Chapter 3
Beaverton farm area, Oregon
Friday, 9:15 p.m.
"Not so bad" Gianni said as he looked at his clock. "Earlier than I expected with all that traffic"
They jumped off the truck.
"What you think? This place is OK?" he asked her.
"Yeah, it looks good. Dark, in the middle of the woods.... Nice location for a teen horror movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt"
"You like her?" he asked, surprised.
"What if I did?" she replied.
"No, nothing. Just that... it doesn't look like you" he smiled.
"Don't worry, I don't like her. Nothing personal. I just don't like those movies"
"Neither do I" they shared a grin.
Gianni started to get the things off the truck. He got the three-legged support and found a place to stuck it.
"It has to be firm on the ground", he said.
Later he got the telescope and along with Miranda they set it its parts together and adjust it.
"This is a good model", she said. "The lens are powerful and the refraction index is almost null"
"Yeah, I know. I saved money for a year to buy it"
"Why didn't you just ask Santa Claus?"
"What do you think I did? But Mr. Santa and I don't get along so he told my father not to buy it for me. I ended up buying it by myself"
"It's better"
"Yeah, you know all about that. But... what's going on with your project? You didn't want your dad to pay for the latest telescope in the world?"
"It's not that"
"What is it then? Ouch! Porca miseria!" He cursed in Italian.
"Are you Ok?"
"Damn! I smashed my finger!" he was shaking his left hand up and down.
"Wait a minute", she ran to the truck and grabbed her back bag. "Here it is" she held his hand and put ice on it. "It'll fade the pain off"
"Sure, ice. It hurts more than the area which is hurt so the pain goes" he grinned. "But thanks anyway", he smiled at her and she replied timidly. "So... how did you bring ice on your back bag?"
"My bag has this internal part that works as a heat isolator. Ya know... kinda like we have at the lab. It's good if you want to have food or a cold drink"
"Sounds cool", he removed the little ice cube from his finger. "Ok, I'm healed. Let's get to business. What you've got?"
"You wanted to see Jupiter, right?"
"Yup"
"I got it. 45º 13' of longitude..." she moved the telescope slowly, always keeping and eye or the small display that showed the angle. "And 37º 21' 04'' of latitude", her voice was practically a whisper.
"You see anything?" he asked, behind her.
"Yeah, there it is. Nice color"
"You are good at it, aren't you?"
"Good at what?"
"Finding the location... I mean, I'm probably stupid. I usually take a few minutes to find what I'm looking for. Anyway, let me see" he couldn't wait to take a look at that planet. It was so bright, so shiny! The dominant yellow mixed with some brown shades within made it even more magical. And, there were also the satellites or the little moons of Jupiter. He couldn't help but being amazed to what he was looking at.
"I wish I could take a picture!" he sighed.
"Maybe we can check at the university's astronomy department. They have a pretty good telescope there but I don't know if it's able to take pictures"
"Yeah, it's worth a question. But... how come you don't know?"
"I just don't. Never asked, that's probably the reason"
They observed planets for a while. Jupiter and Venus. Later they moved to the moon and started a long and scientific conversation about craters and how deep could the frozen water be.
It was about a 1:45 a.m. when they got a little tired of watching the space and decided to take a break. Gianni grabbed a little bag, jumped over the front part of the truck and lay there.
"What are you doing?" asked Miranda.
"I'm gonna watch the stars. Wanna join me? I've got candy!" he smiled maliciously as he showed her a bar.
"Ok" she agreed though she thought that lying over the front part of the car was kind weird.
"You see that one?" Gianni pointed a star.
"Vega?"
"Yup. It's my favorite star. What's yours?"
"Why do you like Vega?"
"Hmmm..." he thought for a while as he opened his peanut butter cup. "I'm not sure but probably because it's easy to see it" he grinned. "You just look up on the sky and there it is. No matter what season, winter, summer, fall or spring. It's always there, so shiny! Kinda like a light, something that guides you whenever you need it or it can also be your company in lonely nights".
They both paused to think to themselves. They always did that.
"But you didn't answer my question... what's your favorite star?"
She thought for a little while.
"I think Little Dipper, the second one" she was looking at it as she said.
"And why?"
"Because it looks like one star but it's actually two"
"And what does it mean?"
"Don't know exactly. But if you ask Peggy or any other psychiatrist they'll tell you that our preferences reflect our personalities" she grabbed herself a candy bar.
"Interesting..." he bit the last piece of his bar. "But I doubt you have a double personality disease so my guess is: you look like one thing but deep down you're another thing. Like Little Dipper. Your reputation is like the blue star. Big, shiny, popular - even not in a very orthodox meaning of the word you know what I mean, right? But there's also that red little star which is a normal one, just like the others. It doesn't mean the red star is meaningless, but it's quite normal. Same feelings, same hopes, same fears, dreams, etc...".
Another moment of silence.
"You should have studied Psychology" she grinned.
"Yeah, maybe" he sighed.
They kept chatting. It would take a while until Saturn would show up and they had a whole lot of time that had to be filled in an interesting way so they wouldn't fall asleep. The conversation that had started with subtle revelations - such as Gianni's analysis that was quite true about Miranda - opened a door for more personal questions.
"It's getting cold" she said.
"Yeah, I know. Wait a minute, I'll get us a blanket"
"You brought one!?" she was surprised.
"Two, actually"
He got the blanket inside the truck. He spread it over the car front. Seating on the metal was getting impossibly cold and a cover would help them keep the good environment.
"It's not a very big one but it was the only one available" he said as he jumped back on. "And it can work better if we get closer... may I?"
"Ok"
They got closer to each other. That act caused both of them to be a little timid so they didn't talk for a few minutes until he started to talk again.
"Can I ask you something?" Gianni asked.
"You can ask me anything... I just can't guarantee I'll answer it" she grinned.
"Fair enough" he grinned back. "It's a really stupid question but since we're way past midnight, here it goes: how many guys have you slept with?"
The question surprised her. It made her speechless.
"You don't have to answer, of course" he smiled.
"No, it's OK. I'll answer... under one condition. You tell me how many girls you've slept with"
"OK, sounds fair!" he giggled. "But you have to promise you won't laugh at me, no matter what the answer is"
"Alright, I can promise that" she replied.
"So... how many do you think?"
"No idea"
"I think I'll just say it... two. There were two girls"
"Who were they?" she wanted to know.
"This last question wasn't included in your conditional terms"
"But would you answer it?"
"Right, I would" he took a deep breath. "Both were college girlfriends. Your turn now. How many?"
"How many do you think?" she teased him.
"I don't like these guessing games"
"Three. High school date, and another couple of dates that didn't last very long".
"Good to know" he grinned.
"Why?"
"I don't know... it's just, ... good to know" he smiled to himself looking at Little Dipper. "You don't have to worry, though. This info dies with me"
"THAT is good to know" she replied.
They looked at each other and laughed. "God! We sound like a couple of freshmen! This couldn't get any dumber!" Gianni laughed.
"You're right, it couldn't. But don't forget that you started it"
"And you liked it... you answered the question after all"
"You wanna blame me, now!"
"Not blame you... just share the guilt" he grinned.
"Fair enough, as you say"
After that they stopped talking they looked at each other at the same time. They were so close they could feel their arms touching. Gianni looked at her eyes and she looked back at him. Her eyes were deep, he thought. And she thought his eyes were so sweet! It was only natural when he leaned his body and touched her lips with his. It was also a magical feeling when they actually kissed, a gentle and sweet kiss that expressed what they had been feeling lately but were afraid to reveal.
There couldn't have been a better moment. Cold weather, clear sky and stars to decorate the night. Now, Saturn was gonna have to wait.
Beaverton farm area, Oregon
Friday, 9:15 p.m.
"Not so bad" Gianni said as he looked at his clock. "Earlier than I expected with all that traffic"
They jumped off the truck.
"What you think? This place is OK?" he asked her.
"Yeah, it looks good. Dark, in the middle of the woods.... Nice location for a teen horror movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt"
"You like her?" he asked, surprised.
"What if I did?" she replied.
"No, nothing. Just that... it doesn't look like you" he smiled.
"Don't worry, I don't like her. Nothing personal. I just don't like those movies"
"Neither do I" they shared a grin.
Gianni started to get the things off the truck. He got the three-legged support and found a place to stuck it.
"It has to be firm on the ground", he said.
Later he got the telescope and along with Miranda they set it its parts together and adjust it.
"This is a good model", she said. "The lens are powerful and the refraction index is almost null"
"Yeah, I know. I saved money for a year to buy it"
"Why didn't you just ask Santa Claus?"
"What do you think I did? But Mr. Santa and I don't get along so he told my father not to buy it for me. I ended up buying it by myself"
"It's better"
"Yeah, you know all about that. But... what's going on with your project? You didn't want your dad to pay for the latest telescope in the world?"
"It's not that"
"What is it then? Ouch! Porca miseria!" He cursed in Italian.
"Are you Ok?"
"Damn! I smashed my finger!" he was shaking his left hand up and down.
"Wait a minute", she ran to the truck and grabbed her back bag. "Here it is" she held his hand and put ice on it. "It'll fade the pain off"
"Sure, ice. It hurts more than the area which is hurt so the pain goes" he grinned. "But thanks anyway", he smiled at her and she replied timidly. "So... how did you bring ice on your back bag?"
"My bag has this internal part that works as a heat isolator. Ya know... kinda like we have at the lab. It's good if you want to have food or a cold drink"
"Sounds cool", he removed the little ice cube from his finger. "Ok, I'm healed. Let's get to business. What you've got?"
"You wanted to see Jupiter, right?"
"Yup"
"I got it. 45º 13' of longitude..." she moved the telescope slowly, always keeping and eye or the small display that showed the angle. "And 37º 21' 04'' of latitude", her voice was practically a whisper.
"You see anything?" he asked, behind her.
"Yeah, there it is. Nice color"
"You are good at it, aren't you?"
"Good at what?"
"Finding the location... I mean, I'm probably stupid. I usually take a few minutes to find what I'm looking for. Anyway, let me see" he couldn't wait to take a look at that planet. It was so bright, so shiny! The dominant yellow mixed with some brown shades within made it even more magical. And, there were also the satellites or the little moons of Jupiter. He couldn't help but being amazed to what he was looking at.
"I wish I could take a picture!" he sighed.
"Maybe we can check at the university's astronomy department. They have a pretty good telescope there but I don't know if it's able to take pictures"
"Yeah, it's worth a question. But... how come you don't know?"
"I just don't. Never asked, that's probably the reason"
They observed planets for a while. Jupiter and Venus. Later they moved to the moon and started a long and scientific conversation about craters and how deep could the frozen water be.
It was about a 1:45 a.m. when they got a little tired of watching the space and decided to take a break. Gianni grabbed a little bag, jumped over the front part of the truck and lay there.
"What are you doing?" asked Miranda.
"I'm gonna watch the stars. Wanna join me? I've got candy!" he smiled maliciously as he showed her a bar.
"Ok" she agreed though she thought that lying over the front part of the car was kind weird.
"You see that one?" Gianni pointed a star.
"Vega?"
"Yup. It's my favorite star. What's yours?"
"Why do you like Vega?"
"Hmmm..." he thought for a while as he opened his peanut butter cup. "I'm not sure but probably because it's easy to see it" he grinned. "You just look up on the sky and there it is. No matter what season, winter, summer, fall or spring. It's always there, so shiny! Kinda like a light, something that guides you whenever you need it or it can also be your company in lonely nights".
They both paused to think to themselves. They always did that.
"But you didn't answer my question... what's your favorite star?"
She thought for a little while.
"I think Little Dipper, the second one" she was looking at it as she said.
"And why?"
"Because it looks like one star but it's actually two"
"And what does it mean?"
"Don't know exactly. But if you ask Peggy or any other psychiatrist they'll tell you that our preferences reflect our personalities" she grabbed herself a candy bar.
"Interesting..." he bit the last piece of his bar. "But I doubt you have a double personality disease so my guess is: you look like one thing but deep down you're another thing. Like Little Dipper. Your reputation is like the blue star. Big, shiny, popular - even not in a very orthodox meaning of the word you know what I mean, right? But there's also that red little star which is a normal one, just like the others. It doesn't mean the red star is meaningless, but it's quite normal. Same feelings, same hopes, same fears, dreams, etc...".
Another moment of silence.
"You should have studied Psychology" she grinned.
"Yeah, maybe" he sighed.
They kept chatting. It would take a while until Saturn would show up and they had a whole lot of time that had to be filled in an interesting way so they wouldn't fall asleep. The conversation that had started with subtle revelations - such as Gianni's analysis that was quite true about Miranda - opened a door for more personal questions.
"It's getting cold" she said.
"Yeah, I know. Wait a minute, I'll get us a blanket"
"You brought one!?" she was surprised.
"Two, actually"
He got the blanket inside the truck. He spread it over the car front. Seating on the metal was getting impossibly cold and a cover would help them keep the good environment.
"It's not a very big one but it was the only one available" he said as he jumped back on. "And it can work better if we get closer... may I?"
"Ok"
They got closer to each other. That act caused both of them to be a little timid so they didn't talk for a few minutes until he started to talk again.
"Can I ask you something?" Gianni asked.
"You can ask me anything... I just can't guarantee I'll answer it" she grinned.
"Fair enough" he grinned back. "It's a really stupid question but since we're way past midnight, here it goes: how many guys have you slept with?"
The question surprised her. It made her speechless.
"You don't have to answer, of course" he smiled.
"No, it's OK. I'll answer... under one condition. You tell me how many girls you've slept with"
"OK, sounds fair!" he giggled. "But you have to promise you won't laugh at me, no matter what the answer is"
"Alright, I can promise that" she replied.
"So... how many do you think?"
"No idea"
"I think I'll just say it... two. There were two girls"
"Who were they?" she wanted to know.
"This last question wasn't included in your conditional terms"
"But would you answer it?"
"Right, I would" he took a deep breath. "Both were college girlfriends. Your turn now. How many?"
"How many do you think?" she teased him.
"I don't like these guessing games"
"Three. High school date, and another couple of dates that didn't last very long".
"Good to know" he grinned.
"Why?"
"I don't know... it's just, ... good to know" he smiled to himself looking at Little Dipper. "You don't have to worry, though. This info dies with me"
"THAT is good to know" she replied.
They looked at each other and laughed. "God! We sound like a couple of freshmen! This couldn't get any dumber!" Gianni laughed.
"You're right, it couldn't. But don't forget that you started it"
"And you liked it... you answered the question after all"
"You wanna blame me, now!"
"Not blame you... just share the guilt" he grinned.
"Fair enough, as you say"
After that they stopped talking they looked at each other at the same time. They were so close they could feel their arms touching. Gianni looked at her eyes and she looked back at him. Her eyes were deep, he thought. And she thought his eyes were so sweet! It was only natural when he leaned his body and touched her lips with his. It was also a magical feeling when they actually kissed, a gentle and sweet kiss that expressed what they had been feeling lately but were afraid to reveal.
There couldn't have been a better moment. Cold weather, clear sky and stars to decorate the night. Now, Saturn was gonna have to wait.