Remy started dinner about an hour later, and it was almost ready by the time his mom came home. As she took a shower, Remy finished up and his dad got out the plates. The three of them ate dinner on the couch while watching TV, as they did most nights.
When they were done, his dad said, "Rem, I looked into the school you wanted to apply to and I called to see if there was any way you could enroll now. They said that we'd have to pay a little extra, but it's nothing we can't afford. And since it seems to mean so much to you, I'm willing to pay it. It does mean a lot to you, right?"
Remy nodded his head vigorously. He had jumped out of his seat when his dad mentioned the college and was now giddily pacing around the room. He only stopped to ask his dad, "Wait. You waited until we finished dinner to tell me? You couldn't have told me immediately?"
"Remy's going to college?" His mother asked.
His father replied, "First of all, I didn't want to ruin dinner. It's supposed to be a time of peace and watching TV. And to answer your question, Melody," he was now talking to Remy's mother, "your son, as of this afternoon, has decided to go to UB!"
"Oh, really?! I'm so proud, honey! Come here," she walked over to Remy and enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just thought that if I wasn't going until next semester, there was no rush in telling you. But I'm going to UB!"
"Well, actually, the college still has to approve your application and review your performance in school," his father informed him.
"Oh, well that's less exciting," Remy visibly calmed down, though he felt confident about the possibility of being accepted.
The family got back to watching TV, the show much less interesting to them now that they had something so important and exciting on their minds.
That night, Remy had trouble sleeping. He was busy thinking. He felt so much better now. Even though he had known that taking the year off was the right thing, he had always felt that pit of anxiety building up the longer he did nothing, the longer he had no idea what he wanted in life.
But this, whatever it was, now felt like the right thing to do. Even though it was really, really weird. However, Remy had a small feeling that fate had led him here. He had the feeling that he hadn't made any decisions about his future until now because then he never would have chosen to go to UB. He didn't know what would happen there, but he felt like it was a step in the right direction. He didn't know where it would lead, but that doubt was replaced with a sudden surge of hope. And it was a hell of a lot better than the feeling of listlessness that occupied his mind before. He wasn't sure if destiny was a real thing, but if it was, then this had to be it.