Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One: The Next Generation
Grace was fourteen years old when she announced that she wanted to go to space camp.
Lina was in the garden, planting flowers. Grace sat on the bench, a brochure in her hands, her eyes bright.
"It's in Alabama," Grace said. "I'd be gone for two weeks."
Lina looked at her granddaughter. "Two weeks?"
"Two weeks. I'd learn about space. I'd train like an astronaut. I'd meet other kids who love the stars as much as I do."
Lina sat beside her.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
Grace nodded. "I've never been more sure of anything."
Lina pulled her granddaughter into her arms.
"Then go," she said. "We'll be here when you get back."
---
Lily was nervous.
"Two weeks," she said to Lina. "She's never been away from home for two weeks."
Lina took her daughter's hand.
"Neither were you," she said. "When you went to college. When you got married. When you had children."
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"I know," she said. "But she's my baby."
Lina pulled her into her arms.
"She'll always be your baby," she said. "No matter how old she gets. No matter how far she goes."
---
Grace packed her suitcase.
She packed clothes and books and a small notebook for taking notes. She packed a photograph of her family. She packed a stuffed animal that Lina had given her when she was small.
Lina watched her and felt her heart swell.
"Are you ready?" Lina asked.
Grace nodded. "I'm ready."
Lina hugged her.
"I love you," she said. "I'm so proud of you."
Grace hugged her back.
"I love you too, Grandma."
---
The family gathered to say goodbye.
Lily cried. Jake held her hand. Leo hugged Grace. Maya brought snacks. Stella and Clara and Samuel waved.
Lina stood in the back, watching.
Ethan put his arm around her.
"She's going to be fine," he said.
Lina leaned into him.
"I know," she said. "But I'm still going to worry."
"That's your job."
---
Grace called every day.
She talked about her training—the simulators, the classrooms, the rocket launches. She talked about her new friends—kids from all over the country who loved space as much as she did.
Lina listened to all of it.
"I miss you," Grace said one night.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I miss you too," she said. "But I'm so proud of you."
Grace was quiet for a moment.
"I'm proud of me too," she said.
---
Grace came home changed.
She was taller. More confident. More determined.
"I'm going to be an astronaut," she said. "I'm going to walk on Mars."
Lina hugged her.
"I know you will," she said.
---
Stella was ten years old when she won her first science fair.
She built a model of a rocket ship, complete with working lights and a small motor. She explained the physics of propulsion to the judges. She answered their questions with confidence and clarity.
Lina watched from the audience and cried.
"She's a natural," Ethan said.
"She's a genius," Lina replied.
"Same thing, sometimes."
Lina laughed. "That's what I used to say about Leo."
---
Clara was eight years old when she danced the lead role in her school's production of The Nutcracker.
She wore a pink tutu and a crown of flowers. She danced with grace and joy, her face lit up with a smile.
Lina watched from the audience and cried.
"She's a natural," Ethan said.
"She's a star," Lina replied.
"Same thing, sometimes."
Lina laughed. "That's what I used to say about Lily."
---
Samuel was five years old when he announced that he wanted to be a doctor.
He was sitting at the kitchen table, a book about the human body in front of him.
"I'm going to help people," he said.
Lina sat beside him. "That's a beautiful dream."
Samuel looked at her. "You helped people."
Lina was quiet for a moment. "I tried."
Samuel nodded. "I'm going to try too."
Lina pulled him into her arms.
"I love you," she said.
Samuel hugged her back.
"I love you too, Grandma."
---
That night, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
The penthouse was quiet. The twins were grown. The grandchildren were dreaming.
"How do you feel?" Ethan asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the food. From... everything. From watching them grow. From seeing them shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "They get it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to dream big dreams."
Lina leaned into him. "They get it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe they get it from themselves. Maybe they're just who they're supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Grace, the astronaut. Stella, the scientist. Clara, the dancer. Samuel, the doctor. All of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see who they become," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One