I won't do that too."

"But Jay, long distance does not work. I don't want to see you once a month. I want to see you everyday."

"But you also want to work at Dawson and Coop Tara. Don't let me get in the way. We won't be like those other couples Tara. I promise."

"Are you sure things will work out?"

"Yes. One thousand percent. Like I said, one thing at a time. Let's finish the one year training programme first. Get settled in Houston. I know it's a big move, but you've never been scared of chasing your dreams before so why now? This will work. Trust me."

***

Tara's bags were packed. It was official. She was moving to Houston. And in one long year, she was going to work. For NASA. It was all coming together. Miracle and Jay flew to Houston with Tara to help her move into her new house. It was a two bedroom apartment downtown. They moved all her things and toured the city a little bit, familiarising themselves with the transportation and routes. They had also looked for schools for Miracle to attend that fall. It was all really happening.

On the last night, the Maxwell-Scott family went for a quiet dinner. It wasn't until that night that reality began to hit Tara. It was all really happening. She had gotten so used to having Jay around. It was going to be incredibly hard to live without him.