Part 1
“Why should I?” he asked himself and stretched out his legs in the queen-sized memory foam bed, “It’s Saturday.”
Stan blinked at the wavering sunlight as it filtered in through the blinds. He settled his head onto the down pillow. His eyes flickered and closed, and he could hear his soft snores as he began to drift back into sleep.
“It can’t be! What’s the date?” His eyes shot open. Jumping out of bed, he scrambled for his phone, watch and calendar, and started at each in horror. “How could I be so stupid?”
Stan threw jeans over his nude bottom, grabbed a t-shirt, forced on his tennis shoes, and ran. As soon as he opened the front door, he knew it was too late.
“Catherin! Don’t do it!”
His wife couldn’t hear him. At the bottom of the valley, she stood in the front of the line - with their daughter! - holding two suitcases. She had promised she wouldn’t go and had agreed to spend the weekend at her father’s two states away. Stan had told himself he’d call his father-in-law to make sure she was still there. How could he have forgotten? Catherin had become so awed by the visitors and the idea of a new life.
He watched in silent terror as his wife and daughter disappeared inside the city-sized space craft.
~ To be continued next Thursday ~