Treasures

Sandra made a final check of the room, looking in drawers and checking nooks and crannies to make sure nothing was forgotten. As soon as the commander had given his approval to her request to return to her old quarters on the surface she had begun packing, anxious to return to more comfortable surroundings. She just felt too cooped up in the small quarters under the lunar surface.

Making a last check of the closet, she noticed a small box on the top shelf barely within reach. She could wait for Alan or Bill to retrieve it, but they were busy taking her things to her other quarters and would not be back immediately. Besides, she knew what the contents of the box was and she didn't want to place it in someone else's hands.

Stretching she found she was barely able to reach it. Looking around the room she found nothing to stand on, so she stretched again. Hooking her fingers on the edge of the box she began pulling it toward her, but her grip was too uncertain and the box tumbled to the floor spilling it's contents. She examined the contents of the box that laid scatter over the floor of her room. To many people it would have looked like an accumulation of junk, but to her it was a treasure. Each piece she handled as she returned it to the box brought back a wealth of memories. Each piece represented an important juncture in her life.

The first thing she picked up was a sheath of papers. They were embossed with the letters LSRO. They were her appointment papers to Moonbase Alpha. She thought back to the day that she had received them. It was a spring day on Earth and her supervisor at the Science Administration had handed her the envelope explaining that she had received a grant to head up the Data Analysis division for the Meta Probe. She remembered the pride she felt as she contacted her father with the news. She also remembered the pain and disappointment she felt when he told her she would do better to stay on Earth and stop chasing her pipe dreams. In that instant the ties that bound the father and daughter were severed forever.

A small velvet box caught here attention next. Opening the box, she felt her heart twinge. The 1/4 diamond solitaire that Peter Rockwell had given her just before she came to the moon hadn't lost any of it's luster. She had walked on air that day. She wondered what direction her life would have taken had she, at Peter's urging, declined her appointment to Alpha and married immediately. She knew she would have been disappointed. She was doing what she enjoyed even if the circumstances were difficult. Placing that in the box, she was about to pick up another item when the door chimed. Looking at the tiny screen on her commlock she at once recognized the face of Shermeen Collins. She quickly placed the other items back in the box and covered it before pushing a button that allowed Shermeen admittance into the room.

"Bill and Alan told me I could find you here. I just thought I would drop by and see if I could give you a hand with anything."

Sandra could tell immediately that Shermeen was not her normal, bubbly self. "I believe this is all of it. I just found one box that was overlooked." She paused and a look of concern came over her face. "Is something wrong?"

Shermeen looked undecided for a moment, then finally sat down next to Sandra on the floor. Tears welled in her eyes and her hands shook. "I'm pregnant."

Sandra looked puzzled. Since finding Loki half the population of Alpha was either trying to have children or talking about it. "This is good...right? How does Eddie feel about it?"

"Oh, Eddie is walking on air at the idea of becoming a father. It's me who is uncertain. I don't know what kind of mother I will be. I barely remember my own mother. Most of my life I spent living in schools for the gifted. My parents rarely came to see me." The tears were rolling freely down her face now. "Then when I was 17 I came to Alpha."

Sandra opened the box once again and removed a delicate silk handkerchief with a intricate lace border. Sandra's grandmother had given it to her. She handed it to her friend. She wasn't sure she was the right person to help Shermeen with her problem. After all, her own decision to have children was taken out of her hands. Then she thought of something Victor had once said to her. 'When a friend comes to us seeking advice, we are obligated as their friend to give it as benignly as possible.' Even though Helena would have been a better choice for this discussion, she knew Shermeen had come to her because she trusted her and felt comfortable with her. The age gap was not so great. "I think you will make a wonderful mother. I've always thought that so much of our maternal instinct is just that...not what we learn but what we feel. You are a wonderful and caring person."

"The thing is...I don't have the personal experience. Many of the other women have stories and heirlooms to share with their children. All I can tell my child is what a miserable time I had at boarding school and how I missed not having my family around.

Sandra understood. Her own childhood had been spent following her father, a famous scientist, around from location to location. Her mother had left when Sandra was very young and she only got to see her when she was at a sight nearby. Being the child of two scientist parents, instead of making friends she had made her own experiments, becoming a child protegee very early in life.

She reached into the box again. This time removing an oblong velvet case. "When I graduated from college my mother gave me this." She opened the case and removed a beautiful golden pendant. "It had been passed down in my family for many generations. I was on only child so naturally it came to me. Unfortunately, I will never have the opportunity to pass it on to my own child." She handed it to Shermeen. "I would be honored if you would pass it on for me."

Shermeen took the pendant from Sandra. It was a golden rose with silver stem surrounded by a circle of tiny gems. It was obviously very old. "I don't know what to say." Tears threatened to fall again.

Sandra halted her by placing hand on her shoulder. "Say nothing. The important thing is that you have the opportunity to give your child something that it needs. Give it your time, your attention and most of all your love. When the time comes give him or her something to pass on."

A smile came to Shermeen's face, brightening it considerably. "Yes, it's my chance to break the cycle. I can give this child all of that. And when the time comes I guess I'll have a few stories of my own, about Aunt Sandra." As climbed to her feet she gently kissed Sandra on the cheek. "Thanks Sahn. You've made me feel better than anyone else could have. When the time comes, I will pass this on." As she walked out the door she turned. "You don't know how much this means to me."

As Sandra watched her friend leave she whispered to herself "Yes, I do."

Once again, Sandra looked into the box. Digging to the bottom she found a ring. It was a man's ring. It had a small emerald setting. As she slipped it on her own finger she looked at the inscription on the inside. It read: PMM. Many things collected over many years and they meant so much to her, but the most important treasures she held in her heart.