’ Casey smiled. Maggie offered him the quickest wink, but her parents didn’t see it. ‘I’m sure statuesque women run in your family.’ ‘Well...now that’s right nice. ‘Statuesque’, I like that. Ma, the man thinks I resemble a work of art.’ ‘Oh, I’m sure he knows how to talk to the ladies, his line of work.’ ‘Mebbe so, but it sounds good anyways. Hey, let’s eat.’ It was a fine meal, a fragrant meatloaf, flavored with fresh rosemary. Fat orange yams with their own butter. Thick spears of asparagus. Empty. I'm empty. I need you in my life John. Without you I'm... nothing."My heart was thrashing. I hugged her close to me, holding her as she began to cry. I felt bad for her. I know that some men would have walked already. I know that some men would have taken revenge on a cheating spouse too. I was not built that way though. I still loved Sue in spite of everything. Yes, I still had serious issues about it all, but I felt confident that I would work through those issues soon.Part of that. “Can I come over to your place when you are free?”“Cool, give me your number I’ll text you “She gave me her number and left. I was lost in her thoughts. I could not concentrate for the rest of my day at school hoping to reach home soon and to text her. I fell in love with her the day she had shifted from Mysore. I was happier to know that she had joined my school. I never could gather enough courage to talk to her. She is around five feet four inches tall. She has dark brown eyes and hair that. Jeff hit the rewind on the lines, and seconds later they were back up.Leaning farther out again, he told the team good luck via his helmet radio, then the two stepped clear of the hatch."The limo is less than twenty miles away, Captain, and on this road. This has to be the place," his daughter advised via the Ship's mind.Jeff wanted to be part of the rescue, but he had to trust his people if he wanted the rest of the mission to work out the way he had planned.Below the Ship, the rescue team.