[Authors note: This chapter is shorter than prior or upcoming chapters.]
"Well, we're all delighted to hear that you'll be coming to GCC!" said Dean Alice over the phone.
"Just sign the letter and fedex it to us. I'll have Hope get ahold of you right away to start the process. I know it's only February, but if you could finish your semester up there and head straight here, that would be good for us, we can get you settled in, maybe have you work on some summer tasks, then you can start teaching in August. June one for a start date? What do you think? Let me know as soon as you sort it out."
Hope called later that day to start making arrangements, and gave him contact info for an alumnus who was a lawyer at a firm nearby that could handle his immigration paperwork. When Kjem told her he thought June 1st would work fine, she gave him contact info for a logistics firm who, she told him, could handle moving his things, and told him she'd sort it out with them to get flights for him that would coordinate with shipping his stuff.
The Palm Beach cottage was furnished, so Kjem figured he didn't have a lot to move. This was ok with him, he wasn't attached to most of the things in his apartment, and what he was attached to, things with sentimental value, personal things, and specialty items, were mostly small. He did have a couple of bicycles left over from his racing days he'd of course take, even as small a Green Cay was, and tools; he'd have to ask Hope about the shed behind Palm Beach cottage to verify again that it would be his to use, he'd not gone in but it looked like it might make a nice shop.
He called and made an appointment to meet with Judy Miller, the attorney recommended by Hope, to sort out the paperwork required for his move to Green Cay. When the day came for the meeting, he arrived at the office building of the law firm she worked with and was shown to a conference room. It was a very nice place, lots of space, plants, and typical lawyer wood paneling.
After a short wait a middle-aged woman entered the room and shut the door behind herself. "Hello, I'm Judy. You're Kjem, I presume?"
"Yes, I'm pleased to meet you," Kjem replied. She was a very petite woman, with short blonde hair, wearing a conservative black business pantsuit.
"Well, Hope tells me you're the new hire a GCC, and could use help with your paperwork for the move to the islands. Do you have your US visa with you, your passport, and offer letter from GCC?" she asked.
Kjem gave her all the documents, and she quickly checked them over carefully with expert eyes.
"Yes, these look in order. You'll need to get a physical exam and provide the doctor with your medical records, immunizations, and so forth. Use this doctor, she can get everything directly to us if you authorize it. Make an appointment for right away," she said as she passed him a card for a local clinic.
"If you can sign these Power of Attorney forms I can get everything I need." Kjem looked over the forms, and spent a few minutes filling on the required info and signing.
"OK, that's really all I need, I can sort everything out from there. Should take a couple or three weeks, no problem." She organized all of the paperwork, and closed it up into a folder and sat back in her chair.
"So, you're going to GCC. We've got a bit of time left in your appointment, let's relax and chat."
They spent the next 20 minutes talking about Kjem's interview, what he knew about GCC and Judy's time there as a student. She had been a Philosophy major, and graduated 20 years ago, but had kept in touch with the college over the years and seemed to know a lot about the folks there now; she visited every year or so. It was a pleasant conversation, Kjem found himself attracted to her direct, knowledgeable and personable attitude. She had a great smile and a ready laugh. When their time was up, she rose, again assured Kjem that she would be in touch soon, and Kjem thanked her for her help.
A couple of weeks later he got a call from Judy's office asking him to come for a meeting, Judy had all of his papers ready.
