by E. L. Todd
Stacy watched Kingston so Kyle and I could go out to dinner for our weekly date night. We usually went somewhere casual, getting tacos, and then we went home and made love until Stacy dropped off Kingston.
It was our favorite day of the week.
When we came home, there were candles in the backyard on a blanket and a bottle of wine with two glasses.
“What’s this?” I asked, seeing Torpedo sleeping on the blanket.
“It’s a clear night. Thought we could drink some wine and look at the stars. Maybe have sex too.” He grinned then opened the back door for me.
I went to the blanket and sat down beside Torpedo. “Hey, honey.” I scratched him behind the ears and kissed him on the head.
Kyle sat beside me and opened the picnic basket. “I also got some Skittles. Your favorite.”
“Ooh…”
He ripped open the bag and dropped a handful into my palm before placing some in his.
We lay back and looked at the stars, chewing on the candies while Torpedo slept beside us.
“The stars are so bright tonight.” It was hard to look at the sky and not think about the man who was lost in space, his body probably on Mars…where it would remain until a new crew collected him. But I tried not to think about it like that. I tried to think of it as his soul being a star, and now the universe had one more star to shine bright.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”
We shared the bag until it was empty.
“I hate it when that happens,” I said sadly.
“I should have gotten another.”
“But then I would just keep eating and eating…not good.”
He grabbed my hand and held it on the blanket between us, his head turned my way so he could look at me.
I turned to look at him. “What?”
“You can eat a thousand bags, and I would still love you the same.”
My eyes softened because I knew he meant it.
“I remember when you started at the lab. You were such a cool chick. You didn’t wear your ring because the gloves made it too complicated. I fell pretty quickly. When you told me you were married, I was devastated.”
I watched him reflect on that time in our lives, recounting a reality I wasn’t even aware of.
“Then you got divorced, and I should have been happy…but I was sad. I was sad because you were sad. That was when I knew I loved you, because love is selfless, it’s pure. Every woman who came after you was just a distraction to pass the time, because I knew I would keep waiting for you until the timing was right.”
My heart started to beat so hard, like a drum in my ears, a throb in my chest. “You’re going to ask me to marry you, aren’t you?” The words came out of my mouth on their own, an out-of-body experience, because I hadn’t anticipated it happening until that moment. The candles hadn’t tipped me off. I’d just assumed he was being romantic.
A slow smile spread over his lips. “And you’re going to say yes, aren’t you?”
My eyes watered because I knew it was happening.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, a simple band with a simple diamond. He held it out to me silently.
I smiled through the wetness in my eyes and took the ring from him. I slipped it onto my left hand, my ring finger, and it fit just right. Then I held his hand again, watching the happiness shine in his eyes, watching him look at me in a way my ex-husband never did.
He didn’t say anything.
Neither did I.
But it was perfect that way.
Kyle had put his house on the market, but there had been no offers yet. I told him to lower the price, but he was determined to keep it as high as possible, so we could get the biggest house possible.
But there really was no rush, so it didn’t matter.
We were already happy and raising Kingston together, so our lives wouldn’t change that much once we sold both houses and moved somewhere else. Stacy and Vic already said we could stay with them as we transitioned.
The months passed, and the weather was getting warmer.
The summer would be hot and humid, but I loved it that way. Our new place would need a pool because Kingston would love it, I needed to cool off, and Torpedo would love to swim sometimes. I could picture us having barbecues, inviting friends and family over, just having a good time.
It was the perfect life.
After I got off work, I headed to Stacy’s to pick up Kingston. I knocked on the door but then let myself inside.
Stacy was pacing with the phone to her ear, just listening, but the pained look on her face indicated it was a difficult conversation. She walked quickly, like a power walk through the house, her stomach big in her dress.
I set my purse down and looked at the kids, who were playing on the floor, oblivious to Stacy’s concern. “Stacy?”
She turned around and looked at me, her eyes wide, like she hadn’t even noticed I was there. She held up her finger then walked away. She whispered into the phone. “What does that mean? How do they not know? What? Okay, call me back.” She hung up then marched back to me, her fingers sliding into her hair. She’d never looked this way before, like she’d just gotten the most profound news of her life.
“Stacy, everything okay?”
She dragged her hands down her face, her eyes immediately tearing up. “Vic just called. He said NASA called him, and…their satellites picked up Neil’s ship.”
Oh no… I braced myself for the terrible news, that they had identified that the ship was in pieces on the surface of Mars, that there was no possibility the crew members had survived. I’d already assumed he was dead, but getting a concrete confirmation made it painful all over again. “Shit…”
“Shit?” she asked. “No, Char. His ship is headed to Earth.”
I’d been holding my purse in my hand, but that fell to the floor with a loud thud, my phone screen probably cracking.
Her eyes watered more. “I guess he’s about two weeks away. One of the telescopes picked it up by mistake. I guess they were able to zoom in and figure it out. Their communications are still down, and they can’t contact the ship.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” I never cussed around the kids, but I cupped my mouth with both hands, my eyes immediately glistening with tears. “Oh my fucking god.” I started to pace just as she had been a moment ago. “So, that means Neil is alive?” I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed her. “He’s alive? He’s coming home? Like…what?” Was this really happening? Was this real? Was this fucking miracle coming true?
“NASA doesn’t know what crew members are on board. They have no contact with the ship or their life-support systems. But they said Neil is probably alive because he’s the only one who would have been able to pull this off.”
“Oh my god…” I covered my face and immediately started to sob. I turned to Kingston, who stared at me with wide eyes, as if he knew something was wrong. I immediately moved to him on the floor and held him in my arms, crying and letting my tears drip onto his head.
Stacy came up next to me, looking at Kingston with new eyes. “Your daddy is coming home, baby.”
I squeezed him and sobbed. “Yeah…he’s coming home.”
There was no confirmation that Neil was on that ship.
But I knew he was.
He was the one who had brought them home.
Now I sat at the dining table and looked at Kingston in the high chair, watching him eat the green grapes I’d sliced in half for him. I’d been home for hours, still unable to process the information that was just dropped on me.
When I turned on the TV, there was nothing in the news about it.
The public had no idea.
I didn’t even notice when Kyle walked in the door until he appeared behind Kingston.
“Hey, King.” He leaned down and kissed him on the head. “Grapes? Yum.” He took one and placed it into his mouth.
“Mine, Dad.” Kingston giggled and grabbed another grape.
“Come on, you can share. You share with your mother, right?” He looked at me, and once he saw my expression, his joy faded away. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong…” I was happy. I knew I didn’t look it, but I was. I was just overwhelmed, emotional, strained.
He came around to the other side of the table and took the seat beside me. “You look like you’ve been crying all day.”
“Because I have been.”
He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “Talk to me. You’re scaring me.”
I knew Neil’s return would complicate things a bit, because Kyle would officially be a stepfather, not a father. And that would hurt Kyle, because he loved Kingston so much. But he would understand, put on a brave face. Our lives would forever be changed by this. “I know this a lot to take in. I haven’t even taken it all in yet. But…Neil is alive. His ship is two weeks away. NASA spotted it.”
Kyle didn’t have a reaction at all. He stared at me like there would be more news. He slowly relaxed, like he was relieved I hadn’t said something worse. He was quiet for a long time. “Damn…that is a lot to take in.”
“I know. I’m still…a mess.”
“Jesus.” He leaned on the table and sighed, rubbing his fingers over his lips. “So, they have confirmation of the crew inside the ship?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“So, we don’t have confirmation he’s alive?”
“No. But he has to be. No one would have been able to pull that off but him—those are NASA’s words.”
“But—”
“Unless aliens took over the ship, he’s alive.” I knew it in my heart.
“I just don’t want you to be disappointed, sweetheart.”
“I won’t be.”
“Well, this is incredible news. The first-ever mission to Mars was a success, and the crew made it back without being able to communicate with Houston. That’s…incredible. That’s really great.”
“I know…” My eyes started to water again. “I really thought he was dead…” It was such a relief, to know he survived, that someone so good lived on. I’d made peace with his death but never his absence. “I’m so happy for his family, for Kingston…”
“Yeah.” He rubbed my arm and gave me a gentle smile. “You think Neil will want to be involved?”
“I have no idea…” He was probably a totally different person since the last time we saw each other…two years ago. “But I’m not going to tell him right away. After everything he’s been through, he’s gonna need space for a while. He’s gonna have to acclimate to Earth, to society. The last thing I’ll do is drop this on him right away. He deserves to have as much time as he needs.”
He nodded and remained quiet for a while. “And if he does want to be in Kingston’s life?”
I didn’t understand the question because the answer was so obvious. “He’s welcome to be as involved as he wants to be.”
He bowed his head. “I meant…if he wants to be in Kingston’s life, would you want to…be together?” He raised his head and looked at me, trepidation in his eyes.
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. “Kyle—”
“I know how you felt about him—”
“No.”
He sighed in relief.
“I do hope that Neil wants to be a part of Kingston’s life, because Kingston deserves to have a relationship with his father, but more than that… would never happen. We haven’t seen each other in two years. He never sent me any videos. He’s never wanted more than a fling with me. That’s just…not possible.”
“But what if he feels differently?” he asked. “You know, since you have a kid together?”
I couldn’t picture that possibility. I just couldn’t. But even if it happened, Kyle was the one who was there for me. He was the one who had always loved me. He was the man I could rely on. He was the man I’d agreed to marry. “It’s you and me, Kyle.”
Seventeen
Neil
We put on our suits and got into the pod.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Hyde spoke through the intercom in our helmets. “Can you believe this shit?”
We hadn’t been able to communicate with NASA, not even the ISS, so we were reentering the atmosphere on our own. I was certain NASA was working double time on the ground to anticipate our landing site, to keep their eyes on us to ensure we could make this a success.
It would be so fucking shitty if we died on impact after all this.
“I’m gonna see my kids. My wife!” Hyde raised his hands in the air. “Oh my god, I’m gonna see my family.”
The rest of the crew raised their arms and gave a shout.
I smiled and worked the dash, releasing us from the ship so we could begin reentry. “Yeah…it’s pretty crazy.”
“You’re the man, you know that?” Hyde clapped my shoulder.
“We did it together,” I said. “All of us.”
“Dude, we’re gonna be so famous,” Hyde said. “I hope Tom Hanks plays me. No, Meryl Streep.”
“What?” I asked with a laugh. “You know she’s a woman, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But that bitch can pull off anything.”
We began the descent, getting closer to the stratosphere, the point where the ride got bumpy. “Alright. Good luck, everybody.”
“We don’t need no fucking luck.” Hyde was high off his joy, delirious, unprofessional. But all of us were right now. “We make our own fucking luck. We crossed half the solar system like fucking bosses.”
The pod started to shake from reentry. Flames licked up the windows. It would be loud, bumpy, and dangerous from here on out.
But my heart rate was so slow, just as slow as if I were asleep, because I knew I would be on the ground within minutes. My family was watching the news, knowing I was coming home, knowing I was in the capsule without confirmation. My eyes shifted to the window, seeing the blue ocean and the green landmass in view. It was beautiful.
So beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes.
We hit the water hard, but the thrusters lightened the collision enough that our necks didn’t snap. The capsule rose to the surface, and then we bobbed on the ocean. I looked out the window, seeing us slightly submerged.
Fuck, I’m on Earth.
I’m here.
“Everyone alright?” I asked.
“We’re good,” everyone said.
“Now, we just have to—”
The hatch opened, and a crew of guys was already there.
“Geez, that was fast,” Hyde said.
One guy reached his hand down to me. “Welcome home, everyone.”
It was the first person I’d seen beside my crew in years. I undid my safety harnesses then turned to Hyde. “Go.”
“No, asshole,” Hyde said. “You first. We’re here because of you.”
I gave him a grin before I raised my arms and let the man pull me out.
There were choppers everywhere, cargo ships with the newscasters and their cameras. The sound of Earth was beautiful, the water, the voices, the propellers from the helicopters. I pulled off my helmet, and it was a million times louder.
When the people on the ship saw my face, cheers erupted, so loud I could hear them all the way across the water.
I stared at the strangers, stared at the cameras pointed at me, and smiled like I never had before. I raised my hand and waved.
And the cheers became louder.
Eighteen
Charlotte
When Neil took off his helmet, we all lost it.
The news anchor spoke over the live coverage. “Commander Neil Crimson is back on Earth—safe and sound.”
His mother collapsed onto the couch and sobbed like she was grieving rather than rejoicing.
“Fuck yes!” Vic jumped up and screamed at the TV. “You motherfucker, Neil!” He gripped his skull then got on the floor and looked at the TV from a closer position, like he needed to see his brother’s face
again.
Stacy moved next to him and wrapped her arms around her husband. “This is fucking unbelievable.”
I hadn’t seen Neil’s face in so long, and instead of jumping up and losing my mind, I just sat there, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Kyle held Kingston in his arms, and he kissed his forehead.
I smiled at my son. “Baby, that’s him… That’s your father.”
After our conversation about Neil, Kyle was in a good mood. No longer insecure, he could live in the moment like the rest of us, to rejoice over this incredible moment in human history. “He’s gonna love you. I know he will.”
I turned back to the TV and watched the rest of the astronauts climb out of the pod. All six of them were there, meaning they all survived that incredible mission. They were escorted onto the ship, all pulled to safety and stripped of their suits so they could put on their NASA jackets.
It was surreal. To see this…to live through this.
He was somewhere in Florida, so no one would be able to see him right away, especially since he had to be quarantined for a few weeks. But just knowing he was alive was enough for us.
The TV showed Neil shaking hands with lots of people on the rescue team, and then he asked for a phone.
“He’s gonna call me.” Vic pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. “That motherfucker better call me.”
His phone lit up with a random number.
“Answer it!” Stacy shrieked.
“Oh my god, he’s calling me.” His hands shook as he took the phone and put it on speaker. “Asshole, is that you?”
The sound of voices and cheering came over the line.
I looked at the TV and watched Neil standing at the edge of the boat, one hand covering his other ear so he could hear his brother.
