Big Dreams

Chapter 15: End of the Journey

  Summer wasn't the same because Gulli and Francisca were working and didn't have the same amount of vacations that we had in college and Marta and Dan spent only a month in Portugal. It wasn't a bad summer either. Me and Miguel spent a lot of time together; sometimes he helped me babysit my brother and was practically living in my house, we went to the beach and also were with Mateo a lot.

I had been extremely spared on those vacations, I barely bought anything or went out to have lunch or dinner and I knew Miguel noticed and was a little suspicious but I didn't want to tell him that it was because I was already saving for Canada. I thought it was better to start saving early so I would be financially prepared to leave as soon as possible.

My brother was growing up quickly and we spent amazing moments together in family, although my grandma usually would say a lot of stupid and rude things and I would eventually go to my room so I could put my phones and calm myself down. Those situations were the sort of ones that made me wish I could jump to the 5th year of college many times before and now that I was about to be a 5th year student, I started wishing more and more to just leave that house and go to Canada.

The college started once more as quickly as the other years but that one was special: it was our final year! That meant that only that semester would be like the other with 5 subjects to study for and go to exams because, after that, we would have the internship. That semester was kind of nostalgic; we all wanted to finish the course and get out of there but it had been a second house for so much time, not to mention that what we had learned there would open the doors for our futures.

I had this strange idea that once we got out of college that would be the moment we would really be grown-ups, that it was more important than turning 18 because we would start living our lives and be independent which was something not so possible while we lived in our parents' house with them paying our bills. However, that idea changed when I thought of emigrating because I would only leave when I could go to another country. This new idea surged in me when I heard my father and his best friend talking about offering me a car as my graduation present. I didn't want a car or a house or any kind of property in Portugal if I didn't intend to live there for much longer but how could I tell him that?

The last semester of college came to an end and we even had a party in the college's canteen in which some professors and other college staff joined singing and dancing with us. It was a great way to celebrate and being there with Miguel, Trina and Mateo, thinking about how my relationship with the 3 of them started and evolved till that moment made me emotional.

I had two free weeks before the internship started because I had passed all my exams in the normal exam time, so one day I decided to make a video call with the girls.

- "Hey Sara!" Marta and Francisca said at the same time when I entered the call.

- "Hey girls, how are you?" I asked, excited to see them.

- "I'm fine but the work is killing me, I'm starting to feel like a real grown-up being tired all the time" Francisca answered me and the 3 of us laughed. "Excited for the internship, Sara?"

- "Yes, I am! I'm finally going to see what it is really like to work as a pharmacist, I mean I'm tired of studying, I really want to start working."

- "And if they like you in the internship they might hire you, right?" Marta asked me.

- "Yes, which would be great. And you Marta? How's Finland"

- "This is great but it's so cold you have no idea! But it's amazing, Martim has a job that he likes and I'm loving the master's degree in economics here"

There was an awkward silence and I knew Francisca was thinking the same thing as I was: our conversation at Marta's party.

- "Well that's great..." I said breaking the silence