Senator Arnold smiled, "Some day soon I would like you to come to Washington DC to meet many of our politicians who are instrumental in the space program of the United States."

  Hoshi nodded, "I would like that very much Senator, thank you for the invitation."

  The evening wound down just before midnight and Hoshi helped clean up after the guests had left. By one A.M. Sam, Margie, the girls and Hoshi relaxed in the living room, Astro's head rested on Hoshi's lap as they talked over the night's fun.

Sam and Margie were full of praises for Hoshi, which Hoshi tried to play down.

 Hoshi stood and bowed, "Please forgive me but I must go to bed, I am exhausted."

  Margie, Sam, Astro and the girls followed her to the guest bedroom and wished her a good night.

  Hoshi closed the door, undressed and put on her nightgown; she shut off the lights and went to bed; She lay there for a while and stared at the ceiling, finally she fell to sleep.

   Hoshi was awaken by two sets of hands shaking her; she opened her eyes to find Samantha and Carrie kneeling on the bed and smiling down one her; she sat up, "Well, you two seem to be up to no good...what time is it?"

  Samantha giggled, "It's nine thirty eight in the morning!"

  Hoshi laid her head back down on the pillow, "I feel like I just went to bed"

  Carrie laughed, "Mom and dad are already up so we thought we would see if you were still sleeping!"

  Hoshi mumbled, "I was."

  Samantha poked her little sister, "See, I told you she was still sleeping!"

  Hoshi sat up again and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Well, since I am awake now I might as well get up, will you girls excuse me while I get up and

use the bathroom?"

  The girls giggled as she swung out of bed, made her way out of the bedroom and went into the bathroom.

  When she returned she sat down on the bed, "So what are we going to do today?"

  Samantha said, "Dad and mom wants us to clean up the back yard and put the chairs away...would you help us?"

  Hoshi smiled, "Sure, I just need to get dressed."

  The girls jumped up and left the bedroom. Hoshi closed the door behind them and got dressed in some fresh clothes. She sat down at the vanity, brushed her hair and put on some light makeup.

  Startled, Hoshi turned to see Margie standing in the doorway, "Oh! I didn't see you standing there, good morning!"

  Margie shook her head, "I can't decide how to treat you, like one of my daughters or a celebrity."

  Hoshi blushed, "Neither one would be entirely correct, I would prefer to be treated like a normal teenager."

  Hoshi saw Sam step out from behind Margie, "Yea, a teenager with an IQ of 432, talk about a scary combination!"

  Margie turned and gave him a dirty look, "Stop picking on Hoshi!"

  Sam laughed, "Good morning Hoshi, did you sleep well?"

  Hoshi nodded and smiled, "Very well thank you."

  Margie beamed, "And such a polite young lady, maybe some of her manners will rub off on the girls!"

  Hoshi got up from the chair and walked towards the doorway, "They are sweet girls, enjoy them while you can, boys can't be too far off in the future!"

  Margie laughed as they walked down the hallway and into the dinning room where they sat down, "Samantha already has a collection of boys and Carrie has one or two on the side. How about you Hoshi, are their any young men in your life?"

  Hoshi blushed heavily, "No I don't, I have always been more interested in science and flying than boys."

  Margie looked knowingly at Sam and said, "We would like to have you stay with us for a couple of days."

  Surprised, Hoshi replied, "I really appreciate your offer, but I have a lot of work to do back at Johnson."

  Sam smiled, "I already called Director Nagel and asked if we could keep you here for a while and he was all for it. He said you needed a rest so we can have you as long as we want."

  Hoshi frowned and then realized she had no choice, "It would appear I am your prisoner for a few days then."

  Margie beamed happily at Sam and then asked, "Hoshi, would you like some breakfast?"

  Hoshi shook her head, "Please don't fuss over me, I'll eat anything, besides, I don't want to be a burden upon you more than I already am."

  Margie shook her head, "Now Hoshi I don't want to hear that kind of talk coming from you, how about a glass of orange juice to get you started?"

  Hoshi nodded, "That will be fine, thank you."

  Margie went out into the kitchen while Hoshi looked on helpless. When she returned she had some toast along with the orange juice; she placed them in front of Hoshi, "Here you go, if you want anymore just say so."

  Just then Samantha and Carrie ran back into the house, Samantha said, "Mom and dad, we emptied all of the trash, is there anything else you want us to do?"

  Hoshi stopped eating the toast,"I'm sorry girls I had promised you I would help you, I sort of got side tracked."

  Margie patted Hoshi on the arm, "That is all right Hoshi, they always do that chore after one of our launch parties."

  Hoshi nodded, "But I had promised them."

  Margie smiled, "Don't worry about it."

  Sam looked a bit uneasy, "Hoshi, I want to thank you for your singing last night, you really helped us out of a jamb."

  Hoshi looked over at him and smiled, "I had a lot of fun doing it, I just hope the crowd enjoyed it as much as I did."

  Sam laughed, "Oh they did and from the response of the band members  they enjoyed it to.

  Margie glanced at Sam and then looked at Hoshi as Sam continued, "Hoshi, I have a favor to ask of you."

  Hoshi gave him a questioningly look, "Sure Sam, what is it?"

  Uncomfortable, Sam said, "We I mean the band has a special performance out at the cape this Friday and since Carol is really sick I was wondering if you would sing with us."

  Hoshi looked at Sam, at Margie and then back to Sam, "You know I promised you and the band when you awarded me the astronaut's pin I would help you out whenever you asked."

  Margie put her hands together as if she was praying, "Please Hoshi, this is a very important event."

  Hoshi nodded, "Well, since you put it that way...okay I will sing with the band. Besides, what else would I do but sit around the house and go crazy!"

  Sam, Margie and the girls were all excited, he said, "Thanks Hoshi, I was worried you would say no."

  Hoshi frowned, "Why? You are my friends and I just could say no after you asked me into your home. May I ask what the occassion is?"

  Sam gave Margie a frightened look and said to Hoshi, "The band has been asked to give a special show out at the cape for the President of the United States on Thursday."

  Shocked, Hoshi sat back in the chair, "The President of the United States? Sam, this is something I do just to have fun, I just can't sing in front of somebody that important!"

  Sam shook his head, "But we really need your help."

  Hoshi thought it over, "I did say I would do it didn't I, I can't take that back."

  Sam smiled, "I understand your concern about singing in front of someone that important, the band has never had a gig this important since we formed."

  Hoshi's mind reeled, "But to sing in front of the President of the United States...I don't have the clothes with me not to mention how Mister Fujimori is going to react when he hears about this!"

  Sam nodded, "I'm sorry to say I went behind your back this morning when I spoke with Director Nagel and asked him to get in touch with your people and have them send some extra clothes of yours to our home as soon as possible." 

  Hoshi shook her head, "It is okay Sam, I needed some clean clothes anyway, what will we wear when we perform in front of the president?"

  Sam frowned, "You are not going to like it, but the president's people want us to wear our astronaut flight suits."

  Sam was right, Hoshi frowned, "Flight suits, just great."

  Margie laughed, "But Hoshi, you look great in anything you wear!"

  Hoshi looked at her, "Thanks Margie, but a flight suit would not have been on my list of clothing to wear in front the President of the United States." 

  Sam nodded, "In either case, we have no say in the matter. Later on we will go to the public affairs office out at the cape and take care of the paperwork so the secret service will know you will be performing with us."

  Hoshi asked, "What songs will we be singing?"

  Sam laughed, "That's what is so neat about it, the White House PR people want us to sing our regular songs!"

  Hoshi sighed, "Well, at least I know some of them."

  Samantha went into the litchen and came back with a large picture of orange juice, "Hoshi, would you like some more orange juice?"

  Hoshi giggled, "You must have read my mind!"

  Samantha poured Hoshi a glassful and Hoshi quickly drank it, she noticed Sam and Margie watching her, "This is my habit, whenever I get stressed I drink lots of orange juice, it seems to calm me down."

  Carrie tugged on Hoshi's sleave, "Hoshi, do you have any pictures of you when you received the Nobel Peace Prize?"

  Hoshi thought for a moment and then shook her head, "No dear I don't, but maybe the Swedish Academy of Science web site does."

  Carrie and Samantha took off into Sam's study, Margie and Sam looked at one another for a moment and then realized what the girls were up to, they got up and followed them.

  Margie waved her heand, "Come on Hoshi, we're going to see if we can fins those pictures!"

  Samantha sat down at the computer and did a search under 2007 Nobel Peace Prize while everyone gathered begind her.

  Samantha and Carrie were all excited as they found the web site and clicked on the icon to load the program.

  Carrie turned on the speakers and soon there was a female commentator's voice as she explained the award ceremony and it's history.

  Excited, Margie said, "It looks so elegant!"

  Hoshi watched with interest and said, "It was, I was really impressed with how smoothly the who ceremony went and with the people."

  Sam  said, "Samantha fast forward the program, this is really boring."

  Carrie looked at Hoshi, "Hoshi, were you nervous?"

  Hoshi laughed, "I was scared silly, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded by the King of Sweden and I didn't want to make any mistakes."

  Margie's eyes twinkled, "The King of Sweden? How cool!"

  Sam said, "So you do have some experience in front of dignitaries!"

  Hoshi shook her head, "It was nothing like that, all I had to do was walk over to the king, curtsey, receive the prize and go back to my seat."

  Sam laughed, "It's more experience than any of the band members have!"

  Hoshi asked, "How about your press conferences before and after your shuttle missions?"

  Sam thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps a little, but we were surrounded by our own people."

  Samantha let out a squeal. "That's Hoshi!"

  Hoshi looked at the computer screen and saw herself as she led the other prize recepients onto the stage and to their chairs, she had not seen the ceremony and was taken in by how beautiful everything looked, "Yes, that is me, the prize is awarded by the ranking of the medals, since I was to receive the prize for physics I was the first to be awarded the prize so I had to lead the others to our chairs."

 Closeups were show of Hoshi and the others and the study became very quite as everyone watched the ceremony, only to be broken by Margie, "Isn't Hoshi beautiful!"

  Hoshi blushed heavily as everyone looked at her.

  The President of the Swedish Academy of Sciences went to the podium and started his dialogue on each of the prizewinners.

  Hoshi explained what was going on, "When he finishes this he will introduce each of the award receipients and give a brief biography and what they were awarded the prize for."

  The listened as each of the recepient's biographies and accomplishments were read and then it was time for the prizes to be awarded. Hoshi's name was called out, she rose from her chair smoothly, walked to where the King of Sweden was seated, curtised, exchanged a few words with the King as he handed her the prize, diploma and the parchment with the dollar amount the prize was worth, turned and walked back to her seat.

  Margie asked, "What did the king say to you?"

 Hoshi thought for a moment, "I don't remember! I was so scared all I could say was thank you and I walked back to my chair as quickly as I could!"

  Everyone laughed as they watched more of the ceremony.

  Hoshi added, "There's not much left to watch, there was a banquet immediately following the ceremony and that was it."

  Samantha saved the file and shut the computer off, "Wow, that was really cool!"

  Hoshi was all smiles, "It was an honor for me, I'll never forget the experience."

  Sam patted Hoshi on the shoulder, "I had better call the guys and tell themthe news, I'll ask them to come by later so we can decide on the music we will play."

  Hoshi, Margie and the girls went into the living room and sat down, Hoshi's head spun as she thought of the upcoming performance, "I had better reherse a lot, using sheet music just isn't going to cut it in front of the President."

  Margie tried to reassure her, "Don't worry so much, I have faith in you!"

  The girls agreed as Hoshi sat back in the chair, "Mister Fujimori is going to kill me when he finds out I am doing something like this without going through him first, not to mention my mother!"

  Margie asked, "What is your mother's name?"

  Hoshi smiled proudly, "Her name is Ayumi!"

  Carrie said, "That is a pretty name!"

  Hoshi nodded, "Yes it is and it fits her very well. Did you know she is a geologist just like your dad?"

  Samantha exclaimed, "No way!"

  Hoshi laughed, "Yes, and she got to meet him out at the cape yesterday,"

  Margie asked, "What about your dad?"

  Hoshi frowned, "I'd rather not talk about him."

  Margie sensed deep resentment in Hoshi's voice, "I'm sorry Hoshi."

  Hoshi shook her head, "It's okay, we were not that close, his work was more important to him than his family."

  Margie's eyes narrowed, "Just make sure you don't end up like him, someday you will want to settle down and have a family and your children will want you around."

  Hoshi's heart dropped since she knew she would never have any children, "That will never happen."

  Carrie asked, "Who is Mister Fujimori?"

  Hoshi laughed, "Mister Fujimori is in charge of JAXA's public affairs department. Just about about everything I do except for my engines is controlled through his office."

  Just then Sam walked into the room, "Everyone has been notified and will be over tonight to go over the music."

  After lunch Sam and Hoshi headed over to the cape; Hoshi watched the scenery as they drove on the highway next to the beach.

  When they arrived at the cape they were waved through the main gate and Sam parked the car in front of the public affairs building.

  Hoshi received many admiring glances as well as curious looks as they made their way into the building and to the Director of Publice Affairs office.

  They were shown into Mister Olsen's private office where he greeted them, "Commander, thank you for coming."

  Sam and Hoshi sat down on padded leather chairs as Mister Olsen handed Sam a blue folder adorned with the 50th Anniversay of NASA on it's cover.

  Mister Olsen said, "All of the information for the show is in this folder, if you have any questions about it please call me or Mister Kline as soon as possible."

  Sam opened the folder and read some of it's contents, He noted the list of band members was incorrect, "Mister Olsen, there seems to be a problem with the names of the band members. Fiest of all, Ann is up in space on STS-128 and Carol is sick with the flu."

  Mister Olsen sat down and opened his copy of the folder, "That can be fixed, though now you are without two female singers."

  Sam frowned, looked at Hoshi and back at Mister Olsen, "Doctor Nakamura here has graciously agreed to fill in for Carol and Ann."

  Mister Olsen looked at Hoshi, "Doctor Hoshi Nakamura? You were theone who sat in with Commander White yesterday during the launch commentary."

  Hoshi looked over at Sam, Sam could tell she was unimpressed with Mister Olsen, Sam said, "She did an excellent job considering it was her first time."

  Mister Olsen looked at Hoshi, "Do you think you can handle singing in front of the President of the United States and a lot of dignitaries?"

  Hoshi held back her anger, "If it is anything like accepting the Nobel Peace Prize from the King of Sweden then I think I can handle it."

  Sam almost blurted out laughing but held it in, "The other problem is that Hoshi's clothing is back at Johnson."

  Mr. Olsen nodded, "Give my secretary a list of what you think you will need, we will have it picked up and delivered to you tomorrow."

  Hoshi said, "Then may I have a piece of paper and a pen so I may write a list of what I need?"

  Mister Olsen motioned at the door, "My secretary can furnish you what you need, I will handle the notifications to the secret service and the people who are handling the concert program."

  Hoshi stood and hesitated as Sam walked to the door, "Mister Olsen, I do not like to be patronized in a manner that questions my abilities, if this continues I will be forced to voice my displeasure to a higher level."

  Sam's head quickly turned towards Hoshi but she was already heading for the door, he quickly exited the office and walked over to the secretary.

  Mister Olsen didn't bat an eyelash as Sam and Hoshi exited his office, he picked up the phone and called Director Nagel at the Johnson Spaceflight center.

  When Director Nagel come on line Mister Olsen said, "I had Doctor Nakamura here in my office a bit ago, she will be singing with Max Q in a command performance asked for by the President of the United States; she needs to have her people notified of this and some clothing sent to her as soon as possible...yes by courier...I will have my secretary fax you a list of what she needs...yes, I will tell her that, goodbye."

  Sam stopped in front of the secretaries desk, "May we have a sheet of paper and a pen?"

  The secretary looked up, smiled and handed him a sheet of typing paper and a pen.

  Sam turned to Hoshi and gave them to her, "Here you go Hoshi, just write down whatever you think you will need."

  Hoshi quickly wrote down a list of items and clothing and handed the paper and pen back to Sam. Sam looked at the paper and quickly wrote his home address on it. 

He handed the paper and pen to the secretary, "Mister Olsen asked me to have you fax this list to Director Nagel at the Johnson Spaceflight Center. The items on this list need to be picked up by the NASA courier and delivered to my address as soon as possible."

  The secretary took the paper from Sam and looked at it, "I'll fax it right away, do you want to wait for the confirmation?"

  Hoshi nodded as Sam looked at her, he said, "Yes please."

  The secretary set the fax up with an official cover sheet and made a note regarding the courier pick up. She then faxed everything and when it was finished she handed the origional and confirmation sheet to Sam.

  They quickly left the office and made their way down the hallway.

  In the hallway they came upon Mister Kline, he was happy to see them, "Commander White, Doctor Nakamura this is a pleasant surprise!"

  They greeted Mister Kline and Sam filled him in on the personnel changes to the concert.

  He beckoned them into his office, "Please come into my office so I can make sure everything gets taken care of properly."

  Hoshi was still a bit miffed at Mister Olsen, "Mister Kline, does Mister Olsen always act like an ass towards dignitaries from another country?"

  Startled, Mr. Kline looked up, "I'm sorry to say that is normal behavior for him, he is dure to retire soon and believe me when I say I will be happy to see him leave. Please accept my deepest apologies."

  Hoshi looked around his office, "I do not like being patronized nor have my friends treated rudely, I will not forget this."

  Startled, Sam looked at Hoshi and shook his head as he looked at Mister Klien, "You should have heard Hoshi sing last night, she was awesome!"

  Mr.Klein smiled, "Really, then I shally look forward to hearing her sing Friday night...you know there is going to be nationwide media coverage of the concert."

  Hoshi felt her heart sink and Sam saw her expression, "Don't worry Hoshi, just think of it as one of our after launch parties."

  Hoshi looked up and asked, "Did you really think that will help?"

  Sam chuckled, "No, but it was a nice try."

  Sam, Hoshi and Mister Klien went over the upcoming performance, Hoshi asked, "I can't imagine us performing for the president wearing flight suits."

  Mister Kline shook his head, "The president's people want the band to look like the astronauts they are."

  Hoshi frowned, "I haven't even been on a space shuttle flight."

  Mister Kline and Sam quickly shook their heads and Sam said, "I thought we went over that, your singing with the band and your urging of the crowds to contribute to the charity make you an honorary astronaut."

  Hoshi remained silent and then ask, "What would it take to get limousines for the band members, we are attending a VIP performance and should be treated as such."

  Mr. Kline shook his head, "All of the limousines are going to be in use by the president and his parties, it would be difficult to find any available."

   Hoshi opened her purse and took out her special credit card, "Please find some and put them on this if there are any problems, I will wait while you make the call."

  Mister Kline picked up the phone, called the GSA motor pool and spoke with someone, there were no limousines available.

  Hoshi picked up her credit card and waved it at him, "Then use this!"

  It took about fifteen minutes but finally four limousines were found and the operators of the limousine service given the details of the performance times and addresses of the band members.

  When Mister Klien hung the phone up Hoshi thanked him and retrieved her credit card.

  On the way out to the car Sam turned and laughed, "Remind me never to get on your bad side, I was warned you were a fire cracker and now I can see why!"

  Hoshi stopped walking, "I am sorry if I made a scene, but I will not tolerate being partonized by a fool. And then there is the matter of the limousines, Max Q deserves to be treated better, had this happened in Japan I would have been just as harsh with Mister Fujimori as I was with Mister Olsen."

  Sam held up his hands, "You have made your point Hoshi, besides, I agree with everything you just said."

  Hoshi smiled at him, "Thank you Sam."

  Sam nodded and said, "But you did not have to pay for the limousines yourself, they were very expensive."

  Hoshi frowned, "Thank you for your concern, but money is not an issue with me."

  They got into the car and Hoshi sat there quietly as Sam started the car and drove it out of the parking lot.

  About halfway home Sam glanced over and noticed tears falling from Hoshi's cheeks, "Hoshi what's wrong?"

  Hoshi wiped the tears away, "I'm sorry Sam, here I wanted to relax with your nice family and all I am doing is causing you problems."

  Sam pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road and turned to Hoshi, "You don't need to get all worked up about this, I invited you into my home as a gesture of friendship. The girls and Margie...heck even Astro all love you and I find myself of thinking about you as a daughter, even if you do have an IQ of 432! The guys in the band worship you and love it when you sing with them."

  Hoshi wiped away more tears and looked at him, "Thank you Sam, you don't know how much those words mean to me."

  Sam put the car into gear and they headed for home.

  When they pulled upinto the driveway, Samantha and Carrie were out front playing with friends.

  When Hoshi got out of the car they ran over to her yelling, "Hoshi's back!"

  Hoshi and Sam exchanged glances and she hugged them.

  Sam exclaimed, "Hey, don't I get a hug?"

  The girls ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

  Sam said, "That's better, now tell your friends goodbye and come into the house."

  Carrie and Samantha said goodbye to their friends and followed Sam and Hoshi into the house.

  Hoshi headed for the guest bedroom where she cleaned herself up and fixed her makeup. When she came out of the guest bedroom she found Astro patiently sitting and waiting for her, "So, you are happy I am here to?"

  Astro barked several times and Hoshi laughed, "Yea, I am to."

 Margie came around the corner, "Hoshi, I thougt I heard you talking to someone."

  Hoshi scratched Astro behind the ears, "I was just talking with Astro."

  Margie shook her head and laughed, "He really likes you...would you like some orange juice?"

  Hoshi smiled, "You read my mind."

  Hoshi followed her out into the kitchen and Margie got her a large glassful of orange juice. Hoshi took it and they went to the dining room and sat down.

  Hoshi asked, "Margie, what time would it be in Tokyo right now?"

  Margie didn't know, "I don't know, let's go look it upon the computer."

  They walked into the study and Margie pulled up the web site that showed the times world wide, "It's just after nine in the morning in Tokyo, why do you ask?"

  Hoshi said softly, "I would like to make a donation to Max Q's charity but need to make a phone call to my bank, may I have permission to use your phone?"

  Startled, Margie said sternly, "You do not have to make a contribution to the charity, your singing with the band is more than enough."

  The tears returned and Margie stepped back in surprise. She got up and walked to the hallway, "Sam, did something happen out at the cape to upset Hoshi?"

  Sam came running and stopped near Hoshi, "I thought we had that all worked out."

  Margie shot him an angry look, "Tell me what happened!"

  Sam told her all about Mister Olsen and How he treated Hoshi and Margie began to understand. SHe turned and hugged Hoshi, "So I finally get to see another side of you... I can tell that your childhood was very hard and you had very few friends."

  Hoshi nodded, "I have my mother and my friends."

  Hoshi pulled herself together, "Now, about the donation."

  Margie laughed, "You do have a stubborn side to you don't you!"

 Sam added, "You should have seen her tell Mister Olsen off, it was priceless! When she starts flying with NASA I think her call sign is going to be Firecracker!"

  Hoshi laughed, "Firecracker, that does fit me doesn't it!"

  Margie and Sam laughed, Margie said, "And she has a sense of humor!"

   Hoshi looked at Sam, "May I have the account number for the charity?"

  Sam looked at Margie, "Huh, did I miss something?"

  Margie patted him on the shoulder, "Only that she wants to make a donation to the charity."

  Sam frowned, "Hoshi, that is not necesary, you have done too much already."

  Hoshi shook her head, "Would you tell that to the astronaut's families who need the money?"

  Sam lowered hi shead, "Of course not" and went to get the account number.

  When Sam returned he handed the slip of paper with the account number on it to Hoshi, she looked at Margie, "May I use the phone?"

  Margie nodded as Hoshi took out her special card, read the number on the back and punched in the number on the phone.

  A most welcome voice greeted her in Japanese which made Hoshi smile; she said in Japanese, "Good morning, this is Doctor Hoshi Nakamura and I am calling from the United States. I would like to transfer some money to a special account."

  The voice on the other end asked her for her account number, password and then the account number she wanted to transfer the money to.

  After Hoshi had given the woman the information they asked, "How much would you like to transfer."

  Still speaking in Japanese, Hoshi replied, "One million US dollars."

  Sam and Margie listened as Hoshi spoke Japanese rapidly. They did however understand several words and those were One Million US Dollars.

  When the transaction was completed Hoshi wrote the transaction number down, thanked the woman and hung up the phone.

  Stunned, Margie and Sam stood quietly for a moment and then Margie asked, "Did I just hear you say One Million US Dollars?"

  Hoshi smiled and nodded, "You did."

  Margie exclaimed, "But how can you afford that kind of money?"

  Hoshi turned to her, "Some day I will tell you, but for now you have to understand I want to do this."

  Sam shook his head, "Hoshi, you are a mystery to me, you are a teenager but you have a intellect of some one much older and wiser."

  Margie laughed at Sam, "Don't try to figure her out honey, you will just get frustrated! Hoshi has had to make a lot of sacrifices in her life so she is trying to help others who are not as fortunate."

  Sam looked at Hoshi and said, "You are right, I just can't understand how her mother allowed her to make those sacrifices."

  Hoshi exploded, "Leave Ayumi out of this, she is not my real mother!"

  Hoshi suddenly realized what she had said, got up and ran crying into the guest bedroom.

  Margie sat there for a moment and looked at Sam, "She's adopted?"

  Sam shrugged, "I would never had guessed."

  Margie got up from the chair, I will go into the bedroom with her, have the girls stay outside until I say it is okay to come in."

  She walked up to the bedroom door, knocked on it and slowly pushed it open, "Hoshi, may I come in?"

  There was no response, she continued into the bedroom and saw Hoshi with her face buried in the pillow, Margie sat down on the bed and stroked Hoshi's hair.

  Her right hand suddenly stopped as she saw Hoshi's ears and stared at them for a moment. The ears were so small and delicate, shaped in an odd manner that ended in a point.

  When she overcame the shock of Hoshi's ears she said, "Hoshi, would you like to talk about it?"

  There was no response.

  She stroked Hoshi's hair some more, "Hoshi, please, let's talk about what has you so upset."

  Hoshi roller over on her side, tears still halling onto her cheeks, "Ayumi adopted me almost a year ago, I had no family left and no where to live. I had no future until she came into my life."

  Margie's eyes misted over, "I can't imagine how much hurt is inside you, but I am sure the lord made you so you could help mankind to reach for the stars."

  Hoshi wiped away the tears, "I am sorry Margie, I just get so emotional when someone talks about Ayumi."

  Margie stroked Hoshi's hair; she saw the terror in Hoshi's eyes as her fingers rested on her ears, "Do not be frightened, I am trying to understand how a person with an IQ as high as yours is possible and I think I have discovered why...you cannot be from our existence."

  Hoshi looked up, "You are closer to the truth than you realize Margie, please do not go any further with this."

  Margie pulled Hoshi to her and hugged her, "You are indeed a blessed young lady. Okay, I will not ask you anymore questions. When you are ready you will tell me your entire story, I can't wait to hear it...and the story behind those cute little ears!"

  Hoshi managed a smile, "You are the second person to use that phrase, Ayumi says they look like Tinker Bell's ears."

  Margie smiled, "You know dear, she is right...are you a fairy?"

  Hoshi laughed, "You are not even close!"

  Margie got up off the bed and offered Hoshi her hand, "Come on, Sam is upset that he caused you to cry. Fix yourself up and I will have a big glassful of orange juice waiting for you in the dining room."

  Hoshi nodded and got up off the bed, "I am sorry Margie."

  Margie smiled warmly, "Don't mention it, we will talk later."

  Margie made her way out to the kitchen and got Hoshi a large glassful of orange juice.

  Sam looked at her as she placed it on a coaster, "Is it okay if I let the girls in?"

  Margie nodded, "Yes, but tell them not to bother Hoshi."

  Sam got up and made his way out the back door. When he came back in Margie said, "So she is adopted and I am afraid things are a little more complex with her."

  Concerned, Sam asked, "How so?"

  Margie shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure until I talk to her more, but she carries a huge burden. She told me she was homeless until Ayumi came into her life...she has no real family left."

  Sam nodded sadly, "I am sorry I said that about Ayumi."

  Just then Hoshi walked into the living room, bowed and said, "I am sorry I made a scene, please forgive me."

  Sam shook his head, "No, it is I who must apologize, I had no idea how you felt about things."

  Just then Samantha and Carrie came into the house and immediately went over to Hoshi.

  Samantha saw Hoshi's red eyes and asked, "Hoshi, have you been crying?"

  Hoshi smiled, "It's okay Samantha, I have just had a rough day."

  Carrie approached her, "Hoshi why are you sad?"

  Hohi shook her head, "I am all right, I just miss my mother."

  Margie exchaned glances with Sam and said, "They are just like Astro, they go right to the one who is special."

  Hoshi drank the orange juice; it made her feel better and quieted doen her nanobytes. She looked at Sam, "What time are the guys coming over?"

  Sam said, "They should be here around 5:00 pm."

  Hoshi forced a smile, "Then that gives us some time to order some pizza."

  Sam lughed, "Then pizza it is!"

  Hoshi replied, "My treat."

  Sam raised his hands up in the air, "As you wish Hoshi."

  Margie laughed as she got the pizza delivery brochure, "So what are your favorite toppings?"

  Startled, Hoshi replied, "Favorite toppings?"

  Margie laughed, "You mean you don't have any favorite toppings?"

  Hoshi shook her head, "I just tell them to surprise me and they do!"

  Sam shook his head in wonder, "Well that is one way to order pizza!"

  Hoshi looked at the menu after the others had made their choices, "We should order for the guys, they will be hungry, and Steve likes beer."

  The ended up ordering ten pizzas and Hoshi paid for it with her credit card.

  The guys showed up around 5:00 pm and the pizzas arrived shortly there after; They sat around the dinning room table and discussed the upcoming performance.

  Sam brought out the blue folder and opened it, "As you all know, Friday night we will be giving a performance for the President of the United States. You can expect the First Lady and other members of the cabinet to be present as well as a lot of NASA officials. You can expect a lot of people in the audience, my estimate is probably around three or four thousand, excluding the media. Speaking of the media, I understand the concert is going to be televised as a celebration of NASA's 50th Anniversary, it will be seen across America and probably around the world."

  Steve interrupted, "Are you trying to scare us or what, because if you are you have succeeded!"

  Sam laughed. "I just want you guys to be prepared for a lot of people and media, like a larger example of when we played for Hoshi's barbecue."

  Sam looked over the information in the brochure, "The dress code will be the standard NASA flight suit, or in Hoshi's case, JAXA flight suit. If you need a new flight suit I suggest you get it as soon as possible. The concert will be held outside in the Rocket Garden Pavilion and we will meet there on Friday morning at 1000 hours so we can get a walk through and get acquainted with the shound people and director.

  We will go home and change at 1400 hous, Hoshi has graciously supplied us limousine service so we can make a grand entrance at 1600 hours before the president arrives at 1730 hours."

  Steve exclaimed, "Way to go Hoshi!"

  Sam laughed with the others and then said, "We have to be ready to play as soon as the President and the others are seated, the schedule says the concert is to start at 1800 hours and last for an hour with a ten minute break. Now we have to decide what music we will play. This will be the hardest on Hoshi since she is new so we have to choose music that she will be comfortable with."

  Hoshi spoke up, "I would like to do the song Dearest in Japanese."

  Sam smiled and nodded, "I had that one in mind also since you are a representative of JAXA."

  In total, they came up with twelve songs and Hoshi was concerned about learning all of them before the concert.

  Sam reassured her, "on't worry Hoshi, we have three days to get you up to speed, we will start rehersals tomorrow morning at 10:00am out on the patio."

  Hoshi nodded, "Thanks Sam."

  Sam grabbed another slice of pizza, "Good, so let's make sure everyone gets enough sleep tonight, it may be a long day tomorrow."

  The party broke up around 10:00 pm, Hoshi went into the guest bathroom and took her bath. Her body was still very tense so she soaked in the bubblebath for quite some time.

  Back in her bedroom, she was drying her hair when there was a knock at the door, "Hoshi may I come in?"

  Hoshi turned to see Margie standing in the doorway, she nodded, "Sure Margie."

  Margie entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her, "The girls are in bed so I thought I would check on you."

  Hoshi continued drying her hair and smiled, "Thank you for being concerned but I am all right."

  Margie sat down on the bed, "I can't help but to be concerned, despite your hard outer shell I can see there is a vulnerable young lady crying to get out...I see it all over your face and in your body language. If you ever want to talk just say so, okay?"

  Hoshi nodded, "Thank you Margie, I just may take you up on that at a later date."

  Margie got up, walked to the door and turned around, "Hoshi, what was your real mother and father like?"

  Hoshi stopped drying her hair and turned to face Margie, "It is very difficult for me to think of either one of my parents with any form of kindness, both were very cold and uncaring, I had to make due on my own."

  Margie shook her head in wonder, I see, what were their names?"

  Hoshi thought for a moment and then said, "My father's name was Kabel and my mother's name was Cedonia."

  Surprised, Margie said, "Then they were not Japanese?"

  Hoshi shook her head, "No they were not, please I do not wish to speak of them anymore."

  Margie walked over to her and said, "Then how about a good nigh hug and I will let you go to bed."

  Hoshi stood, turned and hugged Margie, Margie hugged her back, "I can't explain it, but I feel like I have known you for a very long time."

  They hugged for a moment longer and then seperated, Margie said, "I'll see you in the morning, good night."

  Hoshi said good night, closed the door after Margie had left, shut off the light and went to bed.

  She woke up at 6:00 am, got up and used the bathroom. Hoshi returned to the bedroom and got dressed. WHen she was finished dressing  she made her way out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. There, she opened the refrigerator and got herself a glassful of orange juice.

  Hoshi sat down at the dinning room table, her sensative nose could still smell the pizza and several of the band member's cologne. She drank half of the orange juice and set the glass on a coaster. She turned and looked into the kitchen and began to formulate a plan to make breakfast.

  Before she knew it, she was busy making breakfast, the wonderful smell of eggs, onions, spices and green peppers filled the house.

  Hoshi heard the soft sounds of someone walking, turned to find Samantha standing there, "Good morning Samantha."

  Samantha walked to her side, "Good morning Hoshi, are you making breakfast?"

  Hoshi smiled and said, "Yep, would you like to help?"

  Eager to help, Samantha replied, "You bet!"

  Hoshi opened the refirgerator and found several packages of sausage, "Do you think you can cook enough sausage for the five of us?"

  Samantha nodded vigorously, "I have helped mom cook it before!"

  Hoshi beamed, "Okay then, your job is to cook the sausage while I finish the eggs and fry some potatoes."

  Samantha began frying the sausages and Hoshi added spices to them and then suggested to Samantha she turn down the heat a bit, "Please turn the heat down a bit, they are cooking too quickly."

  Samantha turned down the heat on the sausages. Hoshi asked, "What time do your parents get up?"

  A voice from behind them replied, "We are up!"

  Hoshi turned around to see Margie and Sam as they stood watching Samantha and her cook breakfast.

  Margie walked into the kitchen , "This is a pleasant surprise, a guest in the house and one of my daughters cooking breakfast...and it smells so wonderful!"

  Hoshi laughed as she turned the potatoes, "I wanted to surprise everyone with breakfast!"

  Sam glanced at Margie and then said, "I think you have succeeded!"

  Hoshi looked over at Samantha, "The sausage is done cooking Samantha, shut the burner off please."

  Carrie walked up to her parent's side, "What smells so good?"

  Sam looked down at her, "Hoshi and Samantha have cooked us breakfast!"

  Hoshi asked, "Carrie, if you have washed up would yu set the table for me?"

  Carried beamed, "Sure Hoshi!"

  Carrie began to set the table, Hoshi turned to Margie and Sam, "Please have a seat, breakfast is almost ready."

  Hoshi turned the potatoes again and turned to Samantha, "How about making some toast?"

  Samantha turned and got  some bread and butter out of the refrigerator; she promptly made some toast for everyone.

  After a few minutes Hoshi asked, "Samantha and Carrie, are we ready to serve breakfast?"

  Samantha replied excitedly, "Yes Hoshi!"

  Hoshi smiled warmly, "Thank you for your help, now go sit down at the table with the others and I will bring everything in."

  The girls went into the dinning room as Hoshi picked up the pan of fried potatoes and took it  into the dinning room, "I don't want to hear any complaining about the serving sizes, we have a long day ahead of us so eat up."

  Not a word was spoken as Hoshi made several trips back and forth to the kitchen and soon all of the food was dished out. She returned to the kitchen to get a gallon of orange juice and took it into the living room where she poured everyone a glassful.

  Margie beamed as Hoshi sat down, "Sam, would you say grace?"

  Sam nodded and bowed his head, "Father, thank you for the food on our table and for your loving guidance. Thank you for introducing Hoshi to our family and father, please give us the strength and understanding to live our lives as you would wish us to, Amen."

  They ate breakfast, Hoshi made a few trips to the kitchen for more toast; Margie marveled at the eggs, "You just have to give me the recipe for these eggs, they are the best I have ever had!"

  Hoshi smiled, "It is my mother's recipe, perhaps when you meet her she will give it to you."