My dad has been gone for over four days now. But what do I expect, he’s a government astronaut. He told me that he might be gone for a while this time. It seems like every single time he leaves, it just gets longer and longer. Each trip gets more intense and deadly, maybe not deadly, just dangerous. Now that I’m older he just leaves me home alone with my grandma checking up on me every two days.

I walk into my overly neat kitchen and grab a bag of chips. I go to my room and decide to watch some TV. I stop, Dad never lets me eat in my room, I decide that he has to be here to stop me. I start going through the different channels.

“Politics, politics,” I mumble. I sit back in my bed, rolling my eyes and

bringing another chip to my mouth. Crumbs spill on my lap, cable wasn’t always like this.

“Wormhole discovered, local scientists say...”

“Wormhole, of course,” I sigh, even closer to finding a new planet to destroy.

Why didn’t Dad tell me, wouldn’t he know?

Shortly after that, someone who looked like a government agent, suit and everything appeared. They demand the story be shut down immediately. The reporter quickly changes the subject, a little intimidated, and continues down the road of “lack of oil” and “oh no, the Earth is dying!” Like it hasn’t been the past century.

After lingering on that a bit, I hear my doorbell ring.

“Coming!” I yell.

I don’t think anything of it, expecting a package or something. I look at the surveillance cameras on my phone. Jeremy was standing on my front stairs, my dad’s best friend. He rings it again, multiple times this time and more aggressive. I run to the door and unlock it. He is towering over me, dark eyes staring at me from above. He is incredibly tall and skinny.

I never liked Jeremy, he has always been a little creepy. When I mentioned it a couple years ago to Dad just got mad.

Dad has always been a lot more strict than my friend’s parents. He has always been hard on me and Niki. Niki is my sister, we were so close about three years ago. Then she moved to England with her girlfriend.

I watch as Jeremy looks me up and down and then walks in. I step aside as he hangs up his coat and takes off his shoes. He is wearing a semi-formal suit. Weird. He’s not saying a word so I ask him why he’s here.

“What are you doing here!” I exclaim, trying not to sound rude.

“Your father told me that I should look after you for the time being.”

“Why didn’t he tell me before you came,” I inquire.

“Don’t ask me, it was your father’s doing,” he walks away into the living room.

“Go ahead and make yourself at home, I guess,” I rudely whisper under my breath, maybe a little too loud. He turns around and gives me a look that I assume meant to shut up. I ignore it, passing him and going to the kitchen. He follows me and sits down on the large living room chair, the chair where my Dad usually sits.

“So, how is the business?” I question him, knowing I have to be nice in some way or it will just be miserable.

He grumbles and picks up last Sunday’s paper that is laying on the table next to him. Ugh, I left that there for Dad. He opens it and blocks his face.

“Can you get me some coffee?” he asks me.

“Can’t you just make it? I mean, the coffee machine is just in the kitchen,” I look in the direction of his blocked face.

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“Alexander, I don’t have time for this. You should be thankful I’m even here.”

I roll my eyes and jump on the counter to reach the coffee grounds. Yeah right, there's no way I want that guy constantly looking over my shoulder, I thought sourly.

I open the cabinet and grab the grounds. I scoop three scoops into the machine and fill it with water. I press the start button and sit at the breakfast bar. The smell of coffee floats around the room, it reminds me of Dad. Three beeps echo around the silent room.

I get up and take the pot over to two mugs. I pour a full cup into one and half cup into the other.

“Cream and sugar?” I ask, calling to him.

“Just cream, thanks,” he responds plainly.

I pour cream into both and then put one scoop of sugar in the half full one. Then, I carry the full one to the table next to him. He stares blankly at me for what feels like an eternity and sighs. He turns back to his newspaper and says nothing.

I walk away and grab the other cup of coffee. I look behind me, he continues to read the newspaper. I stand there for a second and then just give up trying to start up a conversation.

I go to my room and stare blankly at my plain white wall for a minute. I miss Dad, having a dad that leaves every three months isn’t the best. Even though I know he loves going to space and a lot of people have family in space looking for a place to live.

Climate change is getting really bad, people are trying to find solutions. Some people figure that we have to find another planet to live on, and some people want to find solutions to solve climate change on Earth. I just think if we find a new planet and not find other solutions, we are just going to pollute the new one too. I’ve tried to tell Dad, but he's always busy and won’t listen to me anyways.

He always used to listen when Mom was around. I just remember little snippets though. I was around five or six when Mom passed away, she had lung cancer and she didn’t make it through that. Ever since then I haven’t been talking to people much. I’m just waiting until I’m old enough to move out, move out of the country to see Niki again, maybe go to college, study law or something.

I take out my phone and open messages. I open me and Dad’s last conversation. I sigh and ask him when he is going to be back. He sometimes responds, since they just installed a space router for the ship last year. He usually doesn’t, he is almost always busy.

I send a simple, “when are you going to be back.” I grumble as I watch the bottom left corner, no speech bubble. It was expected, I haven't talked to him in weeks. Even though he has not been the best Dad ever, he is the only family I have right now, since Niki apparently forgot all about me and has her own life to deal with. I take out my phone and start scrolling through some random articles, not really knowing what else to do.

A call comes from my phone about an hour later. I open my phone and realize that it’s from Dad. I accept the call.

“Hello?” I ask, putting my phone to my ear.

“Alex? Hi,” he responded, there is a little static.

“Since when can you call from the ship?” I ask almost immediately.

“It’s a new addition they added at the last fuel post. We’ve been looking for so long, but we think we might have found our new Earth!”

I grunt as he calls this planet our “new Earth.” An Earth that is going to be a repeat of the one we have already destroyed. An Earth that probably belongs to other creatures, creatures we are going to eventually kill, just like here. An Earth that is going to hold more wars and complex arguments for land and money. A repeat, it’s like no one has learned anything about greed.

“Alex, are you there?” I hear my Dad’s voice through my phone.

“Oh, uh yeah, sorry,” I quickly respond, snapped out of my thoughts. “What were you saying?”

“Isn’t it exciting! I can’t wait until we all settle here, it’s beautiful!” He sounds enthusiastic, not a surprise.

“Have you stepped onto the land, is there anything there?” I question him, ignorantly. “Like any… creatures?”

“Well, no, I haven’t yet, but I will be able to tomorrow. It’s going to be great, this is so much to take in!” he continues.

“Mr. Smith? We are waiting for you!” I hear a yell from his side.

“I'm coming in just a second!” He yells back. “I have to go now Alex. Oh, and I forgot to ask if Jeremy arrived yet.”

“Yup,” I sigh, fighting it won’t help anything. “He arrived alright.”

“Make sure you make him feel welcome,” he says plainly. “Goodb-”

He hung up, he didn’t even wait for a response. I guess he is busy. I look at the time on my phone. 10:30pm already? No way, I didn’t even eat dinner. Whatever, if I go out there, Jeremy is probably just going to make a curfew or something. I turn off the light, not bothering to say goodnight to that creep in my house. I get into bed and put in earbuds. I stare at the ceiling until I finally fall asleep.