How I got here (part 5)

I finished work on the Thursday and was packed and ready to go to San Francisco on the Friday. I got back to Jon & Helen’s flat and found a letter waiting there for me from the embassy. I opened it with shaking hands to discover that they had given me an interview date for the following Friday. If I got approval the visa would be issued within 24 hours.

I went to the interview with all my documentation in order and had to pass 3 armed check points before I actually got in to the embassy. Once inside I took a number and had to wait my turn. I was called up and had to hand over all the original of my documents and answer some routine questions and show my identification once more. Then I was told to take a seat and wait for my interview. I was about to sit down when my number was called and so I made my way back up to another window. It was here that I met my one and only American of the whole process. She asked me to raise my right hand and to solemnly swear that I would tell the truth. Apparently raising your right hand makes it physically impossible to lie.

I had prepared for weeks if not months the answers to all the possible questions that I could be asked, but in fact I was asked only one question, with a supplementary one. The question I was asked was “how did you meet your fiancé?” I told her that I was a friend of Jen’s ex-husband. The woman looked shocked, said “Really? How does he feel about this?” “Well he’s not too happy”, was my response. She laughed, said “So you lost a friend but gained a wife, not a bad deal. Everything is in order here so I can go ahead and approve this, it will be sent out to you within the next 24 hours”. I couldn’t believe it, I almost had to ask her to repeat it and I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way back to Peckham. It was one of the best days of my life and I was so excited I could hardly read my book. I kept looking at London in a completely different light as it would be the last time I would see it for a while.

I got home and decided that I was going to book my flights to San Francisco. Boy was I in for a shock! Direct flights were over £1000. The next cheapest was to fly with Air France for £695, but this involved a 26 hour lay over in Paris. I know, 26 hours!! I decided that if I was going to have to change in Paris, why not actually fly to Sacramento (where Jen lives), this would involve a change somewhere in the US but at least I would be able then to fly into Sacramento. I found (with the help of Expedia.com) a flight that cost just £390, which would leave from Heathrow at 12.15pm. I would then land in Chicago 4pm local time and from there I would get a plane directly into Sacramento. It was with Air India.