Ryder Avery was scheduled to speak with his wife in less than an hour. He was at the Cupola module taking pictures of planet Earth, thinking of all the wars, movements and inventions that summed up the human race. It was an odd feeling, to be orbiting the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, to feel as if he was momentarily suspended in time. It felt like “real life” was not happening to him at the moment. All the people he loved, all his hopes and dreams were attached to that blue planet before him.
Although he had now spent five weeks aboard the International Space Station, he still saw it as a maze.
“It’s about the size of a soccer field,” Commander Terry Willmore told him when they first arrived. “You’ll get used to it in a few months.”
This was Willmore’s second time at the ISS, but his first time as commander. Besides Willmore, there was another astronaut aboard, Flight Engineer Samantha Rogers. Samantha was also a researcher and scientist.
If everything went according to plan, the other three crew members from Russia would be arriving in a matter of hours.
As a computer engineer, Avery was in charge of several projects, but mainly with that of putting together and programming a large 3D printer. If successful, the ISS astronauts would be able to print their own parts without having to wait for a resupply missions from Earth. It reminded Avery of the Star Trek replicator.
“Your turn,” Samantha said, interrupting Avery’s thoughts.
“How are your kids doing?” he asked.
“Oh, they’re doing well. Max is now starting to crawl, which has his little big sister excited,” she answered.
“Bet you can’t wait to see them,” he said, thinking of his own wife.
“Yeah, I miss my babies,” she said, smiling. “Now, go on, your wife is probably waiting for your call.”
Avery made his way to the station where the IP Phone was set up. He had spoken to his wife two days ago, but it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. It hadn’t been an important argument, but just the typical adjustment of newlyweds, when people from two different worlds come together. They had been married for only four months when he left, and now Avery would be gone for six months. He chuckled whenever he thought of his friends complaining about long distance relationships. It didn’t get any more “long distance” than this, he thought.
The Skype-type software came up and Avery dialed his wife’s number. She answered almost immediately.
“Hi honey,” he said, smiling.
“Hi,” she said. She still looked upset.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.
“No, I’m okay,” she said.
She said it in a tone that really meant that she wasn’t okay, but Avery had learned to not press her too much and just give her space.
“I miss you,” Avery said. “I keep thinking that maybe I should have waited before accepting the mission. I could have waited longer.”
She smiled. “You know very well that I wouldn’t have let you stay. You’ve been dreaming of going to space for years. If you didn’t go now, who knows when you would get another chance? I couldn’t live with that. And I know you couldn’t live with that.”
Avery smiled. He knew he was a lucky man. Veronica wasn’t only a beautiful woman on the outside; she was a stunning creature on the inside. She was kind, understanding and always supportive. Although he would tease her about her Cuban temper flaring up whenever they would argue, Avery thought she was near perfect. They had met in college almost a decade ago. She was born in Florida to Cuban parents and couldn’t be more different than the Kansas born and raised Avery. And yet, they were a perfect match.
“Did you get to go on your spacewalk yet?” she asked.
“No, not yet, but I’m thinking that maybe in a few days. We’re gonna wait until the Russian crew settles in.”
“That makes sense.
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