by Steven Wolff
“Thanks for bringing that up. You don’t have to rub my nose in it.”
“I don’t think you’re a failure son, if that’s what you think. Just because you don’t qualify to be an astronaut, doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of being one.”
“Well, that’s hard to do when I’m constantly reminded that I’m not worthy. Try living with an astronaut Dad that the world looks up to, and then be his son – who isn’t good enough.” Howard says, getting up quickly from the table. He slugs down the rest of his coffee and slams it on the table before walking out of the room.
“Howard…” Lorraine says concerned.
“That boy has some real anger issues.” Ed says picking up his newspaper with one hand and his cup of coffee in the other.
“Do you blame him?” Lorraine asks, “All his life, he looked up to you, wanted to be just like you. Everything you did, he wanted to do. He wanted to be an astronaut just like his dad – and the damn NASA requirements had to go and ruin that for him. I don’t think he’s angry at you. He’s angry at himself for feeling he’s not good enough. No one likes to be told that, or feel discriminated against. Especially something you have no control over. I’ll have a talk with him later and see if I can’t cheer him up.”
“Good idea.”
A week later, Howard and his parents are staying at a five star hotel within viewing distance of launch pad 39A. The TV is on in Howard’s room – providing some ambient noise as he’s playing on the phone. He gently tosses the phone on the bed and picks up the remote, flipping through the channels. He stops and listens to one reporter… “Tensions are rising between the United States and Russia as both countries are said to be really close to launching a manned-recovery mission to the asteroid. China, the E.U. and Australia are reportedly still a month away from being ready, while sources close to the North Korea say that the regime is scrambling to make any kind of make-shift rocket that is space-worthy. Tom, back to you in the studio.”
Suddenly, there’s several knocks on Howard’s hotel door.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
“Come in!” Howard yells, muting the TV before putting the remote down. His mom swipes the badge in the door and walks in, “Honey, are you ready to go to the launch parade?”
“Yeah, but if you’ve seen one, you seen them all.”
“Not like this one. I was around the last time this country was united… when we put a man on the moon. It’s happening again and all eyes are on your father and his team. This is a historic event. Besides, it’s important to your dad. He wants you to be there.”
“I know, but I’m not crazy about this idea.”
“I’m not either. I was so relieved when he retired not that long ago because I thought I didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Now he’s going up once again and every time, it has me on edge. Any number of things can go wrong and you never know what can happen.”
“Dad said it should be a piece of cake.”
“He always says that… so we don’t have to worry and can sleep well at night. I know full and well he downplays the risk and danger he faces, but as an astronaut’s wife, I also know that every time he goes up there, it could be his last. That’s why I don’t take anything for granted. No one has ever gone to an asteroid before, much less landed on one… so I’m a bit anxious about your dad. The least we can do for your father is show our support.”
“I guess you’re right. Give me a second…” Howard says as he puts his wallet in his back pocket. He unplugs his phone and brings it with him as he heads out the room. A few blocks away, thousands are already lined up along a parade route, anxiously watching and waiting in anticipation for the parade floats to pass by.
People of all ages are smiling and waving little flags, or pulling on helium filled balloons. Several people with their faces painted, hold up a makeshift sign that reads ‘we love you!’ and ‘God Speed’ above their heads – in hopes the astronauts will see them. Others in the crowd are wearing green alien masks, or UFO hats with pride. Howard and Lorraine make their way through the crowd and find a spot along the parade route. Across the street, a man holds up a sign shouting “The end is near! Save yourselves before it’s too late!”
“Look at that yahoo.” Howard says pointing at him. Lorraine shakes her head, “No matter where you go, there’s always someone prophesizing the end of the world.”
Suddenly the volume of the crowd increases as the lead car slowly turns the corner, indicating the start of the parade. People start lifting up their cell phones to take pictures and record video, as others release balloons into the air. Behind the lead car, students march while proudly displaying a banner that reads Titusville High School. The marching band, wearing the school colors of blue and white, starts playing the patriotic Stars and Stripes Forever music by John Philip Sousa.
People in the crowd cheer and whistle as baton twirlers and cheerleaders perform their routines. Beautifully decorated parade floats slowly follow as people riding them toss colorful necklaces and beads into the crowds.
“Oooo, look at that!” Lorraine says, nudging Howard.
A giant black and white balloon replica of the space shuttle is being held down by six people who are smiling and waving back to the crowd as they march in the parade.
Some floats are decorated like the planets in our solar system, while others look like the control room of NASA – manned by several real life NASA engineers.
The float the draws the most cheer and applause is a mockup of an asteroid with a crashed U.F.O. on it.
“Mom, look! Isn’t that hilarious?!?”
“That’s adorable.”
Soon the crowd breaks out in an even louder roar when they see the seven astronauts smiling and waving back to them.
“Do you see dad?” Howard asks.
“I do! He’s the one on the back, left side.” She says with a big smile.
“Oh, I see him now. I can’t believe he’s really doing this again.”
“You know your father. This is his passion.”
As the parade float passes by, Ed waves at the crowd with a proud, beaming smile on his face. People are whistling and cheering with their arms in the air – as if they were at a concert.
“Dad! Dad! Over Here!” Howard yells with both hands cupped over the sides of his mouth.
Ed looks over and points back at his son.
“How cool is that?” Lorraine asks.
Howard smiles and feels proud as the float passes down the route. When it’s out of view, Lorraine leans over and says, “We should probably go meet him at the hanger after this. He and his crew are going to be very busy preparing for launch and we might not be able to see him until after he comes back. I think he wants to go out for dinner tonight, somewhere fancy.”
“How long is dad supposed to be gone?”
“In space? I think he said it’ll take about a month or two to get there.”
“So a three or four month round trip?”
“I believe so, but we can ask him during dinner.”
“Good idea.”
Later that evening, Ed, Lorraine, Howard and Amber all sit down for dinner at a fancy steak house restaurant. Everyone’s enjoying their meal, not really saying anything so Howard breaks the awkward silence, “I bet you’re pretty excited, huh Dad?”
“About going into space? I’m always excited to go into space. I’ve never chased or landed on an asteroid before, so I’m up for trying new things… that should be interesting. However, I’ll be surrounded by a bunch of very talented, educated guys… most of them half my age. Heck, they maybe are smarter than me, but one thing they don’t have that I do is the experience I have under my belt. I still might be able to teach them a thing or two that the textbooks cant.”
Amber asks, “Mr. Shepard, can I ask a personal question?”
“Only if you call me Ed. We’re all family here.”
“Sorry. I know talking about aliens and such is a touchy-subject, but do you believe in them?
” she asks as she takes a bite of food from her fork.
“No ma’am – can’t say I do.”
“But you’re going on a mission to retrieve an alien ship. How can you still not believe?”
“It could be a crashed satellite for all we know. I’m a kind of guy that will believe it when I see it… even at the last minute.”
“Dad, the images we saw in the control center were pretty clear.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being skeptical, son. It could be a hoax for all I know.”
“Actually,” Howard adds, “the word you’re looking for is open minded. Being skeptical means that you’re on the extreme end of one side or belief – where no amount of hardcore evidence will change your mind. Of course, the opposite end of that is fanatic, where everything is what you think it is. Open minded is somewhere in the middle – where people are open to evidence in front of them.”
Amber interjects, “No. Cynical is where no amount of evidence will change one’s mind. Skeptical is just having doubts or reservations.”
Howard sticks out his tongue playfully at Amber, “Smarty pants.”
Ed shakes his head left and right, “You kids these days… always have an answer for everything.” As he looks down at his steak, using his knife and fork to cut into it. “Pass me the A-1, will you?”
Howard takes a drink of his sweet tea and continues, “It’s called being politically correct. We talked about it the other day.”
“Politically correct is my foot up your butt!” Ed says playfully. “How’s that for communication?” Everyone at the table laughs. “Can you hear me now?”
“Mom mentioned that you’ll be up there for several months. Is that correct?”
“Close to four months.” Ed replies while chewing his food.
Amber asks, “What’s the longest you’ve been in space – in one sitting?”
“Forty-five days, back in 1982.”
“Wow. I would be so bored.” Amber says in amazement.
Ed continues, “Back then we didn’t rely so much on computers because they weren’t reliable and truth be told, we didn’t know if they were accurate. For everything it gave to us, we had a team of experts double checking the numbers. Heck, I still don’t trust computers. People have gotten soft and dependable on technology, but when that fails – they find themselves in a world of hurt…. One little thing breaks and the whole thing is useless. I’m always telling Howard they just don’t make things like they used to.”
“Obsolescence” Amber says proudly. Howard turns and looks at her, “Look at you, using fancy words!”
“I only know that because it was part of my 8th grade spelling bee. It’s the word I had to spell and use in a sentence. It means that something is made to break down eventually.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.” Ed says before taking a drink of water. “Back in my day, we made things to last forever. My has the world changed.”
The waitress comes and interrupts them, “Would you like a to–go container?”
Ed smiles and politely declines, “No thank you, ma’am.”
“Alrighty then, thank you for coming here. I hope you have a great rest of your evening!”
“Thank you.” Howard says, putting his napkin on the table before leaving. Out in the parking lot, Ed stops walking and suddenly turns toward Howard, looking him straight in the eye. He extends his hand out to shake, as Howard grips his father’s hand tightly.
“Son, I know I’ve been tough on you – but you should know the reasons why…”
Howard rolls his eyes, “Dad, we don’t have to discuss this here.”
“If not now, then when? You never know son... this might be the last time you see me, so I just want to clear the air and let you know something.”
“What’s that dad?”
Ed places his hand firmly on Howard’s shoulder, “I’m so proud of you son. You turned out to be a bright young man. I know I pushed you too hard, harder than anyone else, but that’s because you’re my son. I did that because I wanted you to be the best at whatever you put your mind to. I wanted you to be better than me. That’s why I had hoped you would be an astronaut like your old man, and see the incredible things few people get to see in life. I know it’s not your fault. It never was and I hope you don’t beat yourself up about it, even though you do. Your mom and I know you’re more disappointed that NASA rejected you and that in your heart, you truly can do better than some astronauts that were picked. I have no doubt son.”
“Dad, please.” Howard says tearing up.
“Let me finish. I want you to know something son… since the day your momma first told me that she was pregnant with you – you were always with me in my thoughts and in my heart – even when I was in space. You made me proud even before you were born, just because you were my son. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true. I took your baby picture with me up in space and even to the moon. It was always in my shirt pocket, right over my heart. I had wished you could see how beautiful space is, and how we are just a spec of sand in this giant universe. You think standing next to the ocean makes you feel insignificant, you should try being out in space!”
“Dad, stop it, you’re making my eyes water.” Howard says looking away. Amber notices and asks, “Are you crying? You never cry! Awww! How sweet!”
“It’s just… allergies.” Howard says playing it off.
“No, you’re having a bonding moment, and it’s so precious!” Amber says, snapping a photo of all them.
Lorraine adds, “It’s okay Howard, your father cries during Hallmark and even Folgers coffee commercials.”
“I do not woman. It’s just… I appreciate good commercials – like the one where Peter comes home and surprises his parents by making coffee.”
Amber grins a beaming smile, “Oh my god, you two are so adorable!!! Howard, you didn’t tell me your dad has a soft side.”
“I do not!” Ed says looking away as his face turns bright red, “On that note, we need to get going. NASA needs me to report to processing as soon as possible.”
Ed hugs Howard tight, patting him on the back with a manly slap, and then gently hugs Amber goodbye as they watch Ed and Lorraine get into their vehicle.
“Are you okay to drive?” She asks.
“Yeah, I can drive. I just want to watch them pull away.” Howard says, waving as his dad honks the horn while driving off.
“They are adorable.” She says coming in close for a kiss, “Just like you!”
“You’re just saying that…”
“It’s true. I see where you get it from. You must be so proud to have parents like that.” Amber says to Howard.
“I am… a little.”
“A little?” She playfully hits his chest, “You should be super proud! Howard, your dad is in charge of the space shuttle that is racing into space to bring back an alien space ship! That’s crazy in-and-of itself! Everyone in America will be watching him and his crew launch into outer space!”
“I guess. It’s just that my dad spent more time in space… than he did in my own life.”
Amber pauses and looks at Howard stunned.
“Is that what this is all about? You feel he’s never been there for you?”
“I guess. I don’t know. I mean he’s always gone and when I see him, he’s always barking orders and jumping down my throat.”
“Maybe he was trying to make up for lost time – being a dad.”
“I don’t know, maybe. I guess you can say we have a love-hate relationship.”
“You guys don’t have a love-hate relationship. Don’t say that. Your dad loves you very much.”
“We kinda do, sorta. I was always angry that he wasn’t home, growing up. That resentment really bothered me.”
“Howard, he was providing for your family and at the same time, advancing mankind’s understanding of the universe. That’s a pretty big deal. I can only imagine how his research is helping us understand the world we live in.”
“You’re right…”
“Just remember though – that your dad works hard so you and your mom can have the life you have. I mean – you have a nice home, a huge telescope… everything you could possibly need. And…”
She wraps both arms around his neck, “You’ve got me.” Amber says as she leans in and kisses him on the lips. He looks her in the eyes and smiles, “Thanks. I needed that. Let’s go home and get ready to watch the launch.”
CHAPTER SIX
Mission Control Room
It’s the day of the launch and Daniel sips from his fourth cup of coffee as engineers and scientists are busy at their workstations. On the main wall, a digital clock is counting down to launch, as preparations are underway. The countdown timer reads 10 hours, 58 minutes, 12 seconds.
“Sir,” One of the engineers asks, “permission to cast to the main screen?”
“Granted.” Daniel says while turning and looking up at the giant display. A red banner scrolls along the bottom of the screen with words as the news anchor reports…
“If you’re just joining us, Moscow and the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities or RSCSA for short, said today that they have successfully launched six cosmonauts into space – on an intercept course for the asteroid believed to be carrying a crashed U.F.O. on its surface. China, The United States, and the EU are still preparing to go into space, but as of this broadcast, no specific dates or times are yet known. Sources close to CBS say that that the one thing that is certain is that Russia will have a big head start in this modern day space race. One expert we spoke to said that even though Russia is in the lead, a lot can still go wrong in outer space. The question everyone is wondering is, who will be the first ones there? Reporting live from the Kremlin, this is Katelynn Donaldson, CBS News.
Daniel runs his hand through his hair, “Can we confirm this news report? Is this on the other news channels?”
“Let me check sir. Yes, it is confirmed. Other media sources are showing video of the rocket that launched into space.”