Published November 25, 2016
"Pictures of You"
"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." ~ Daniel 12:3
Katie inherited many of Matt's clothes throughout her childhood and even into her early adolescence. Sam and Colleen were too frugal to toss them aside for the sake of dressing her in clothes that were supposed to be acceptable for girls. Not that they did not have enough money, but they had to save up for the children's education funds, since both of them wanted to enroll at the Galaxy Garrison when they were old enough, and the tuition there was a considerable expense.
They did buy Katie some dresses and skirts, which she wore on special occasions. She liked them as a novelty, but found them too uncomfortable to wear regularly, since she had a tendency to sweat a lot. They were also impractical for exploring the nearby forests, her favorite kind of natural environment; they made it harder to climb trees and wrestle with her brother. And her mother would not let her wear such nice things while she worked with tools and machines and chemicals.
Once, a neighbor casually asked Katie if she was a girly-girl or a tomboy. Katie did not know, so she shrugged the question off. The truth, she later decided, was that she was neither. She did not conform to the social expectations of either gender. She was a girl, that was undeniable, but that fact did not dictate her style or interests. She was simply herself.
Katie did not have many friends, since her intellect alienated her somewhat from people her own age. She breezed through primary school, advancing two or three grades each year, so that she never stayed in a class long enough to develop lasting friendships with other students. This did not bother her too much, since she had Matt and her parents for company. Unlike her female peers, who seemed preoccupied with jewelry and makeup, her family members were interested in the same things as her.
The Holts adopted their dog at a time when Katie was starting to feel lonely for the first time in her life. Sam was preparing for on a months-long space mission, and Matt was about to begin boarding at the Galaxy Garrison to begin his own astronaut training. Colleen would be there for her, of course, but she had to keep the house in order and work to earn her own income. Katie really needed a playmate, someone who could match her energy and curiosity and keep her company without being pulled away by work or school.
It was Sam who suggested getting a pet. Katie might have preferred spending her time building something artificial, like a telescope or a vehicle, but a living thing would give her something to be responsible for, and provide some of the companionship she needed. Plus, a guard animal, like a dog, might make Sam's family safer while he was away.
The dog they chose, Bae-Bae, had lost her parents and been separated from her siblings. Matt was thrilled by the new addition to their family. Katie was a little slower, but she too came to love him.
They brought Bae-Bae home during a school vacation, so the kids had time to train and play with her together. She gave the family something to bond over besides space, which Colleen thought was probably healthy for their relationships and mental well-being.
Colleen was the only member of the Holt family who had no strong desire to visit or explore outer space. She loved learning about it, but she preferred to study the skies from the safety of a library or observatory.
She secretly hoped Sam would retire by the time Katie began her own career, so she would not be left with only the dog for company. As it was, only seeing her family's passionate enthusiasm for their studies made the months of separation bearable. Their shared interest in space exploration both drew them together and drew them apart.
During his vacations, Katie helped Matt prepare for each step in his training. She quizzed him with flash cards and timed his responses. She coached him through exercises to stay physically fit. She claimed that attacking him was a way to test his reaction time and reflexes, but this usually ended with the two of them wrestling and tickling each other.
Katie did not seem particularly bothered by the fact that all her help was bringing Matt closer to his long-term separation from her. Sometimes Colleen wondered if she was aware of it. But perhaps she was so used to him being away at school that, to her, his being away in space would be much the same.
When Matt reached the level at which he could go on a space mission, Sam requested that his son be assigned to his own crew for the upcoming mission to Pluto's moon Kerberos, where they would collect ice samples that might contain evidence of alien life forms. The approval of this request brought Colleen enormous relief, because now she would not have to worry about either of them being lonely or not getting along with their peers. While other young adults might have seen this as helicopter parenting, Matt was quite pleased with the arrangement, because it would give him the chance to realize his dream of discovering alien life.
They made their final dinner together a celebration. They made all the special dishes that were usually reserved for the holidays, since Sam and Matt would miss so many during their time away. Sam and Matt wore their military and school uniforms while Colleen and Katie wore their best dresses, an elegant green evening gown and an old-fashioned pink dress. Katie's hair was as unruly as ever, even when she pulled it back with a headband, but overall she thought did not look bad. She hoped that when her father and brother thought of her in the coming months, they would remember her looking like this. So she wore the girly outfit again the next day, when she and Colleen accompanied Sam and Matt to the space station and posed for pictures before the launch.
"Maybe next time we do this," Matt told her as they stood before the camera together, "it'll be before your first launch. Maybe even our first mission together."
Katie smiled at him before smiling at the photographer, who captured the image of the two siblings looking proud, hopeful, and confident.
Music: "Pictures of You" by The Last Goodnight, which mentions soldiers, a mother waiting for her son to come home, scientists, and being "blocked by the governmental wall".
