Imperfect

Saying Goodbye

The day had arrived for me to leave. It was bittersweet and slightly melancholy. On the plus side Finley and I would finally be together properly. On the down side, my whole life was in England. Saying goodbye to Jamie and my parents was going to be the hardest thing I had ever done. My belongings had already been shipped to America. All I had left were some clothes and my toiletries. I let the air out of my partially deflated air bed so Jamie could fold it up later. I had to be at the airport by one in the morning. My flight left at five. It was currently midnight. I had spent an emotional final day with my parents and Jamie, and I was packing the final few things before they took me to the airport.

"You ready to go sweetie?" Mum asked sadly as I appeared with my very full bag. Dad took it from me.

"Yeah. If I've forgotten anything you can bring it to me when you come to visit!" I said trying to lighten the mood. We walked out to the car together and Mum was already trying not to cry. I couldn't help feeling guilty. I so wanted to be with Finley, but saying goodbye to my whole life was agonising. We all climbed into the car. I was already tired but I stayed awake so I could spend as much time with Jamie and my parents as possible.

"Have you got your passport Claire? And your ticket?" Dad asked me. I smiled fondly. He was always making sure I was organised and prepared for everything.

"Yeah. They're in my bag. I triple checked before we left." I replied.

"What about your Visa do you have your paperwork?" He asked. I chuckled. Dad always did this. He was the most organised person on the planet. Waiting for the Visa had been the hardest part. It had taken months to get approved to live in America but the approval paperwork had arrived a couple of weeks before and now it was all very real.

"It's like the end of an era." Jamie said to me. We were sat next to each other in the back of the car and I rested my head on his arm gently. We held hands and I couldn't help frowning. It was the end of an era and it felt weird that I wouldn't be waking up in a house with Jamie anymore.

"You could always come with me. It's not too late." I suggested hopefully.

"I wish I could. But you know I can't hun." Jamie replied. He sounded emotional too and I could feel a lump forming in my throat. I tried to swallow it, but it only made it worse. It was painful and part of me was still questioning if I was being totally crazy. Of course I loved Fin, but moving in with him was a huge step and I was worried we were rushing. Everyone always told me you never know a person until you live with them.

"I promise I will come home and visit as much as I can, and I'll always be texting you. We can face time. It will be like I never left." I promised. Tears were threatening to overflow and I quickly wiped my eyes. I knew if I cried I would set Mum and Jay off too.

"We'll come and visit you too baby girl. I just can't believe you're going." Mum began sobbing and just like that there was a chain reaction. I started bawling and Jamie was sniffing and rubbing his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and I did the same to him. We all sat crying and talking about how much we were going to miss each other for the next half an hour. Dad was emotional too, but he did his best to hide it.

We arrived at the airport and my heart was pounding painfully against my ribs. We walked inside together and my parents and Jamie followed me to the check in desk. Dad handed me my bag. I placed it on the floor and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"Are you sure you've got everything you need?" He asked, holding onto me like he didn't want to ever let go. I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thanks Dad. For everything. I'll let you know I get there safe. Look after Mum, and I'll be back as soon as I can." I said. " I love you."