She knew the facts. They couldn't get her down there. It was easy getting people up. Getting people back to earth. Harder. Sarah didn't need to spell it out. Marianna's mom would probably be dead before they could get her back to earth.
She hadn't thought she would regret staying extra up in
Spacecity
. She thought it would be harmless. But she could't make it down until well past the funeral.
She did her own ceremony. Took some of the money from her savings and bought a new
Subaru
. And then she drove it all the way out to the desert. And then she drove some more. She saw canyons and mountains. It was strange seeing these things from the ground. Some days she felt her bones were going to crush. Some times she would expect to shiver, then realize how warm it was.
She ate three times a day. This one particular Wednesday, she had saw another Subaru, similar make, model, and year as hers in the parking lot. She felt drawn to it. Stared at it for awhile before going in to the diner.
Inside Marianna wondered who the owner of the Subaru was. There was an older man reading the newspaper by himself. That man probably had the old Ford Truck. There was an overweight middleaged woman. She probably had the Kia. Then there was a middleaged man staring at his phone the whole time. That guy probably drove the Buick. Maybe it belonged to an employee she thought.