I’m the first to redirect my stare. Remembering I have one more gift, I reveal a bottle of peanuts. “For good luck. For the auction, now the showcase. Not that you need it, but—”
“It’s tradition. Thank you,” she says. We take a step back from each other before we’re too close to pull apart. “I was able to raise thirty-five thousand dollars, the high end of the range. Talia will be bidding for me while I’m up there.” Rooney rolls her eyes while shrugging. “I need all the luck I can get.” She twists the lid and pours a handful of peanuts into her palm. She offers me a handful in return. Rooney looks around at the guests trickling into the space.
“Rumor has it, they had to release more tickets. The turnout is incredible. What you created… it’s a stellar follow-up toEntangled. Pun intended,” I say. I look from one corner of the installation down to the center and then back up to the opposite corner. There’s string everywhere, making it impossible to follow a single thread. I lean in closer and add, “I’m incredibly moved by it. Now you know for certain that one person feels something.”
A grateful expression passes over Rooney’s face as she exhales. “Thanks, Jack,” she whispers.
For a moment, everything between us feels like it might be okay. Like we could still really be friends after everything. But I don’t know how we can get back to where we were. That place is now as distant as Mars itself.
Dusty spots us and makes his way over to congratulate Rooney.She glows with every kind word tossed her way. Like she’s loving the live feedback.
“Rooney, there you are,” a voice says behind us.
“Mom, hi. This is Jack and Dusty,” Rooney says, sidling up next to her mom.
“Jack. We’ve met,” Wren says, her face unreadable. “And Dusty, I hope your name has an interesting backstory.”
“He runs the clean room at NASA and apparently has an extensive cacti collection,” Rooney jumps in. “Dusty, this is my mom, Wren. She’s actually been working on a plant art collection.”
Dusty turns directly toward Wren, his face softening. “It’s a pleasure, Wren. What plants are inspiring you these days?” he asks.
“I’ve been particularly moved by the Hairy Balls Milkweed,” Wren says without missing a beat.
“Mom!” Rooney shout-whispers.
Dusty’s eyes light up. “Ah, the ol’Gomphocarpus physocarpus. Highly toxic.”
“That’s what draws me to them,” Wren says.
“You and the butterflies,” Dusty says. His eyes don’t leave Wren’s once.
Rooney looks amused as she watches what’s unfolding in front of us.
Wren crosses her arms, but in her cheeks, I think I actually see… pink. Is Wren blushing? I run a hand over my face. Surely I’m seeing things. Rooney looks up at me, biting down a laugh.
“Oookay… before this gets weirder, how about you two go find seats?” Rooney says, directing her mom toward the seating area in front of a podium. Wren and Dusty aren’t paying any attention to us. “We should go, too. The show and auction are about to start.” She mumbles something about the timing of life. “How are you feeling, Jack?”
Me? Oh. She must be talking about when I have to introduce her in a few minutes. “I think I’m okay.”
Rooney mirrors my earlier movement by leaning in and saying, “Just remember that you’re speaking to people made of stardust. If you look closely enough, maybe they’ll even shimmer.”
It’s such a Rooney thing to say that it sets me instantly at ease. She gives me more peanuts for extra good luck. “Congratulations, Jackson No-Middle-Name Liu.”
This time together hardly makes up for the time apart, but it’s something. The last time we saw each other, it ended with me playing onstage with Toby and Mac to a somber-looking Rooney. She left before the set was over.
“Congratulations, Rooney Something Gao,” I whisper.
Overhead, there are a few taps into a microphone, my cue to get ready for opening remarks. We walk over to the podium together. Up front, I scan the audience to find Gong Gong and my team. They’ve saved me a seat a few rows back from Wren and Dusty, who’s miming what I hope is the shape of a cactus.
Once the audience is quiet, I jump right in, sharing an overview of the Artist-in-Residence program, my role as mission liaison, the FATE Mission, and Mars. I add context about how interest has grown about our work at NASA ever since reinstating the program. Before introducing Rooney, I give a shout-out to my team.
“Our team is like ice cream,” I say. My team smiles in the audience. “Each one of us is a base ingredient. Eggs, heavy cream, milk, salt, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add a little science into the mix, and we form something that sticks together. Without even one of these ingredients, the recipe changes. But all ice cream needs a flavor. Something that brings it to life. For our team, that’s Rooney.”
I look over at her, and we exchange smiles. I become tongue-tied knowing words can’t convey how remarkable this woman is. Butsomehow I mash enough coherent ones together for a decent introduction. Rooney walks out, and the cameras of NASA’s professional photographers and the press start flashing while a low murmur hums through the crowd. I take my seat, eager to watch her sparkle.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Rooney Something Gao,” she starts, glancing over at Talia, who’s positioned behind the audience in the back of the room. Talia’s in Rooney’s direct line of sight, probably so she can keep Rooney informed about the auction.
Kenneth, Margie, and Nick are positioned to the far right of the podium. NASA stood by their chosen artist. When the press asked for comments, they stated that this is another example of how discoveries really are made all the time here.
