Page 130 of Hail Marry
He thinks for a second. “Destination wedding in Belize?”
“Deportation wedding, more like.” I tip my head to the side. “That kind of has a nice ring to it.”
He smiles, then kisses me again. “Should we read the letter?”
I nod, feeling more ready to accept whatever it says. Ready as I’ll ever be.
“I think we should do it with our family,” he says.
I look into his eyes, my throat thickening. That littleourmeans everything.
“Me too.”
Holding my gaze, he threads his fingers through mine and leads the way inside.
Mia and Austin have emerged, and Austin is fighting with Mom over who gets to hold Jack Jack, while Mia plays pat-a-cake with Eden on the floor.
Siena and Jack have fallen asleep next to each other on the couch.
“Attention!” I say, clapping a few times. “We got the immigration decision.”
It goes dead silent except for Jack’s soft snoring. He and Siena were unfazed by my noise-making. It’s like I transferred some of my sleeping powers to them.
“What’d they say?” Austin looks at us intently as Eden grabs a fistful of his hair and yanks.
“We don’t know,” Luca says. “We wanted to read it with all of you.”
Mom and Dad put their arms around each other’s waists and smile at us. I know they’re nervous. Everyone is.
Except Jack and Siena, apparently.
Troy makes an impatient hand motion. “Don’t keep us waiting.”
Luca pulls his phone out of his pocket and navigates to the email, his other hand still holding mine.
He starts reading:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Callahan,
We have completed a review of your case and, after careful consideration, have reached a determination regarding your application for adjustment of status.
The evidence provided, including community character statements and additional documentation submitted during your recent interview, has been thoroughly evaluated. We acknowledge the good faith cooperation you have demonstrated throughout this process. As a result, we have determined that your application may proceed with the following provisions:
1. Conditional Approval and Fines
USCIS is imposing a fine in the amount of $2500, which must be remitted within 30 days of this notice to complete your adjustment of status. Please contact our office if you require guidance on payment procedures.
I let out a breath of relief. That’s way less than I thought it’d be.
Luca continues:
2. Conditional Residence Status with Monitoring
Mr. Callahan is hereby granted conditional resident status for a period of two years.
Cheers erupt in the room, and Jack and Siena startle awake. There’s a brief delay as they’re looped in on what’s happening. They both clap and cheer, and there’s another delay as Jack Jack’s lip turns down and he starts wailing.
I force Luca to turn the phone screen away from us so he doesn’t cheat and read ahead. But mostly so that I don’t.
