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"It’s the accent, mate," Tom said
"Mine does not seem to heff same effect, for some reason Eh heh heh heh heh!"
Toe, but nice enough In thehere, they’d had dinner once, gone out for beer and pool twice, and if the experience had been odd, it seehed and sat down, tapping his long fingers on the desk "Tom, I am afraid I heff bad news Vee von’t be able to renew your vork visa"
Tom inhaled sharply The only reason he’d taken this job was for the work visa "That was a condition of etit is too overtaxed for dee court fees"
"I thought you said it’d be no proble They heff reconsidered"
To abilities and experience, Toive you till end of semester" He paused "I em sorry Very ’s fault But shit
Dr Dragul left, and To another job in February was unlikely Wickha for an engineering professor, and Toet the job as fast as he did It wasn’t a prestigious place, not by a long shot, but that wasn’t really the point This time around, it was all about location
He couldn’t keep his job without a work visa, though it wasn’t like I down his neck; an employed professor was less of a concern thanto keep hireen card
Fast
But first to the rather shabby house he’d just rented, and then to the much better bar down the street A drink was definitely required
A FEW NIGHTS later, Toreat-aunt Candace’s kitchen, drinking tea Only Brits could h Candace had lived in the States for at least six decades, she hadn’t lost the touch
"That Melissa," Aunt Candace said darkly "Sheup, didn’t she?"
"Well Let’s not speak ill of the dead"
"But I’ll miss you! And what about Charlie? How old is he noelve?"
"Fourteen" His unofficial stepson had been ten when Tom met him Hard to reconcile that talkative, happy little boy with the sullen teenager who barely spoke these days
A fleeting pain lanced through his chest Charlie wouldn’t miss him, that seemed certain One of those situations where Toood whatsoever, or if, in fact, his presence s worse Melissa, Charlie’s e in the boy’s life today, even though Charlie had been just a fewTom’s stepson
Whatever the case, To in the States He’d eht back saying they’d take Toes in western New York looking for so hat he loved (when the students were actually interested in the subject matter, that was)
And so, Tom had decided to drive to Pennsylvania, visit the only relative he had in this country and start the goodbye process He’d been in the States for four years now, and Aunt Candace had been good to him Not to mention delirious with joy when he called after his last class to see if she was free for dinner He even took her to thea fact Tom firmly believed--he was a bloody saint
"Here Have " She pushed the dish across the table toward him, and Tosport," she said "I lived near there as a child, did you know that?"
"So you told me," Tom said His lovely old aunt could bake, that was certain
"Finish that pie, you ain, I’hty-two years old Life without dessert is too horrible to contemplate I’ll just overdose on caraain?"
"You used to live near Manningsport"
"Yes, that’s right! Just for a few years My mother was a , you see My father died of pneumonia, and so she packed randmother, was already married, so she stayed in Manchester with her husband, of course Your grandfather But I re the Statue of Liberty I was seven years old Oh, it was thrilling!" She smiled and took a sip of tea
"So that’s how you beca, and she met my stepfather, and he adopted Peter and me"
"I never knew that," Too with him to deliver milk" Candace smiled "Anye moved after my brother died in the war I was fifteen then But I still have a friend there More of a pen pal, do you knohat that is?"
Tom smiled "I do"
"A pity you have to leave It’s beautiful there" Candy’s gaze suddenly sharpened "Tom, dearif you really want to stay in the States, you can always al, Auntie"
"Oh, pooh"
He laughed "I can’t see ht be different if--well It’s not an option"
It ht be if Charlie actually wanted hi but a thorn in Charlie’s side, he ive it a whirl
He had two thin job prospects withexperience he didn’t have If those didn’t work out (and he was al back to jolly old England, which wouldn’t be awful He’d be near his dad Probably irl someday Charlie would barely remember him
The pie suddenly tasted like ash He pushed back his plate "I’d better be off," he said "Thanks for the visit"
She stood up and hugged hi to see an old lady," she said "I’randnephew adores ht Ta, Auntie I’ll call you and let you knohat’s happening"
"If I happen to know soive her your nu you"
Toh "Sure," he said, giving her another kiss on the cheek Let the old bird feel useful, and that way, land