Log Entry Sol 498 (3)
I found the probe and I managed to get it open. No radio, as expected. It sucks but they said they'll be sending me one in my probe so I only have to wait for another year-ish, possibly less. I'll have to leave the seismometers in place or maybe I should pick them up and put them out again closer to when I think I'll need them. I'm not sure how long they'll work in this environment. The information should be somewhere in our files, on one of the computers. I can look it up when I get back.
Food! I have food. I have no idea if this was the first or second probe with food, but it is a whole mission's worth. Thirty days' worth of meals for six people, no, wait fifty-six days' for six people: 336 breakfasts and 672 meals that I can eat for lunch or dinner. I'm taking them all. JPL will pack more for Ares IV. I'll still have to ration so I don't run out, but I can eat real food again! Real freeze-dried food. I feel like I shouldn't be so excited about that but it beats only eating pre-cooked, then frozen and reheated potatoes and green beans. A real meal once a day every day for 1008 days, or two meals a day for 504 days, or two meals a day every other day for 1008 days, or three meals a day every other day for 336 days. Ok, I have to stop now. I'm just so damned excited to have real food again which is why I am thinking about all of the possibilities. I need to make a plan and stick to it.
I packed the meals in the saddlebags I made as they can stand to be out on the surface. All but one meal that is. I kept one in the rover with me. I have water. I can sit it by the RTG to heat it. I don't even know what it is. I didn't look, just tossed one in. I don't care either. It's food! Real food! Well, not real food. It's not fresh. But it is something other than a damned potato or more green beans. YAY! That was not sarcasm by the way. I never thought I'd be so happy to have freeze-dried food again. It's not bad, but it's not great either. It's food, I eat it to survive. That was what I told myself before. It's also what I've been telling myself each day as I eat more damned potatoes and green beans. Now, I can enjoy my food again.
Looking through the probe, everything is in boxes so I loaded up as many as I could in the trailer rover. I'm going to head back to the Hab, stopping every few kilometers to make a big pile of rocks. I'm creating a highway here on Mars. So the trip to Pathfinder would be Highway 1, I guess this is Highway 2. I know that doesn't match any numbering system back home but I don't care. I'm the freaking king of Mars, I can number my highways any way I damned well, please. I don't even have to use numbers. I could use letters or names. The first one could be Communication Highway, this one Supply Road. I'm not sure this is long enough to count as a highway and everything here is only one lane, that lane being as wide as I want it to be.
Anyway, I'm heading back and making kilometer markers along the road. I'll come back out tomorrow and get the rest of the stuff. Now that I know how to go straight there it shouldn't take me long. No more nights in the rover. I'm ready to be back in my spacious Hab and sleep in my bunk instead of trying to stretch out in the rover.
Log Entry Sol 498 (4)
Dinner was sweet and sour chicken and it was so good I nearly cried. I'm not kidding. Never in the history of the world has freeze-dried, reconstituted food tasted so good. It was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth. It was almost too much. I had to eat it slowly. It was odd because often microgravity means taste buds aren't as effective or something like that. Food often tastes blander in space. I expected the same on Mars. Maybe because we weren't in zero-G on Hermes, our bodies didn't react the same. It has to be because I've been eating potatoes and green beans for so long. I rarely eat meals anymore. I don't have many. I was trying to stretch them out and I'd packed away the ones for special occasions, so I haven't eaten one in months.
Eating that chicken made me wonder if I should have dug into the MDV food stash or maybe I should have made the drive to Ares I or II. They probably have food in their MDVs too along with their surplus meals, unless they were all taken back to Hermes That's a lot of food. I could have had meals for nearly a whole year if I'd done that. I don't know that I could go to either location though without modifying the rovers like they want me to do in case I have to go to Schiaparelli. I need to finish that too. Just one more thing in a long list of things to do.
Log Entry Sol 499
I'm headed back out to get the rest of the supplies. Hopefully, I can make it in one trip. I don't want to have to keep driving. It was so nice to get back to the Hab and be able to walk around without wearing my EVA suit. I really, really hope they can adjust the MDV so they can pick me up. I do NOT want to have to drive to Schiaparelli. If I don't already qualify for an asylum now I probably would by the end of that trip.
Log Entry Sol 499 (2)
Nope, gonna need two trips. Damn it! I don't wanna! I don't wanna! I don't wanna!
If you pictured me doing that while stomping my feet like a two-year-old, then you imagined it just right. It's probably a good thing that the satellites only take still images. They might not want to come to pick me up if they'd seen my stomping around, whining like an overgrown toddler.
I'm done with my tantrum now, headed back to the Hab with my first load.
Log Entry Sol 499 (3)
Finally back at the Hab with all of the supplies. I'm not going through them today. They can wait. I need a shower, then I'm going to kick back with a bag of trail mix. Oh yes, I found snacks in the food. I'd forgotten about snacks. YUM. It's been so long since I had any that I had honestly forgotten we got them. Anyway, I'm gonna kick back with trail mix, a bottle of reconstituted apple juice, and some crappy 70s TV. I won't even mind the crappy TV. Snacks make everything better.
Log Entry Sol 500
Time to start opening boxes. Well, first I have to move the last set in. I guess it works out that I don't have a farm anymore since I now need the floor space for supply crates. I can spread them out and go through them one by one without needing to move them again and again, which would be really bad for my back. Yeah, my back is hurting again after moving all those crates into the rover and then into the Hab. Time for an RTG bath. I should probably leave a message for NASA first, but they have to know what I'm doing by now. I'm sure someone is monitoring the satellites. That should be enough for now. I can always go out and move rocks tomorrow or the next day when my back is feeling better.
Venkat popped into the Mark office after lunch and found it strangely empty. He looked around for a pen and paper to leave a note.
"Need something, Dr. Kapoor?" Beck asked as he came in the door.
"I was trying to find something to write on to leave a note for Commander Lewis," the Mars director replied.
"I can tell her. We're meeting in an hour before she and Rick leave for the airport to meet the Watneys."
"Thank you. Will you please let her know that I have arranged guest passes for the Watneys? They can pick them up at the front desk any time."
"Will do. I assume Ms. Park will be working tomorrow."
"Yes, she will be in, but I believe she is off on Sunday. Please, keep that in mind as well."
"Yes sir."
Log entry Sol 500 (2)
I'm done moving crates in and I've started going through them. I'm not logging everything in them right now. I feel like I should say something about the fact that I've been on this blasted planet for 500 fucking sols now, but I don't know what to say other than I'm still here on this blasted planet. Seriously 500 sols? Well, I've officially spent more time in space than anyone in history right? No, probably not. I think there are like a dozen cosmonauts that have more time than me and at least one American. Peggy Whitson is a kick-ass astronaut. She's also a kick-ass human being. Her time in space was over 600 days.
Days and sols aren't equal, but even with the calculation, I'm pretty sure I'm behind. This has to be the longest single mission by anyone though. If not yet, it will be soon. Not to mention by the time I finally get home I'll have to hold the record. My time will be well over a thousand days by the time I step foot on Earth again. That's unthinkable, or it used to be. Guess I'll be in the Guinness Book of World Records. That's awesome! Of course, I have to live that long and get home for that to happen.
What else is going to go wrong? Things go wrong on every mission. We expect it no matter how much we prepare. It's inevitable. So something else is going to go wrong. We're no longer in a phase or mission we planned for. Hell, I'm not sure the first "colony" was going to last as long as I'll be here. The discussions I remember were a two-year time on Mars. That would allow another ship to launch during the Hohmann Transfer Window. I think the plan was for a new crew to take over at that time and for the original colony crew to return. We were still at least a decade from that mission though, if not longer.
I have gotten way off track. I started out talking about going through supplies and veered into being a record holder, and I really don't know. I should get back to the crates. It's not like they're going to sort themselves out and Soju can't do it. Whatever happened to R5 anyway? Also known as Valkyrie, the humanoid robot that was supposed to be sent on Mars missions. There hasn't been a single one sent. I know I read about it back in the late twenty-teens. That thing would be super helpful right now. I could have it doing maintenance and even talk to it and it might respond. I mean, I know it wasn't going to be Data from TNG, AKA Star Trek: The Next Generation for the uninitiated, but it would have been better than having no one.
Again, I'm off task, or to be honest, I'm procrastinating. I don't want to spend the whole day going through boxes. I don't have to. I could just set the stuff aside until the Ares IV crew gets here, but something in there could be useful to me now. I could wait and do it over the next week or month.
Ugh, this is stupid. I'm going to go do it and just get it done instead of talking about it.
Log entry Sol 500 (3)
Clothes! I found clothes! Sorry Ares IV crew but I'm totally stealing your clothes. Some of mine need to go out on the surface and stay there. They are getting seriously ripe, even with "washing" them in the tub or shower. Fresh underwear, yeah I'm gonna owe the guy with the boxers. I'll find some way to make up for it. NASA will send more. I'll just have to let them know. There's plenty of time. I'm going to go take another shower and put on clean clothes, truly clean clothes. Maybe after that, I'll get back to going through crates, or maybe I'll just wait for tomorrow. It's too bad I haven't found any data sticks in the crates yet. I haven't found any laptops either. All of that is probably in another probe. Oh well, shower and clean clothes! YAY!
Log entry Sol 500 (4)
OH MY GOD! Clean clothes! Totally clean, never worn before clothes! I'm so happy and so comfortable. I smell clean, well, as clean as I can without soap.
SOAP! I got so distracted by the clothes I didn't even look for soap. I'll do that tomorrow.
Log entry Sol 501
Forced myself to suit up and head out. I checked the solar panels and then left a message. I'm back inside now to finish inventory. I may as well get done so I can stack the crates in a "corner." Soju keeps running into them and it's really getting annoying. Yeah, I could put him on his leash, but I like letting him roam free now that I don't have to worry about plants.
Log entry Sol 501 (2)
Didn't find anything else of interest in the crates, still, the clothes and food made the time I spent trying to find the probe worth it. No soap which sucks, but I can still use the water to rinse off. No deodorant either, and I need that too. Hopefully, someone thinks of it because I forgot to mention it.
Crates are stacked out of the way to wait for Ares IV. That's it for now.
Mindy was reviewing a new set of images when the doors to SatCon opened and a large group of people streamed through the doors. She looked up, then began to search for an escape from the room. She didn't see a way to get to the SatCon lounge or bathroom without being spotted so she tucked her head down and tried to be unnoticeable.
It didn't work.
"Mindy Park?" Melissa Lewis asked.
Mindy bit back the sarcastic response on the tip of her tongue about standing right next to her posted nameplate. She did not want to insult this woman, especially not in the presence of the couple she was sure was the Watneys.
Taking a subtle deep breath she responded, "Yes, Commander Lewis."
Melissa chortled, "You don't have to call me Commander. My crew doesn't even have to do that, though they continue to do so. Only other sailors are required to call me by my rank. It's Melissa."
"Um, ok," Mindy said quietly, thinking there was no way she'd ever be able to call the other woman by her first name.
"You sent an email just a bit ago with a new message from Mark. Could we see it?"
"Um, sure, just give me a second to get back to it."
"Oh, are these more recent images?" Lewis inquired.
Mindy nodded.
"Anything worth noting?"
"New pictures," Grace Watney said as she came up beside the commander. "Is Mark in any of them?"
"Not this batch ma'am. We did get one of him this morning, well a few actually, when he was leaving the message for us and while he was cleaning off the solar array. Would you like to see those?"
"Oh, yes, please," Grace replied then turned to look for her husband. When she spotted him she called out, "Timothy, there are pictures of Mark from this morning we can see."
He came right over and stood beside her, followed by Marinez and Beck.
Mindy fought not to squirm at the sudden feeling of being stood over by five people.
"Here you go," she said as she pulled up the first image, then she slid her chair to the side, stood up, and held her mouse out to Grace. "You can use this to scroll through the batch from this morning right here. I'm going to go refresh my coffee. Does anyone need anything?"
"Oh dear, no, but thank you for offering. This is all I need right here," Mrs. Watney replied pointing to the screen.
When everyone else also replied in the negative Mindy took her cup and slipped off to the lounge.
"I think we made her uncomfortable," Beck commented quietly. "There might be too many people for her at once."
"Dr. Kapoor did say she's a bit of an introvert," Melissa responded.
"I'm not sure it's that, or at least not just that," Tim observed. "I think maybe our particular group is a bit much for her."
"She was on edge as soon as you walked up Commander," Rick said.
"I noticed."
Grace patted her on the arm. "Don't worry Melissa, dear. We'll get through to her. She'll come around."
"Think she's onto us?" Timothy asked.
Lewis considered, "It's possible. It has only been a few days since she talked to Venkat about the recognition she deserves but doesn't want."
"Not to mention help getting on Mark's schedule," Beck commented. "That's not an easy thing to do, having your schedule change every day. We had time to adjust on Hermes and then readjust on the way home, and we were all doing it together. She's doing it alone while the rest of the world lives on Earth time."
"She's not coming back is she?" Rick asked, looking toward the SatCon lounge door.
"Not while we're all here," Melissa replied. "She peeked out a time or two. We might have to split up, or at least you two should go back to the office." She pointed to Beck and Martinez.
Rick barked out a laugh, "You've already intimidated her just by walking in the door, Commander. You should probably be the one to go."
"He's not wrong," Beck agreed. "You should go back to the office and wait for us. Rick, you should go with her."
"Why do you get to stay?" the other man complained.
"Because you'll just annoy her."
"Beck's right, Rick, go on back to the office," Melissa put in.
Tim Watney began chuckling, then moved to full laughter as the astronauts argued who would stay and who would go. It took the three of them a whole minute to stop arguing and look at him.
"Um, Tim, what's so funny?" Beck said hesitantly.
"I think we can all head back to the office," he answered, wiping his eyes.
"What? Why?" Martinez started then looked around. "Wait, where's Momma Watney?"
Melissa smiled and shook her head. "Well then, I think Timothy is right. Let's all adjourn to our office. Grace will find her way back."
"I don't get how she managed to slip past us," Rick grumbled as they headed out of SatCon.
Tim laughed again. "She can be really sneaky when she wants to be. I'm not saying anymore because Rick has a big mouth, and I don't want to get in trouble.
They all laughed and with a quick glance back to the lounge, left the room.
"Mindy?" Grace asked quietly.
The younger woman sat in a chair against the wall, leaning back with her eyes closed. She sat up suddenly, sloshing her coffee across the table.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry," Grace rushed over, grabbed napkins, and began sopping up the spilled coffee.
"It's not your fault," Mindy replied, "I shouldn't have sat down like that."
"You're tired."
"Yes, but that's no excuse for falling asleep at work."
"I'm sure everyone is allowed breaks. It should be acceptable for you to catch a few minutes' rest during that time."
Mindy shook her head, "I haven't actually been here long enough yet today to take a break."
"But you wanted to get away from the crowd." Grace smiled gently and sat down across from her. "Melissa can be intimidating, without even trying, and Rick can be exhausting though funny. Chris is fairly relaxing unless he starts talking about medicine. Are you not comfortable in large groups?"
"No, just, well just…" Mindy stumbled to find an answer.
"You can be out in large groups where people don't know who you are?" Grace raised an eyebrow. "You really don't believe that you did something wonderful, do you? Mindy dear, you've brought my son back to me. Yes, someone else might have seen it in the images, but they didn't. You did. You do it every day. You should be proud of yourself."
"I am," Mindy protested. "Proud of myself, that is. I just don't need recognition. It's not necessary. Recognition needs to go to those actually doing things to help him."
"You're scared," Grace observed.
"I am not!"
"Mindy dear, be honest with yourself, if not with me."
The younger woman looked down at her coffee cup, lifted it to take a drink, but finding it empty sat it back down on the table and spun it slowly. Grace reached out, took the cup, and walked to the coffee pot on the counter. She filled the cup and set it back down in front of Mindy.
"Thank you."
"Have you even told your family that you're the one that realized Mark was alive?"
Mindy shook her head.
"So no one knows unless they work here or were told?"
This time Mindy nodded.
"Why didn't you tell your parents?"
"Well, I sort of told my dad, but my mother would tell everyone she knows."
"What do you mean, sort of?"
"Dad died three years ago. I go visit his grave a few times a year and talk to him. I haven't been able to go in months. Now I just talk to him as if he's here with me."
Grace reached across the table and patted the young woman on the arm. "I'm so sorry dear."
"You didn't know."
"Why are you so averse to others knowing what you did?"
Mindy shrugged and ran her thumb around the lip of her coffee cup.
"You can tell me. It's okay," Grace assured her.
"I just don't want the publicity that would come with it. I don't want to be on the news or in the stories online. I don't want people to suddenly start following me everywhere. I've seen it happen each time a new crew is named. People go crazy. It's not so hard to imagine that it would happen to me and I'm not sure I can handle it. It's all just too much."
"Now that I understand. It was the one part of being an astronaut that Mark was most apprehensive about. He wanted to go to space and was thrilled about Mars, but the publicity was intimidating to him."
"Really?" Mindy looked up, her eyebrows raised. "He seems so at ease on camera."
"Oh, the scheduled interviews don't bother him," Grace said, rising to get herself a cup of coffee. "It was the paparazzi that he worried about. He was afraid of them following him home. He said when the crew was first announced he would drive and stop at several different places trying to make sure no one was following him. It is an understandable fear, though no one actually did follow him. You do realize that at some point it will probably come out. Someone will decide to write a book or a movie and they'll do the research and find your name and involvement. It will be a big story even if it's years from now."
"I hadn't thought of that, but Mark will probably be home by then and he'll get all of the attention. Mark and the Ares IV crew since they're going to bring him home."
"Possibly. Still, you should prepare yourself. You could speak to Annie Montrose. I guarantee she could help you. She could advise you on how to handle things when it does come out. "
"Do you really think they'd find out it was me?" Mindy asked.
"They found out that Sanders denied the imaging requests, didn't they?" Grace pointed out.
"Yeah, and as awesome as I think that is, it's not helping."
"I know, I know. The press had a field day. They absolutely roasted him," Mark's mom said with unsurpassed glee.
Mindy chuckled, "You really enjoyed that didn't you."
"Hell yes! I don't feel at all sorry for that man. He was only ever out for himself."
"I heard you threatened to hit him."
Grace pointed at her, "See, things find a way of making it out to the rumor mill. His secretary must have overheard and shared. Would you like me to talk to Annie for you?"
"No, but thank you. I'll put my big girl panties on and go do it myself," Mindy replied and looked at her watch. "Oh, I need to get back to my station. There will be a ton of photos waiting now for me to review."
"May I come with you?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Oh my, you don't have to call me ma'am. Please call me Grace."
Mindy shook her head as she stood. "Oh, I couldn't do that."
"You certainly can, and that's what I'm asking. I'm sure you were taught to respect your elders."
"You have no idea," Mindy laughed.
"Maybe you'll tell me sometime. Timothy and I love Chicago, but we're thinking about moving here until Mark is home. Karen has been kind enough to offer to stay in our house so we don't have to sell it or find renters. It works well since she's renting her own place now. Where does your mother live, Mindy, dear?"
"Seattle, it's where I grew up. Mom still lives there."
"Well, then you'll have to visit us when we move. Perhaps you can help us find a place," Grace replied.
Mindy pulled a second chair up to her station and sat down before she responded, "I don't know if I'd have time. I'm sure Commander Lewis will help you."
"Oh, yes with your changing schedule I suppose it would be difficult. You know we can't thank you enough for doing this. It has to be hard, but it's comforting knowing someone is keeping an eye on Mark. Especially someone who knows what to look for. I hear you learned Morse Code just in case communications were lost. It's a good thing you did. How are you adjusting to the new schedule dear?" Grace asked, the picture of innocence as she watched the younger woman pull up images on the computer and peruse them.
Mindy stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Mark's mother. "You've been waiting to ask that this whole time haven't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear."
"Dr. Kapoor put you up to this, didn't he? He was here a few days ago, worried. I'm adjusting just fine, thank you."
"I'm sure you are. Have you told your mother about your schedule change?"
"Not yet, but I will," Mindy said defensively. "I'll have to when I can't call her at the normal time on Sunday evenings."
"She and your father raised you to be very independent didn't they?"
"Mom never wanted me to have to rely on anyone else. It was drilled into my head that that's a weakness."
"There's a difference between relying on others and asking for help when you need it, you know. You can't burn yourself out. That won't do Mark or you any good. There are those willing to help you, all you have to do is say the word. Surely your mother didn't mean you should never accept help when it was offered?"
"No, I guess not," Mindy admitted grudgingly.
"You took the lessons she taught you and applied them as you saw fit. You're the one who decided that asking for help when you truly need it is a weakness. Am I right?"
"No, it wasn't me."
Grace bit back a sigh. "Mindy, did your mother specifically tell you not to accept help when offered."
"No, not in so many words."
The older woman took a deep breath at the hedged response and asked, "Did she specifically tell you not to ask for help?"
"No, I was encouraged to go to my teachers and professors for assistance, but I don't need help right now. I'm fine."
"Ah yes, I can see how you would think that after you apologized for falling asleep in the break room," Grace retorted but did not comment further as Mindy's cheeks flamed.
They sat in awkward silence on Mindy's part for several minutes before Grace asked, "How far do you live from the space center?"
"My apartment is nearly an hour away. It was the closest I could find when I first moved here. I haven't had time to look since then."
"And in traffic nearly twice as long."
Mindy nodded. "That's actually been the one advantage to the change. I don't hit traffic as often as I used to."
"Still if you lived closer to the center it would be easier wouldn't it?"
"I suppose. There's nothing new in these pictures by the way."
"There's a lovely subdivision about twenty minutes from here, Timber Cove-"
"I can't afford to live there," Mindy cut her off.
"Would you rent a garage apartment if one were available?"
Mindy turned her chair to face the older woman. "You've already purchased a house in that subdivision haven't you?"
Grace just smiled.
"And somehow in the past few days, you've managed to furnish it and set it up with blackout curtains."
"Shades actually so they can be retracted when you're home during the day and want the light. Your coming and going won't bother us. It's the least we can do to help the one who's watching over our son. We haven't actually furnished it yet or hung the shades, but we plan to."
"You're going to refuse to charge me rent, aren't you?" Mindy asked.
"If it makes you feel better we can arrange a lease and rent, but it's not necessary. When Mark returns we plan on letting him live in that apartment until he's able to move out on his own. Christopher has assured us he won't be able to live on his own for a bit as he readjusts to Earth's gravity, even after the time on Hermes."
"It's a wonderful offer, very kind of you-"
This time it was Grace who cut the other woman off, "Please just tell me you'll think about it."
Mindy bit her lip and resisted the urge to reject the offer outright. It would be rude. As much as she was raised to be independent, she had also been raised to be respectful of her elders. Still, how would she explain that move to her mother?
"I'll think about it."
"Wonderful, dear. We close on the house on Friday next week. We'll be headed back to Chicago tomorrow to pack up the truck and our cars. We'll be back here by Friday. No need to try and call us. We'll come to visit again. Now, I'm going to let you get back to work. It was wonderful to meet you, Mindy."
The satellite engineer sat and watched as the older woman seemed to speed from the room as if she weren't allowing Mindy the time to call out after her and say no right now.
"Hello Mindy darling," Meilynn Park said when she answered the call. "It's rather early for you to call, isn't it?"
"I'm off to work in thirty minutes and wanted to talk to you before I left," Mindy explained as she rushed around her apartment gathering her things/
"It's twelve forty-five in the afternoon dear, what kind of crazy shift are you on now? I thought you were working the night shift."
"I was, for the last year and a half. Now, well now I'm on Mars time."
"What on earth does that mean?" her mother asked, bewildered.
"I'm living and working on Mars time now. I go to work when it's daylight there and come home when it's night there. My shift changes by a half hour every day. It's going to be that way for a while."
Silence on the other end.
"Mom?"
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why, Melinda? I should think the question would be self-explanatory. Why are you on Mars time?"
"Because my supervisors asked me to be," Mindy answered flippantly.
"Melinda Su-Jin Park."
"Yes, Momma?"
"Do I need to go book a flight to Houston?" her mother asked.
"No!" she nearly shouted. "I don't have much time so I'll have to make this short."
She quickly explained the situation to her mother: realizing Mark was alive, notifying Dr. Kapoor, being placed in charge of satellites, the raise, and the switch to be on Mark's schedule.
"Does your boss know you live an hour from work? That the trip alone could mean you get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep."
"Mom, nighttime on Mars is twelve hours or close to it every day. Even if I get stuck in traffic both ways I still have plenty of time to get eight hours of sleep," she argued. Not that I ever get eight hours of sleep, even when I'm on a normal schedule. I'm lucky to get six normally and seven on a good night.
"Are you able to eat regular meals? They should be feeding you if they're asking you to do this, or giving you a place to stay there at the space center or closer to the campus at least."
"If I'm too tired I can stay in one of the rooms they use for the astronauts who return from missions before they go home. There is a cafeteria at the space center but I don't use it often," Mindy told her mother. "Actually…"
"Actually what, Melinda?"
"Nothing, never mind. How's everything with you? How's your job?"
"My job is fine. Nothing ever changes there as you well know. So tell me what you were going to say."
"It's really nothing, Mother. I should probably get on the road. I have no idea what traffic is like this time of day on a Sunday, and I wouldn't want to be late."
"You called me, so you must think you have time. Your car and phone are Bluetooth matched. I ought to know, you call me often enough when you're out driving. So what's going on Melinda?" Meilynn asked firmly.
Mindy sighed and explained the offer Grace Watney had made to her the day before.
"So take her up on it."
"Mother, are you feeling okay?"
"Melinda, the woman is trying to thank you for bringing her back her son and keeping her hope alive that he will make it home to her. Take her up on the offer of the apartment. Pay the rent, which will of course be absurdly low, and save up the money for the down payment on a house closer to the space center. It's the smart thing to do."
"It feels like taking advantage."
"You're going into it with your eyes open as are the Watneys. It's not taking advantage of them. It's accepting their generosity."
Mindy shook her head, "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"
"Melinda-"
"No, I'm serious. You are not the woman who raised me to only ever stand on my own two feet."
"You will still be standing on your own two feet. If you wanted, I'm sure you could insist on paying them the same rent you do for that place you have now."
"Mom-"
"I lost your father," Meilynn replied. "I was struggling after that and I didn't tell you or anyone else, but a friend who'd also lost their life partner noticed and took me to a grief support group. It took me several visits before it really sunk in that it's ok to accept help when it's offered. You have to understand that was also the way I was raised. Sometimes though you just have to let others help you. In this case, I think Grace Watney is helping herself by helping you. Remember there's nothing she can do for Mark, but she can help you and you're helping him. So, indirectly she's helping him."
Mindy sighed, "Okay Momma, I see it now. I'll talk to her when they come to visit again."
"Good, let me know when you're moving and I'll come help."
"Absolutely," Mindy said, "Absolutely not, not in a million years, your moving me to college and home again was bad enough. "Love you."
"Love you too."
A/N - first an apology, I reread the whole story and didn't realize that most of my section breaks had disappeared. I'll get the previous chapters fixed when I can. I should have known that FF and AO3 wanted totally different formatting for those. UGH! Anyway, now that I know future chapters will hopefully be correct when posted. Second thanks to all of you reading, following, reviewing. I appreciate it. Off to work on another chapter now.