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And he'd walk away down the street, not taking a helicopter or beetle or bus, just walking with his uniform hidden in his small underar a Rocket Man

Mother would come out to eat breakfast, one piece of dry toast, about an hour later

But noas tonight, the first night, the good night, and he wasn't looking at the stars much at all

"Let's go to the television carnival," I said

"Fine," said Dad

Mother smiled at me

And we rushed off to town in a helicopter and took Dad through a thousand exhibits, to keep his face and head doith us and not looking anywhere else And as we laughed at the funny things and looked serious at the serious ones, I thought, My father goes to Saturn and Neptune and Pluto, but he never bringsback bits of ore from Callisto and hunks of black etfrom other boys, the Martian rocks and Mercurian sands which filled my room, but about which Dad would never comment

On occasion, I re for Mother He planted soone a e, Mom ran out one day and cut them all down

Without thinking, as we paused at one of the three-dimensional exhibits, I asked Dad the question I always asked:

"What's it like, out in space?"

Mother shot lance It was too late

Dad stood there for a full half ed

"It's the best thing in a lifetiht hi at all Routine You wouldn't like it" He looked at me, apprehensively

"But you always go back"

"Habit"