It was just something she did, no one needed to know.
They were private times that meant so much to her. People had been very kind with offers of help in one form or other, coming from so many, after he’d gone. She preferred to carry on living at the house, on her own. The fact that they had only been married a few months when he left had caused so many of her close friends to be concerned about her well-being. Despite all this, she insisted. Unknown to any of them, her special moments would see her through.
Each evening, she would walk out into the garden and stand perfectly still, looking up, gazing into the blackness and the stars. Then, remaining focused on the night sky she would talk. She would bring him up to date with the trivialities of her day; the people in the office, food specials, TV shows, especially the ones he used to like. In short, idle chat, some of it quite meaningless. Yet, this nightly ritual, this otherworldly communication was the special connection that bonded them together.
At their parting, she was desperately unhappy, with her feelings bordering on annoyance regarding his decision, one that had affected them both, but at the same time she was so incredibly proud that the space agency had chosen him for the mission.