Astronaut

Chapter One: Astronaut

Monday 11th July 1966
Washington D.C.

A week has gone by since the adoption of a certain redheaded, future astronomer and astronaut enthusiast, Harvey Fitzgerald Oswald-Kennedy who is five-turning–six at the end of the month. Since his adoption into the First Family and one of America's well-known and wealthiest families last Monday, which was coincidentally Independence Day; he has enjoyed his new family so far. With three grandparents, a multitude of aunts and uncles, an abundance of cousins and last but not least, five new siblings: Caroline, John, June, Rachel and the newest member LJ. Getting to know and getting along with his new family, particularly his new parents and siblings he has taken it in his stride and has had fun familiarising himself with the people who have now entered into his life. Just this weekend he got the opportunity to go to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port and spend some more time interacting with his newfound family. Today, his parents will be busy interacting with important world leaders such as Khrushchev from the USSR and some space cadets from NASA whom Harvey might get to meet if he's lucky, or better yet if he's invited to the event! Currently, he is info-dumping his favourite uncle, Bobby on the workings of NASA and asking about which of the organisation's cadets are coming to the White House to discuss the space programme and the hope of the country achieving the world's first lunar landing by the end of the decade, as illustrated by his dad Jack four years ago in September. He is eager in meeting and speaking with the space cadets, but in saying that he does experience a bit of social anxiety when he is in a large group of people - especially a lot of people who he doesn't know. After an hour or so info-dumping his uncle, he goes off in search of either his siblings or his parents, whomever he finds first. He ends up setting his sights on his dads Jack and Lee, he walks over to them whilst his dad is talking to his 'uncle' Robert McNamara who is the Secretary of Defence. Noticing his presence, the previous conversation comes to a stop and Jack bends down to his son's height and asks:

"Are you looking forward to meeting the space cadets later?" Harvey is in disbelief, so he is invited to this evening's event after all! He looks at his dad at eye level in shock and his mouth agape in excitement.

"Yeah! I didn't know if I was allowed to come with you, I thought that there wouldn't be any kids allowed," Harvey replies

"Of course you're invited, Harv! And Caroline, John, June, Rachel, LJ and all of your cousins are going to be here,"
Harvey is glad that he's going to have his siblings and his too many to count, amount of cousins such as the many cousins from his Uncle Bobby and Aunt Ethel: Robert, Joseph, Michael, Kerry, Courtney, Christopher and Max to name a few. At an event about his main special interest, the other being music - especially his all-time favourite band, the four-piece Liverpudlian group The Beatles. Finishing up on the conversation with his dad, Harvey heads upstairs to the First Family's private living quarters on the second floor, he locates his bedroom which is beside his siblings' bedrooms and just across the hall from his parent's room. He enters and immediately goes over to his record player that is sitting atop a small chest of drawers and next to a wall-mounted shelf at his height filled with the Beatles records that he has to date: Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale, Help! and latest record Rubber Soul. He picks up Beatles for Sale, takes the record out of its sleeve, opens up the casing of his turntable, places the record onto the deck and grabs the needle to go onto the currently still LP, and finally hits play and the record begins to come to life and spin as favourite Beatle, John Lennon blasts the first verse of track one "No Reply":

This happened once before
When I came through your door, no reply
They said it wasn't you but I saw you peep through your window
I saw the light!
I saw the light!
I know that you saw me cause I looked up to see your face
I tried to telephone, they said you were not home
That's a lie...