The Sun's Son

April 2, 2019

For an astrophysicist and the son of the astronaut in question, I have always felt like a separate third party here; aside from my father, and his mission's ground control unit. It felt odd being in the headquarters. Like I don't belong, though my father did. And we are the same.

If I had known that I'd be the only one to show up this year, I wouldn't have gone. This wasn't but a painful reminder that I failed in the only thing I am what I am for. I had no reason to be there. This wasn't my father's grave.

I'm the only one left. All official parties: gone.

It was time I left.

But a door opened. A woman no younger than 30 and no taller than me walked in. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

I coughed. "I'm Dr. Matthew Thomas, Jr."

"Oh my God, You're Major Tom's son!" She abruptly went in for a handshake.

I am his son and also him; space is the only difference between us, he knows it and I claim to.

"I'm Anita Martin, an electrical engineer here. Well, not this unit as you sure know, but the one following it".

I really wanted to leave, and it really showed.

"Um, do you have a minute? I've always been interested in your father's case as well as your work on black-holes and I think I've come up with something that you might find interesting too," Anita sounded hesitant.

There's nothing that I hated more than sentences starting with "I've always been". Until then.

"Go on".

"I know how y'all concluded that the Major entered a black-hole in 1969 and that's why his spaceship was never found or any trace of anything related. But that signal which came from his capsule on the 11th of September later that year always made me wonder how it originated," She paused waiting for my reply which was silence.

"It was an itch for me for a long time, till last month when a discarded shuttle sent a similar signal. It was in the sun's gravitational field: burning away. Apparently, from footage, a stress rubber ball kept bouncing: hitting everything including the button that sends such signals,"

"A stress ball?"

"Just hear me out, here's my take on this: he was to take a spacewalk, observe the lunar eclipse, take pictures and get back by April 4th. Right? But instead whatever happened did and what was it: is a black-hole, except that it spat him out in the middle of September eleventh's solar eclipse right in the sun's gravitational field".

I remained silent as I was. She searched my eyes for a reply as I searched my brain for one.

"It's just a guess. I ain't know much about space, but it flabbergasts me".

"Well, that makes two of us," I went for the door and looked back. "I'll see you on September 11th then".

"What for?" She chuckled.

"My father's 50th death anniversary".