All Chapters of Mi Amor: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I got to the Miami airport with plenty of time to spare before my flight, but by the time I had made it through the serpentine security line, I had to hurry to the gate. The best Margaret had been able to do was a middle seat at the back of the plane; my fellow passengers were returning snowbirds, partying college kids celebrating the last few hours of spring break, and a sprinkling of business types on their way to early meetings in the city the next day.It was an uncomfortable couple of hours, scrunched into the narrow seat, listening to people having fun all around me. I couldn’t concentrate on the mystery novel I had brought, about a gay detective in Honolulu, and I refused to think about Javier and worry about how things were going with his parents. I had my own family issues to deal with.The man in the window seat was a Sikh, with dark skin and a red turban. “You are going back to college from spring break?” he asked me.“You’re flattering me. I graduated from college a few ye

“Your mother and I aren’t comfortable with the track your career is taking,” he continued. I knew it wouldn’t do any good to protest, so I kept my mouth shut. “It’s time you stopped fooling around in Miami and made some sense out of your life. By the time I was your age, I was clerking for the chief justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. At your age, your grandfather had started his own law practice. And your great-grandfather, well, he came to this country with nothing, started shoveling horseshit, and ended up selling hay and feed to the top racetracks in the country.”Horseshit was one of my father’s favorite words, though usually it was used to denote how little he thought of something Richard or I said. “Your mother and I can’t sit back any longer and watch you waste your time. You need to train that intelligence of yours in the best way you can. It’s time you grew up and got yourself to law school.”My first reaction was horseshit. I am my father’s son, after all. But I did

I made arrangements to take the GMAT at a center back in Florida, then started considering business schools. The ones my father had suggested -- Columbia and Harvard -- were givens, though I didn’t have the kind of stellar grades you probably needed. A lot would depend on my scores. I pulled down the application for the University of Miami too as well as a couple of other schools in South Florida.By the time my parents came back from their event, I was prepared. After dinner, my father and I sat down in his study and I showed him the list of schools I was considering.He didn’t say anything about my use of his computer, though I did mention that I had done most of the research online. Score one for Adam.He added and subtracted schools until we had a group we were both happy with. “You’re going to have to do very well on your GMAT if you want to get into Harvard,” he said. “And you’re going to have to make your business sound like a lot more than just a way to spend your time in nigh

I decided to let Javier make the next move. I didn’t want him to think I was crowding him. So I worked on my applications. Each school gave you a different essay prompt, though some were close enough that I could recycle some material. Describe an experience where I had failed, and what I’d learned from that failure. Examine how I prepared to meet a particular challenge. Compare and contrast my educational experiences with what I had learned in the workplace.It was tedious work, but I’d always been able to put words together, and I e-mailed drafts to my father and my brother; both made some good suggestions. I ordered my transcripts and began filling out all the applications.I picked up Mexican takeout and ate by myself while watching a DVD of one of the X-Men movies. I might have been weary and confused, but I could still appreciate Hugh Jackman with his shirt off.Jean-Jacques called, just to check in. He was busy organizing a fundraiser at Notre Dame d’Haiti -- the church his fam

Javier wouldn’t stay the night; he had to get home to be ready for church the next morning. I didn’t ask about his parents, or whether he would see that plumber at church again. I just told him that I loved him.“I love you too,” he said, leaning down to kiss me. I was so spent I couldn’t even get up out of bed to let him out. The door would lock behind him anyway.After he left, I realized I still hadn’t told him I was applying to business school. What did that mean? Was I trying to keep it a secret from him? Or had I just not found the right time? Maybe I should wait and see where I got in, and make a decision then. After all, it was only March. Who knew how things would stand between us by August?I met Jean-Jacques the next morning for brunch. “You look great,” I said, when he came to the table, where I’d already ordered cappuccinos for both of us. His coffee-colored skin glowed, and his dark hair was impeccably groomed. “Whatever you’re doing, you should do more often.”I eyed hi