Kai left for Boston on December 14th at 5 AM. I drove him to the airport in the dark, neither of us talking much during Mid-December.
"You're going to kill the interview," I said at departures.
"Or completely bomb it."
"You're not going to bomb it. You're brilliant and they already want you. This is just a formality."
He pulled me close, holding on tighter than necessary. "What if I get there and realize I can't do this? Can't leave you and Maya?"
"Then you come home and we figure out plan B. But Kai I think you're going to get there and realize you belong there."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Don't be afraid of belonging somewhere. Be excited about it."
He kissed me, long and deep, and I tried to memorize the feeling. Just in case this was the beginning of the end.
"I love you," he said against my lips.
"I love you too. Now go. You'll miss your flight."
I watched him disappear through security, then sat in the parking garage and cried for twenty minutes.
