Eliza and Yesha had been particularly impressed with Charles and Eugene, especially when they realized that they too balanced their lives by spending time studying while camping, bringing their telescopes, mapping the stars, and gazing at deep sky objects, and even singing some of their favorites from Depeche Mode and other artists.
One of Eliza’s fondest memories, looking back, was when, they hopped aboard a bus and went to Princeton, in New Jersey, to visit Vesha, her husband, Ralston, her daughter, Jillian, and some of their friends to catch up for the sake of old times, and to introduce their new boyfriends. Both Eliza and Yesha enjoyed their extensive and sophisticated conversations, admired Ralston’s wit, Jillian’s sweet charm, and Vesha’s spunk, humor, and tenacity no matter what they faced.
Vesha had had quite a life and quite a journey even though through her younger years she had confronted the sentiment in society that women weren’t supposed to be scientists. Vesha had always been of the mind to have said, “Oh yeah, watch it happen, because you aren’t going to stop me.” What was bittersweet, however, for Eliza, Yesha, Charles, and Eugene was when she told them both, “I’m not getting any younger, but it is nice to have a certain sense of independence, but soon I may be moving into Princeton Senior Citizen’s center. I believe I am suffering from the pre-stages of Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Oh, I do exercises to remember key moments. For example, you remind me so much of my daughter, Jillian, Yesha. Eliza, you are mighty, and all four of you are so sweet. Thank you for visiting an aging lady like myself, her handsome husband, and some of her family and friends, with these two handsome gentlemen.”
Early on in the summer of 2001, Charles and Eugene finished their doctoral studies in Finance and Economics and found out about a great opportunity in New York. Both had, after much research and discussion, accepted the opportunity offered and were hired by a firm at the World Trade Center. They were anxious to begin saving for homes in Massachusetts, not too far from where Eliza and Yesha had grown up. They’d spent a lot of time together, and Charles and Eugene knew Eliza and Yesha were very close, they had a strong and shared history together, and for both, their hometown of Cambridge was their “happy place.”
Eliza had told Charles about her dreams earlier that year. She remembered as he gleamed with care, understanding, empathy, compassion, and joy when she told him about her goals.
“Someday, I would like to engage in a somewhat large project. I have dreamt of forming a company incorporating biotech, neuroscience, and physics with the goal of optimizing physiological and neurological health, as well as working on space travel that is much more safe and secure than it is now. I would like us all to be involved with cleaning up the debris that is gathering around the Earth, as well as asteroids and other objects en tangent to Earth, taking these materials to the Moon, establishing bases there that are underground, above ground, and roaming, and create space travel launch and landing centers, where we can be involved in the process of developing asteroid mining facilities that lend to making humanity interplanetary, and many more robust projects that will take us surprisingly further and into the future. All of these bases and facilities can be established congruent with the mining that can be done in space with nano-robotics and artificial intelligence technologies. We as a team can be intimately involved with this. The ultimate reasoning I have for this is that through these initiatives we will eventually be able to sculpt healthier, happier, and mind-expanding lives. Not to mention, it would be nice to have a safer space exploration take-off point and pay off our country’s debts as well as the debts of each individual while developing robust health care, economic, educational, correctional, and technologically advanced innovation systems.”
Charles knew she had big goals, and together they all did, but the goals that he had heard from Eliza were much greater than life itself and more genuine and powerful than he had ever heard from anyone else. He also had a hunch they would need to succeed in their current professions first, so they could stockpile and invest in their future venture company—a company that Charles had dubbed, “Pathway Industries.” He finally worked up the courage to open up to Eliza about how much he cared for her and why he would need to leave.
After Yesha’s birthday party, on the first of July, Charles pulled Eliza aside and talked to her. “I want you to know that I love you very much, Eliza. Someday, and hopefully soon, I would like to see us be married. However, I want both of us to have a chance to finish our studies and become established professionals in our fields of expertise, first. This is primarily because I would not want something to happen that would jeopardize your dreams. Your dreams are worth everything to me, every moment spent, waiting, saving up, and making them possible. When we reach your primary goals and ideals, perhaps we can take our relationship further and get married. We could work as a team to make all of this happen. Raising a family can happen on distant planets once your dreams have been realized, where our civilization has finally come together and spanned the Cosmos. We’ve had our fun, we’ve kept our lives balanced, and now we’ll work to gain a more profound focus on the steps we need to take to make your dreams possible.
“What do you think?”
Eliza blushed and with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked up at her kind, large-minded, visionary, and handsome gentleman and said, “I know it will be tough for a while, yet as much as I would hate to admit it, it is a tough reality we all have to cope with—being apart so we can achieve our full potential may be the next crucial step for us.” She tried to look farther into the silver lining, “Hey, we’ll have vacation times, where we can visit, I imagine. We can pinch pennies. We’ll have moments where we can save by simply meeting up in a central location, so we can go on hikes and look up at the stars. Charles? I’m going to miss you, I love you very much, and, I think you are amazing, too! We’ll be alright. I support you in your endeavors too.”
With a pause, Charles held her in his arms, hugged her and then told her with a bit of a swagger, in an effort to swing the mood in a positive direction, “thank you, Eliza. No matter what happens we’ll be in each other’s hearts.” They sighed and stared out at the horizon in silence for a few moments. “Eugene and I have had offers sent to us, and by accepting this, we can begin our careers as investors at the World Trade Center, where we’ll be part of a team that investigates potential clients for technological advancement and investment.
“We accepted that contract, wherein we were offered high-end six-figure incomes. We’ll be involved in global trade, we’ll be able to develop a network of friends who are savvy with venture capitalism, forge relationships with those who understand what true ethics are, we will work with and even help people from all over the world, and we’ll be able to do all of that as we save up, so we can get you your dream, Eliza.”
As Charles was having his private moment with Eliza, Eugene too was having a similar sobering conversation with Yesha.
Both ladies were very keen on what needed to happen next, but this would be tough. While Eliza and Yesha wanted to be around their boyfriends and didn’t want the distance, they also knew that they couldn’t get where they needed to by stagnating and limiting themselves, nor could their gentlemen. It was essential to zero in on the big game ahead and get through their studies. There was a lot to get done, and right now success in life called for some separation, a time to realize their potential through education and experience.
After roasting some marshmallows over a fire, finding the Andromeda Galaxy and the constellations of Cassiopeia to the northwest, Sagittarius to the southeast, and Lyra overhead along with a few other nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies with their telescope, and sipping herbal teas, while nestled in lawn chairs, Eliza found an appropriate way to channel her emotions and she opened up. “As much as I’d hate to admit it, you are right, Charles. Perhaps this will give us each more time to dedicate to our studies and our professions, with fewer distractions. We all seem to understand what we need to do so we can realize a big
ger dream.
“Yesha, I know you love Eugene; Charles, I love you, and you both love us. However, to follow through with our goals, we have to do what we know ought to be done. While you know within your hearts that we’ll miss you both, please know our hearts will always be with you. We’ll keep our contact limited, and our focus heightened, for now.”
Both men and women saw eye-to-eye and shared their views and appreciated them, one to the other. Charles then shared, “While this is a somber moment, we each know we have to spend more time dedicated to our future and not let our dreams fade away. Both Eugene and I have talked about this a lot; we want you to know that we agree that it is important that we each begin and become established in our careers, as one of many steps in the long journey ahead, as well as long before proposing our hands in marriage. It is no secret among us since we talk about these things often. Both I and Eugene should begin this next stage of life, so we can give you two a fair amount of time to focus on your doctoral studies and careers. When you are ready, perhaps we can have a simple marriage to keep costs low. Marriage is a commitment of shared excellence and as you’ve shared with me, Eliza, it makes more sense to invest our means into research, development, and further improvements to realize an even greater dream than pompous and pious circumstance. I believe we will be able to chase our dreams with more vigor as we take this opportunity to gain enough experience and influence in New York and then set up our shared limited liability company in Massachusetts. We can grow this together into an industry, and then into something even greater and more influential, and not too far from here, our home.”
Eugene followed Charles’ perspective, and told the group, “No matter where we go, no matter what happens in the future, no matter what life gives us or takes away from us, you will all, always, be in my heart. Our friendship is one that I would never have dreamt possible, and I truly appreciate every moment we have spent together.
“Let’s look to the future, dream big, and stay strong!”
Eliza’s twenty-first birthday came the following day, and together they shared her very first wine spritzer, made of homemade lemonade, sprite, and red wine. Not long after, the day of departure came. They stood at a juncture in their lives, where they wouldn’t see each other, it seemed, for a long, long, time. They had planned their next shared moments to be the very next Thanksgiving, but this was another bittersweet moment in Eliza’s and Yesha’s lives. With hugs and tear-stained eyes, they both waved goodbye as Charles and Eugene climbed into their car to begin their two-month road-trip to their parents’ homes and then to New York. Love was no stranger among them, and it was tough on each, but affording Charles and Eugene these moments together and with their families, before settling into the next chapter of their lives was the right thing to do. They waved as Charles and Eugene drove away, down the road, and far and into the distance. Once they were no longer in view, Eliza and Yesha turned to each other, gave each other a hug, and said in unison, “We’re going to miss them.”
They then felt their emotions swell and they stopped by Eliza’s estate home, spent a little time catching up with Yesenia, and then went outside to the pond where the coy fish and the frogs congregated and swam about unaware of the great plans that lie ahead. Eliza held her bookmark of Tyson in her right hand and then held it to her heart. As she did, she looked toward Yesha, and together they looked up to the stars and sang “Shine” by Depeche Mode.
Evening set in as dusk grew to night-time, they donned their running shoes after that shared moment and embraced their emotions meticulously by going out on a good long night jog around town, while talking, before heading back to their apartment.
The end of their previous semester lingered in the past, and their next semester was soon to be in full force. Even though their young men were away, they had a lot of productivity, studies, and life to focus on and goals to bring to the negotiating table. Eliza’s and Yesha’s jog had been good for their spirits, the goodbyes to their boyfriends had been bitter but sweet, and they had slept well in their own beds that first night with Charles and Eugene gone, but for no reason other than they were physically drained. No matter, each day following they would wake up ready for the world. Motivation and hard-core dedication set on achieving their dreams are what their sites were set on now.
Two months later, Eliza and Yesha received a call from Charles and Eugene. Eliza and Yesha had moved out of the apartment they were sharing with them before they left, and had moved back into Eliza’s family estate, with Yesenia mostly quiet and doing her own thing. From time to time they would chat over muffins and tea, but most of the time they were busy and hyper-focused on their studies, such that time would simply speed by.
Eliza’s estate was close enough to school, and with a good walk each morning, neither of them saw any sense in spending additional funds on an extra living space, when the estate was more than enough. Besides, its ambiance was perfect for studying and peace of mind.
She and Yesha had recently purchased two new Nokia radio-cellular phones, and Eliza had recently bought a new digital-messaging phone for their family estate home and had put it on speaker mode so that she and Yesha could listen as Charles and Eugene shared their journeys and excitement in a four-way conversation. It was the second day on the job for Charles and Eugene, and they were giddy about how everything had unfolded the day prior. Settling down and into their small New York apartment was reasonably easy, only because they had very little to move. They had gone for a minimalistic approach, and thus had sleeping bags, a small suitcase of clothes, a microwave and plenty of Ramen Noodles. On their first day, they had finally settled down and were obliged to meet with the President. It was inspiring. They told Eliza and Yesha how well it had gone, that the President had given them travel reimbursements, showed them the gym and other facilities, and he had even given them both meal cards courtesy of the company, essentially affording them excellent meals morning, noon, and night, along with healthy snacks. They wouldn’t need a fridge or any of the other appliances, nor the electricity they consumed while working for the company. They were set up well in a genuinely top-notch work environment. After sharing all of their excitement, and before the conversation came to a close, they told the young ladies how much they loved them.
Before heading to bed that night for their second day of work, they told Eliza and Yesha, “We can’t wait to see you! Thanksgiving will be amazing this year! You’ll have to visit!”
After exchanging pleasantries, they said, “We love you, and we’ll call you briefly in the morning.” They did call, as planned, and then said their goodbyes.
Charles and Eugene went into the World Trade Center, on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, anxious to begin their duties for their new company in New York City, NY.
Eliza and Yesha were both anxiously awaiting to visit Charles and Eugene in New York and appreciated how they had wished her and Yesha well, before going into work that day. An hour had gone by since their phone conversation. Eliza had been studying at her estate that morning, and she could remember Yesha rushing in after a break had begun in one of her classes. This time, there had been a deathly scared and frightened look on her face, as she tried to not stumble over her words, “Eliza, you have to turn on the television!”
Eliza found the remote, pointed it toward the TV, changed it to a random news station, and with horror, they both watched the footage play, after play, after replay of the first jet crashing into one of the twin towers.
Hoping their boyfriends were okay, they called the phone numbers to their office. There was no answer to the dial tone. They then called their boyfriends’ bosses’ phone number with no success. Finally, they called the emergency hotline at the World Trade Center in New York City. There was no reprieve from the horror that was playing out before their eyes and in their minds, only the unsettling voice of an automated operator, “We’re sorry, the number you are calling is currently unavailable. If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try a
gain.”
The television was still playing when Eliza and Yesha, with hands over their mouths, tears spilling from their eyes, lumps swelling within their throats, sitting on their knees on their couch, listened in silence and disbelief as they heard the news anchor with skepticism and anguish in his eyes, state, “Oh my,” he paused in obvious horror at what he had to report, “Oh my. I can’t believe what I see here. This is a very tough and horrendous day, the likes of which I never thought I would ever be forced to bear witness to. I can’t imagine what it is like for the people inside, the horror, the terror. People are jumping trying to get away from the intense heat, but… what is that? It appears there is another jet… Oh, my. It appears that another jet has crashed into the second tower…” The broadcaster’s words carried on.
Eliza and Yesha sat in a state of shock. They were numb and almost paralyzed for a few brief moments that seemed like an eternity. They did not leave the couch, and at this moment, they could not. Their bodies betrayed them, and they were stuck sitting in disbelief and horror, with their hands draped over their mouths and tears pouring down. Finally, they saw each other’s anguish and wrapped comforting arms around each other, with tears staining their cheeks, and feelings of anger, frustration, trauma, and sadness sweeping in.
Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars Page 16