Visit
from JuliaVisit
from JuliaJune 1999
”Go, Sandra,” Paul said with a smile. “Staring out the viewport won’t make them come any quicker, but you might pace more comfortably in the embarkation area.”
Sandra was embarrassed that she was so obvious, but she was anxious to see her family on this unexpected trip. She glanced up the steps toward the closed doors to the Commander’s office.
“He’s off base right now.”
“Thank you, Paul.” Sandra was not going to question small blessings. She called for a replacement and assigned her console’s functions over to Ouma until her replacement could arrive. Sandra smiled her gratitude to the Controller and left quickly heading for Landing Pad 1. She did not see the look on Paul Morrow’s face as his eyes followed her out of Main Mission.
The Eagle finally came into view and closed on the landing pad in a standard approach pattern. Sandra turned from the viewing bay and entered the boarding shuttle, waiting impatiently for the transport pod’s doors to open. She had only found out two days prior that her sister and step-mother were coming to Alpha. She could have wished for her father’s presence, but knew that would never happen.
Dr. Diane Compt, the prominent Australian propulsion physicist and design engineer, had been invited to review the modified Eagle engines prior to installation. The improvements based on her plans would increase performance and fuel efficiency dramatically. She was also, incidentally, Dr. Lawrence Benes’ third wife and the mother to Sandra’s youngest and favorite half-sister, Julia.
“Sandra!” the happy shout edged in an Australian accent preceded the appearance of the tall, blond nine-year-old by the merest moment. Sandra was caught up in the exuberant hug of her younger sister. “This is so amazing! The pilot let me watch out the front viewports and I saw the Meta Probe platform! Alpha is so large, do you think you could give me a tour?”
“Julia Danae, would you please let your sister get a word in edgewise?” The girl’s very striking tall, blond mother exited the Eagle with more dignity but as much enthusiasm. She had been on Alpha only once prior, and that was when Alpha had been quite a good deal smaller.
“Hello, Diane,” Sandra welcomed around the head of the still bubbling Julia, who appeared not in the least bit inhibited. “I am so glad to see you both. I was not expecting to see you until Christmas, after I finished this tour. How is Papa?”
“Quite well. He sends his love.” Diane did not need say Lawrence Benes’ phobia of flying made it impossible for him to leave Earth. Diane gently pushed aside her excited daughter to take her turn in greeting Sandra. The hug Sandra returned may not have been quite as demonstrative as her step-mother’s, but it was no less filled with love. Diane leaned back and looked Sandra up and down. “You look good, love.” She stepped back another step and bumped into Julia. “Well, then,” she said, placing an arm around each daughter, “come, my dears, let us see the wonders of Alpha!”
Sandra’s co-workers would have been quite surprised to see the broad smile and hear the happy, uninhibited laughter.
Sandra had become so used to Alpha that it was only walking with Julia, who saw everything as new, that she again began to appreciate the engineering marvel that had been her home for the past two and a half tours. The presence of a child gathered attention from the passers by, but Julia was too entranced with the pleasure of actually being on Alpha with her favorite sister to notice.
The extensive tour through Alpha included the small biodome with its citrus trees and insects, the amazing Manufacturing division where technicians could create almost anything needed, and Medical Center, where Sandra introduced her family to Dr. Bob Mathias. She finished the tour at Main Mission. After introducing her family to Paul, Tanya, Ouma and a few others, she took Diane and Julia up to the observation deck for a spectacular view of Earth. For once, Julia was silent with awe.
“What do you think?” asked Sandra, pleased with Julia’s response.
Julia never took her eyes off the sights outside Alpha. “I want to work here one day, sis. This is just too amazing for words.” And with that, incredibly, Julia said no more, but gazed entranced out at the lunar surface, the Eagles flying about and the glorious blue-green Earth rising above it all.
While Julia stood still and mesmerized at the expansive viewport, Diane stepped close to Sandra, shaking her head as she watched her blond daughter. “I have never seen that child so quiet before. Your father will not be at all pleased to have another daughter chase the stars.”
“At least she will be tall enough to be a proper astronaut if she wishes,” Sandra observed practically, ignoring the sore point of her father’s disapproval. Tall at nine and half years, Julia could already look Sandra eye to eye.
Diane looked back to Sandra with a grin on her face. “Did they really have to custom make you an orange space suit?”
Sandra nodded and said ruefully. “I am the only Alphan who does not have to share. A dubious distinction given how much teasing I receive on missions.”
Diane laughed at Sandra’s expression. “Well, if the Lunar Commission wants your father’s interstellar transmitter to work right, they’ll just have to do what’s necessary.” The two women shared a smile. Sandra had made it to Alpha by being just the person the Lunar Commission had needed.
The two women chatted about family and home until the moment was broken by footsteps mounting the stairs to the observation deck. Sandra turned expecting to see Paul, or perhaps Professor Bergman, but instead developed a sinking feeling when she recognized the Commander.
Diane watched with growing concern as Sandra became stiff and formal. Her adopted daughter had yet to overcome the years of criticism from paternal grandparents and the estrangement from her mother’s family, and became typically withdrawn in the presence of harsh authority.
Gorski stood facing the women, his hands behind his back, looking down upon his senior communications tech. “Sandra?” He deliberately looked over to Julia. “This is highly irregular. Would you care to introduce these…. visitors?”
Sandra lost all of the quiet joy she had felt seeing her family. “Certainly, sir. Commander Gorski, I would like to present my step-mother Dr. Diane Compt and sister, Julia Benes.” Julia had turned to face the adults at the sound of Gorski’s voice.
“Ah, of course. Dr. Compt, Miss Benes, welcome to Alpha. You had an uneventful trip, I trust? Good, good. There will be a small reception for you this evening at 1800 hours. That’s 6:00 PM, Miss Benes.”
Julia shot Sandra an incredulous look that was easy to interpret… Is this guy for real? She had been warned that Commander Gorski was very formal and pompous, but to see it in person was something else. Sandra sent a look of pleading compliance.
Gorski continued, oblivious to the looks exchanged by the sisters. “I will leave it to Sandra to see that you are settled and made comfortable. Miss Benes, I trust that you are aware of the safety rules which we have for your benefit?”
“Yes, sir. Sandra has reviewed them with me.”
“Good, good. Dr. Compt, I was looking forward to meeting your husband. He could not come?”
“Lawrence is a very poor traveler, Commander. He has all faith in Sandra to manage to installation of the transmitter.” Diane looked at her step-daughter with pride.
“Humph, yes.”
Diane turned a cool gaze on Gorski, still polite but with a hint of anger. “Sandra knows quite as much as her father, and is a great deal more patient, to boot. You are exceedingly fortunate to have had her here on Alpha these past two years. If her father and I had anything to say about it, she would have been back Earthside with family by now. It is her commitment to see this project to completion that has been to your good fortune.” Gorski had the small grace to look embarrassed at his tactlessness.
Sandra looked between the Commander and Diane, mortified but also strangely pleased to hear her stepmother’s words. She looked at Julia and was touched to see a ‘so-there’ expression on the girl’s face as she glared balefully upon the out-numbered Commander. Gorski chose this point to mumble a pleasantry and make a strategic retreat. Sandra knew that the man took ready advantage of the prerogatives that came with his rank, but it took more than mere hubris to stand up to the inventor of several of the most novel advances propulsion physics had seen in the last quarter century. Especially when Diane towered over the man by several inches and was in a rare temper.
“Idiot,” Diane muttered, then looked sternly at her young daughter, “You did not hear that young lady.”
“No, ma’am,” Julia said with a wide grin. “Sandra, how about lunch, I’m famished!” And sharing a look of adult commiseration for the priorities of pre-teens, Diane gestured for Sandra to lead the way.
“Well, Alpha has certainly lived up to its expectations, but the food is as bland as I recall,” commented Diane as she wiped her mouth on her napkin after finishing a meal of beef ravioli and breadsticks. “Or maybe, it’s just that dining with your father has spoiled my tastebuds.” Both Sandra and Julia laughed at that. Lawrence Benes had two passions outside his research: old books and fine dining. “There was a time when I would have eaten that and thought it delicious because I didn’t have to prepare it!” She smiled at her daughters’ laughter and then looked up to acknowledge the approaching men.
Sandra turned around and saw Prof. Bergman and Paul Morrow standing to one side of her chair holding their trays.
“Hello, Sandra,” smiled the Professor who one of Sandra’s favorite people on Alpha, “may we join you?”
Sandra was pleased to see her two friends and moved her chair and tray over to accommodate the new arrivals. Paul sat down next to her and allowed the Professor to claim the seat next to Diane. Sandra made introductions around the table and then sat back while the two researchers quickly found common ground.
Julia had politely shook Prof. Bergman’s hand at his gracious acknowledgement of her presence. Sandra had to smile to herself, the girl was obviously not very impressed at meeting yet another Nobel Laureate. Sandra then noticed that the girl was paying most attention to Paul. Her expression, though, was not the one of interest Sandra would have expected given Julia’s interest in all things and people involved in the space program, but one of suspicion. Sandra was puzzled.
Paul picked up his fork and knife, leaning in toward Sandra to speak quietly. “Sorry I didn’t warn you of Gorski’s return. He simply showed up in Main Mission and climbed to the observation deck as soon as he saw your family. What happened up there? He came back down with the strangest expression.”
“My mother put him in his place, is all,” said Julia before Sandra could think of a polite answer.
Paul’s eyebrow rose, at the tone of the answer or the answer itself Sandra was unsure. “Oh, what did he say?” Paul asked the girl between bites of his whitefish filet.
“Not much, but we didn’t like the way he talked down to Sandra. She’s a whole lot smarter that he is, I bet.”
“I’m certain she is,” Paul murmured and grinned at the extremely embarrassed Sandra. Paul addressed most of his conversation toward the young Australian girl, but did not really seem to pay attention to the answers. Sandra ate quietly, watching the conversations flow around the table. To her growing puzzlement, she saw Julia’s disapproval of Paul when she answered his polite questions in a clipped British accent that was just short of mimicry. The young girl was gifted in languages and could assume accents with ease, but her current tone was just short of rude. Sandra was surprised Paul had not picked up on that. If he had, he was being very polite to ignore the girl’s behavior.
“Well, Diane, might I interest you in a tour of my lab? Propulsion studies are not quite my field…” Bergman smiled gently in response to Paul’s derisive snort that there might be any field of science that would not interest him, “…but there may be a few experiments that might just intrigue you.”
“Most certainly, but…” and Diane looked over to her young daughter, knowing full well the trouble the curious child could get into, especially here.
“No need to worry, Dr. Compt, Main Mission can make do without Sandra for as long as needed. She can visit with your daughter.” With a final nod to Sandra and a hand briefly rested on her shoulder, Paul stood to take his leave from the table. Sandra briefly glanced up to Paul and smiled her gratitude and did not see the look of dislike on Julia’s face.
Sandra walked Julia to Eagle Bay 1. The girl was completely infatuated with all space craft, but had become Eagle crazy after Alan Carter had given her a tour of one during a brief layover at the Kennedy Space Center several months prior. Sandra was sure she could find someone to give her sister a tour, maybe Judy Resnik. Soon to be rotated off Alpha, the American astronaut owed her a favor or two and might be willing to show Julia about. And Julia might just be able to work on another American accent besides the Texan one she had picked up during her last visit with Sandra in Houston. Judith Resnik spoke with the flat vowels and Midwest accent of her small Ohio hometown called Akron.
As they quietly passed one of the research labs Sandra finally realized what was bothering her, or rather, that something must be bothering her young sister. Julia was never quiet for more than a few minutes at a time, unless she was in church and even then managed to convey the impression of barely contained activity. Something was not right. Glancing over at the peculiarly solemn girl, Sandra stepped into a side hall, knowing Julia would follow. Sandra wanted an explanation for this atypical behavior before introducing her sister to any other Alphans. With Julia, Sandra could be very direct. “What is wrong?”
Julia shrugged, staring at the floor and tracing imaginary circles with her right foot.
“If you are going to be sulky, we might as well go back to my quarters. You might be able to see the Eagle Bay another time.”
Julia looked up alarmed. This was the opportunity of her short lifetime, “It’s alright, Sandra. I really want to see the Eagles. I’ll mind my manners, I promise.”
“As you did not with Controller Morrow?” Sandra surmised that Julia realized that she had nearly overstepped her bounds and feared punishment.
Julia broke eye contact with Sandra, she knew she had been rude, but… Plastering a big smile on her face, she wheedled, “Come on, sis, I’ll be old by the time I get back up to Alpha again, maybe even thirty!” Sandra laughed at that, she had never been able to stay angry at her sunny sister for long. She would ferret out what was bothering the girl tonight, perhaps at bedtime.
“Alright, but mind your manners.” The two sisters again headed toward the main Eagle Bay, Julia now chattering about everything she saw and with the happy bounce back to her step Sandra was glad to see. As they approached the restricted zone, Sandra recalled that Julia had a gift for striking up easy conversations with anyone she met. “Julia, will you do me a favor?”
“Sure, sis.”
“Do not mention to anyone that I fly the Cessna.”
“Why ever not? I think it’s really neat.”
“Because…” Sandra looked embarrassed. “Alpha’s pilots are the very best of the elite. My license is very insignificant compared to what they can do.” Very true, and she really did not want to be teased by the aviation aces, Alan in particular.
Julia stopped in the hallway and looked at Sandra. She knew her sister tended to minimize her accomplishments. She had overheard her mum tell papa that he needed to praise Sandra more in her presence. She nodded her understanding. “Alright, if that’s what you want, but, sis, I am very proud of you,” and blithely disregarding Sandra’s surprise, gave her a hug right in the middle of a busy corridor.
With Julia safely supervised and happy, and Diane immersed in technical discussion with Prof. Bergman, Sandra returned to Main Mission. A few hours later, shortly before the end of her shift, Sandra’s commlock chirped. “Benes.”
“Hello, Sandra. I have a very hungry kid here who wonders when dinner will be.” The untamed, graying brown hair of Judy Resnik almost filled the small viewscreen. Abruptly, the picture shifted over and down with a quick vertigo-inducing change in perspective.
“Captain Resnik let me see inside four different Eagle pods and I got a close up look at the visiting Hawk!” Julia’s face was deliriously happy. And she sounded as Midwestern as Judy, with not a hint of her native Australian to be heard. “Can we eat now?”
Sandra shook her head. Some things were entirely predictable. “I will meet you in the main cafeteria, if that is convenient, Judy.”
The America’s face reappeared wearing a grin for the child’s delight, “Make it the café by the pilot’s ready-room and you have a deal.”
Sandra nodded her agreement and signed off.
“Will the child be attending the reception tonight, Sandra?” Looking up from his desk in the rear of Main Mission, Commander Gorski’s tone plainly indicated the correct answer would be ‘no.’
Sandra easily picked up on the unspoken order and saw it as her means to avoid yet another tedious gathering in the Commander’s presence. “Of course not, Commander. I will keep her under my supervision and out of trouble for the evening.” Diane would just have to fend for herself. Sandra repressed a smile at the thought. She almost regretted not being able to see what Diane Compt would do to Anton Gorski.
Julia was actually beginning to look tired thought Sandra as they changed for bed. The girl had been going non-stop since her arrival on Alpha thirteen hours earlier, and Sandra was quite sure she had not gotten much rest last night in anticipation of today.
Their evening had been busy. After dinner with Diane, the sisters had toured the extensive hydroponics research facilities under the watchful tutelage of Dr. Dan Mateo. Paul had shown up part way through and had joined them for an hour.
While plants were not as inherently interesting to Julia as the Eagles, she had paid polite attention and asked very insightful questions. The frequent opportunity to graze on the fresh food as they walked had undoubtedly helped, chuckled Sandra in recollection.
“I’ll take the sofa, sis.” Julia said around a yawn as she carried the spare pillow and blankets Sandra had requisitioned the day prior over to that piece of furniture. Julia then unpacked the stuffed cat that was never left behind and sat down on the sofa with a tired sigh.
“Sis, where’s Captain Carter? I haven’t seen him anywhere.”
“He is Earthside picking up a load
of materials for the Meta Probe.”
”Oh.”
Sandra looked at Julia quizzically. Julia had only met Alan once several months ago for barely thirty minutes the day Sandra returned to Alpha to start her current tour. “Why do you ask?”
“I liked him, he was nice.”
Sandra looked at Julia and waited patiently. Julia was patently incapable of keeping her thoughts to herself. And she was not wrong on this occasion.
“You’re still interested in Peter, right?”
“Yes,” answered Sandra with a smile, thinking of her handsome fiancé, Peter Rockwell, currently assigned to Houston.
“Good.”
“Julia, what does Alan have to do with Peter?”
“Well, I just don’t like that Paul Morrow. He watches you all the time with a funny look on his face, especially when you’re walking away from him.”
Sandra was now thoroughly confused, a not uncommon state when talking with Julia. The girl was so very bright that her words didn’t always keep up with her thoughts. Sandra sat down next to her sister and curled her legs under herself as she reclined back on the sofa. “Alright, Julia, start over.”
“If you’re not going to be interested in Peter, then I think you should go out with Alan. Paul is, oh I don’t know. He is just, well, not…” Julia shrugged helplessly, unable to put what she felt into words.
“Well, I like Peter just fine, thank you. In any case, I rather suspect you like Alan better because he is Australian and Paul is British.” Sandra smiled at her younger sister who lived in Sydney and had never bonded with their much older British half-siblings from their father’s first marriage.
Julia stuck her tongue out at Sandra. “No, that’s not it; he is too, I don’t know, intense.”
“Not to worry. Peter and I are on excellent terms, and Controller Morrow, Captain Carter and I are just co-workers and friends,” reassured Sandra, stressing the titles to the girl. “Alright?”
“Alright, sis.” But Julia thought that Sandra was missing something important. She leaned over and gave Sandra another warm hug as the woman stood to leave, and then stretched out on the sofa, barely pulling the blanket over herself before falling asleep.
Sandra awoke with a startle. It was dark in her quarters and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of someone too close. “Julia?”
“Yeah, you awake enough to talk, Sandra?”
Sandra nodded, which apparently the girl could see as the sense of crowding passed and Sandra felt the other side of the bed give slightly as the girl climbed in and then cuddled close. Julia hadn’t done this in years.
“What is wrong?” Sandra wrapped her arm around Julia and hugged her tightly, recalling all the times she had done this after a nightmare or other childish trauma.
“If you marry Peter, will you change your last name?”
Sandra had long ago ceased to be surprised by any question Julia asked. “I have never really thought about it. I do not know. I suppose I will have to ask Peter and see what he thinks. Why? Is it important to you?” Julia rolled over to look at her. Sandra’s eyes had finally adjusted to the low light and she could see that this was a serious concern for the girl.
“Keep ‘Benes.’ That way people will know we are sisters, alright?”
In her e-mails, Diane had told Sandra that Julia’s friends had teased and doubted her when she spoke of her Alphan sister. That they looked nothing alike had not helped. When Julia had been little, none of this had mattered, but now the girl turning so quickly into a young lady needed reassurance and support.
“I promise, Julia, ‘Benes’ will always be part of my name.”
When Julia awoke, she could hear the sounds of Sandra in the shower. That was nothing new; Sandra was always the first one up in the family. After placing the small surprise package her mum had told her to leave under Sandra’s pillow, Julia folded the blanket she had left behind on the sofa and then walked over to the viewports. She could watch the Eagles fly all day. She was looking around for a chair to pull over to the viewport when she saw the small wicker basket. It was one of the few organic things in the quarters full of plastic furniture and white walls. She recognized it for what it was… Sandra’s needlework basket, a gift from Diane on Sandra’s last birthday.
With a sibling’s complete lack of concern for privacy, Julia rooted through to see what the current project was. Sandra and Diane both had a passion for counted cross-stitch while Julia preferred needlepoint, especially if it included pictures of space craft. She found a piece of very dark blue, almost black, cloth and the almost completed image of an Eagle in profile. There was a small note tucked into the attached plastic bag with assorted white and tan embroidery floss. The threads were apparently a gift from someone called Jenny Fields, and below that note was a request for a cross-stitch Eagle, written in another hand completely. “Are you making this for Captain Carter?” Julia glanced over toward Sandra, who was now out of the shower and dressing for the day, with a look of appraisal as to her sister’s motives. “I thought you were ‘just friends.’”
“We are. I haven’t decided what to do with that yet. I will probably have it framed as a memory of my time on Alpha.”
“Yeah, whatever you say, sis.” Julia looked over with a smirk and then ducked quickly when Sandra threw a pillow in her direction, accidentally knocking over the wicker basket in the process. It landed next to her feet and a small package fell out onto the floor. It was an international mailing envelope with Special: Lunar Package stamped across its front. Curious, she looked at the return mailing label. It was written in their father’s hand. Sitting down on the floor with the package in hand, she lifted the already opened flap and found to her surprise a painted needlepoint canvas and a hank of grey, brown and cream colored yarn. This project was not even started yet.
“Hey, Sandra, you don’t like needlepoint. And the colors are, like, dull. Why did you order this one? I’ve never seen you do a building before, especially an old Roman one.”
Fastening the wide belt around her waist, Sandra walked over to Julia and took the canvas and gently folded it back into its package. “Be that as it may, it is special to me because Papa picked it out and sent it. That is the Acropolis in Greece. I will do it next.”
“That’s strange, Sandra. Papa’s never done that before”
“I know.” Both Sandra and Julia knew their father had failed to see Sandra off on this current tour. Good-byes were very hard for him, as was expressing his love. And with those thoughts, Sandra carefully returned the treasure to its safe place and pointed Julia to the bathroom. “The sooner you are ready, the sooner we eat.” Julia grabbed her clothes and dashed off.
Julia was just adding the syrup to her waffles when Diane joined them in the cafeteria. “Did you two get any sleep last night?” She was well aware of Julia’s ability to chatter half the night away at sleepovers. The fact that Sandra would be barely able to get a word in edgewise wouldn’t matter as she spoke so little to begin with. Diane hoped whoever Sandra finally settled down with was able to carry a conversation.
“Yep.” Julia quickly swallowed a mouthful of waffle. “I was really tired after the walk through hydroponics. Dr. Mateo showed us some really neat tricks they use to grow plants up here. All of the salad greens and most of the veggies are grown right here on Alpha! Dr. Mateo says if they had to, Alpha could totally support itself without any food from Earth at all.”
“In which case, I would miss chocolate and tea,” added Sandra as she took a sip from her hot cup.
Julia laughed at that and Diane was pleased the see the two enjoy each others company so clearly. “What are you doing today? I have to spend the next six or seven hours reviewing the engine schematics and initial installation.” She looked over to Sandra.
“I am not sure. This is your special holiday, Julia, what would you like to do?”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I want to see the far side of the moon.”
It took a few calls and the intervention of Paul Morrow, but Julia received special permission to fly passenger on the routine surveillance Eagle flight over to NDA’s 1 and 2. Judy Resnik piloted and Sandra sat in the back with Julia and showed her how to operate the scanners and specialized computers. It was a wonderful day.
“I wish I could spend more time up here with you.” Tears sparkled in Julia’s eyes as she packed her stuffed cat in her small flight bag.
“I do also. But Diane needs to be back Earthside by tomorrow, and you know Papa is missing both of you.” Sandra sat down on the sofa and held her hand out to Julia. “Do not tell Diane or Papa yet, but I am applying for a year-long position at the University in Sydney to do research on all the data I have collected while here on Alpha. I should find out by the middle of September if they have the funding.”
Julia nodded. “That’s grand, sis, but that’s still months and months away.”
“I know, but it will come quickly enough.” Julia laid her head on Sandra’s shoulder as Sandra put her arm around her sister. The two sat quietly together, watching the beautiful and stark lunar landscape until Diane arrived, and then together the family walked across Alpha to the embarkation area and the Eagle that awaited them.
Diane had already said her farewells and had entered the Eagle to let her daughters have a few last moments together. Sandra looked at her sister one last time. “Julia, here, this is for you.” She handed over a smallish plastic container that rattled when Julia shook it. Julia cracked open the lid and peeked.
“My moonrocks!” She had been pestering Sandra to bring her some since Sandra’s first tour on Alpha over two years ago. “You finally remembered!”
Sandra nodded, pleased to see a smile back on Julia’s face. “Controller Morrow went out earlier and picked them up himself.”
Julia’s smile dimmed a little, but she dutifully remembered her manners. “Please tell him I said ‘thank you.’” Looking back at Sandra, she giggled. “My mates at school will be so envious!”
“Julia Danae, that is not why I am giving them to you,” But Sandra had to smile at the sheer glee on her sister’s face.
“I know, sis, but now they will just have to believe I came up here and saw you.” Julia’s expression assumed a much older, earnest look. Sandra just had to understand how very important this was to her. Except for her parents, Sandra was the most important person her in life, and one of her best friends despite the age difference. Julia looked around the busy embarkation area. Alpha was simply grand, but she would be just as happy as her folks when Sandra was back on Earth. After being on the moon, no where Sandra lived could be that far away again. “See you in December, sis.” She hugged Sandra very tightly and then turned and walked quickly into the Eagle to join her mother, not risking another look back.
Paul arrived as the Eagle’s doors sealed shut. He kept Sandra company at the viewport until the Eagle had lifted off and flown out of sight. “You have a very nice family, Sandra, and Julia is very bright. Your family must be proud of her.”
“We are.” Sandra blinked back a few tears; it would not due for them to be seen by her co-workers. Under control once again, she looked up at the tall man standing closely by her. Paul had been nothing but kind to her over the years they had worked together. She simply could not fathom Julia’s dislike.
“Time to go back, Sandra. Gorski’s patience will not last much longer if two of his staff continue to play truant,” Paul said with a smile of tolerance for his superior’s ways.
Sandra nodded her agreement, and with a light touch from Paul on the small of her back, turned to resume her duties.
MGK