Kim laughed. “Don’t be paranoid. No one cares about that anymore. Unless it’s a woman dating a younger man.”
“Sadly, that is true. If either one of you wants to date a younger man, I fully support you in doing so.” I flipped through the pics, trying to find a different one I liked. I really did need to post something online. Felicia had sent me a statement to post but it had read like she wrote it, which she had. I needed something that sounded more genuinely like me.
“How did you meet?” Kim asked.
“Hold on!” Sara pointed to my phone. “Is that you proposing?”
It was and it was super obvious. The whole “down on one knee” was a dead giveaway. I guess there was no point in denying it. “Yes. Last Thursday night. She moved in with me yesterday.”
They both stared at me in astonishment.
“You keep things close to the cuff, geez,” Sara said. “I tell you about every single date I go on.”
“It was quick but when you know, you know.” I shrugged.
“Well, congratulations,” Sara said. “I’m happy for you. You need some love from a lady.”
That made me wince. “What th
e hell, Sara? What does that even mean?” I held up my hand. “Don’t answer that.”
“This is so exciting,” Kim said, though she sounded skeptical. “Have you set a date?”
“No, not yet. Or I don’t think so. Felicia is kind of a bulldozer, so for all I know she’s set a date and booked a venue already. I do know she is planning an engagement party before Christmas, so I’ll keep you posted.”
“Before Christmas? That’s less than three weeks away.”
“I know. But she and my mother are working together, so I have total confidence they’ll bully it into happening.” I put my phone in my pocket. “I have to head out. I have an appointment. See you tomorrow.”
They waved and we said our goodbyes. I went to my office to grab my coat. I had to meet Felicia at the lawyer’s office.
I got there forty minutes later and the receptionist ushered me inside. Felicia was already sitting in front of a large desk. The attorney was around my age and he stood up to shake my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for offering us some advice on how to proceed with a fiancée visa for Felicia.”
“I’m happy to help.”
The lawyer’s name was Ken and he had the smooth, calm demeanor of someone who dealt with people in dire straits all day long. “Tell me a little bit about your situation.”
I looked at Felicia. “You can tell him, sweetheart.”
She made a face but she said, “I’m British. I have a temporary visa but it’s expiring next month. Michael and I are engaged and we want to apply for a fiancée visa until I can get a permanent spousal visa.”
“As you’re probably aware, there has been a crack down on visas. So I’m glad you came to me before your visa expires. Once that happens, it’s difficult to backtrack. What type of visa are you on?”
Felicia crossed and uncrossed her leg. “Well. In the past I’ve been on a student visa and then a temporary work visa. This was a visitor visa with a B1 extension.”
That was news to me. She lived in New York, had a lease and a business. How long was a visitor visa?
The lawyer stared at her. “I see.”
That didn’t sound good. “How do we start the application process?”
“We can start the process today but be prepared for it to be denied. Felicia has been granted more visas than we generally see and applying for another may raise some red flags.”
I looked at Felicia.
She gave me an innocent look that didn’t look innocent at all.
“Are you working right now?” he asked her.