Bella didn’t really want to be gone at the moment; as the mission time grew closer, Jack became more and more unavailable, with the most intensive training really starting now. The crew had also been spending time at John F. Kennedy Space Center, to inspect the ship that would be taking them to the moon. Jack said he had inspected every plane he flew in before takeoff, and that wasn’t going to change now. His attention to detail and concern for the safety of his crew is something Bella loved about him, and one of the reasons he’d been NASA’s clear choice to be mission commander.
By the time they left New York every buyer had committed to the limited-edition jars and the beauty editors were already planning features timed to the launch.
From New York they were all travelling to Houston, where the crew had been asked to throw out the first pitch at a Houston Astros game, over Memorial Day weekend. Angela and Madeline would be meeting them there, as well as Carrie’s daughter Madison, as Mike and Carrie's relationship had become considerably more serious than anyone — including Carrie — had expected. And Jerome was looking forward to continuing his moon rock conversation with Margie. He was determined to get a moon rock or die trying!
The game had been fun, and Bella was thrilled seeing Jack and the crew on the big screen in the stadium, and the cheer that went up from the crowd when they walked out to the mound.
Jack had been given the ball to throw out, but at the last second he handed it to Elena to throw. Her surprise and happiness on her face at the touching gesture was heartwarming. She threw a strike right down the middle of the plate, with the Astro’s catcher shaking his hand in mock pain, to show how hard she’d thrown it.
The crew joined them in the NASA suite, and Jack spotted Bella across the suite and laughed out loud. In a white tee and cropped jeans, she'd somehow managed to make vintage Manolo Blahnik denim high-heeled tennis shoes look completely natural at a baseball game. Only Bella! After the game they all went back to Jack’s for a barbeque. He’d invited all of the mission crew, including the ground crew, and their families to his place. It was his way of thanking everyone for the long hours they’d been putting in. Later, after all the guests had gone, they cleaned up and were relaxing by the pool. All four girls had gone to the theater, so they had the place to themselves, even if just for a few hours.
“I’m pretty sure I caught Jerome snooping in my office, looking for a moon rock,” Jack said.
“Probably. He’s obsessed with getting one. You didn’t have one. Did you? Please say you didn’t - you’ll never see it again!”
“No, no moon rocks - we aren’t allowed to just take one home and put it on display.”
“Thank goodness for that!”
“The pool looks beautiful and inviting, the way the moonlight bounces off the water," Bella said softly.
"You should see the ocean at night from a cockpit — the moon shining on the water just after launching off a carrier deck - it’s an amazing sight.”
“Do you miss flying?” she asked.
“Yes, but not as much as I used to. There’s something about being alone out there, no land in sight for thousands of miles. And the rush when the jet takes off, zero to one hundred sixty miles per hour in two or three seconds to get airborne. It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”
“Wow, sounds exciting and scary at the same time.”
"It was.” A pause. "It still is. When we launch for the moon, it will be the same feeling, times a thousand.”
“And when you land? What’s that like?”
“Splashdown, we don’t land, we splashdown in the ocean. Shall I show you what that’s like?,” already moving toward her with that look on his face she was going to get wet.
“Jack Calloway - don’t you dare toss me in the pool, I’m wearing Manolos!”
“Well, I suggest you take those off, and maybe a few other things, Ms. Genovese. I’m feeling a bit hot and need to cool down.”
“Roger Wilco, Captain.”
The girls arrived back a few hours later and immediately launched into a full review of the film they'd seen, starring someone they declared a unanimous 10/10.
“Hey, did you guys go swimming? You’ve both got wet hair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a pool, Mom.”
“Yes, I took a dip - I was feeling hot and I needed cooling off.”
“Oh, okay, well good night, see you in the morning” said Madeline, tossing her a cheeky grin and wink, before disappearing upstairs to the guest room.
The next day Jack took them all on a tour of NASA - Bella and his girls had been there of course, but it was new for Angela and Madeline, and he wanted to show them around. They marveled at everything, took pictures wherever permitted, and met many of the ground crew who were working on the Diana IV mission. Angela asked endless questions — the article, of course - while Madeline was most excited about the space food samples. Afterwards, they drove to Galveston for a late lunch/early dinnerat Shark Shack Beach and Bar Grill. After fish tacos at the Shark Shack, they walked over to the Pleasure Pier, where all four girls played games and rode a few rides. It was a perfect day, and the sea breeze took the edge off of the heat. Jack and Bella sat on a bench, holding hands, and enjoying watching the girls have fun.
“They’ve really meshed well, don’t you think?” asked Bella.
“They have, I wasn’t sure - their backgrounds are so different, but they are pretty close in age if you look at it, and they seem to like the same things. I’m glad - I would have been worried if they didn’t like each other, wouldn’t you?”
“Absolutely. And I'm glad Primmy and Daisy get along — that would have been a disaster!”
“What should we do tomorrow? A friend has offered to loan us his boat - it’s plenty big for all of us. We can take it out on the lake.”
