Second Lanark

Decisions - Part 32

By some miracle, Cal hadn't ignited all our lives, at least not yet. He had stuck pretty close to Lark's side over the last few days, so it has been hard to figure out whether we'd sounded the alarm on Lark's cheating ways. Part of me was really hoping we hadn't, but there was a part of me that hoped we did. He was such a nice guy. He seemed so blind to Lark's wandering eyes that I felt sorry for him and a bit angry with her.

Rob was itching to tell him or at least to see whether he'd heard anything. Tonight we were all going out for one last hurrah before Cal got back on the plane out west. My last exam was this afternoon, but first, I needed to take care of something else.

I stood in front of the International Office near the top of Dunton Tower and hesitated before knocking. I'd talked to my parents, and they knew I was going to investigate the possibility of going to England next year on exchange, but I hadn't told anyone at school. I didn't want to get Rob's hopes up, and I didn't want to let Tricia down. It seemed easier to just keep quiet about my plans. I knocked and waited.

A petite woman with shoulder-length dark hair, dark hooded eyes, and a wide smile opened the door. "Liz?" she asked, extending her hand. "I got your phone message. Thanks so much for coming by to chat."

I took a seat in her tiny office that was cluttered with brochures and paperwork everywhere. I wasn't sure how she organized her life if this was what her desk looked like. Was I really going to trust that she could get me to England on exchange with no problems?

"Now, as I mentioned on the phone, we don't normally let second-year students go on exchange, but we always assess each application on a case by case basis. Where were you interested in going?" She took a seat behind her desk and leaned forward in her chair, listening intently.

"Anywhere in the south of England. My," I hesitate, "boyfriend is from the University of Bath. I know they don't have a program at his school that matches mine. So, I'd like to be anywhere within an hour of that," I said feeling butterflies in my stomach.

"Ah, okay. And you said you were taking Journalism?" She pulled out a series of heavier brochures from the bookcase beside her. "There aren't a lot of universities in the south of England that have a program that would match well. But, there are a few." She laid three brochures on the desk and passed them across to me.

"When would I start?" I asked and then clarified, "if I'm accepted for my second year?"

"It could be September or January. It partly depends on how well we can match your courses, where you're going to live while you're there, the enrollment of the university and so forth. Were you hoping for September or January?"

The two weeks I would spend away from Rob was already looming over me like a dark cloud. I couldn't even imagine going from May to September without seeing him. "September," I said firmly. "Definitely September."

"In that case, we should get started. The application process can be lengthy. You aren't likely to know for sure until April or May." She raised her eyebrows at me. "Will that bother you?"

Yes. "No," I said, giving her a tentative smile. "What's the first option?" I asked, putting my backpack on the floor and leaning on the desk. This was exciting, right? I was going to be going to a university in a different country. Following a boy across an ocean wasn't dumb, it was romantic.

As if reading my mind, she glanced up and said, "If you change your mind about your application before it's approved, you can always cancel it."

"That's great to know," I said, but it didn't feel great. Part of me wanted this to be cemented, so I couldn't back out when I got cold feet. "Do any of the schools have a swim team?"