The last thing Chauncey thought for the moment was, 'I get to go to space!'

Chauncey's apartment was a few blocks away, but he ran the distance like it was a few feet. Finally, finally, something was happening. His life had been so normal until now. But going to space? That was anything but normal. Chauncey didn't even care he would be leaving Earth. It wasn't like anyone noticed him here. He was practically invisible, except when the city needed to blame someone for the HCB being dirty or when they gave him his monthly paycheck.

Space, though! Like in the movies! But instead of some fictitious character, it'd be him who got to explore the cosmos. It would be so nice, to see everything out there. Of course, Ratthew would be there too, but that would be good too. If he'd gone alone, he wouldn't know what he was doing. Ratthew would probably be a good guide, seeing how he came from space in the first place.

Chauncey ran into his apartment and grabbed a suitcase he got from his dad. The question now was what to take. 'Clothes, of course,' he thought, folding some neatly and putting them in the suitcase. He didn't know how long he'd be in space, but there were probably stores there, so he could buy things if he needed to. Not necessary to take everything he owned. Besides, he could probably come back sometime.

The next thing he packed was a little bag he kept all his personal trinkets in. Chauncey ran his thumb over the soft velvet fabric of the bag before putting it into the suitcase. Money was needed, of course, so he packed all of that, too. A few snacks would be nice, so he added some of those as well.

After a few hours of this, Chauncey looked up at the clock. It was almost 7 o'clock. Definitely time for dinner by now. Since the sun set so early nowadays, the sky outside his window was peppered with stars. Soon he'd be up there too. He wondered what it must be like, in space. Luckily he'd be going there tomorrow.

Chauncey made himself a grilled cheese sandwich with ham and a bowl of Italian wedding soup. For quite some time now, Chauncey had wanted to be a cook. He very rarely made things from a box or a package, and preferred home-cooked food. He also liked going to restaurants when he could, to see the different styles and types of food they made.

After he ate, Chauncey changed into his pajamas and got into bed. Best to go to bed early if he was going to be headed off to space in the morning.

As he fell asleep, Chauncey smiled to himself. Tomorrow was going to be great.