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God , how I wish I would’ve known sooner, had paid more attention, but I thought I had plenty of time …

my whole life was before me. I was foolish in that sense, for sure.

I’ll never forget that exact moment because this is when my world was turned upside down.

He told me to meet him on the porch, and like an idiot, I washed the dishes and cleaned up the living room before walking out.

He was in his favorite chair, looking up at the stars, when he saw me finally walk out.

Before handing me the telescope, he gestured toward the adjacent seat.

Then he said, ‘ Lace , I want you to look up at the constellations and tell me what you see?’

Hell , I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for, … until I did. It was almost like there was something wrong with the telescope. I recall asking him if it was broken only for him to give me a sad smile.

‘ No baby girl, the Earth is .’

That’s what he said to me right before he tore my entire foundation out from under me.

With tears rolling down his face, he handed me a packet.

Confused , I hesitated to open it. I just knew that the moment I did, everything was going to change—and boy, did it.

It contained not only information about the pods being launched from Earth …

but also my pod number and what I was allowed to bring with me.

Now , you have to realize I’d heard the kids at school talking about this stuff every time something else weird happened somewhere.

But I was in denial and so was the majority of the rest of the world.

Yes , things were changing, but the human race had always survived.

In my mind, this would be no different. I mean all you had to do was look at our history.

We’d lived through ice ages, floods, and wars, but we were still here.

Many decided to take advantage of the chaos and the panic.

The ones who had money decided to start buying and selling like crazy.

They thought they were securing their future.

None of us understood the severity of what was coming, …

except Papaw . He told me that ‘the Earth was angry and there was no stopping her wrath.’

I begged and pleaded with him not to send me away.

But nothing I said could make him budge.

He’d never raised his voice to me at any point in my life until that night.

When he yelled, ‘ As long as there is breath in my body, my job is to protect you, and I’ll see that done if I had to pack you there on my back!

You will live, Lace . My time on this world is near, but I refuse to let your light be extinguished early.

You will laugh again and in time, remember all that I have taught you.

Live for both of us, baby girl, and know that Mamaw and I will always watch you from the heavens above no matter where that may be. ’

Papaw held me until the tears stopped, and then he helped me pack my bags.

The entire time, he kept giving me specific directions on what to keep with me at all times and things to pay attention to.

Then he marched me to the nearest bus station, bought me a one-way ticket to West Virginia , and stood there on the side of the road until I could no longer see him from the windows.

I cried the entire trip, but when I got off that bus along with a few others, there was no denying what was right in front of me.

The pods were huge and all they kept saying to us was how fortunate we were to have been given this chance.

I would have gladly given my spot to another if I could have found a way to get back home, but the world was literally falling apart around us, and the guards wouldn’t let us out of the main compound.

God , how I loved my Papaw . He was the only person who ever fought for me, right or wrong, he never wavered. ”

My emotions overcome me, and I fall to my knees on the ground.

I’m shocked when I see MeK sit down beside me.

Pulling me up to his side, he throws one of his massive arms around my shoulders and simply holds me for a moment before asking another question I always hated to answer even on Earth , but there are no secrets out here worth keeping any longer.

“ The words Papaw and grandfather, I am assuming they are the same, but according to my translator, they do not represent your primary parental units.”

“ Parental units—that’s almost funny. No , he was my mother’s dad.

My parents were druggies. The only important thing to either of them was when and where their next high was going to occur.

Right after I was born, Mamaw and Papaw took me away from them.

They were both in their sixties when they took on a baby, but I think I kept them young.

Even with such a huge age gap between us, I couldn’t have been loved more.

My real mother overdosed when I was around five and I have no clue what happened to my dad.

Some said he ended up in prison, but I couldn’t have cared less.

” When I go quiet, I can tell MeK is rerunning the conversation through his mind.

“ The things that were missing from your residence, he sold them to send you here, did he not?”

“ Yes , it cost him everything, Papaw sold things that he would never have parted with for nickels and dimes. Cashed in his retirement and then sold our family home — it took the entirety of all he had ever worked for to secure my spot, and he gave it all up … for me. I didn’t learn this actual information until I got to the Scientific Center .

Now , you have to realize that even being there, I still wasn’t completely convinced that this was the end of the world.

I was sure things would work out one way or another and that I’d get to go back home.

Until alarms started going off and they strapped me in that pod two days later, I never really believed it was going to happen, but here I am. ”

“ I understand your tears, Lacie . You are a female, and they are often overcome by their emotions, but you should honor him. He deserves the smiles he not only paid for but also ensured you could experience. His sacrifice was not in vain and he lived a full life, if your words are true, full of this … love . He simply wanted you to have the chance for the same, even if it was not with him. His honorable nature ought to be celebrated, and you should rejoice in his sacrifice as he would have wanted.”

“ Yeah , I have told myself similar words every day since I’ve opened my eyes here, but it’s hard not having anyone to lean on.

No pun intended since I’m clearly leaning against you at this moment, but Papaw was there for me my entire life.

He picked me up when I fell, from the time I was learning how to walk, ride a bike, or drive a car.

He was the one who would rock me to sleep when I had a bad dream or sit by my bed when I had a fever.

And I knew one day he would pass on because life just works like that, but it was too soon.

I felt like I was robbed of the years we could have had together.

The moment my mind pictures him sitting on that porch alone, watching the world implode around him …

I can’t breathe. I left him when I should have fought to stay. I shouldn’t be here … without him.”

By the time I reach this point in my story, I’m sobbing so hard that I can’t catch my breath.

I’m so consumed by my own grief that I don’t feel MeK pick me up and place me on his lap until his gentle rocking finally breaks through my dark thoughts.

Laying my head against his massive chest, I let my mind go blank for a moment.

Even though my nose is stopped up and my eyes are burning, I feel somewhat lighter on the inside.

Pushing away from him, I’m slightly embarrassed at falling apart, with him of all people.

“ Thank you, MeK . I reckon I needed to get that out. I didn’t mean to cry all over you. ”

He stands both of us up at the same time and then hands me the tools I had been using.

Wiping the remaining tears from my face with my sleeve, I take a deep breath and return to work.

For once, I’m glad he has nothing to say, but I can still feel his embrace surrounding me, and I fear I’m coming to like it a little too much.