Take My Mask, I'm Home

nothing like sharing a love so deep

May.

Lisa paced in the waiting room, biting her lip. She felt sick with nerves, even though they'd gone over everything so extensively that Lisa thought she could probably do the interview in her sleep.

"You're going to wear a hole in this very charming carpet," Jennie said calmly, turning a page of her book as she sat cross-legged in the chair.

Lisa huffed impatiently, looking down at the hideous orange and brown checkered carpet, a slightly hysterical giggle escaping her. She sank into the chair next to Jennie's. Her pulse was racing and her hands were clammy. Her chest felt hollow, just as it had done for every exam she'd ever taken in her life. Vaguely, she wondered whether she might be sick like she was before her finals at college and looked around for the nearest trash can. She crossed and uncrossed her legs a few times, until Jennie reached over with her spare hand and rubbed a soothing circle with her thumb above Lisa's knee. "You'll be fine," Jennie reassured her, sticking her finger in her book to keep her place as she looked across at Lisa. Her beautiful brown eyes were understanding. "What's my name?"

"Wendy," Lisa replied with a shaky smile.

"See? You'll be fine. You still have your sense of humor."

"But what if I forget something?" Lisa asked, taking Jennie's hand in hers.

"Then you forget something. Don't make a big deal out of it if you do, I'm sure they'll understand that this is not exactly the calmest moment of anyone's life," Jennie reasoned. "Just be truthful. Nobody can know another person so completely that there is nothing they don't know about them. You could change your mind on how much you love vegetables tomorrow and I wouldn't know until you told me."

"Fat chance of that happening. You know I only like vegetables if you cook them," Lisa grumbled, making Jennie laugh beside her.

"It'll be alright. We'll be alright. Somi had enough faith in us to give us a second chance," Jennie said, more quietly, glancing at the two other couples who were waiting for their own interviews. "If she'd had no faith in us, we wouldn't be sitting here, together, now."

Jennie was right, of course. "I love you," Lisa said, kissing Jennie on the cheek and shuffling as close to her as she could on the uncomfortable plastic chairs.

"I love you too, Doris," Jennie replied, putting her book to the side and wrapping her arm around Lisa's shoulders.

They sat there like that while the clock ticked closer to midday, the scheduled time for their interviews. Jennie's warm presence was calming, but Lisa was still feeling nervous. She could tell by Jennie's silence that she was too, even if she was better at hiding it than Lisa was.

Lisa wanted to pull her phone out and start a game of some sort, but there were only two minutes to go.

One minute.

To the left of them, the door to the offices opened and two people stepped out. "Miss Manoban? Miss Kim?" a tall, spindly gentleman with glasses called. Both of them stood up and walked over at the sound of their names. "Thank you for waiting," he said when they reached him. "I'm Brian Davies, and this is my colleague Danielle Stevens. If you'll just follow us, we'll take you to the interview rooms."

Jennie took Lisa's hand and when the Immigration officials had turned back towards the hallway, and gave Lisa a quick kiss. "You'll be fine," Jennie reminded her. "It'll be fine, and if it's not, we'll work it out, alright?"

"Yeah," Lisa said, squeezing Jennie's hand.

They followed the officials down the hallway and around a corner into a corridor with multiple doors in it. It looked very utilitarian, grey and bleak. If Lisa didn't know better, she'd say the hallway had been leeched of all color except for various grey hues. Thankfully, Jennie's eyes were as striking as ever when she turned to look at Lisa.