An Astronaut's Favorite Day

            George stretched, letting the vertebrae in his back pop. As he let his arms fall back to his side he couldn’t help but grin. It had been a long week of preflight preparations and training, but he had a day of rest before he had to be back at base. And he knew exactly how he was going to spend it.

            Her name was Emma Piper. She was a college senior, political activist, and bent on saving the world. Normally he tried to stay away from people like her, people who were delusional enough to think that they could make a difference, but she was different.

            An image of her from his memories danced across the back of his eyelids as he walked across the green area towards where his car was parked. Freshly cut grass assaulted his nostrils, hinting at the freedom of summer.

            Her hair was a reddish copper, and curled slightly. She often had it pulled into a sloppy ponytail, and on this particular occasion it had been swinging with the fervency with which she spoke. Her hazel eyes flashed, looking far more green than they were due to the fact that her t-shirt was an emerald color. A chewed up pen was stuck behind one ear and she was clutching her text books to her chest.

            He forgot what she’d been saying, but it didn’t matter. The intensity and passion, the refreshing energy and optimism, was something that filled him with a sense of completeness that he had never before experienced.

            Sighing, he swung into his car and started it. Technically he should return to his small apartment and get some much needed rest, but he just couldn’t resist. As he pulled out of the parking lot he said the voice command to call her.

            “George,” she said breathlessly a few minutes later.

            “I’m not interrupting anything am I?” he asked, unable to stop the wild smile breaking across his face.

            “No. Not at all. I was just helping my friend paint her new house. It’s, uh, well the decorators basically had a midnight party where they got drunk and planned out the most hideous combination of colors and wallpaper and furniture and, well, it’s horrible. But what about you?”

            “I have a free day tomorrow,” he answered, still chuckling at the mental image she had called up with her words. “I was wondering—.”

            “Yes! Yes, I have some things in the morning, but I’ll make time the rest of the day. Cancel things. Where shall we go?”

            George had to think a moment on this. Any time spent with Emma was wonderful, but this was perhaps going to be his last normal day on Earth for quite a while. His last chance to see Emma for the next two years. They both knew this was coming, but had purposefully avoided talking about it.

            “What I’d really like,” he said after a moment, his voice serious. “Is to see you tonight. I want to wake up next to you.”

            “Okay,” she said, again sounding breathless. “I’ll, um, I’ll be over at your place in about an hour.”

            They said their goodbyes and hung up. George was still surprised at how, whenever he told her what he wanted, she usually found a way to make it work. He knew it couldn’t be easy, and certainly no one else had ever been so accommodating. He wished he could give her something in return. The ring his grandmother had given him was suddenly a glowing beacon from where it sat, nestled in a shoebox in his closet. Was now the right time? He hadn’t even met her parents yet.

            In an attempt to ease his nerves, he stopped at their favorite Chinese restaurant for takeout. When he got home he set it up on the coffee table in his living room and, after a few minutes of pacing indecision, got the ring out of its dusty hideout. He wasn’t necessarily going to give it to her, although there probably wasn’t another person in existence that would ever cause him to consider such a gift. He just wanted to keep his options open.

            The ring itself was a promise. It was a promise that she would wait for him, that she would stay faithful. It was a promise that, when he landed again, she would be there waiting, ready to set up a life with him. He highly doubted the high spirited Emma Piper he knew would ever say yes to this. She had dreams and plans and none of them included settling down and getting tied to a family. And George desperately wanted a family.

            When Emma arrived, he forgot all of his troubles. She looked ravishing in a paint splattered shirt and jean shorts, with a dash of turquoise on her cheek like war paint, and a bit of green on her nose. Some off-white cream color had found its way into the tail end of her ponytail. She grinned when she saw him, and threw herself into his arms.

            “It’s been a week!” she gasped in his ear. “I missed you so much.”

            “We caught lunch a couple of days ago,” he reminded her, pushing her back for a brief kiss.

            “That hardly counts,” she pouted. “A few hours in your company, it’s not enough.”

            “Emma,” he began, suddenly feeling a lurch of fear and guilt at the fact that he was going to be leaving her.

            “Is that food?” she asked, cutting him off. Her attention had been captured by the white takeout boxes and she was already moving towards them. “You are the best!”

           

            Later that night, as the lights from passing cars threw brief silhouettes across the room, George lay awake. Carefully, he rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. In the pale illumination, he could only just make out the little triangle of freckles on Emma’s right shoulder. Gently, he reached out, tracing them with his finger.

            It caught at his stomach, pulling it down with a sickening lurch. The thought that he wouldn’t be able to see her, touch her, hold her, for two years, made him question everything he had previously been so confident about. When he was younger, and all the other boys were growing out of their astronaut phase, his obsession had still been going strong. By freshman year of high school he knew what he wanted to be and started to research how to achieve his dream. He had taken accelerated courses, and applied relentlessly, until, finally, he had been given an answer. They needed engineers and electricians, specially trained. If he was willing to put the time in, they would hire him. The space station needed repairs and he was the man for the job.

            The fact that he was considering giving this all up for a woman, one who was several years his junior and probably not as committed as he was, was terrifying. Of course, he couldn’t drop out now. Launch was in a few days and he couldn’t let his team down. But Emma…

            He fell asleep curled around her, breathing in the smell of paint and the light tang that was uniquely hers. When he woke up it was to a phone ringing. Emma was already sitting up, staring blearily around the room as if to locate it.

            “It’s in my pocket,” he mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head. She chuckled, getting up and padding over to their pile of discarded clothing. As soon as he felt the bed shift, he moved the pillow, watching her pick her way across the floor.

            It took her a moment to rummage around in his pants’ pocket, and by the time she removed her hand, the phone had stopped ringing. It chirped into the sudden, tense silence. What she had in her hand was not his cell phone. It was small and silver and it caught the light.

            “George,” she swallowed, not daring to look over at him. He couldn’t think of anything to say, of any way to explain this. “George, were you going to ask me to marry you?”

            Her voice was whispery and shocked. She still wouldn’t turn. He couldn’t gauge her reaction, couldn’t tell which response would be best. In the end he decided to be honest.

            “I’m not going to see you for two years,” he murmured. “I know what I want, Emma. I just, I don’t know how to ask for it.”

            “Well it looks to me like you figured asking with a ring sounded like a good idea.” Her voice was sharp, her shoulders hunching slightly.

            “I want to see you again,” he sighed. “I want to see you again and not have to worry about the years that I’m going to be missing. I want to know that you’ll be here, waiting for me. And maybe that’s too much. I understand if it is. But it’s what I want.”

            “So then Anne didn’t call you?” she asked in a small voice.

            “No,” George said in concern, sitting up and swinging his feet onto the carpet. Anne was her roommate and had never seemed particularly keen on his relationship with Emma. “Why would Anne call me?”

            Taking a deep breath, Emma rose and walked back over to the bed. She sat down beside him, twisting the ring in her hands, nervously. It took her a few minutes, before she glanced at him without turning her head. A rueful expression settled itself onto her face.

            “If you wanted to give me this,” she said, holding up the ring. “I wouldn’t say no.”

            “Emma Piper,” he said solemnly. “Will you be my fiancée?”

            “I was actually kind of hoping to marry you,” she mumbled, looking down. A heavy blush was staining her cheeks. “Today. And before you say anything else, I have something to tell you that might change your mind.”

            “I really don’t think anything could change my mind,” George said, feeling fear knot in his stomach. What could possibly have Emma so worried?

            “Well, see, the reason Anne might be calling is that, um,” she began, faltering slightly. “She was taking out the trash and she noticed a… well, a pregnancy test. Quite a few, actually. I wanted to be sure.”

            “Emma,” George said seriously. “You realize this means that I have to quit my job, don’t you?”

            “What? Why?” she exclaimed, standing up and staring at him in shock. “George, no. You’ve been looking forward to this chance for so long. There might not be another trip into space. You can’t give all that up.”

            “I am not going to miss the first two years of my child’s life. Sometimes things change, plans change. It’s better that way.”

            “George, I don’t want you—you can’t,” she spluttered.

            “It’s my choice,” he said firmly. “Look, I’ll make some phone calls while you’re busy this morning. I’ll sort this out.”

            “Sort this out?” she hissed, eyes suddenly narrowing. “What, like it’s some kind of problem?”

            “No,” he answered gently, keeping his voice reasonable. “Sort this out so it’s amicable for both of us. I’ll take a good look at our options and we can discuss it over lunch.”

            Emma frowned, but there really wasn’t anything she could say. Nothing sensible, anyway. George had a habit of being the steady hand to keep her in check and calm. He was capable and knew what to do in practically every situation. Keeping a cool head, it probably was something they taught you in astronaut school.

            Her musings were interrupted as he reached across and gently took the ring from her. Lifting her left hand, gently, almost reverently, he slipped it on, before bringing it to his lips to kiss. It was such a romantic, silly gesture that she almost giggled, but then she looked at him, looked into his deep, brown eyes, and forgot what there was to laugh about.

            By lunch George had managed to arrange everything. He felt a twinge of guilt at having already made reservations for their marriage certificate, without waiting to check with Emma, but he hadn’t been sure if there would be an opening should he leave off until the afternoon. He’d also informed his superiors of the turn of events. Everyone was allowed a leave of absence for family matters, and he had assured them that this was a family matter. Luckily for him, there was someone else lined up to take his place, should he be unable to make it. Also lucky for him was the fact that he had become good friends with his superior. It helped to smooth the way for his unexpected and sudden request.

            “Hey,” Emma said, sliding into the booth seat across from him. They were at a small diner that had played host to their last lunch out. She shot him a hesitant smile, before picking up the menu.

            “How did everything go?” he asked, having already decided on his order.

            “Um, well, it went okay,” she hedged, blushing slightly. “I called my Mom. About getting married. She had a small fit, but I think she’s okay with it.”

            “And how is she with becoming a grandmother?” George chuckled.

            “I didn’t tell her,” Emma answered softly. “I wasn’t sure… I mean, you said you didn’t want to miss your child’s first two years and I was thinking. I can get pregnant again. It’s still really early and—.”

            “Emma Piper,” he cut in glaring. “You are not thinking what I think you are thinking.”

            She sent him a glare of her own. “And if I am?”   

            “I talked to my boss,” he said, changing the subject. He knew better than to tell her she couldn’t do something. It often just convinced herself to go ahead with it, even if she knew it was a stupid idea. “He said that I can have a year’s leave of absence for family matters. I’ll still have a job or at the base, but I can be home most of the time. I’m also still in the program, so in a year, I’ll be going into space.”

            Emma was at a loss for words. Several times she opened her mouth, only to close it without having said anything. There was something bright and hopeful in her eyes.

            “Now, we have more important matters to discuss,” he continued, leaning across the table to take her hand. “Like, whether or not you want to take my last name when we get married later today.”

           

            That night, lying awake with the sounds of his wife’s breathing filling the room, George reflected that today had to be the best day he’d had in a long while. He thought that there might be a few days that would surpass it, but until then. It definitely beat all the dreams he’d had of landing on the moon. Funny, he thought, that an astronaut’s perfect day would be one spent on Earth.