Page 89 of Space Balls: Houston, We Have Liftoff
“You looking to get back up there?” It’s a throw-away question, as what astronaut doesn’t want to get back in space?
Luke’s position as chief astronaut is rotational. For the past year he’s had the responsibility of assigning flights to all the other astronauts. Everyone takes their turn manning the flight schedule then hands it off to someone else. If it were me, I’d be antsy as hell to get back up there.
“You know it.” Luke confirms my thoughts, his smile getting bigger. He leans into me. “And the next time I go up, I’ve got something exciting planned.” Another cool thing about being chief astronaut is that you can assign yourself the best mission when you finally give up the managerial post and return to flight ops.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
He looks me up and down, his evident excitement probably making him unable to see the lack of mine. “Can you keep a secret?”
I hold up three fingers on my right hand. “Scout’s honor.”
Picking up on my sarcasm, Luke shoves my shoulder. “Smartass. You’re spending too much time with Jules.”
I snort. In reality I haven’t seen Jules all week. And the last time I saw Jackie was in the VR room. It makes me wonder if Rose had given them a heads-up. Maybe they knew I was a single man walking before I did.
Ding. The elevator doors open, and Luke sticks his head out, glancing left then right around the cube farm. Finding the coast clear, he waves me out. “I’m going to be the first astronaut to propose from space.”
For some reason, his words feel like a shot to my chest. “You’re going to propose to Em?”
Luke’s been dating the public relations director, Emily Durant. She’s as short as he is tall.
“Hopefully.” He chuckles. “Not sure I can wait until I get a flight, but that’s the plan right now.”
I frown, his words not making sense. “Marriage?”
Luke frowns back at me. “Yeah, that’s what proposing usually means.” Both his hands drop on my shoulders. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah man.” I shrug off his heavy mitts. “I’m just surprised is all. I thought you and I were the perpetual bachelors at NASA.” Which, now that I’ve said it out loud, sounds juvenile and sad.
Luke shrugs. “Hey, when you know, you know.” His smile turns smirk. “And”—he nudges me with his elbow—"from what I hear you’ve been getting serious with a special someone as well.”
I swallow. Unable to say the wordsshe ended it, I deflect. “Now who’s been spending too much time with Jules?”
His laugh echoes across the quiet floor. “Touché.”
Reaching his office door, Luke turns, blocking me from continuing to my cube. “It is surprising, though, I’ll give you that.”
“What is?” I ask, though I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear the answer.
He takes out a ring box, flips it open, and flashes me a large teardrop white diamond set in yellow gold. “Finding the person who changes everything for you.”
I want to argue, but I can’t, because I know what he means. Rose changed everything for me. My life, which before I’d thought full and important, now seems empty and pathetic compared to the time I’ve spent with Rose. Her laugh, her energy, her thirst for life.
Luke snaps the ring box closed. “But I guess that’s what love does, huh?” His smile is almost as blinding as the diamond.
“Love?” The word seems to echo in my head.
“Yeah.” He chuckles, pocketing the box. “Isn’t it great?”
“Yeah.” My voice is faint. But Luke doesn’t notice. He’s too hopped up on…love.
I manage to listen through Luke’s detailed outer space proposal plans until his office phone rings, allowing me to escape to my cubicle, my mind still spinning.
Luke’s laughter booms across the floor once more, and I wonder if he’s talking to Emily.
Love.
I didn’t believe Rose when she said she loved me. Part of it was shock. I hadn’t thought love was in the scope of possibilities. Not with the concrete parameters we set at the start of our relationship.
