That went about as well as I expected it to go. I told Dad about the mission to Europa and how I will be departing for eleven and a half years in August, and he almost flipped out.
I knew he wasn't going to be supportive of the idea, but part of me was really hoping he would be. When I was a little girl, he would always say "Maria, I'll support you no matter what you chose to do. I'll love you no matter what."
I know he still loves me, but I can't say his words sounded too supportive. He had a lot to say but some of the highlights were "what grown woman abandons her son to go on some science field trip", "how can you trust those bastards after they incinerated your mother in front of you", and "eleven years, have you lost your damn mind."
The one that really sunk in like a knife was the jab about abandoning my son. I really started to cry when he said, "I can't lose you too."
Throughout this process I've thought mostly about the burden I was putting on him by making him Diego's legal guardian. I haven't really thought about the emotional toll. Every morning my dad is going to wake up and worry about me. When he goes to sleep, he's going to wonder if my ship is okay. Eleven years is a long time to worry.
After our heated discussion Dad decided it would be best to stay in a hotel tonight. He says he's going to drop by and say goodbye to Diego before his flight.
Tonight, really sucked. If there is one positive, it's that Dad has agreed to take Diego if I don't come to my senses.
YOU ARE READING
Europa
Ficção CientíficaIn order to embark on a mission to discover alien life on the icy moon of Jupiter Maria must leave her life on Earth behind, including her father and her seven-year-old son Diego. She thought the hardest part of the mission would be saying goodbye...
