As Joey slept on, he was seeing flashes of his past before his eyes. It started when he was a toddler in 1934 and went to his first space museum in Atlanta. His mother was the one who took him while his father was disapproving of the subject. Ironically, Joey loved the subject because of the mystery behind it. As a result, his mother nurtured his interests.
When Joey was in kindergarten in 1937, he was asked by his teacher to dress like what he wanted to be when he grew up for a special dress up day. He wanted to go as an astronaut, but his father refused to let him go to school in a white tee shirt, matching pants, and a fish bowl on his head. His excuse was that it was after Labor day, but Joey knew the real reason and so did his mother.
When Joey was in middle school, he was filling out some papers for high school and filling out request forms for a special astronomy class. But the moment his father got the permission slip, he ripped it into pieces and told Joey to pursue a more promising career than being an astronaut. So instead, Joey pursued academics.
By the time he got to high school, he was an honor roll student and had many colleges interested in him including Cal-tech and Harvard. But again, his father steered him in the direction of a college close to home.
When he wasn't at home studying night and day or working at a local diner as a waiter, Joey would be found in the theater watching the latest films and plays or at local concerts listening to whoever was in town at the time. Of course, his father disapproved of these activities. Joey was beginning to notice a pattern in his father.
By the time Joey graduated from high school and college, he was craving the freedom of having his own stuff. But when he would try to, he would be guilt tripped into changing his mind.
Finally, Joey took a chance for himself. It was to go to Florida and train to go to space.
"I can't let you go through with this," Joey Senior said in disagreement, "you don't know if this is a scam or not!"
"I'm not a child anymore, dad," Joey retaliated, "I can make my own decisions and if I make a mistake, I will learn from it."
"If you go through with it, don't bother coming back," his father said as he turned away from his own son.
"Joey Senior," Mrs. Platters gasped.
"Daddy, no!" A teen girl who looked like Joey exclaimed as she teared up.
"It's okay, mom," Joey said as he grabbed his suitcase and hugged his kid sister, "I will miss you, Zelda."
Joey left his family right then.
After the launch, Joey's family arrived at the space station.
"We're too late," Joey Senior said.
"Yes, you are," Sam giggled, "aren't you proud of your astronaut son?"
"This is all your fault!" Mrs. Platters cried.
A week later, it was announced that the rocket went missing and the astronauts presumed dead. As result, Joey Senior attempted to sue NASA for the deaths caused but lost because of a liability waiver that was signed.
YOU ARE READING
Fly Me to the Moon
Ciencia Ficción(Any and all events except for one is a work of fiction, clearly! Discretion is Advised!) It's 1955 and the start of the Space Race. A college grad, a convict mechanic, and a young prodigy are chosen to go to the moon. What will happen when this rag...
