“Hey, kids,” he said. “You two want an autograph or something like that?”
The two boys could not believe their luck. They raced over to the two astronauts. Spencer and Alex signed the pictures with a flourish and the two kids took off with their trophies. Jillian had seen the whole exchange and beamed with pride in her husband. Now that was Spencer Armacost—the real Spencer Armacost that she knew.
Jillian left Natalie and walked down the bleachers to her husband’s side. He slid an arm around her slim waist and together they watched the kids run off.
“I know exactly what they’re feeling,” Spencer said. “They’re going to grow up and be spacemen. I was going to do that. All my friends laughed when I told them…”
“But you did,” said Jillian. “You showed them.”
Spencer laughed a little. “Oh yeah… I sure showed them all right. I’m the envy of every adult in the country.”
“You did what you set out to do,” Jillian insisted. “You left your mark. That’s more than some guy who works in a bank does. You became part of history. You did it…”
“I did it,” he said quietly. “And now it’s done.” He looked at her and smiled. “All done.”
Jillian returned his gaze but was also aware of Sherman Reese standing off to one side watching them. “What is done?” she asked. “What are you talking about”
“I’m resigning from the service,” said Spencer bluntly. “That’s what’s done.”
Jillian shook her head slightly, like a boxer shaking off a quick blow to the head. For a moment she was not entirely sure she had heard him correctly. She was completely taken aback by the announcement her husband had made in such a matter-of-fact manner.
“Is… is this because of what happened to you up there, Spencer?” Maybe Natalie was right after all, maybe something terrible had happened up there. Something that would alter his life— and by extension her own—forever.
Spencer took a deep breath and suddenly looked a little weary, as if he was not quite up to the task of explaining his reasons to her. “I’m done up there, Jillian,” he said. “I’m finished with up there. I think I’ve just about had enough.”
“What will you do?” she asked. She could not imagine her husband doing anything but being involved in aviation.
Spencer smiled. “Believe it or not I got an offer, a job offer. Out of the blue, as it were. ”
“From who?” Jillian asked.
“An aerospace firm,” Spencer answered. “It’s an executive position. And it pays a lot of money, Jillian, bucket loads of money.” Being an astronaut did not pay anything close to a single bucket load of money and there were a lot of things they had done without over the years. But neither of the Armacosts were particularly interested in getting a lot of money. It was usually the furthest thing from Spencer’s mind.
“We don’t care about money, Spencer,” Jillian said. “We’ve always gotten by.”
“Well, maybe we should start caring about it,” he countered. “There’s something to be said for having a savings account. Or so I’m told. I wouldn’t know firsthand.” He flashed her a smile. “Come on, Jill. Let’s live a little.”
“I have no objection to living a little, Spencer… But what do you know about being an executive? You are and always have been a flyer. I can’t see you flying a desk.”
“That’s the beauty part,” be said with another smile. “I don’t have to actually be an executive… And as for flying a desk, after a few years that’s exactly what I’ll be doing around here. No one flies shuffle missions till the bitter end, you know.”
“That’s years off. Alex Streck didn’t command his first mission till he was ten years older than you are now,” said Jillian hotly. “You’ve got years of flying left in you. ”
“Sounds like you want me to go up there and take another crack at getting myself killed,” he said. “I’m sure it could be arranged.” He laughed when he said it, but she could sense that there was real hurt behind his words.
Jillian immediately felt like a complete heel and enfolded her husband in her arms. “You know that’s not what I want. I want you to do what you want to do, Spencer… But why is this aerospace company hiring you? And why now?”
Spencer held her at arm’s length and looked at her as if she was a little crazy. “I guess you don’t read the papers, do you, dear? You are married to a true American hero. The President said so. So this company got to thinking that it might look nice to have the name of a true American hero on the letterhead.”
“And you’d go for that? For bucket loads of money?” This did not sound like her husband at all.
“Beats working,” he said with a grin. “Beats getting blown up in outer space…” The grin left his face. “There is something I have to tell you…”
“Oh boy,” said Jillian. “I don’t like the sound of this. Something nasty is headed this way.”
“Nothing all that nasty,” Spencer replied evenly. “Just New York City. The corporate headquarters…they’re located up in New York City.”
Now that really blindsided Jillian, a fact that took her completely by surprise. “You’re kidding!” she said. “You always said you hate New York City. What was it you always said: too many people living like that, it just isn’t human.”
Spencer sighed. “Things change. Now I want people. I want a lot of people. I wanted to be surrounded by people. Millions and millions of people.”
Jillian could not believe what she was hearing. “But, Spencer, think about it,” she protested. “We’ve made a life here, Spencer. Our friends are here, not to mention a job I love… everything. This was our life and we were happy with it until—”
Spencer looked away. He wasn’t smiling or joking now. He raised his eyes to the sky. It wasn’t a pretty blue Florida sky anymore, but had gone a milky white color.
Jillian knew what he was thinking about. Natalie was right. They did think about it. Those few minutes still haunted him and would for a long time to come.
“Tell me what it was like, Spencer,” Jillian said gently. “Tell me about those two minutes… tell me…” For a moment Spencer tried to speak, to put into the words the strange things that had happened to him, things that he himself did not understand. He had been unconscious so be had no idea what had transpired—he just knew that something had. And the words to describe it just would not come. Jillian could see the pain and distress on the face of her husband and she moved quickly to soothe away the hurt and the terror of the recent past.
“I’m sorry, Spence…” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. Don’t think about it, okay?”
Spencer turned her face to his and kissed her warmly and deeply. She felt herself going limp in his arms, holding him close, not wanting to let him go for anything.
Spencer spoke over her shoulder. “I know what I’m asking, Jill. I know how hard it will be for you. I know what this place means to you. I know what these people mean to you, too. I… I just don’t think I can be here anymore. Can you do it? Can you come away with me and do this thing in New York? If it doesn’t work out, we will have tried and we can move on to something else… I promise we won’t be caught—trapped—there. But I think I have to try it.”
Jillian pulled away and looked at her husband, tears in her eyes. “You came and took me away once, when I needed it,” she said softly. “I’ve always wanted to do the same for you.” She nodded decisively. “Let’s go to New York.”
“And be surrounded by people?”
Jillian nodded again. “And be surrounded by people.”