Pulvirenti Giorgio - Proxima B

“Thank you, Sir,” the young Marine answered. Then she closed the door behind her and walked towards her accommodation.

Springfield, Missouri.

Abigail lived in one of those terraced houses in the eastern residential area of Springfield. She and her husband had chosen quite a quiet area to live in. Her family spent its own life almost completely within that district. The University where she taught was in that district; the biochemical engineering laboratory of which she was in charge was in that district as well; the factory where her husband, Sam, worked was a few blocks away from the University; the school attended by their three children was nearby as well. You could say that particular structure was conceived for the whole city of Springfield as well as for many cities in the United States. The districts, or rather the areas, were built in order to meet the citizens’ needs; moreover, it would not be so worth moving over great distances due to the large number of inhabitants and the high volume of traffic.

The plane by which Abigail was traveling had just landed at Branson. It was approximately 2 o’ clock in the afternoon when the woman appeared from the sliding doors of the arrivals hall. She was very happy to see her husband, who had asked for a day off on this occasion, with their children.

“Mom!” her children shouted as soon as they saw her. Then they ran to her and hugged her. Their mother hugged them, too, of course, and then she said hello to his husband.

“Welcome back, my darling,” Sam told her, taking her luggage off her hand. After other fond greetings among the woman and her children, the whole family went out to their car. It was one of the latest models produced by the company where Sam worked at that time. It was an electric car that looked like a mid-sized space gray SUV with all optional equipment.

Once Sam was on his way home, he asked her wife for information about her travel.

“So? What was that travel you were talking about?”

Abigail waited a few seconds before answering.

“Would you mind if we talked later when we would be at home? I’m so tired…”

“All right,” Sam answered. They kept on traveling.

That same afternoon, after getting back home, Robert and Cody, the two eldest children, had gone at a friend’s house for studying while little Gwen had been brought to classic dance classes. Abigail had all the time she needed to relax and unpack her luggage until the front door opened.

“Darling, I’m back!” Sam said with his deep voice. From her bedroom, his wife, who was almost done with the arrangement of clothes in her wardrobe, told him something in response.

Then Sam added, “I’ve ordered some pizzas tonight.”

From the hallway he was getting closer and closer to the bedroom. Abigail locked the empty suitcase and left the bedroom to go to the sitting room while Sam was changing his T-shirt. The woman was in the sitting room in her flat; she was sitting on one of the sofas that were part of the furniture that was designed in a modern style when suddenly her husband joined her.

“So, tell me everything,” he proposed in a rather calm tone. Abigail did not hesitate and went straight to the point as she used to do.

“I’ve been selected to take part in a mission of colonization of a planet that is just beyond the solar system,” she said, looking straight into his husband’s eyes.

“What? A new planet?” he asked in amazement.

“Exactly!” she answered. Then she added, “I’ve been selected to take part in that mission as a chemist together with 1,499 people who are playing their own roles.”

Sam remained impassive at first. He tried to understand whether Abigail had something more to say. Then he began to nod, which made his wife suspicious.

“Sam, it’s a one-way travel, you know…” she added while the man was still silent.

“This is amazing!” Sam exclaimed suddenly. All of a sudden, he, who was sitting in front of the sofa where Abigail was sitting, got up from his sofa.

“Have you already decided to accept?” he kept on saying.

“Of course I haven’t,” she answered in a tone that was almost breezy. Then she added, “I’d like to know what you and our children think of it.”

Sam ran his hands through his hair, which was as black as pitch. Doubts were beginning to assail him.

“Wait…” Abigail said. She meant to break that embarrassing silence that had fallen all around for a few seconds. “We’ve been told that it will be possible for the first colonizers’ families to reach the planet thanks to a second travel that will take place a short time after the first one!” she exclaimed, intending to calm her husband down a bit. Some moments after hearing those words, he sat down again and met Abigail’s gaze again.

“Do you realize what you’re asking me to do?” Sam asked her. He was almost upset.

“I didn’t ask you anything, Sam! If you don’t want me to accept, I won’t do it. But I want you to know that we’re doing this for the future of our children. Do you remember what we talked about at Ben’s party? Our planet is seriously in danger, and this is an important way of salvation, and we’ve been chosen to be saved…,” she answered.

After hearing these words, Sam started thinking. On the piece of furniture next to him, his eyes met a photograph of himself together with his wife and their three children…

Missoula, Montana.

David was sitting on his comfortable sofa. He had drawn his head back and his mind was filled with thousands of thoughts. The silence surrounding him was broken by Roth’s barking outside. Somebody was coming. The man stood up, pulled back the curtain and watched through the window. He noticed Gaia’s car. She was coming home from work. David repositioned the curtain almost in a huff and sat down on the sofa again. The front door opened. David’s wife came in. The dog, which kept on barking, was not let in. “Finally you’re back, darling!” the woman exclaimed. She was a bit tired. She put her bag and her coat on the other sofa. David stood up and came up to her; he hugged her and held her tight. His hug was tighter than usual.

“So? How was it?” Gaia asked her husband. He stood silent for a while. Then they looked straight into each other’s eyes.

“I just need to tell you about the lecture…” But there were something in his tone that did not fully convince her.

“What’s up?”The woman asked him. She was getting a bit worried.

“No big deal, actually. Don’t worry,” David told her. He meant to calm her down. Then he kept on saying, “We’ll talk about it in a while. Meanwhile, get ready. Your supper is in the oven.”

The woman followed her husband’s advice and after making sure Leo was sleeping in his bedroom, she went downstairs back to the kitchen, and there was David. He was sitting at the table while waiting for her. The same old prayer was recited. Then Gaia’s supper began. She used to eat legumes and bread.

“So? What was the matter?” the woman asked while she was putting her first spoonful of soup in her mouth. Once more, David did not answer her immediately; rather he waited a few seconds, which let her get more suspicious.

“Listen, Gaia, I’ll put it bluntly,” he said, and then he looked up, stared at his wife that gave up eating for a while. “The U.S. Government and New NASA Corporate need to carry out a mission of colonization of a new planet that is just beyond the solar system,” he resumed, “and they would like me to take part in this mission in my capacity as architectural engineer.”

She remained impassive after hearing these words. David lowered his face for a while; he did not know whether to go on talking and how to continue.

“They explained everything to us during the lecture. They’re recruiting the best pilots, soldiers, doctors, chemists and engineers of the world, and I’m part of this group. We must reach our decision within seven days. Then we must appear in Washington again. And I’m sure that the best choice is to say yes.”

It was hard for them to hear those words, especially for David’s wife, who was increasingly dumbfounded.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Gaia wondered. She leaned the spoon on the dish almost violently, and the tablecloth was spattered with some drops of soup.

“Listen to me, my dear…,” he said.

But he was abruptly interrupted by his wife, who asked him, “Are you aware of what you’ve just said?”

“Listen to me!” David tried to press her, who, however, would not listen to reason.

“Haven’t you thought of Leo and me? How long would it take to accomplish this mission?” she asked him.

“You got it! Actually, it’s a one-way travel! Once you’re gone, you can’t come back!”

Gaia opened her eyes wide as if she did not believe in what she had just heard. David made the most of his wife’s silence. So, he could finish his speech.

“Obviously, I saw to Leo and you, too. If the mission is successful at the first attempt, the spaceships will come back and other people, including the families of those who had left first, will be caught.”

Gaia’s expression changed for a moment.

“What do you mean?” she asked him. She was full of doubts.

“That’s so. Before leaving, we must sign a contract with the Government and New NASA Corporate that assures us that we shall live a new life on Proxima B!” David said finally with increasing certainty.

Gaia’s soup had gotten cold; moreover, she had lost her appetite due to the piece of news she had just heard.

What came out of her mouth were only the following words, “I don’t know what to say…”

“Listen, my dear. This mission aims to save the whole human race, and I feel compelled to be part of this project, sacrificing myself for my neighbor, just like I was taught by my parents and my grandparents,” her husband told her.

His words sounded differently from five minutes before, which made Gaia look less hesitant about the matter.

“We should talk about it with Leo, too,” the woman said, nearly forcing herself to speak.

“Of course. I’ll do it tomorrow morning,” the man added. Then he kissed her wife on the cheek; she stood up and leaned the dish, which was still half full, on the sink.

“I’ll go home. I’m exhausted,” she said.

“Okay. Tomorrow morning you’ll see this matter in a different light. Trust me,” David added, letting her get into bed. She deserved her own rest.

David sat down again and grabbed his tablet with both hands. On its monitor a document stood out. All information about the mission could be found there.

New York.

The noise of the cues hitting alternately the cue balls on the pool table was the background to country music and the soft murmur that resounded through the same old pub on the 44 thstreet where Michael used to go. He was a regular by now. It was about 11 o’ clock in the evening and the man was sitting on his usual wood swivel seat. He was ordering his same old glass of whiskey.

“Another shot, Sten!”

The barman did not hesitate to satisfy Michael’s request.

“Hey, my friend, are you attempting to make up what you’ve missed lately?” Sten asked him almost ironically while pouring some other whiskey in Michael’s glass that he drank in one gulp.

“By the way, where have you been?” the man asked from behind the counter.

“It’s not your business!” Michael answered in his usual drunken man’s tone. Sten had known him for a long time and he could not take it out on him. Instead, he kept on insisting, regardless of him.