My Green Card Situation Got Me Entangled With The Mafia

Everyday for the past two years since i moved to New York, I wake up in a clockwise manner. No matter how much I try or how little I sleep, by 5:30am, I am up. Maybe it has something to do with finally not living in London anymore but I cannot help it, everything here is different. From the warmer air, to the mix of car exhaust or the hundreds of thousands of people from different cultures. It just feels different. I usually get to work a couple of minutes before 8 in the morning. I am not an overly early person but I am never late. Being able to get a work permit has changed my has life so much. I get to be friends with the most amazing human I have ever met and also be be in another continent entirely. I don't particularly hate my job, I don't love it either but it keeps me here so I cannot complain. I wake up today and everything just feels off, I tells myself it's normal and I am just letting my anxiety get the best out of me. I ignore it completely as I get ready for work in record time and head to the kitchen where I see Lia, my best friend trying to put a sandwich together. We muttered out good mornings and shared a slight hug before I start the coffee machine and have my fix for the day then proceeded to pack my lunch for work. Looking at the time, I see that I am a might be a little late so I hug Lia and head for the door. I get to work and the nerves in my stomach still hasn't settled. A quick look around showed me everything around the office was normal so I walk to my desk and get ready to clock in on my computer when I get a call from Mrs Patterson, telling me the director would like to speak with me immediately. Shocked, I stand almost robotically, the nerves getting worse and head to the floor above mine up to Mrs Patterson. She guides me inside but not before squeezing my hands and giving me a weird look. I knock once and open the door, entering the expansive office. The director, Mr Drew looks up from his screen and offers me a seat which I accept. " Meritt, you are an outstanding young woman and Nelson & Sons feels lucky to have had you ". Had? I said feeling confused. "What do you mean sir?" I asked "I am really sorry Miss Henderson but we are going through some financial crisis and the only way to bounce back is to let a few of our workers go". I look at him, feeling the emotions swell Inside me. " There's nothing I can do for you, Miss Henderson. You are a good worker, but I just can't help you". "But, I cannot loose this job," I thought out loud. The only reason I am still in America is that I got the work permit. Without this, I would be deported and sent back home to London and the last thing I want is to be back there. I head back to my table or what used to be my table only moments ago. I cannot still believe I got fired. What am I supposed to do now? The only reason I am in America is because I got this job. My permit was approved with the clause that if I loose my job and cannot find another within the 30 days following my previous job termination, I will be deported back to the UK. I sat down because I started feeling lightheaded. The weird feeling I felt this morning finally made sense to me now. I raise my head up and decide to do my breathing exercise. I look at my palm and see the letter of termination as real as my labored breathing. I calm myself and start to pack my stuffs from my desk. I don’t have a lot; a potted plant, a picture of Lia and I, some office supplies and some snacks. I put all of these into a box and walk into the elevator. Downstairs, I am forced to hand in my company ID card. I still feel numb when I step out of the building into the cool air. This snaps me out of my daze and I finally make up my mind that I will do anything possible not to go back to London. With this new resolve, I head back home. It's quiet here but that’s no surprise, the time is 10:38am. Lia is at work so I am all by myself. I pull out my laptop from my backpack and fire it up dumping the box from work on the floor. I look at many sites and try to find any job description that matches my level of qualifications. I see a few and quickly apply hoping to get an email from them that invites me for an interview. I hear the door open, and look up to find Lia walking into our shared apartment. I check the time and realize it’s almost 4pm. I was so focused on my task, I lost track of time.Lia slums on the couch and tells me how exhausted she is. She must have noticed my lack of comment and look at me. “Hey Meritt, what’s wrong? Did something happen at work today? Wait, you normally don’t get home till around 5” She looks around and sees my work stuff on the floor. “Hey babe, look at me, everything is going to be fine. We’ll figure it out, I promise.” “ I don’t want to go back to London. You know I swore never to step foot there again. ” I let out. “ It’s going to be fine, you’ll find a job. I see you have already started looking for one. ” She says as she checks the multiple tabs opened on my laptop. ” You know what will make you feels better, my homemade pasta. Let me check the fridge and see what we’re working with. ” I smile a little knowing that Amelia's homemade pasta is enough to make me feel better, even if it’s for a little while. I stand up and prepare to join her in making dinner when she concludes and tells me we need to go grocery shopping because we are out of eggs and canned tomatoes. She tells me she’ll be out in ten minutes cause she only has to change and freshen up a little. Knowing Lia, she would be out of her room in nothing less than forty-five minutes. I smile sadly because if I don’t find another job, all this will be over. I go back to my room and decide to change into something much more comfortable than me office wears; a sweatshirt with a matching pants and a pair of waterproof boots. I pick up my phone and check my email notification to see if I have any message from the companies I applied to. There is no message so I turned off the screen of my phone and, went to Lia’s room to wait for her.I am about to open her door, when I see her putting her shoes on. She gets up from her bed and walk up to me and we both walk out the front door with Lia locking the doors with her keys . Turns out, we had a lot to shop for at the grocery shop. We get the things we needed and head to checkout. Lia and I carry the grocery to her and she suggests we branch Little Dee’s bakery to get my feel good milky donuts. By the time we got back home, it was well past 6, and we had to start dinner immediately. Dinner is delicious as always, no thanks to me and I feel slightly less hopeless after having my tummy filled with, the best homemade pasta ever and some red wine Lia picked up from the grocery shop. I get ready for bed and do my nightly ritual. I get into my bed and turn off the lamp, falling asleep almost immediately with the thought of looking for more adverts the following day.