“Sure, come on in, Mom,” she replied, slamming her book shut and sprawling out on the bed on her stomach.
Ms. Willow stepped in and sat down next to her. “I’ve gotten a new job offer.”
“Really, Mom? That’s great!”
She sighed deeply. “Yeah, I guess it is, but it definitely has its downsides.”
Beth looked at her mom curiously. “Okay…”
“We’ll have to move to New York.”
“What?”
“We have to move. I’m sorry, honey, but this is the offer of a lifetime. NYU wants me to teach Spanish there, and I can’t pass that up. That’s a dream come true!”
Beth’s heart sank, but she couldn’t very well protest. “I understand, I guess. What am I gonna do though? I finally got used to Ruskin and I made friends here and my boyfriend lives here when he’s not on tour, and now I have to move somewhere else and start over yet again? That’s the third time in my life!” she vented.
“I know, sweetheart, but I’m sure you’ll be all right. Look at how well you did here, and you thought you’d hate it! I’m sure Nick will visit you when he’s in New York. He loves you.”
A tear trickled down her cheek. “He won’t leave me, will he, Mom?”
“I don’t think so.”
“When are we moving?”
“The beginning of June.”
“That’s only a month away.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just got the offer.”
“Where are we going to live?”
“The University has lined up a nice apartment for us on campus, but if we don’t like it, we can always move.”
Just then, the phone rang. Beth looked at the caller ID and saw Nick’s cell phone number. “It’s Nick.”
“I’ll leave you alone.”
As Ms. Willow left the room, Beth clicked the on button on her cordless. “Hello?”
“Hey, babe!” Nick said cheerfully.
“Hey, Nick,” she replied.
“Are you all right? You sound kinda down.”
She quickly explained the situation, trying her best to remain unemotional. “So I’m moving to New York City, I guess.”
“Y-you’re leaving?” he stammered.
“I don’t want to, but I don’t have a choice.”
“What about us?”
She sighed and uttered the words she really didn’t want to say. “I’m leaving that up to you, Nick. I’m willing to deal with the distance, but if you don’t want to, I can understand that.”
Luckily, he was determined to keep the relationship alive. “That wouldn’t be all that much different from what we have now, since I’m gone all the time. I’m certainly willing to give it a try.”