Beyond the Stars (13 page)

***

Today was just like any other day at work until we were all called to the conference center for an impromptu meeting. I took a seat beside Jack and Noah and braced myself for the news. To my surprise, the meeting wasn’t to deliver reports about material delays or other setbacks. We were pleasantly informed of a new group of investors and of a large manufacturing company joining in our quest. Their addition shortened our projected timeline for the completion of the Space resort dramatically. It was now estimated that the resort would be up and running in less than four years.

The construction would require the manpower of hundreds of workers on the ground and in Space. There was already a list of outsourced employees waiting to get to work on the Space resort. SIG also enlisted the help of its internal workforce to complete the task. A list of the hand-picked employees was then read aloud, and we all clapped, congratulating them on their new assignment.

I felt happy about our accomplishments until I heard Jim Walker read the name Jack Bennett.
What!
My jaw dropped open in shock. I turned and looked at Jack as he smiled from ear to ear. I was irate. I grabbed onto the armrest of my chair to keep myself from hurting him. I think I could have shot laser beams out of my eyes, so I decided to turn away, as well. I fought to maintain my professionalism and sat quietly until the meeting’s adjournment. I followed Jack out of the conference room before I took off briskly down a vacant hall. “
Ugh
,” he moaned when I walked passed him once he realized that I was upset. He followed me and quickly strode up beside me.

“How could you take that assignment without discussing it with
me
first?” I said in a low, trembling voice while I marched down the hall.

“
What
are you talking about? Good Lord, Sami, you’ve known how I felt about this since the day we met. Opportunities like this are
exactly
why I work here to begin with. Unlike you, I actually like Space. You’re a real fish out of water here,” he lashed out angrily. Then, he turned his body in front of me, blocking me. I looked away angrily.

“There’s plenty to do right here on Earth,” I seethed through my teeth.

“Yes, and right now, there’s even more to do in Space.” He sighed and stared anxiously at me.

“So, that’s it. You won’t even reconsider?” I shook my head in disbelief. I knew he was looking forward to these missions, but I had hoped that this day would never come. I dreaded it. I could tolerate the stunts, the super-fast jets, but how could he choose this mission over his family?

“Sami, I’m sorry—I didn’t ask you how you’d feel about this because I thought you already knew that I’d been waiting for this day,” he said in a calmer tone, keeping his voice low because some of our colleagues walked past.

“I know … I guess I did.” I bit my lip and closed my eyes, trying to make the conversation disappear. I took a moment to try to get a grip. “Jack, I
love
you. If anything
ever
happened to you—I would just die. I’m sorry. I don’t want to hold you back. I’m just upset because the thought of you being up there worries me. I hate thinking about you working so far from home on a structure with no surrounding atmosphere. Call me crazy, but do you really think we can build this
thing
without making any mistakes along the way? The project is larger than anything we’ve ever built,” I said convincingly. I didn’t care if I sounded irrational. I was suddenly hit with overwhelming emotion, and tears filled my eyes.

“I love you.” Jack loosely held both of my weakened arms as they drooped limply against my body with disappointment. He waited for me to speak. I looked up at his sparkling eyes filled with determination. Clearly, he saw nothing wrong with his decision. Was I being ridiculous? He could hurt me more than anyone. When did my heart become so defenseless?

I groaned in agony.

“I’ll be okay. I will be extra careful. I will pretend I’m you. I promise, no risks.” He held up his hand like he was taking an oath.

“Perfect. Then why don’t you start acting like me right now and have some common sense and
not
go,” I blurted out sarcastically. I wanted to scream, “Why don’t you just leave me for good?” Then, I recalled my late mother’s words of wisdom on how she and my father stayed happily married for sixty years. She told me that there would be times when either one or both of them would want out of the marriage, but if they hung in there, they could work things out. She would always say, “This too shall pass.” This was definitely one of those moments for me, because leaving him might be easier than enduring endless worry.

“I want to go. I have to,” he said firmly while he looked up the ceiling. He was disappointed when I didn’t see things his way. We looked at each other for a moment without speaking. Jack held his hand to his mouth like an air traffic controller talking into his microphone. “I will be back before you know it. Do you copy that?” He knew I had a weakness for his humor.

I knew it was a losing battle. Jack always did what he wanted to do, regardless of my wishes. We both did. We’d both made sacrifices for one another to keep on common ground. I knew the beauty of our marriage was based on the power of unity. Together, we could accomplish anything. We had always supported each other’s dreams at all cost. This was no different. I had to trust his decision.

“Fine, but you have to promise me you’ll take care of yourself,” I finally conceded. I swallowed my pride and tried to support his decision.

“I will. You’re the best. I knew you would understand. Thank you. I’m going to make you and the kids so proud,” he promised. A euphoric look took over his face.

“I’m
already
proud of you, and so are the kids,” I said emphatically. “So, how long will you be gone?”

“Two months for the first trip,” he muttered.

“The first trip, huh?” I shook my head nervously when I realized that I had no choice but to come to grips with this or I’d surely go insane.

“Yeah, I will be entered into a two-month rotation between the resort and here,” he said coolly.

“Great,” I moaned. I hung my head in defeat.

Jack pulled me towards him, lifted my chin, and stared into my eyes. “
Come on
.” He smiled irresistibly, which made it impossible not to love him. He supported my lower back with his left arm and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before he hugged me tightly. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.” I sighed. He was glad to have my approval. I could hear the excitement return to his voice. I knew that he was anxious to participate in the construction. He also seemed exhilarated to be able to travel to and from Earth in the elevator he’d worked so hard on. But the thought of him leaving me for these missions was almost too much to bear. I tried to suppress my fears like I had done so many times before. I’d learned long ago that being married to Jack was not for the faint of heart. He did things that only someone so skilled and brave could survive. His actions both frightened and thrilled me at the same time. It made me question why I loved him so much. I would never fully understand him. He loved life more than anyone I’d ever met—yet he would risk it for the advancement of humankind without so much as a blink of an eye.

CHAPTER 10

BROKEN

Jack and I survived his new assignment. It’d been almost a year since he first started working in Space. He loved his new job and continued traveling to and from the Space resort, staying for weeks at a time. The construction project rapidly expanded as though it couldn’t be stopped. Leah and Jackson had just celebrated their seventeenth birthday and were busy pursuing their graduate degrees at the university. I felt very alone. The house was incredibly quiet. I never imagined I’d have to face an empty nest so soon. I couldn’t help but cling to Jack when he was at home. I think he found my yearning for him a turn-on. Although we had talked on the phone every day, I missed his touch, his smell, his body next to mine each night. I longed for him to scoop me into his arms and hug me in manner that only he knew how. We made love like it was the last time before he left on each trip. Whether it is was due to our anticipated separation or the fact that we had the house to ourselves, the sex was great. I cringed every time he left. I hated to see him go.

I found personal satisfaction in knowing that our separation also proved harder for Jack than he had anticipated. He was scheduled to leave again tomorrow. For some reason, it seemed harder than normal for him to leave me. Perhaps the novelty of his new assignment was wearing off.

“Come with me,” Jack said, coming up behind me in the kitchen while I was cooking dinner. He pulled me into him, pushed my hair to the side, and kissed the back of my neck. I stroked down the sides of his firm thighs with my hands. I loved feeling his body pressed against mine.

“I can’t,” I moaned. I wasn’t sure if I answered out of habit or because my resistance to change my old way of thinking had become part of me. Whatever the reason, it was easier to stay home than go.

“
Please
, will you reconsider?” He leaned me forward against the kitchen counter, lifted up my shirt, and kissed lightly down my back. His hands glided around my waist and down my hips, instantly exciting me.

“
Oh
, do you have to make this so difficult?”

“Yes, I’ll use whatever weapon works.” He turned me around to face him before he kissed me passionately.

“Not fair.” I broke from his lips. He smiled and kissed me again. He was successful in achieving one goal.
Dinner would have to wait.

Jack’s words seemed to haunt me, replaying over and over again in my head when he left the next day. It made me miss him even more. He told me that he was going to kidnap me and bring me into Space. He said he missed having his better half. The pressuring didn’t end there. Jim Walker, the operations manager of the Space elevator, constantly teased me about how he had an open seat on the lift reserved with my name on it. I was sure it was Jack who put him up to it. Jimmy was in charge of every transport to and from Space. He told me I should go to work on the Space resort with Jack instead of pouting every time he went away. I guess my misery must have shown on my face. I would tell him I appreciated the offer, but always answered with an emphatic “No thanks.”

***

I poured all my energy into my work. I exercised daily and kept the house immaculate. I got used to the routine. The days mindlessly passed by. My life was completely predictable, making it a total shock when it was changed instantly. Everything I once knew suddenly came crashing down. My world ended when the phone rang. I had just returned home from a run. It was Leah. She was hysterical.

“Mom,
where
were you? Why don’t you carry your phone on you?” Leah screamed frantically.

“I don’t know. I was exercising. What’s wrong?”

“Hurry, turn on the TV. There’s been an accident on the lift.”

“
What?
What happened?” I rushed to my television and turned it on. The news reporter was talking about an explosion. The camera zoomed in on a large hole blown out from the side of the Space elevator craft. I listened while he explained that two men on board were killed in the accident.

“Mom, is Daddy on that elevator? Wasn’t he supposed to be coming home today?” She rushed through the words.

“Yes, Leah, he is supposed to be,” I muttered. “Leah, please calm down. Don’t jump to conclusions. Someone would have called me. Hold on. Let me check.” I removed the phone from my ear and quickly scrolled through my messages. To my horror, the phone’s screen displayed three messages from work, two from Jackson, as well as seven calls from Leah. Tears burst from my eyes. There was only one reason why I would receive a call from work. It was to deliver important news …
bad
news. Just then, the other line beeped. “Hold on, Leah. It’s work.”

“Mom, wait. Put it on three-way,” she yelled before I purposely cut her off.

“Samantha Bennett,” I answered rapidly.

“Sami, it’s me, Jim Walker.”

I had never heard him so shaken up before.

“Jimmy, what happened? Is Jack okay?” I held my breath while I awaited the answer. I had to know if Jack was hurt.

“Sami—there’s been an accident.” He paused. “We lost two men. Jack was one. I’m
so
, so sorry.” His voice broke.