Page 37 of Supernova

"Anyhow," Ed says to Todd when it's just the two of them talking again. "I'd appreciate if you kept it all to yourself--"

"Of course I will," Todd reassures him.

"Because I'm just thinking things through. It's easy to go all in and to push for something you want in life, but when you have another person to consider...it just changes things."

"It does." Todd nods in agreement.

"Hey!" a woman shouts, interrupting the low gravelly din of a bar full of men's voices. She's cupping her hands around her mouth and standing near the front counter with one hip popped out jauntily. "Anyone want to dance?"

Several men jump to their feet and rush to the open area near the jukebox, and Ed watches as several more eye her hungrily.Yes, he thinks.Men and women are different. And if we stop and think about it, they really do call the shots. A smart man will consider this and weigh the wisdom of ignoring his lady's needs, and an even smarter man will think about her needs before she even tells him what they are.

Ed wants to be smart. He wants to do right by Frankie, and most importantly, he wants whatever he achieves and accomplishes in his career to be because of solid teamwork between him and his wife, not because he bulldozed her and didn't see her right there in front of him.

But in order to see her, she needs to make herself visible, and Ed is growing increasingly concerned that she'll never fully pull back the curtain for him. He needs to know her and to see who she is and what she struggles with--if he doesn't, he'll never know whether he can leave her on her own while he explores space. If he doesn't figure her out, he could potentially make a decision in his career that makes her unhappy.

Oh, Frankie, Ed thinks as he drains his beer amongst his coworkers and friends.I need to know what troubles you. I need to really know you, and you have to trust me. You have to simply trust me.

EIGHTEEN

frankie

"But doyou think all those peoplereallysaw her being stabbed and didn't call the police? Is that even possible?" Barbie asks the group of women as they sit together at a cafe in Stardust Beach.

Barbie, Carrie, Jude, Jo, and Frankie have all signed on to help plan the Spring Fling that NASA is putting on for the press. Several other astronauts' wives have spearheaded the event, and the goal is to work as a team to put together something for the press that will highlight all the positive work that NASA is doing to carry on Kennedy's legacy and to reach for the moon by the end of the decade. But all any of them can talk about is the murder of Kitty Genovese, which happened in Queens in mid-March. Now, just a couple of weeks after the horrific crime, theNew York Timeshas published a sensational article claiming that, for as many witnesses as there were, no one tried to step in and help Kitty or assist the police.

"I just don't think that's possible," Jo says, smiling at the waitress who sets a cup of coffee in front of her. They've commandeered a table in one corner of the cafe, ordering coffees and light snacks like toast or muffins. "Frankie--you lived in New York for most of your life--do you think there's any waypeople could have been this cruel? Even in a big city where crime happens all the time?"

Frankie is stirring sugar and cream into her coffee and she keeps her eyes on the cup as her spoon creates a whirlpool in the liquid. "Maybe," she says noncommittally.

"Are you serious?" Jo sounds outraged. She sets her own spoon on her saucer and turns to Frankie. "In your experience, do you really think that the people in New York are more evil than they are anywhere else?"

Well, that's a loaded question, Frankie thinks. "In my experience, people can be quite horrible," she says. "Anywhere, and maybe particularly in New York."

"Francesca," Margaret Potter says, turning to Frankie with a winning smile. "I heard you were a Rockette. I'd love to hear more about that."

Frankie feels her stomach clench; this was not what she had signed up for when she agreed to be on the Spring Fling committee, but she knows that talking about her former life on the stage is a part of everything she does. Not to mention the fact that she needs to rely on that experience in order to bring students into her dance classes. So instead of brushing Margaret's question away, she smiles back at her.

"Yes, I was a Rockette, and I've been dancing for as long as I can remember. In fact, I've rented a dance studio just a few blocks from here, and I'm going to be giving lessons. You have two little girls, right?"

"Three," Margaret smiles. "And two boys."

"I'm going to be teaching all ages," Frankie says. "I'd love it if you brought them by to see if they liked it."

Margaret leans in close. "This is a brilliant idea, Francesca."

"Frankie--please."

"Frankie. I think this is an excellent idea. So many of us are looking for positive things for our kids to do, and right now all we have are swimming lessons and the library."

"I'm starting a Girl Scout troop," another woman says, joining the conversation. "My Sally is a third grader, so I'm going to have a troop of girls her age."

"That's wonderful," Jo says. "My girls would both love Girl Scouts."

"Okay," Carrie says, standing at the head of the table next to Lorraine, her co-chair of the Spring Fling committee. "We'd like to get things started here, and hopefully make some solid plans for our event, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th."

Barbie scoots her chair closer to Jo and Frankie. "But, girls," she whispers, keeping her eyes on Carrie like a student watching the teacher to make sure she doesn't get caught talking to her friends in class. "I'm supposed to go to New York in June with the kids for a wedding, and now I'm nervous. If it could happen to Kitty Genovese, it could happen to anyone."

Jo puts her head next to Barbie's. "Kitty Genovese was a bartender out around dawn, and a crazy man killed her in Queens. You're going to Manhattan for a wedding at The Plaza. I think you're safe," she whispers dryly.

---