A Cup of Tea & Biscuits

"Going home?" asks Ennis, a friendly grin on his face as I shuffle into the back seat of his Uber.  "Yes!"  "Belltown?" Ennis swerves sharply to the right from the middle lane with the intention of getting on the I-520 ramp from Bellevue to Seattle. I pause before I answer. "It was home," I s ay. "But I'm moving back to Chicago in two hours." To say that I'm delighted would be completely accurate. But it does come at some emotional cost, not to mention the exhaustion and mental tussle of a cross-country move. West Seattle 22 months in the Pacific Northwestern city of Seattle has been educational and interesting, and expensive too if I factor in the 13 trips I made to Chicago in the time. I moved for work, particularly for the people that I'd be working with, and not for any other reason (more of that tearful rip here ). And that is what I will miss most. So while it's not as heart-wrenching as my pr...

I am afraid. Thirty-two thousand feet in the air, warm and comfortable in a blanket, some coffee, a drink and food at hand, the only confession I can make and admit to myself is that I am terrified. Of all the things I just left behind and the choice I’m hurtling towards. My heart is in my throat right now and I cannot stop the tears that I keep dabbing away. Less than an hour ago, I boarded a plane from Chicago to Seattle. As I went past security, a TSA agent asked me if I was heading home. I found myself tongue-tied. I was leaving home. A place I made my home in and going away. A conscious decision, I should add, but I was still leaving. For nearly 6 months now I’ve known this was bound to happen. Two months ago I signed certain papers and it became official. As I revealed the news to those closest to me, it slowly began to sink in that I wouldn’t see them again. Some of my best friends had already left Chicago and while I felt their absence keenly, it never struck me as a fina...