Member-only story
Space
The Once and Future Dream
When I was in graduate school for English, I was single. So were most of my fellow graduate students. A few were married, fewer had kids.
One afternoon, I cut through the mall, grabbing a bite on the way home. I ran into one of the few fathers in the program, with his young son at his side. When I said hi to the dad, the son bounced up and down and said, “Did you know there’s a ginormous storm on Jupiter called the Great Red Spot?”
His father and I spoke at the same time.
“I’m sorry: he’s really excited about space right now.”
“I did. Did you know it is big enough you could put our entire planet, the one we’re standing on, in it.” I stomped my feet a little to show him I really meant Earth.
“Really?” the kid asked.
“Really?” the dad asked.
“Sure,” I said. “Earth is a lot denser than Jupiter, so it would distort everything around it, but it would fit. With room to spare.”
“Cool!” the kid said. I could see him tucking this little factoid away for later.
“How,” the dad said, “do you know this?
Barely — just barely — I managed not to say “how do you not?” I knew it would come off as snotty, and I didn’t mean it to be. Instead, I shrugged, and just said, “I…