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“You weren’t going to offer to pick me up?” I sneered. “So, what was all this about then?” I threw my hands in theair.
Harry shrugged. “I’m getting married on Saturday. Your invitation is in the envelope.” Then he turned toward the door, but hesitated long enough to murmur, “I hope to see you there.” Then he exited theoffice.
I sat there frozen, staring at theenvelope.
Jackie leaned back in her chair. After some silence she finally asked, “What are youthinking?”
“I’m thinking I’ll go for a swim.” I struggled to stand because I felt shaky and weak. Picking up the envelope, Ifrowned.
“Nothing to say?” shewondered.
I blinked a few times. “Good talk.” Then I rushed from theroom.
2
Talia
In the background,I could actually hear my wall clock ticking while I stared at the envelope on the table before me. I’d received many of these letters through the years, but with this new administration, the ICE letters had grown scary. So many of my friends had already been shipped back to the countries they came from, but were completely foreign to them. Honestly, I was running out of acceptable excuses to stay. Sure, I’d never been in trouble, always paid my taxes, and been an otherwise model citizen, but that was the problem: I wasn’t a citizen. I was a DREAMer. My parents brought me here from Poland when I was a kid, along with my brother and sister. We’d arrived as tourists and then…stayed. Surprisingly enough, that’s the story for most illegals. We were welcomed into the country, complete with travel visas, and neverleft.
My parents had immigrated to Canada as soon as I graduated. Staying here had proven to be too painful after losing my sister. I had already been accepted into college. Since I went part time, and paid out of pocket, attaining my degree had taken longer than expected. When I graduated with my bachelor’s, I applied for Canadian citizenship in order to join them, but I’d already been waiting for over a year, and at the rate things were going, I’d be deported from the US before I could join them and become one of the neighbors to thenorth.
“Open it,” Franco urged. “Come on, scaredy-cat. If it’s like mine, it’s not so bad. I just have to go back in a few months, checkin.”
“Right. I’m sure it’ll go just like that.” Ifrowned.
“Of course it will! Hey, you don’t have to believe me. Dominik has his appointment tomorrow. Talk to him about it when he gets back.” He rubbed my shoulders and then walked over to thefridge.
“I haven’t gone grocery shopping,” I warned. “Don’t bother. It’s the same thing that was in there yesterday and the day before, minus whatever you’ve consumed sincethen.
“What? You don’t eat here?” Franco shut thefridge.
I stood and sighed. “No. I don’t. I snack here, but I mostly eat at the hotel. Way to pay attention. You’re the worst big brotherever.”
“How can you say that?” His browsrose.
“Oh, because it’s true. Don’t worry. I love you anyway.” I wandered over to him and gave him a big hug. “After all, you’re my onlybrother.”
He gave me a squeeze. “And you’re the only sister I haveleft.”
I stiffened at the reminder. “Not today, Franco. I need to get to work.” Then I trudged to my room. I could hear his footsteps on the tile behindme.
“Whichjob?”
As I moved toward the closet, he flopped on my bed. I turned and sighed. “Waitressing.” I lifted the uniform, still on the hanger after being cleaned. The top was essentially a black corset. The bottom was little more than a tutu. This is what happened when I was more desperate to earn money than I was to hold onto mydignity.
“I make good money,” Franco complained. “You don’t have to keep that job. I know how much you hateit.”
“Oh, but I do, especially if I want to stay here fighting deportation long enough to make it to Canada.” My frown deepened as I disappeared into the bathroom to change. I closed the door behind me, but it didn’t stop him from talking to me through thedoor.
“Do you even want to go to Canada?” Franco asked. “You hate thecold.”
“No. I really don’t. I like it here, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay and I definitely don’t want to be shipped back to Poland.” I growled in frustration. “I don’t even speak Polish. We have no one there.” I could feel tears threatening, so I focused on taking some deep, soothingbreaths.
“You know, you have your counseling degree. You could do that instead. Maybe they’d let you stay then. Either way, I’m sure you’ll be fine! At least in counseling, there’d be no more strange men trying to grope you. And I won’t go to jail for defending your honor. We both win!” Francochuckled.
I finished tugging on my uniform. Then I flung open the bathroom door. “Yeah. That’s an idea. After all, I’ve worked my ass off, lived just above poverty level for eight years so I can get an education and live just above poverty level in my chosen career for the rest of my life. I’m anidiot.”
“Then why’d you even go to school for that?” Franco shook his head. “Never mind. I already know.” He reached out and gave me a quick hug. “You’re not an idiot. You have a big, stupid heart. That’sall.”
