Ollie Savage

Chapter 5

Ollie knows too well when it is time to move on. He goes on a job hunt, just like routine. The only thing different this time is, the government has come up with a political agenda and a set of new laws helping to crack down on illegal workers and tax evaders. Passports, work permits, or national insurance were never discussed at any of his previous job interviews, until now.

No employer can hire without vetting the applicant's papers. They have been supplied with tech such as: UV light scanners for holograms and watermarks, and hotlines for checking the validity of the passports, work permits and student visas. With the limited jobs available only prioritised for British citizens, the checks are very stringent.

Ollie had an Indefinite leave to Remain (ILR) that his cousin had acquired for him back in St Albans. He had brought his passport, bank card, and a national insurance card, all ready to hand. The interview had gone well, and he had been hired as a night shift supervisor for a local supermarket.

The paperwork check and recording of documents was going well, until the recruiting manager shouted some very rude words. He walked back towards Ollie and threw his passport in his lap instructing him to get out of his office. Ollie tried reasoning with him, to understand what the problem was, but the insulting man offered no explanation. He mattered mostly rude words, forged visa and illegal immigrants. This was the day real nightmares besieged him, but what does one lose when he has lost everything? He has finally found out that the visa in his passport is a fake.

This is criminal, he utters to himself. Who could ever do such a heinous act? His cousin had paid a lot of money to this immigration lawyer. Did he just print off visas without recording them in the system or was he just a poser selling forged documents? There are a lot of questions to ask but who does he ask? He goes over many scenarios in his head, as he takes the long walk from Guildford to Godalming where he resides with Deena. It has not even been a year; how does he tell his newly wedded wife such bad news?

He calls his sister Gloria and breaks the news to her first. She is shell shocked and goes into a panic binge drink. He does not drink, so this is a very numbing experience. His best friend Caster has no words either, not even I told you so. This is a very dark time indeed, but Ollie takes his mother's old wisdom and accepts it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

He gets home and soaks in the bath creating a million entry points to the conversation with Deena. He plays some music and prepares dinner while waiting for her to finish her twelve-hour shift at their local care home. His fingers start to tremble, as he hears her locking up her bicycle in the tool shed just behind the kitchen.

Carers never have a good twelve-hour shift, there is no better angle to approach her from, but run her a hot foamy bath and present her with the hearty meal he has prepared. She appreciates the hard work he is doing at home, and as such, she asks him to join her in the bathtub. He joins her, sits and listens to her ranting about her tough day at work. He remains quiet, occasionally taking deep breaths as he assesses her mood. He finally summons the courage and breaks the news to her and patiently waits for her response. She abruptly gets up, wraps up with a drying towel and skips dinner for bed. She tosses and turns and takes deep breaths every few minutes until she turns to him to get a few things off her chest.

"Did you know the visa was fake all these years?"

"No, why?"

"Why? I could go to jail for this. I could be treated as an accomplice to this. This is fraudulent!"

"What, what is fraudulent? What are you on about?"

"Us, our marriage! It looks like you married me for my papers, when you knew."