In the background you could hear the doctor’s sonorous voice. He had started to give his speech. However, for me there was music in the air; it was a mild night, and the light from the streetlamps reflected downwards, painting beautiful golden stripes on the water.

“I didn’t know you were working for my uncle!” Vanessa inquired, looking me in the eyes.

I looked at her fixedly. And do you know I am completely in love with you? I thought. How easy it was to lose yourself in those precious green pools of radiant light she had for eyes!

“Hello?” she seemed to be saying.

“Hi!”

“Are you okay?”

I cleared my throat.

“Ah...yes...your uncle. Yes! Doctor Moses Masterton! Yes, I work for him.”

She smiled.

“My uncle is a bit of a basket case, you know?”

She flicked back her hair with the most charming of gestures.

“And how long will you be in Guatemala?”

How I would have liked to have been wearing the personal resonance glasses! But the question proved it: Vanessa was interested in me.

“I don’t know exactly, maybe just a couple of days...or perhaps more,” I shrugged: “you know your uncle...”

Life is strange. I never thought I would see the woman I loved ever again. And now, there I was talking with her again at the edge of a lovely swimming pool on a romantically-lit evening.

After a long conversation, to test the waters, I finally decided to take the plunge with my declaration of love.

“Do you like chocolates?” I asked, suddenly nervous.

Oh no! That’s not what I wanted to say.

“I love them.”

We were passing by some enormous wooden benches. It looked like they had been carved centuries ago. We sat down. It was time to attack. I took a deep breath.

“Vanessa…” I began, articulating each syllable as clearly as I could, “the other night was very special for me...”

She touched her gorgeous blonde hair and looked at me sideways.

“For me too...”

“But...I don’t understand why you didn’t want to give me your email address.”

“Gordo,” she said with a sigh, “I’d like to explain it to you...” she lightly bit her lip, “but...”

“Are you married?”

She laughed.

“But of course not!”

“Divorced, with kids?”

“Definitely not!”

I took advantage of the moment of humor to draw closer to her.

“Then?” I inquired.

She let out another sigh. I knew it. This was the moment.

“Vanessa,” I whispered. “I know we hardly know each other, but...”

At that moment she looked at me, and I looked at her. I could not speak. I took her hand. I accidentally looked at my watch. The chronometer marched on; however, at that moment, neither the mission, nor the satellites, nor the rockets were important. Nothing mattered but me and her. Finally, I was at the side of the woman I loved. My fears and anxiety were a thing of the past. I lifted my hand to her shoulder in one fluid movement. I tenderly squeezed her hand. I leaned my head down and slowly moved towards her. She did the same.

The most glorious moment of my entire existence was just about to happen. In a matter of seconds I would be in paradise. She closed her eyes and...

“Gordo!” you could hear someone shouting. “Gordo!”

It was Darwin’s voice. Vanessa timidly drew away from me. The kiss had been foiled. Damn it!

“Gordo!” Darwin exclaimed, running towards our bench. “Where were you! We’ve been waiting for your speech for over 10 minutes!”

Oh God! I had forgotten! I got up firmly.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” I told my sweetheart. “Don’t move,” I ordered.

She did not do as I said.

The three of us hurried towards the reception room. I felt bolder. My recent conquest had given me a healthy sense of power. I went ahead of my companions. A new Gordon Goddard went into the room. A man who was sure of himself. I went into the room without hesitation. Almost immediately a murmur spread throughout the crowd. The music stopped. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me. I felt my stomach lurch a little, and in addition to that, my knees began to shake.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” announced the master of ceremonies, from the far end of the room, “The eminent scientist Gordon Goddard, the youngest member of Moses Masterton’s team.”

The audience broke into applause. I wanted the earth to swallow me up. I got up to the podium, my hands sweaty. I patted my pockets. It was quite a task to find the couple of sheets that my speech was on, but I found them. I took them out and held them in my left hand. I took the microphone; my hand was shaking.

The murmur in the room fell to a hush. An expectant silence began to reign. I was paralyzed. It was at that moment that I discovered that I had stage fright. I cleared my throat over and over again. Meanwhile, I began to sweat.

Suddenly, I felt my wrist tremble. The light on the watch came on and the alarm went off. I forced a smile and tried to turn it off. It was in vain. The sharp timbre of the bell was insistent. It seemed to resonate throughout the salon. The audience did not take their eyes off me. They waited expectantly, holding their drinks. Then I noticed that Moses Masterton was coming out from between the audience members. He came up to me hurriedly.

He went up to the podium.

“We have an emergency,” he whispered. “We must leave immediately.” With a signal, he took the microphone from me. I gave it to him and he turned to the gathering. “Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to take these boys to their beds.”

Laughter showed on the faces of various people. They had taken it as a polite joke. I took the microphone and seized the opportunity to say the only thing that occurred to me: good night.

Among stares and smiles of admiration, we abandoned the podium and walked towards the door. Darwin and Felix were waiting outside. We immediately ran towards the hotel exit. Vanessa caught up with me as we were going down the steps that led to the street.

“What’s going on?” she asked in alarm.

I slowed my pace and turned around. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my companions going ahead towards the bus that was waiting with its motor running.

“I won’t be long,” I responded, agitated.

“Tell me! What’s going on?”

I sighed.

“Vanessa. Oh Vanessa!”

“Will I see you again?”

I sighed again.

“I hope so, but just in case, would you give me your telephone number?”

She bit her lip.

“You already have it...”

“No, no! I don’t mean your aunt’s in D.C. I mean the number of your house in Guatemala!”

“Gordo, I’d love to give it to you...but...but...”

She did not give it to me.

Next Chapter: Lift Off!