Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center, Thursday, November 24th 2029 at 2:30 pm

Lucas

The crew was rushing around me, triple checking that they had all of their gear together. There were cameras and televisions everywhere. It was always annoying to have them there because it was hectic enough doing the final preparations for the launch. I saw the commander pull Cooper aside and hand him a phone.

I wonder what that's about. I hope everything's okay.

Cooper glanced over at me, his lips pursed. He started walking over quickly.

"What's going on?" I asked him when he got to me. Cooper put the phone against his suit.

"It's Anne," he replied. "She says that Rachel is here and wants to talk to you," my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest with joy and extreme guilt.

Rachel is here? In Florida?

Anne must have told her about me volunteering for the launch. My heart started to ache tremendously as I imagined the pain she must have felt when she found out.

I know that this is my only option to get better for her and our future family.

"What do I even say to her?" I asked Cooper defeatedly. "I don't know what I can say right now to make her wait for me." I could feel my eyes starting to burn.

"You've gotta tell her something, man," Cooper replied in a hushed tone. "You were trying to leave for nine months without telling your wife while also hoping that she will be there when you return." His face was serious. My stomach began twisting with nausea.

"You've already messed this up. Don't leave without saying a word to her." He looked at me with such intensity. Cooper was always such a clown, I wasn't used to seeing him like that. I held out my hand and he gave me the phone.

"Rach," I said as I held my breath.

"Lucas?" the way she said my name was heartbreaking, and it felt like I was being dragged to the floor.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered into the phone. I could hear her breathing, and I could tell that she was crying.

"You need to talk to me. Give me something, Lucas," she pleaded with me over the phone, and it felt like my heart was shattering into a million pieces. I really messed everything up.

"Alright everyone get in formation, it's time to head out!" Commander Freeman called out from behind me.

"Rach, I have to go," she started yelling at me from the other end. I could picture her face; her mascara was slightly smeared, her curly hair messy, her cheeks flushed.

She looks beautiful no matter what.

"If you don't tell me why you're leaving, Lucas, then I can't promise you that I'll be here when you return," I closed my eyes. Her tone was the angriest I had ever heard. I could feel my own tears finally start to fall.

I can't lose her, I just have to get better for her. If she doesn't wait for me, that is a consequence I will have to deal with. I have to win her back.

"I love you," I said before I ended the phone call. I didn't even look at Cooper when I held out my hand for him to take the phone back. I could feel him grab it and put his hand on my shoulder for a moment before returning the phone to the Commander.

We all got in a line and I pulled a photo out of my pocket. It's a picture of Rachel from our senior holiday party in college. She had on a bright red cocktail dress and a white faux fur jacket. Her hair was in a messy low bun with strands of curls sticking out.

I fall more in love with her every time I look at this picture.

I decided that I was going to ask her to marry me at graduation that night. I taped the photo inside the lip of my helmet and held it tight at my side.

I knew that this was an incredibly selfish thing to do to her. I didn't even tell her that I was leaving.

I wonder if she's ever going to forgive me for this.

Music started playing from outside. That was our cue to start walking.

Why couldn't I tell her what was going on?

"Ready?" Cooper said as he turned to look at me.

"The line is about to move," I said solemnly as I nodded in front of me. Cooper smirked.

"Do you really want to make this process faster?" I gave him a confused look. I wasn't sure what he meant. "Walking out onto the platform, waving at the crowd, listening to the cheers, saying goodbye to your loved ones," he looked out the window. "These are our last few minutes before we get into a giant, explosive piece of metal and leave our wives for nine months."

His eyes started to become glassy, and I could feel his pain exactly.

"I'm going to miss Anne tremendously. I want this moment to last forever," Cooper turned back around and we signaled to start walking.

He was right. Everything could go wrong in a millisecond. I saw Cooper start to move in front of me.

Here we go.

I followed the rest of my crew in a steady rhythm. I rubbed the edge of the photo in my helmet with my index finger as my heart twinged with pain. I passed through the door and the light from the sun was almost blinding.

The applause from the crowd was incredible. The feeling of walking out onto the platform had always been a mixed bag of anticipation, fear, excitement, and sadness. Whenever we walked across, they were our last steps on Earth for months at a time. The last time our loved ones would see us in person until we returned. This time was different, though. I didn't have the assurance of Rachel being here when I returned to Earth and I knew that I'm to blame for it.

Out of the corner of my left eye, I saw Cooper start to move forward again. I bit my bottom lip as the camera panned over to me.

"I'm so sorry," I mouthed before turning and following behind Cooper.

We had to sit inside for a few hours as members of the ground team checked all of the systems.

"TEN!" The countdown started and the rocket began to shake.

"NINE!" Cooper shouted out orders, and different members of the crew yelled back.

"Check!" I barely heard him when he got to me.

"Hey, Lucas, you with us?" Cooper yelled from the front.

"EIGHT!" I looked around and saw everyone putting their seatbelts on.

"SEVEN!" the posts holding up the rocket began to peel away, causing the entire thing to rattle.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," I stammered as I buckled in my chest.

"SIX!" I finished buckling myself in and looked around again.

"FIVE!" The quaking of the Earth was a much needed distraction from Rachel.

"Helmets, crew!" Cooper shouted out as he secured his helmet to his suit.

"FOUR!" I threw mine on and secured it in place.

"THREE!" I glanced towards the bottom right of my helmet. I saw the picture of Rachel I taped on the inside. She looked so beautiful.

"TWO!" The shaking was getting intense as the ground trembled beneath us.

"ONE!" I closed my eyes as the shaking became almost nauseating.

"I'm going to come back to you, Rachel," I whispered to myself as I felt the shuttle leave the Earth.