The whole world held its breath.
The first figure appeared at the top of the ladder. Bella knew immediately it was Margie — and when her boot touched the surface of the moon, they heard her voice:
"I take this step for all of humanity — and to every girl who was ever told she didn't belong — you belong everywhere. Even here."
When Jack appeared at the hatch they all started crying — silently, completely, without any attempt to stop — followed moments later by Mike.
Margie collected a contingency sample of lunar soil — insurance against any sudden technical or medical emergency that might cut the moonwalk short — ensuring the mission would return with at least some lunar material regardless. While she worked, Jack and Mike ran mobility and stability checks on Penelope, then deployed the science instruments — sensors that would monitor the moon's environment and seismic activity for years after they left.
Towards the end of the first moonwalk — planned to be approximately six hours — Bella watched Jack walk a distance from the craft and plant the flag. Her heart just about burst.
She couldn't imagine how he was feeling up there. But she was so full of pride it hurt.
The next two days were spent in front of the television, watching every minute they were awake. They saw Jack and Margie take the lunar rover for a spin, watched them perform their experiments, and laughed out loud when Jack and Mikepretended to play football in the low gravity level, Mike pretending to score a touchdown.
Ha! The Dallas Cowboys quarterback could never!Bella texted Carrie.
FACTS!Carrie replied, with three laughing emojis.
Jack looked out at the vast darkness while he and Margie worked, gathering rocks and taking readings. Each day during their allotted time for moonwalking he was astounded at how truly alone he felt out there. He had trained for this for years — dreamed of it his whole life — and now that he was here all he could think was:
Complete the mission and go home.
Home to Sloane and Piper. Home to Daisy and Primrose. Home to Bella.
A technical glitch cut their next scheduled call frustratingly short — barely enough time to say hello — but seeing their faces, even briefly, was enough. The most important thing was that they could see each other.
He stopped what he was doing and looked down at his feet — heavy space boots on the lunar surface — and grinned. He took a quick photo of them.
I wonder what Bella will think of these shoes.
He laughed to himself and got back to work.
Complete the mission and go home.
The morning of the departure, Bella was up before dawn, the television already on.
The ascent was a multi-stage process — Mike igniting Penelope's ascent engines to break free of the moon's gravity before rendezvousing and docking with Aurora. It was anextraordinarily complex maneuver, and both Elena and Mike executed it flawlessly.
Successfully docked, the crew began transferring the lunar rocks, soil, and water ice samples they had collected. Then they prepared to undock Penelope and send her into a disposal orbit — preserving the lunar environment for future missions.
She had done her duty.Bella gave her a silent thanks.
With the four-day trip back to Earth now in progress, Bella began to prepare for Jack's return — making sure the house was spotless, the fridge stocked with his favorite foods, a carefully chosen bottle of Laphroaig waiting on the bar.
David, Debbie and Jason, along with Angela, Madeline, Big G and Mary, would all be arriving the day before splashdown. She made sure the guest rooms had fresh sheets and towels — Angela and Madeline would be at the house while the others stayed at a nearby hotel.
The night before their return, NASA had set up a question-and-answer session for the astronauts, taking questions from selected press. With everyone gathered at the house they settled in to watch — the sight of four happy, relaxed faces immediately putting everyone at ease.
Towards the end, the host invited each crew member to send a message home. After Elena, Margie and Mike had each spoken, the microphone was handed to Jack.
"This has been the most incredible experience of my life — it puts into perspective what a wonderful place our Earth is. When you're up here it's truly magical, but you can't wait to get back home. I want to say to my parents and my brother: thank you for all you did to encourage my dreams when I was growing up. Big G — I'm hoping for one of your lasagnas when I'm back."
"Copy all, Jack," Big G called out to the television.
"To my daughters Sloane and Piper — Dad loves you more than the moon and back. And for my wingman, Bella: maintain your heading. Coming in hot — full afterburner."
Bella's face turned precisely the same shade as her lipstick — deepening further when she heard Mike and the crew losing it in the background.
