Richard called this evening. He needed someone to talk to and I was the only one who could understand what he was dealing with. It turns out his father has just been diagnosed with cancer. While the doctor has provided some treatment options, at his father's age with how far the cancer had already progressed it's unlikely he would survive much longer.
Just leaving for training camp would be nerve wracking for Richard. Under any other circumstances he would be by his father's bedside. Still, Richard was going ahead with the mission. His father insisted he did.
I talked to Richard about his father and his emotions for over a while. He mentioned that when he heard the mission would be eleven and a half years, he knew deep down that his father would not still be around when he came home, and that was before he got sick. Now it was all but certain he'd be gone.
I can't imagine how much harder it would be to make this sacrifice if my father was older or if he was sickly in health. Obviously, there are no guarantees in life. It's one of the reasons you need to take advantage of your opportunities while they are provided to you. That being said, realistically in my case I'm expecting my family to still be around when and if I return from Europa.
I didn't really know what to say to Richard. To be honest I don't think he expected me to say much. Just having someone to listen to him talk about it seemed to go a long way.
YOU ARE READING
Europa
Science FictionIn 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...
