Epilogue

That was two years ago now, as I write this, though I suppose it will be many years before it is published, if ever.

Mike's thumb had to be amputated when we returned, but the doctors said that Michele had done a remarkably good job, and Mike has the use of all his fingers (including the little finger which, however, was somewhat bent), though he hasn't to this point got over a considerable stiffness in the hand.

St. Peter's prediction about Michele's interest in him turning to love seems to have come true, but the incident has created complications between the two of them. On the way back, one day when Michele was asleep, Mike looked over at me and said, "I wish I'd died!"

"What are you saying?" I said. "You're going to be all right, judging by the medical reports we've been getting--practically. The pain's making you depressed, that's all."

"If only it was the pain! She's never looked at me!"

"Michi? She's been doing practically nothing else!"

"Yeah, but now all she can see is my hand. I thought, when she said she didn't care if I was Chinese or Black or what, remember, that--well. But now the only thing she'll notice about me is what she did to my hand."

"Don't be ridiculous," I said, and he said, "Forget it. I'm sorry I opened my mouth," and lapsed into silence.

As far as I know, he's still convinced of this; and Michele is convinced, from my talking to her, that Mike hates her for refusing to bring Galileo back with us. "I know he realizes what I did to his hand was an accident," she said. "But I can tell from the way he looks at me that he feels that if I hadn't been so set on keeping him up there, all this wouldn't have happened."

They say these things straighten themselves out in time, but I don't know--especially in Mike's case. He is so ready to think that people don't like him that it will take more than words to convince him that Michele really cares for him; and unfortunately her perception of him makes her act just the way that confirms him in his view.

Well, it's for them to work out, I suppose. I don't see that I can be of any help. All we can do is wait.

What really concerns me is Galileo, up there on Jupiter, with the first stage of our rocket and all the literature and scientific works we've sent up from earth.

Probably what he'll do--for a while, at least--is find a way into the oxygen tank and go on a binge. I don't agree with Michele that that was his only real reason for wanting to come, but it must have been a strong one. But then, what happens when the oxygen begins to run short--or when he realizes that if he doesn't do something, he'll run out of it? Will he have enough information and ability to use the first stage to get down here to us--or perhaps build something there on Jupiter that will do the same thing?

I've talked about it to Mike, now that he's more or less rational on the subject, and he said that in some ways Galileo is very lazy, and he might just find it too much trouble. But he goes after what he really wants. So here too, all we can do is wait.