Chapter 7

Young and Impressionable

The Robinson home had been subdued since Judy made her pronouncement. Her application to USC was in the mail and she continued with her studies. Her father insisted that she complete the year at Alpha Control as planned. Even though Maureen had suggested that Judy be exempt from the physical aspects of training, Judy herself preferred to remain involved in all of the activities, which would now involve the twenty pilots who had volunteered for the program.

Maureen suggested that the family meet the pilots individually by inviting them over for a home cooked meal prepared by herself, which became the running joke at Alpha Control. Not only that, she insisted that they be invited in alphabetical order.

Captain Thomas Bryce was the first to join the family for their social hour. He was a top notch pilot and John was impressed by his military bearing when he greeted him at the door. Bryce stood straighter than the crease in his pants as he was introduced to the family and nodded stiffly to each of them.

"Where are you from, Captain?" Maureen asked as they sat down to eat.

"Tucson, Arizona, Mrs. Robinson. I'm twenty-eight years old and have an older brother. My parents still live in Tucson and I see them twice a year." he replied.

"Oh, well, is that often enough?"

"Yes. We talk on the phone once a month also."

John knew Maureen wasn't happy with that answer, so he switched topics. "You seem a bit young to be a Captain. How did you earn your rank?"

"I graduated from the Academy as a first lieutenant and I was promoted to captain when I was assigned to stay on as an instructor."

"Oh, I see. How long have you been flying?"

"I earned my pilot's license when I was a senior, so I've been flying for six years."

Will was bored and interjected a comment. "Do you like baseball, Captain?"

"No. I was too busy studying to play games."

"Oh."

"Why did you apply for the Jupiter program, Captain?" Judy asked.

He looked directly at Professor Robinson when he replied. "You need the best for this mission and I'm a top notch pilot. If I'm chosen, I'll guarantee that the mission will be a success."

The children gradually drifted away from the table and the Captain and John remained discussing the particulars of the mission until it was time to end the evening.

"That was an impressive young man," John stated as he closed the door behind him.

"Too much spit and polish for my taste," Maureen observed.

"He was so serious," Judy added.

John was tempted to tell her that, since she wouldn't be on the mission, her opinion didn't count, but he swallowed that comment for feat that Maureen would rebuke him. "That's what I want, Judy, someone who will take this mission seriously."

"He wouldn't even talk to us," Penny lamented.

Will nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was almost like we were invisible."

The pilots traded dinner stories as the days wore on and the jokes intensified. Maureen was nicknamed 'Mrs. Cleaver' and Will was 'Howdy Doody.' Penny was a favorite because of her big brown eyes and warm smile, so she was called the 'brown-eyed girl.' Judy was known as the 'cheerleader' and even Professor Robinson was given a name. One of the pilots, Lieutenant Jackson, described the evil eye he was given by John when he flirted with Judy as, 'the mark of Zorro.' From that point on, John was called 'Zorro' when he wasn't within earshot.

The dinners were wearing on the family, but Maureen was committed to giving each of the airmen their time. They attempted to complete the introductions in twenty straight days, but they found that the men started to blend together, so they took weekends off. Their thirteenth dinner was with Captain James "Red" Miles, the oldest of the pilots. He had a confident, yet relaxed air about him and greeted each of the family members warmly when he was introduced.

"How long have you been in the military, Captain Miles?" John asked.

"Ten years, not counting R.O.T.C. in college," he answered.

"Why did you apply for this mission?" Judy asked.

"Since my wife died…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain," Judy said, "I didn't know you were a widower."

"Thank you, Judy." Red became quiet a moment and then went on. "It was the hardest time of my life. She died in a car accident two years ago. We'd been together since high school back in Ohio." He sat straighter and continued, "When this mission was announced, I knew that I had to apply. My parents are gone too, so, I thought I'd be a good candidate since I have no family that I'd be leaving behind."

His response touched Judy. The words 'no family that I'd be leaving behind' stayed with her throughout the night.

After he left, Maureen offered her opinion. "I liked him, John. He's mature and only a few years younger than we are."

"And he has the most flying experience of all the pilots, Maureen. I think this mission has given him a new purpose in his life. He's high on the list."

They were down to their final dinner… First Lieutenant Donald West. John remembered his accidental meeting with the young man and would have taken him off the list if not for the enthusiastic support of General Bowers to keep him in the running. Don appeared at the door with flowers for Mrs. Robinson.

"Lieutenant West," John acknowledged with a nod. "Come in."

Don bowed slightly. "Professor Robinson, I'm sure you remember that we've, uh, met before."

"How could I forget, Lieutenant? My rib is still sore. By the way, what were you running from that night?"

"A misunderstanding, sir."

John had heard that Don was a favorite among the female staff and asked, "With a woman?"

Don blushed slightly and nodded. "We, uh, came to an understanding. And you, sir?"

"And me, what?"

"What were you running from? Not many family men would go to their offices on Thanksgiving night and stay there until the early morning hours."

John was not happy with this candidate… not happy at all. "That, Lieutenant, is none of your business."

Maureen entered the room and saved Don from further damage. Don handed her the flowers and said, "Flowers to thank you, Mrs. Robinson, for what I'm sure will be an excellent meal."

"You flatter me, Lieutenant West," she replied.

"The pilots have raved about your cooking."

Will and Penny bounced into the room in their usual effusive way. Don relaxed for the first time since entering the house and flashed his charming smile.

"These are our two youngest children, Will and Penny," Maureen stated.

Don extended his hand to Will and said, "Well if it isn't Howdy Doody," as they shook hands.

"Howdy Doody?" Will asked, "Who's that?"

Don took Penny's hand in the same manner and stated, "And our 'brown-eyed' girl."

Penny giggled. "Why did you call me that?"

"The pilots came back with their dinner stories and those were the nicknames they gave you both."

Judy sauntered into the room. "And what did they call me, Lieutenant?"

Don looked up and felt like he had gone to heaven and back. Instead of her usual pony tail, Judy's hair cascaded over her shoulders. She was gorgeous and Don had to remind himself that she was only sixteen years old. It wasn't her body that nabbed him, although she had a hell of a body, it was her eyes. He looked into those deep blues and felt like he could see clear down to her soul.

"They, uh, they…" Being tongue-tied was a rare occurrence for Don and he mentally kicked himself back into gear. "They call you 'the cheerleader,' and I can see why."

She blushed when her eyes met his, and she wondered what color they were. She couldn't decide if they were brown, green or gray, but they were certainly inviting and she wanted to spend the evening staring into them to see if their color would change with his moods. When he finally turned his head away, she noted how elegant he looked in his uniform. None of the other pilots had looked quite so… militarily handsome. Neither noticed the 'mark of Zorro' being thrown in their direction from both John and Maureen.

"Let's sit down at the table, shall we?" Maureen suggested. "And, Judy, I could use your help in the kitchen."

As the family settled down to the meal, the conversation meandered from the space corps to baseball to music and back to the mission.

"So, Lieutenant, what brought you to the Jupiter program?" John asked.

"I come from a big family and have lots of nieces and nephews. I guess part of my reason is that I worry about their future. I'm not sure the Earth is going to sustain us a whole lot longer, and I think colonization is a viable alternative," Don answered.

"You seen awfully young, Lieutenant. What made you apply for the program now?" Maureen asked.

"I'm not sure I can explain it… It just seems right. I saw the Jupiter 1 explode on TV and I just knew that I wanted to be in that pilot seat on the next flight."

"How old are you Lieutenant?" Judy asked.

"Please, call me Don, uh, all of you. I'm twenty-one and will be twenty-two in July."

"Are you a Cancer or a Leo?" Penny asked.

"I'm a Leo. And you are, wait, let me guess… intelligent, reliable, shy… a Virgo!"

"How about me?" Will demanded.

Don tilted his head and thought before answering, "Friendly, intelligent, inventive… an Aquarian."

"How did you do that?"

"And me… Don?" Judy asked.

He stared into her face. "Sensitive, compassionate, kind… You have to be a Pisces."

Judy smiled. "So you're an astrology expert as well as an expert pilot?" she asked.

He looked down at his plate and bit his lower lip. Looking back up at her he replied, "Actually… I did my homework before I came."

"Lieutenant West certainly was a hit with the children," Maureen noted as she and her husband prepared for bed.

"Too young and too inexperienced," John stated.

"Why is General Bowers so high on him?"

"Says he's the best pilot of the group and has consistently made top grades in every class he's taken."

As they nestled into bed together, Maureen sighed and changed the subject. "John, we might want to consider sending Judy to Colleen's after the winter break to finish high school in California."

John pulled his head back, "Why would we do that?"

"I don't like the way she and Lieutenant West were looking at each other. She's too young and impressionable. There's no reason for her to stay since she won't be joining us on the mission."

John lay silent for quite a while before responding.

"John?"

"We made a commitment to this program, Maureen, and she's going to finish out the year. I'm not going to lose her any sooner than I have to."