A Sky Full of Stars

13. So Long Glasgow

The summer slipped away like a bottle of fine wine. Throughout June, July, and August, Emilia completed her first semester in college and made Glasgow her home. She felt more in tune with Glasgow in less than a year than any other place.

As Emilia blossomed, everything started to fall concretely into place. Her and Logan discussed getting an apartment together after they celebrated their first-year anniversary, and she thought about getting a part-time job at the university to make money. It sounded so perfect and different. For the first time, Emilia wanted to stay and didn't want to leave.

But, as things start to go uphill and become perfect, there are pebbles and stones that are thrown into people's paths.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Dad! I'm home!"

A faint voice yelled back to Emilia. Emilia shrugged and walked upstairs to put her backpack away. As she passed her dad's room, she noticed moving boxes sitting on her dad's bed and the bedroom in a complete mess. Her stomach dropped as she realized what that meant.

"Dad!" Emilia said as she ran downstairs. "Please tell me you're just putting stuff into storage."

"Emilia." Her dad stood next to the dining table. Derrick sat next to him and looked worried. Her dad motioned to the table. "Please sit down. There is something we need to discuss."

Emilia hesitantly sat down. She noticed how tense and spaced out Derrick looked. If he looked like that, then something did not seem okay.

"I've received news that my orders have shifted again," her dad said. "We're moving back to the United States in a week."

"In a week?" Emilia asked. "When did you get the notice?"

"Yesterday. And we all know that uprooting is difficult. If we work together, then it'll go much smoother than last time."

Thoughts raced through Emilia's head. She loved Glasgow and didn't want to leave.

"You....you expect me-" Emilia said. "To..to leave everything again? Just after I got my life situated."

"I do because it is your duty," her dad said. "Your duty is to this family."

"It's not my duty anymore! I don't want to leave," Emilia said, her voice cracking. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I love it here! I'm happy here."

"I've told you not to get attached to where we live," her dad said. "It's not my fault you decided to pursue your education and a son-of-a-bitch boyfriend."

"I wanted to pursue an education because I am sick of sitting on my ass every two to three years and doing nothing," Emilia said. "How was I supposed to know that this assignment was going to be shorter than the others?"

Emilia closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling, but some tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her hand.

"But I can live here with Derrick. He can stay here, can't he?" Emilia asked, trying to change the subject.

"My new orders are in the US too," Derrick softly said. "I'm also scheduled to move next week."

Everything became too much to bear.

"Can I stay please?" Emilia pleaded. "Please daddy? I'll get a job so I can support myself. I'll come visit you and Derrick whenever you want. Please daddy."

"My mind's made up and my decision is final. Derrick will come with me to New Orleans while you'll be with your mother in California."

"I'm going to live with Mom?" Emilia tearfully asked. "But Mom said that she doesn't want us to live with her. She doesn't want to see us."

"We talked it over and we decided that it would be best if you lived with her."

Emilia breathed in and backed away from her family. Tears filled her eyes and she let them fall onto her face. She stood by the stairs and took a shaky breath.

"Please don't make me live with Mom."

Before her dad or Derrick could comment, Emilia ran up the stairs. She slammed her bedroom door and collapsed onto her bed into a heap of sobs. She grabbed her phone and instantly called Logan.

As the phone rang, Emilia felt her stomach churn. She had to let him know what was happening, but she didn't have the courage. Logan picked up after the third ring.

"Hiya luv! How did apologizing to your dad go? Did it go well?" Logan asked.

"I-I didn't get a chance to talk to him," Emilia quietly said. "Instead we talked about something else."

"Oh? Whot is it then?"

"I found out that both my dad and Derrick-" Emilia said, her voice breaking. "They got new orders...and we're moving back to the States...in a week."

The line was silent. Emilia held back her sobs, but a few pushed their way out of her lips and filled the silence.

"Darling?"

"I thought you were supposed to stay for a couple more years. That's shite."

"I did too. Apparently, everyone found out yesterday."

The line was silent again. Emilia tried to think of what to say, but her mind was cranking out thoughts slowly as a snail.

"Do you want to meet me in the square for a couple of minutes?" Logan asked to break the silence.

"Yes," Emilia whispered.

"Ok luv. I'll meet you at the square in half past. I'll be at our bench," Logan said and then hung up the call.

Emilia breathed in a shaky breath and stared at her phone. Anxiety mixed with sadness and she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how Logan reacted to the news, or what he was thinking.

Quietly, she grabbed her purse, keys, and slipped downstairs. She opened the front door slowly and only paused when she thought she heard a noise. Calming herself, she breathed in and slipped herself through the tiny crack of freedom. She closed the door silently and walked to the car park.

After the Highlands trip, Logan taught her how to drive around Scotland in an automatic car. It was natural to her, and after a few fear-inducing lessons, she was able to get her license. However, the excitement of getting her license was quickly overshadowed by the day's excitement.

She drove into Glasgow and didn't feel the excitement and awe. Instead the excitement swirled into disgust and anxiety in her stomach. She parked in an empty parking lot and began the slow, death-march walk to the city center. As she approached the park, she saw Logan sitting on their bench.

The bench where they first met.

Her heart pounded like a steel drum as she approached him. Logan stood up and wrapped her in his arms. His hug melted away her sadness, but nothing could stop the waterfall of tears from free falling. The dam of sadness she's been holding in broke.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," Emilia said in between sobs. "I didn't know until today."

"It's alright luv," Logan said, hugging her tighter.

"I don't know what to do," Emilia sobbed. "I understand if you want to break up with me."

Logan broke the hug and placed his hands on Emilia's shoulders. "I'm not going to break up with you. We'll work through this together."

He brushed away some of Emilia's tears with his thumb. Emilia gave him a sad smile and went back into his arms. Logan sat down on the bench and motioned for her to join him. She sat down and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure we're going to be ok?" Emilia asked.

"We're going to be ok," Logan repeated. "We'll make a plan. We'll call every night and schedule visits to see each other. We can get through it together. Until then, we'll make sure that your final week will be magical."

Emilia squeezed his hand. He squeezed her hand back.

But I was going down with it. My white knuckle dying grip. Do you think I had it in me? Before I'd self-implode.

So Long Glasgow. Had a good run.