Hello good folks! A few notes. Thank you, thank you, for the comments. I'm catching up on them as fast as life allows. I truly appreciate the constructive criticism. I'm talking it all to heart and felt like I owed some explanation. Don't worry, I am taking what you say to heart and will make the changes!
All the following is said in sincere appreciation. This piece is long, it's over the top dramatic, it has a ton of dialog, and even soliloquies. And believe me, I know I am neither the bard nor Hemingway. The reason I tagged this as melodrama is because the story encompasses all of those "shortcomings". I don't think the problem is doing them, it's that I don't do them well enough - yet. I didn't want you to see more of the same and think I was ignoring the time and effort you have taken to help me.
I have written technical pieces, articles, and humor pieces. All thrive on brevity or the addition or subtraction of a single word for the sake of cadence. I haven't done emotions. I haven't done much with "flow". So I jumped in with both feet and here we are. I was probably enjoying throwing off my shackles too much.
Though I thought I was done with this story, I will try to incorporate the wonderful advice I've gotten in later chapters. Thanks again.
Now, lets (hopefully) have some fun.
Solid Booster
Gary
Kathy came over to the house that night. She had done a great job of staying in touch with me. I hope NASA was giving her hazardous duty pay. She didn't knock when she arrived, she simply tried the door. Finding it open she entered. She found me in the kitchen, where immediately upon seeing me sitting at the table, she simply bent to wrap her arms around me.
I asked Kathy, "Did it get better after I left?"
"Yes Gary. It did, which is what you wanted. But... it didn't last." She winced telling me. It seemed all my news was bad, Kathy hated adding to it.
I didn't blink, with dread in my voice I asked, "What else?"
"I think you would've liked it in a different time and place. It just about made an administrator wet himself, the poor guy was already white as a sheet, seeing how awkwardly things had gone with you and her family. Knowing it was Peg's spouse who left trying to make it better gave him cold sweats. That's nail-biting time for those poor folks, and he was right.
"Gary, I know something of body language. I know your wife and that cosmonaut are close, that there's camaraderie. No Russian "comrade" pun intended. But Gary, Peg's wasn't the look of a wife having an affair. It was a person very excited with a partner, like a sports partner, or dancing partner. Yes, their hand holding was inappropriately warm, but not the heat of lust or love.
I answered, "I saw it. I agree," which put Kathy in an unexpected place. She had thought I would be devastated not calm and collected.
"Okay, um, good. You saw that, but you are worried worse is coming. I really think you handled that as well as it could have been handled. I also think you stepped on any burgeoning emotions between them, Gary. It will be twice as hard for Alexi to get through her emotional barriers now. And if you didn't make enough of an impact, your father-in-law set things on fire."
While knowing the situation wasn't good, Kathy couldn't completely contain a wry smile.
"Oh really?" I smiled wryly myself.
"Oh yeah. When he finally spoke, he introduced himself as a "Marine Master Sergeant" and told Alexi he didn't know if Alexi was a communist or not, but that he and his fellow marines had ended the careers and lives of numerous communist aggressors."
My eyebrows raised.
Catching my expression Kathy chimed, "Yep, he said that. He also added that if he got word Alexi ever touched his daughter again, "even to stop a spin or keep her from drifting off into space", that he would personally make sure that the village Alexi grew up in, the city where he lived, the bar where he drank, and every friend and family member Alexi ever had would be turned to ash before consigning Alexi to the infernal region with his own bare hands."
Kathy suppressed a smile watching my face at each passing sentence. I let out a low whistle while Kath nodded.
"He stormed out at that point. Alexi looked angry at first, but as your father-in-law kept going Alexi turned as white as the administrator. Peg's father wasn't speaking with a bluster, but with the cold efficiency of a man giving a blood oath. At the very minimum Alexi knew his fellow space station crewmember's father actually intended to fulfill the promise of Alexi's personal Armageddon if he played the aggressor."
I just whistled louder while Kath smiled and nodded more enthusiastically, adding a happy, "Oh yeah. Definitely Cosmonautus Interuptus."
"I stayed with Peg's mom and sister after her dad stormed out trying to patch things up. We stayed and spoke to Peg after the press conference. She was very alone by then; Alexi was long gone. We patched things up to an extent. But her dad had said all of that looking directly at Peg, not Alexi. Your desire that this be the best day of her life ended there. I hope she will remember that it was her dad that did that and not you." Kathy thought a moment before adding, "Peg has to stop the singular "you" bullshit and restart using that word to describe you both together!"
Kathy was steamed. It was nice feeling I had folks who cared about me. My father-in-law and Kathy were doing me proud. It was a shame I couldn't completely say the same about my wife.
Kathy continued, "To that end I brought up the fact that it was your wish that her wonderful spacewalk performance not be tainted. I explained you understood all too well because you felt Peg treated you like you were tainted before her flight, even though you had no responsibility or even say in most of those nasty episodes. I added the words "just like today" and pulled my hand up as a reminder of her actions with Alexi.
"That resonated with Peggy, Gary. I went on to say that you truly wanted to experience the thrill of what she was doing with her.
"I made sure she understood that if only one thing could be learned from today that you felt nothing should taint her spacewalk, and that you have never been as proud of anything you had ever done as you were of Peggy's accomplishments concerning her space flight. She got it, Gary. I know she did, because later I sent her a message.
"I told her exactly this: Gary loves you. He's nuts about you! He's starving for any knowledge or information of you. Peg, he was almost in tears at the prospect of hearing your voice. You should have seen him watching your spacewalk. I think it was one of the three most beautiful things he has ever seen in his life. Probably right there with you walking down the aisle in your wedding dress, and you the first time you made love."
"Gary, first thing Peggy said was castigating herself for holding Alexi's hand. She said it didn't mean anything except trying to give credit where credit was due. She said she wanted to introduce her spacewalk partner to her family. She thought that would make her space flight seem more normal and therefore more real to them. She was heartily sorry for how it all played out. She knew it looked horrible, especially what it must have looked like to you.
"Peg said she was so happy about what you were saying. She wasn't sure initially why her family was upset, but you were sticking up for her. It thrilled her you were. Then she realized everyone knew she was holding his hand. She said she would never forget that despite everything she put you through, you were still watching out for her and protecting her. She said that was testament to the incredible love of an incredible man.
"Gary forgive me, but I thought I had a chance to drive a few notions home. Peggy has been far too insulated from you and what she did because of her launch prep. I confirmed her actions with Alexi were horrible, they didn't merely look that way. Especially as the two of them floated out of a compartment where they had been alone, apparently changing clothing in front of each other, and hugged. She was beside herself that you and her family saw that. She said they never took off their skivvies, but their shirts were soaked from the spacewalk, they just wanted to don new ones to look fresher to speak to you and the press. Understanding how it would make you feel, even if you never knew about it, made her sorry she did it in the first place.
"I told her that I know the space station and how it works, the lack of private space and time, and so does her husband thank God. But to her family it looked like you two just floated out of the bedroom having had a wonderful tryst, sharing a last moment of togetherness before you had to go live on camera."
"What did she say to that?"
"Oh shit," Kathy beamed.
I confirmed, "Oh shit, indeed!"
"Then I reminded your wife that she hadn't acted like a woman who just got her salad tossed, and that her husband understood that sort of thing is almost impossible up there. Then I told her, "But Gary's drowning. Why have you written to everyone else and shut him off? You're killing him. Stop it! He doesn't want you to feel guilt or awkwardness, he meant everything he said to you. He's dying to share your accomplishments up there with you. He knows how hard and how long you have worked to get there. He knows how much you sacrificed to get up there, Peg. He's your biggest fan!"
"Peg replied, "Yes Kathy, he knows exactly what I sacrificed: him.""
"We know that Peg, but the sacrifice was made. Your presence and success up there right now is precisely what makes all the sacrifices worthwhile, especially Gary's. You made him pay a terrible price for your success, please don't exclude him now. If you do, every fear he's had about you not loving him will actually turn true. What else could he think, but that you don't care for him anymore. And... that you have already left him, and are never coming back."
"Oh Kathy!"
"Peg, it's simple and easy. Gary wants to be excited with you, please share that with him. He will take it, magnify it ten-fold, and give it back to you. He doesn't want to take any credit or steal any limelight from you."
Peg was horrified, "Of course not. That would be anti-Gary. Does he think I feel that way?"
"He wants to love you Peg, let him. He doesn't want to yell or be angry, he's in terrible shape without you. Please Peg, all he needs is a stroke of your hand on his cheek. Please Peg, it's that simple."
"But Kathy, it's hard to believe he wouldn't see my happiness up here and know he paid for it with his misery. That seems like I'm rubbing my success in his face. My job is at its zenith, and I love it, while he's on furlough from his because of me. How can I emphasize the differences in our relative states of happiness and not hurt him?"
"Peg, all the reasons you haven't shared your adventure with him are all the same reasons Gary desperately needs you to share them. Please get that through your head. Your dad may be angry, Gary's just in love with his wife. Okay?"
