I felt lost.
We spent the remainder of the night in bed. While naked, we lay next to each other talking about everything we could possibly think of. I learned more about him, and him me. There wasn’t a topic off limits. He was open, and understanding. He was forgiving, and hopeful.
The next morning Wes decided to stay home from his classes. He spent a few hours doing assignments and turning them in so he wouldn’t fall behind, while I tried to contact the college to see where I stood.
My stomach was in knots while I was put on hold and finally directed to the admissions clerk.
“Admissions, this is Sharon. How can I help you?”
“Hi. My name is Cammie Healy. I’m a student enrolled there at the college. Due to recent events I wanted to know the status of my scholarship.”
“Do you have your ID number?” She asked.
I gave her the number and waited patiently to hear if there was big red flag under my name.
“I’ve pulled up your account, but I’m not real sure what you’re asking. You’re already enrolled in your last batch of courses, and everything has been paid for.”
“So, there are no funds owed?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Okay. My next question would be, if I drop two classes, will they make me pay for them?”
“Since there isn’t funds owed, I would say you’d only have to pay when you go to retake them. Are you planning on staying for another semester? Would you need the paperwork to fill out?”
“No. I’m not returning. Due to personal reasons I may not be coming back this semester. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to owe money.”
“Your scholarship is paid in full. If I’m reading this right, it’s your final semester. Any classes after this semester would be up to you.”
“Thank you for clearing that up. Have a good day.”
“Ma’am, are you withdrawing?”
“I’m not sure yet. If I do, I’ll make sure to call and let someone know.”
After the call I went into the living room to find Wes. He was typing something on his laptop but looked up when he saw me. “You okay?”
“I don’t know why I thought I’d have to pay some crazy amount. That woman threatened me and never followed through. The admissions woman said my scholarship was paid in full. I guess its Stanford I have to worry about.”
“Do you think that’s the scholarship she’s talking about?”
I shrugged. “I’m afraid it might be.”
“Wow, a scholarship to graduate school is a big deal. That’s probably why your parents are freaking out. We’re talking hundreds of thousands.”
“I know. I’m scared to call.”
“Just do it. Make the call so you can stop wondering.”
I made the second call with Wes sitting by my side. In a matter of minutes I was directed to an associate who told me I was expected to register by the end of this semester, which is what I was worried about. When I asked about deferring, the person couldn’t assist me, but gave me the information to my student advisor.
When I hung up I had answers at least. “She never called them. It was all a pack of lies. Stanford expects me to show up next fall. How am I supposed to be there when my due date is around that time?” It was finally sinking in. There was no way I could go to college across the country with a newborn baby.
I fell into Wes’ arms as I cried. He didn’t even ask me to explain. Once I calmed down he finally said something that peaked my interest. “Is your scholarship through the school or were you offered it through a program or corporation?”
“It’s an academic scholarship. They gave me a certain amount of money. I actually got several that I combined in order to pay for everything. Why? It’s not like I can take the money and run. It’s for school.”
“Cam, you could always go to school around here. Wouldn’t that solve everything? You’d be around your family. You’d have help with the baby. And you’d have me.”
He was right. I’d have help and support. “It’s too late. I can’t reapply somewhere else. I’d never be able to transfer in time.”
“What if I told you I could help with that?”
“How?” I needed to know all my options. Everything was changing. I didn’t like change. I also didn’t like thinking my choices were limited.
“Grandpa is on the board at Duke. I think I mentioned it before. I asked him to make some calls. That’s