Space For Sale
Page 46
Kingsley waits for her, then escorts her to the top deck of the ship, away from cameras and media.
“Well we're back on Earth,” K says. “I haven't changed my mind.”
“Yeah?”
“I want kids. I want a family. I want that more than I want this,” K says, looking around. “What do you say?”
Caroline smiles one of those tear-inducing, happier-than-you-thought-possible smiles. “Then no more space,” Caroline says. “No more daredevil things.”
“Give me five years,” K says. “Five years to build a space station, to go around the Moon. I've worked so hard to get this far. I can't just stop now. This isn't meaningless like racing. This is serious. Give me five years to get all I can out of this, and then we'll start a family.”
“Five years!? What do you think I am, twenty-two? I can't wait five years to even start trying.
“Four years,” K says.
“Three,” Caroline replies.
“Three and a half,” K says.
“Three,” Caroline says.
“Three and three-eighths,” K replies.
“Fine, I'll be nice. Four years. But that's it. After that, we start a family, no more space, at least not until they're adults.”
“Deal,” K offers his hand to shake on it.
“Quite a romantic negotiation,” Caroline says as she shakes on it. “You're not proposing to me are you?”
“Hell no,” K replies. “I ain't getting married. What is that? I own you until one of us dies?”
“Preachin' to the choir,” Caroline replies. “But what about a commitment ceremony?”
“You wanna get gay married?” K asks.
“No, just an event, get friends and family together. You love parties.”
“On one condition,” K says.
“Name it.”
“Radiohead plays the reception.”
“I can arrange that,” Caroline says.
“AND,” K immediately interrupts.
“That sounds like another condition,” Caroline says.
“They have to play 'Drunken Punchup at a Wedding.'”
“I'm sure that can be arranged,” Caroline shakes her head.
“And it has to be on Mars,” K says just before walking away abruptly.
“K!” Caroline calls after him. “You're kidding right?”
To be continued in Moon For Sale (2014).
You can find more of Jeff Pollard's work at www.JeffPollard.Webs.com
His novels are available in paperback and ebook through Amazon and CreateSpace. All paperback purchases include a free copy of the e-book.
Also by Jeff Pollard:
Solipsis: Escape from the Comatorium (2012)
In the near-future, we will be able to cheat death.
By extracting your brain from your body and connecting it to a collective neural network, you can live forever as a brain-in-a-vat in a shared simulated world called Solipsis.
But when a group of religious fanatics hijack their brains, the people of Solipsis find themselves in a virtual hell. Cut off from the outside world, there is no escape from the Comatorium.
Renee is a teenage girl who has spent her entire life inside of Solipsis. And yet she is the only one that can enter the real world and save her society. She is pitted against a zealous cult that believes they are saving the souls of those who dare to cheat death. Renee is hell-bent on either freeing her society, or putting them out of their immortal misery.
Air Force Two: Going Rogue (2012)
When Vice President Sarah Palin (Goose) meets Vladimir Putin (Pootsy), she accidentally sets off a chain-reaction of international incidents (Oopsie-daisies) culminating in a Russian attack on Alaska. In the middle of the crisis, President McCain (Maverick) suffers a brain aneurysm (goes insane in the membrane), making Sarah Palin the President of the United States.
The Palin family (including Sarah's second pregnant teenage daughter) boards Air Force Two for a historic trip to Washington where she will become the first female President (if you don't count Franklin Pierce) and confront Vladimir Putin head-on.
En route to D.C., Air Force Two is hijacked and the Palin family is taken hostage. Can Sarah Go Rogue and save the day?
Can Sarah Palin save both her family and her country? Will she ascend to the highest office in the land? Or will Speaker of the House Nancy "Crazy Eyes" Pelosi become President?
Will the pregnant teenager give birth right at the climax of the action? Will Sarah learn the difference between North and South Korea? Will she finally realize that President Ford and Harrison Ford are not the same person? All these questions and more will be answered in the epic tale: Air Force Two: Going Rogue.