A BIT MORE FROM 'REACH FOR MARS,'

I returned to my buggy and climbed in as I looked at my watch and was surprised to find that it was 8:00 p.m. It had been an eventful day. I figured Melissa would be at home by now, so I pointed the Buggy in that direction. I pulled into the driveway and parked, walked in the front door, and heard banging and clattering noises coming from the kitchen. This worried me a little, as there were a lot of sharp knives in there.

“Drew, is that you?” Mel called out.

“No, I’m just your friendly neighborhood Martian burglar—don’t mind me, I won’t be long. You don’t have a lot worth stealing.”

She came into the hallway, thankfully not carrying any sharp knives, and gave me a hug and a kiss. Then she said over her shoulder as she went back to the kitchen,

“Make me a drink, please. I’ll be back in a minute.”

So I made her a drink, and she was back in a minute.

“Sorry, it may be a little strong on the rum bit,” I said as she sat down and tasted it.

“No, it’s OK. Now, I have a bone to pick with you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t discuss this mission with you first, but it all happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance.”

“Yeah, I understand that, but were you going to ask me to come with you?”

“You want to come with me?”

“I’d like to be asked!”

“I think, in the overall scheme of the conversation, I sort of just did.”

“What, just like that? No macho, fighter-jock speeches about the danger involved and how you wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the mission at hand unless you knew that I was safely back here?”

“No. I know you couldn’t live without me if something were to happen to me on this mission, so I may as well take you with me.”

“How romantic you are, as usual,” she said with a smirk.