I looked away from her then, back to Duane. "No," I said. "We're still going. Only—" I broke off, hearing the shouting and the cheers and the children's laughter. "Only, how can we tell them?"
Duane smiled. "Don't try to, Mr. Farwell," he said softly. "Just wait and see."
He turned, nodded to where John Emery still stood at the edge of the platform. "All right, John."
Emery nodded too, and then he raised his hand. As he did so, the shouting stopped and the people stood suddenly quiet, still looking up at us.
"You all know that this is an anniversary," John Emery said. "And you all know something else that Lewis and Martha thought they'd kept as a surprise—that this is more than an anniversary. It's goodbye."
I stared at him. He knew. All of them knew. And then I looked at Duane and saw that he was smiling more than ever.
"They've lived here on Mars for thirty-five years," John Emery said. "And now they're going back to Earth."
Martha's hand tightened on mine. "Look, Lewis," she cried. "Look at them. They're not angry. They're—they're happy for us!"
John Emery turned to face us. "Surprised?" he said.
I nodded. Martha nodded too. Behind him, the people cheered again.