"I just wanted to be sure you'd be home," he said. "We wouldn't want you to miss your own party."
"Party?" I said. "But John—"
He wouldn't even let me finish protesting.
"Now don't ask any questions, Lewis. You wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, would you?"
He chuckled. "Your plane's loading now. You'd better be going. Thanks for the ride, Lewis."
I went across to the plane and got in. I hoped that somehow we wouldn't have to spend that Martian anniversary being congratulated and petted and babied. I didn't think Martha could stand it. But there wasn't any polite way to say no.
t wasn't a long trip to the spaceport. In less than an hour the plane dropped down to the air strip that flanked the rocket field. But it was like flying from one civilization to another.
The city was big, almost like an Earth city. There was lots of traffic, cars and copters and planes. All the bustle of the spaceways stations.