text: “What the hell are you doing here?!” “What do you mean? I was sent here by...” “For God’s sake, I know who sent you. I’m familiar with how resources get assigned! I’m asking what you are doing HERE! You knew that I’d been working on this site for the last nine months!” “Gracey, we need to...” “No, we don’t! After what you did last time, I had no interest in seeing you ever again.” “Well, then it’s a good thing you can’t see my face. Just keep your eyes on the surroundings and the map.” “Do you think it’s funny? I will request another dispatch because I can’t deal with this right now. This research is too important!.. Do you hear me?.. Hello?!” “Keep your panties on, I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. I have sixty minutes left in my outing so by the time you reach them and they send someone else, I will be back, safe and sound. Then you can greet me properly!” “Argh! You knew you would put me in this situation, you planned this whole thing!” “Guilty as charged. Took me a while to execute, but I’m here and I can’t wait for our, hopefully, passionate reunion.” “I wouldn’t count on that, Greg, if I were you.” “We’ll see... Didn’t you miss me?” “Not even a little bit!” “Eh, you are lying. I know you haven’t dated anyone, GG, since you kicked my sorry ass out. Do you remember our nickname - GG?” “No, and don’t call me that! The Gracey-Greg combo died exactly nine months ago when you cheated on me!” “For the hundredth time, I didn’t cheat on you! You said you wanted space to concentrate on your career! You left and told me in no other terms that I was free to do whatever I wanted with whomever I wanted. And then I didn’t hear from you for two weeks! So, what was I supposed to do! Eat gallons of ice cream in front of that ancient movie you always watched? What was it called?” “ Notting Hill. ” “That’s the one! You didn’t return any of my calls. I thought it was over! So, I did what any guy would do when they lose the love of their life. I got drunk and had a ONE-night stand. Just one! Suddenly, you are back and you want what from me?” “A love of your...are you kidding me?! You never even told me that you loved me or wanted to be with me!.. Stop. Hold it, let me check the map... you need to turn left here. Be careful! The botanical team discovered new plants there that are very sticky and toxic. If they grab at your spacesuit or boots, get them off immediately.” “Aha, see, you still care for me!” “I care about the success of this expedition and have no interest in ruining my chances for promotion because of some moron being suffocated by a couple of plants in the middle of the Martian desert!” “I’ll be careful, pinky promise!.. GG, you got so quiet. Are you picturing me right now? What am I wearing?” “A blue and white spacesuit. Very romantic!” “I know I didn’t tell you that before because I was an idiot. I thought if I told you how I felt, you won’t see me as the big strong man that I always wanted to be in your eyes. That’s the truth. I do love you. I want you to give us another chance. Please.” “Did the company’s shrink fill your head with this bullshit? Or did you come to that revelation all on your own?” “Nice sarcasm! I like your spike, that was the only thing that was missing before in our exuberant relationship. Come on, Gracey, look at what I did to get here to talk to you! Do you know how many favors I owe all around the base? They agreed to send me to this location. I had to go through three months of training so I could work in the field. I bribed the guy who was scheduled to come here today so he calls in sick and they send me instead. Think about it - would I have done all of that if I didn’t mean it? What do...” “Greg? Greg! Are you there? I have a visual, why aren't you moving?! Greg?!” “I’m here, hold on a sec. There is something weird ...” “Are you in danger?!” “I’m fine, it’s something on the ground... Let me get closer, can you see it?” “No... it looks like a dried-up puddle or a pond?” “It’s neither. The shape is too weird. Let me try to take a picture and send it to you. There. Did you get it?” “File’s corrupted.” “Damn camera is acting up again. I guess not enough juice for a high-res. I sent a drone out for a quick video. It’s coming back.” “Check the footage before you leave.” “Really? I would’ve never thought of that!” “I see your sarcasm and sense of humor are on the same basic level as before.” “Ah, a loving insult. It’s downloading now. Hey, GG, do you think Mars is more romantic than the place we stayed in at the Grand Canyon? It was some weekend, ha? I almost proposed then...Do you think it’d be more memorable if I asked you to marry me with this red background and the hills? Think about it - if you like the idea, I will do it next time I’m here, I will even get on one knee if you want. Opening the file now... Wow!” “What?!” “Hey GG, I think you may get that promotion sooner than you think. Because when they see what you and I just discovered, our names will be all over the news, hon! I just... Damn, I can’t believe this!” “Greg, enough with the buildup, what did you find? A goldmine?” “Better... it’s a footprint of a very very large Martian dinosaur! So, Beautiful, what do you say? Will you marry me now?”