Well, the decision is final now...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Today I called up the UK Immigration Service and withdrew my application to stay in the country. They are sending me back my passport, and, when I receive it (probably Monday or Tuesday) I will have to leave the country within 28 days. As many of you know, I am due to leave and return to the US on the 22nd of December.

I knew taking this last step wasn’t going to be easy. It really does mean a lot to leave a country where you’ve lived for the past five years, where you have (well, rent) a house and a full-time job. And of course all that is quite apart from separating from my wife.

Right now my head is just swimming. There are about a million things I have to take care of before I go, mostly picky things like what I’m going to take back to the States and what I’m going to leave behind. I can also say I’ve been immensely upset over the past few days. I realize more and more that, however many times my wife and I assure each other that it’s just going to be a temporary separation, I know that we’re just not going to get back together. The simple truth is that she’s just not happy with me anymore, and nothing in the nine months we’ve been living apart (but in the same city) has changed that. It really tears me apart because I still love her so much. I still hope we can get back together, but I doubt by now that it can happen.

Anyway, this post isn’t supposed to be a sympathy-puller (well, not an unmitigated one anyhow). I wanted to post this to thank everyone on the board who’s given me support over the past few months. Being separated has meant that I’ve lost a lot of mutual “friends” (I use that word advisedly) but I’ve gained a lot of new ones here at SDMB. Thanks.

For the next 23 days or so I may not be around as much as usual–lots of things to get done, and, as I can’t access the Internet at home, it’s not so easy to get to the Board on limited time. I’ll still be doing e-mails but my address will be changing very soon. And I’ll still post at work when the boss isn’t looking (what’s he going to do, fire me? :))

Thanks again for everything. {{{{All Dopers}}}}

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Good luck, Duke. This too shall pass, as they say.

Hey, with a bit of luck, your country will have a new Prez when you get back :wink:

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Goddamnit! Don’t post threads with that title! Thought for a sec we DID have a new Prez…

Um … welcome back, and best wishes.

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::pricking up ears::

What, the man who told me I was right (in the Pit!) and called me “beautiful” is leaving his wife and returning to the US?

::trying to look sympathetic, despite my own personal glee::

Just kidding, Duke. Good luck with all this–sounds like you have been through some hard times and have more of the same ahead. Hope things get better for you soon.