Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“What?” is the response I finally get.
“It’s perfect! The cost of living in Alaska is much less than here in the city. We are fine staying in New York if that’s something you want, but Alaska is a much better choice for all of us.”
“You want me to drop out of school?” Mari asks, dumbfounded. “I knew I’d have to take time off to care for the baby, but I figured I would finish this semester and spring semester, then take off the fall and go back next spring. I wasn’t planning on dropping out. I still want to get an education.”
“We would never ask you to give up school!” Mark assures her. “If staying at NYU is what you want, then we’ll support that decision. However, the University of Alaska is an amazing school. You could transfer there and continue your education while living in Alaska.”
“Isn’t that where Jane Fordham works? I don’t want to deal with her. She obviously hated me at the conference.”
“It’s a large school with a huge English department. You would never have to see her, I promise.”
Mari gnaws on her lip. I want her to say yes so badly. New York is a great city, but it’s eating us alive. We need to get away. Alaska seems like the perfect place for us to go.
“What about my friends and family? Everyone I know is here in New York.”
“We know that, and they would be able to come visit whenever they want. Your parents could come stay for extended visits! We’ll buy a big house with plenty of room for them and Jessica and any other friends you want to come stay.”
“But it won’t be the same. Alaska is so far away…”
I take Mari’s hands in mine. “I know, but we want to establish a real home there. A big house, like Mark said. We can have a huge backyard for the baby to play in, and a dog, too. It’ll be the perfect place to start our family.”
“Being away from your family and friends will take some adjusting,” Mark adds. “But it’ll be worth it. There’s so much pressure and stress here in New York, especially now that everyone knows about us. Alaska will be a clean slate.”
“Remember how happy we were in Alaska?” I ask.
Mari nods. “I’ve never been happier than when we were there. I loved the nature, and everything about Alaska felt so…free. I’ve never had that here in New York. But what about your jobs? Writing and gambling? Is that still going to be the plan in Alaska?”
“All of my gambling is online, so I can live anywhere. And John can write anywhere, too.”
“Plus, moving to Alaska will satisfy my need to travel, at least until the baby is old enough to go on trips with us.”
“Are you sure about this? That it’s feasible? That we’ll be able to survive out there? We’ll be so far away from anyone who could help us.”
“We’re sure, Mari. We wouldn’t suggest it if we weren’t. We know this will be what is best for us and our baby.”
Mari is trembling. I’m sure all of this is a lot to take in. Maybe we should’ve given her some time to unwind after the rally before dropping such a big bombshell on her.
I didn’t want to wait, though. Ideally, Mari will finish out the last week of the semester, which is next week, and then we’ll start the move to Alaska. We’ll stay in New York for the holidays so that Mari can be with her family. Come the first week of January, we’ll be on our way to our new life.
Living in Alaska will be perfect. It’ll truly be the best move for all of us. I believe that with my whole heart.
Our baby will grow up loving nature the way we do. We can take him or her on nature walks and hikes when he or she is older. We’ll teach the baby how to respect the world around him/her.
And with a big house, we’ll have plenty of room for future children. Mark and I both want a big family. Mari seems to want that, too. I just hope she hasn’t changed her mind after all of this.
“Okay,” Mari finally says after a long pause.
“Okay? You mean, you’ll move to Alaska with us?”
She nods. “I love you both, and I love this baby. I think you’re right. Alaska will be an incredible experience for all of us. I can make the University of Alaska work. I don’t care where I go to school. All I care about is that I’m with the men I love. You guys and this baby are the most important people in my life right now. I’d go anywhere with you.”
Mari is blinking back tears, but she’s smiling. Mark and I embrace her again, taking turns kissing her tender lips.