kind of an emergency/
‘Oh!’ Some of the color drained from Susan’s face, and there was the distinct expression that she saw whatever it was that had happened as a barrier to her own purpose, for she said reluctantly, 'Anyone hurt?’
The woman shrugged. 'I have no idea. I used to be so disturbed by these things that... well, your father just stopped telling me.’ A pause. ‘I doubt if it would bother me now. After ten years I feel very remote from all such details.’
Susan gulped, saw that her moment had come that unexpectedly, and said with a rush, ‘Then it wouldn’t bother you if I went with Captain Sennes tomorrow on a routine flight he has to make outside the atmosphere/
The request flabbergasted Estelle. The effect was actually as if she had been struck suddenly from behind by an unknown assailant. The result: instant emotion of a highly disturbed kind. She mumbled, ‘I don’t think I - ’ She stopped, and now she was outraged. ‘So that’s what you’ve been fidgeting about.’ A key word in Susan’s announcement belatedly reached her awareness, and she finished her first reaction on a note of helplessness by simply echoing it. ‘Routine?’ she said.
Susan was experienced in recognising negative signals when she heard them, and she had just heard them. It was clearly a situation that already, in these first seconds, called for the fight of her life. Her voice went up from its normal sweetness to a tone that was distinctly thinner and sharper. “Look, mother,’ she challenged, ‘I’m the daughter of one of the heads of Space Control, and it’s kind of ridiculous that I’ve never been up.’
‘And I,’ said Estelle with color high and voice spirited, ‘am the wife of one of the heads of Space Control, and I don’t feel at all ridiculous that I’ve never been up.’
‘That’s different,’ the girl began with equal spirit. But that was as far as her energy could carry her. The hopelessness of defeat was already upon her. Never in the past had a counterattack from her mother been so quick, so hard hitting, and so uncompromising. Down she went into the darkness of the sadder emotions. ‘Aw, gee, mother,’ she pleaded. ‘Please don’t say no. It really is a routine flight. Captain Sennes, being an active flight officer, has to put in so many hours a month even when he’s grounded keeping newly built craft in flying condition.’
What does it take for a daughter to shoot down her mother? It happened right there. For ten years Susan had been Estelle’s deep love, her darling sweetheart child, substitute for all her emotional needs. It was the begging note in the girl’s voice that penetrated as far as sound and feeling can go. The woman sagged onto the table, her chin cupped in her hand. Sitting like that, she made a final attempt to salvage Susan — for that was how she thought of it. She did it by shifting responsibility to what she hoped would be a sturdier shoulder.;
‘All right, dear - ’ she began.
Susan leaped to her feet. ‘Oh, mother, thank you. ’
"Let me finish!’ Estelle spoke stridently. “You can go if your father gives his permission.’
The final words caught Susan as she was putting one arm around Estelle, and with her head bent to plant a kiss. She still completed the caress squarely on one cheek, but she was slightly disturbed as she straightened. ‘Mother,’ she said finally, ‘I’ve got outfit duties. So will you be a darling and ask dad?’
‘Absolutely not,’ the woman said in an adamant tone. Yet a minute later she had wearily yielded to more pleading. And an hour after that there she was presenting Susan’s case to a John Lane eating a late breakfast. The way she put it was, ‘Susan’s argument is that you have no business sending other people into dangerous situations if you’re not prepared to send your own daughter,’ She finished swiftly. ‘I’m just being an honest reporter. I don’t agree with a single word of what I have
‘Oh!’ Some of the color drained from Susan’s face, and there was the distinct expression that she saw whatever it was that had happened as a barrier to her own purpose, for she said reluctantly, 'Anyone hurt?’
The woman shrugged. 'I have no idea. I used to be so disturbed by these things that... well, your father just stopped telling me.’ A pause. ‘I doubt if it would bother me now. After ten years I feel very remote from all such details.’
Susan gulped, saw that her moment had come that unexpectedly, and said with a rush, ‘Then it wouldn’t bother you if I went with Captain Sennes tomorrow on a routine flight he has to make outside the atmosphere/
The request flabbergasted Estelle. The effect was actually as if she had been struck suddenly from behind by an unknown assailant. The result: instant emotion of a highly disturbed kind. She mumbled, ‘I don’t think I - ’ She stopped, and now she was outraged. ‘So that’s what you’ve been fidgeting about.’ A key word in Susan’s announcement belatedly reached her awareness, and she finished her first reaction on a note of helplessness by simply echoing it. ‘Routine?’ she said.
Susan was experienced in recognising negative signals when she heard them, and she had just heard them. It was clearly a situation that already, in these first seconds, called for the fight of her life. Her voice went up from its normal sweetness to a tone that was distinctly thinner and sharper. “Look, mother,’ she challenged, ‘I’m the daughter of one of the heads of Space Control, and it’s kind of ridiculous that I’ve never been up.’
‘And I,’ said Estelle with color high and voice spirited, ‘am the wife of one of the heads of Space Control, and I don’t feel at all ridiculous that I’ve never been up.’
‘That’s different,’ the girl began with equal spirit. But that was as far as her energy could carry her. The hopelessness of defeat was already upon her. Never in the past had a counterattack from her mother been so quick, so hard hitting, and so uncompromising. Down she went into the darkness of the sadder emotions. ‘Aw, gee, mother,’ she pleaded. ‘Please don’t say no. It really is a routine flight. Captain Sennes, being an active flight officer, has to put in so many hours a month even when he’s grounded keeping newly built craft in flying condition.’
What does it take for a daughter to shoot down her mother? It happened right there. For ten years Susan had been Estelle’s deep love, her darling sweetheart child, substitute for all her emotional needs. It was the begging note in the girl’s voice that penetrated as far as sound and feeling can go. The woman sagged onto the table, her chin cupped in her hand. Sitting like that, she made a final attempt to salvage Susan — for that was how she thought of it. She did it by shifting responsibility to what she hoped would be a sturdier shoulder.;
‘All right, dear - ’ she began.
Susan leaped to her feet. ‘Oh, mother, thank you. ’
"Let me finish!’ Estelle spoke stridently. “You can go if your father gives his permission.’
The final words caught Susan as she was putting one arm around Estelle, and with her head bent to plant a kiss. She still completed the caress squarely on one cheek, but she was slightly disturbed as she straightened. ‘Mother,’ she said finally, ‘I’ve got outfit duties. So will you be a darling and ask dad?’
‘Absolutely not,’ the woman said in an adamant tone. Yet a minute later she had wearily yielded to more pleading. And an hour after that there she was presenting Susan’s case to a John Lane eating a late breakfast. The way she put it was, ‘Susan’s argument is that you have no business sending other people into dangerous situations if you’re not prepared to send your own daughter,’ She finished swiftly. ‘I’m just being an honest reporter. I don’t agree with a single word of what I have
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