The day a rocket almost fell on our heads

by time news

I hate shopping. It’s one of the things I hate most in life. Really. My wife knows this and is willing to ask a stranger on the street to come with her and pay him to act as a coat rack while she tries on her clothes, as long as I don’t go with her. That’s how crazy I can become as soon as I set foot in a mall. But there are times when I have no escape and I must accompany her.

Today, November 4, was going to be one of those days.

Going shopping stresses me out so much that I was in a bad mood the night before and had a hard time sleeping. As I tossed and turned in bed, I remembered an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ in which Bart prays to God to grant him a miracle and the next day you don’t have to go to school to take exams. And God hears him and sends Springfield an unseasonable snowfall that grants him the requested weather.

I did the same: God, do something and help me not have to go shopping tomorrow. I’m asking you.

Why not, was what I thought. Just a few days before, I had received an SMS that said:

«ES-Alert TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST OF MASSIVE ALERTS ACTIVATION FROM MADRID 112 Do not reply to this message. Do not call 112. This is a test message from the new Spanish public warning system using celular telephone networks. Thank you for your cooperation».

If the world was going to end, tomorrow was a perfect day. But it dawned and there was no snowfall in Malaga or an alien invasion. We would go shopping after breakfast.

With my wife you know what time you go shopping, but not when you return. She was already hurting my back in advance just imagining it. While I was waiting for it to be fixed, I started looking at stories on Instagram. Then I saw what one of my contacts, who lives in Barcelona, ​​wrote: «The flight is late because…» and showed the screenshot with the news: «LAST MINUTE. Chinese rocket of 23 tons out of control is headed for Earth and Spain is in its trajectory.

Inés Romero, from ABC, explained that it was a rocket that China had launched on Monday. The remains of the ship were falling uncontrollably and could impact Spanish territory, for which the airspace had been closed.

The miracle had been granted to me.

I went to the bathroom, knocked on the door and from outside I told my wife:

-Gorda, we won’t be able to go shopping.

Of course, I realize that I behaved like a lout. I knew very well the effect this story would have on her. My wife is terrified of airplanes. In a few days, she has to get on a plane to go to Caracas. Today we had to go buy some little gifts that I want to send to my family. I passed her the link with the news and she began to tremble.

–In this link they show you the route of the rocket and where it could impact.

-Where?

“Well, anywhere from the coast of Catalonia to Malaga,” I told him.

Couldn’t be more miserable.

To burn time, I began to read everything I found about the Chinese rocket. In another article, Patricia Biosca specified that it was Long March 5B, whose size was equivalent to that of a 30-story building. I was surprised to learn that, in fact, this was the third time something like this had happened with a Chinese rocket since 2020.

– Fuck with the Chinese. First the pandemic and now this pod –I said.

And saying it, for the first time I felt a little afraid. As if God had exceeded the miracle granted. Saint Teresa of Jesus already said it, that more people cried for answered prayers than for unanswered ones.

–The problem is that the Chinese government continues to use non-reusable rockets. With Elon Musk this shit does not happen –I insisted.

My wife was silent.

Well, let’s go shopping another day. Those of Albacete are worse.

-What happened in Albacete?

-That the soccer team played yesterday in Gijón and they had to return by plane.

And what happened to the plane?

My wife was biting her nails.

–Nothing, but now the team will have to return by bus. It’s nine hours to Albacete. Go figure. And they play again the day after tomorrow.

He gave me one of his murderous looks and I decided to shut up.

A couple of hours later, it was learned that the rocket had crashed in the Pacific.

“We saved ourselves,” I told him, with a smile.

But the damage was done. Now my wife is worried about the possibility of a Chinese rocket hitting her plane. That this time it does fall on our heads.

I promised him that tomorrow, without fail, we would go shopping.

God willing.

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