Eclipse

Hey, it’s Carol. How are you doing? The forced cheerfulness made Carol gag. Who are you? Pollyanna?

This is Carol Aird. She didn’t find it much better. Too formal.

Hey, it’s Carol. I found your card... She cringed. Duh! You’re calling her, aren’t you?

It’s me, Carol. She sighed. I’ll just make it up as I go along.

Carol sat down at the dining room table and dialed the numbers on the business card. Clearing her throat, she squirmed in her seat, waiting for the call to be picked up. The phone kept on ringing before it went to voicemail.

“Not here right now, but you know what to do.” Carol recognized Therese’s voice. A beep indicated it was her turn to leave a message.

Fuck. She wasn’t prepared to do this. I’ll try again later.

Invigorated by her new knowledge, Carol opened the laptop. She typed Therese’s entire name with ‘Eclipse’ in the search engine. The first hit indicated a webpage she had hoped to find all last night. She clicked on it, and the site started loading.

Server not found.

“For crying out loud!” Carol exclaimed, frustrated by the temporary setback. She slammed the laptop shut and pushed it farther away from her as if it had started to disgust her.

The hours inched forward, and the sky from the kitchen window showed signs of clearing up. Carol stood in front of it, chopping chives and some hot red pepper for her omelet. She cracked two eggs in a bowl and whisked them together. The butter had melted in the skillet, waiting for her to pour the seasoned eggs on it. Her mind wandering elsewhere, Carol formed yellow waves in the mixture with a spatula. She pushed and dragged the fluttering edges toward the center, preparing a soft, custard-like bed for her trimmings.

She pulled a stool under her, and sat by the kitchen island to enjoy her simple meal. The piquant, buttery taste pleased her as always, but the texture seemed all wrong. Remembering the half-eaten bag of potato chips in her pantry, she scattered a handful of them over the omelet. Having eaten a third of it, she abandoned the plate altogether and grabbed the chips instead. The bag rustled noticeably each time she reached down to catch one, her fingers soon sticky with salt and oil. She had tried calling Therese twice after her first attempt but to no avail. Either Therese didn’t have her cell with her or just didn’t feel like answering to an anonymous number.

Crushing the empty bag and throwing it away, Carol felt oddly dissatisfied. She wasn’t feeling queasy –in fact, she was still hungry. A quick stop at the neighborhood bodega would see to her needs, she mused.

A quarter of an hour later Carol had what she had gone looking for. The plastic bag she was carrying contained not only more chips but an array of other surprise items as well. If she couldn’t get a hold of Therese, she would stuff her face with chocolate. She would indulge in what any self-respecting, mature adult in her place would do – binge watch a TV show and OD on junk food. She found the thought funny and definitely worth a try.

As soon as Carol got to her street, she saw it. A black Jeep was parked on the curb next to her house. Approaching the car, she noticed a dark, slim figure sitting on the hood of it. The corners of her mouth curving into a smile, Carol got closer to the vehicle and its owner who was taking a keen interest in her phone. The cell in Carol’s pocket started to buzz. The smile on her face broadened further. The woman turned around swiftly.

“Hello,” Therese said, peeking over her round metal sunglasses. The green lenses were translucent in the bright sunlight. “Just returning your call here,” she continued, visibly amused.

“I can see that,” Carol said, grinning at her unexpected guest. “You do know that calls can be connected without being within an actual seeing distance?” She would have her fun, if only for a short while.

“I guess I could say I just happened to be in the neighborhood,” Therese answered. She jumped off the hood. “But I won’t.” She removed her shades and gazed at Carol who didn’t know how to reply to such honesty. “I’m not good with phones,” Therese explained. “I need to see the person I’m talking to.”

Carol felt warm but not uncomfortably so. Still, she couldn’t quite make up her mind how to respond to Therese’s candid remark, which she saw as an offhand compliment. As they stood by, clumsily gawking at one another, an elderly couple approached them fast with a bossy terrier leading the way. The little dog yanked his leash feistily, making his human slaves catch their breathless step. As they got closer, Therese grabbed Carol’s arm and pulled her gently out of their way. The uppity canine glared at them, incensed by their apparent lack of respect for what was rightfully his sidewalk alone.   

“I think we’d better go inside,” Carol laughed. “It’s getting dangerous out here.” She motioned for Therese to follow her. To escort her in safely seemed suddenly like the most important thing for her to do.

“How did you know where I live?” Carol asked out of the blue, closing the door behind her. Therese had already stepped into the living room.

“Oh, I took a look at your wallet while you were sleeping,” Therese confessed in a manner that sounded a bit sheepish to Carol. But when Therese turned around, she didn’t seem too distressed by her boldness. In fact, she was downright grinning. “Call me crazy,” she chuckled, “but I’m old-fashioned in the way that I kinda like to know who’s sleeping in my bed.” Without any further ado, she focused her full attention on the room she was in.

Therese was obviously very interested in the miscellanea of Carol’s home. She picked up one item after another and examined each one briefly, not bothering to ask for permission to do so. Therese paid particular attention to a heavy brass instrument on the mantelpiece. “Is this yours?” she asked Carol, raising her eyebrows quizzically.

“No, it belonged to my husband,” Carol replied. “But I do know what it is.” The antique, handmade sextant was beautiful to behold.

“Did he use it?” Therese inquired. She held the sextant up, and looked through its telescope.

“I don’t think so,” Carol said, hesitating. “His great grandfather, a sailor, did, though.” Grinning, Therese was pointing the sextant at her. “Something tells me you don’t know the proper use for it,” Carol chuckled self-consciously. The young woman took a few steps closer, still keeping the instrument glued to her eye.

“Oh, I do know what it’s for,” Therese assured Carol. “It measures the angle a heavenly body makes with the visible horizon.” After a deliberate pause, she panned the sextant slowly to her left. “Heavenly bodies like stars, planets, sun and moon, you know.” Therese lowered it. “The angle, and the time of day when it was taken, helps you to navigate.” She returned to where she had found the sextant and put it carefully back at its place. “I’ll teach you one of these days.” She sat down on the couch, her arms soon resting along its back.

Slightly flustered, Carol had to change the subject. “Are you hungry?” Food was always a wholesome topic of conversation. “I could fix you something to eat, if you like.” She remembered the plastic bag, and the stuff still in it.

“I’m good for the moment,” Therese said, “although I’d be curious to see what you could come up with potato chips, vitamin water, dark chocolate and sour gummy rings.” Amused, she held out the groceries Carol had forgotten on the floor right next to the couch. Blushing, Carol retrieved her offering without a word.

Therese leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “Actually, I came by to see if I could redeem myself…” she started with a shy smile.

“Redeem yourself?” Carol quirked her eyebrows, utterly surprised.

“I felt really bad when you showed up at the observatory, and I couldn’t give you that celestial tour you were hoping for,” Therese explained. “So I thought maybe I could make up for it tonight.” She gazed at Carol apprehensively. “If you have time, that is.”

Taken aback and terribly pleased, Carol smiled at the items she had just lifted onto the kitchen island. “I have time,” she acquiesced to say.

“Great.” Therese beamed at her. “I’ve been checking the weather forecast all day long, and the conditions should be excellent.” She got up, and fetched her phone from her jacket pocket.

“Excellent for what?” Carol asked, still uncertain what was in Therese’s mind.

“For stargazing,” Therese replied, unlocking her phone. “This sky chart keeps you up-to-date with all the relevant information you need to know before dragging your telescope to some remote spot.” Carol took a look at the small screen with rows of text and columns of different colored blocks right next to them. “See this dark blue one here,” Therese enthused. “It’s going to be clear alright.” She sounded so happy, the mysterious chart was enough to excite Carol, too.

“You need to dress really warmly,” Therese continued. “It can get surprisingly cold at night, and I wouldn’t want to see you shivering out there.” She looked around the apartment as if trying to figure out where Carol kept her clothes.

“Out where?” Carol asked. She was eager to hear where Therese planned to take her.

“In Inwood Hill Park,” Therese revealed. “One of the best places in the city to gaze at the sky. In most parts, the huge number and density of lights makes it virtually impossible to see anything,” she continued. “But Inwood is ideal. Large areas of the park have been kept wild with no street lamps in sight.”

Carol recalled the park faintly but was doubtful if she had ever visited it herself. “I suppose we’ll have to wait for the sun to set, right?” she asked apprehensively. It was still relatively early.

“Sure, but I was thinking we could head up there well in advance, grab some take-out, and then marvel at the heavens above.” Therese had it all figured out, which Carol found very charming.

“I’ll go change then,” Carol agreed happily. Therese nodded, and retreated to her spot on the couch. As Carol was passing her by on her way to the bedroom, Therese’s cell started ringing on the coffee table. A headshot of a woman with the name ‘Jane’ below appeared on the screen. Carol recognized her instantly as the other girl in the photo strip. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked innocently when Therese made no attempt to pick it up.

“No,” Therese said. She turned the sound off.

Fifteen minutes later they were ready to leave. Carol got into Therese’s Jeep Wrangler, an awe-inspiring box of steel on four sturdy wheels. The car was so clean and neat Carol wondered if Therese had acquired it rather recently. During the short drive in Poughkeepsie she hadn’t really paid any attention to it. She settled on the comfy leather seat next to Therese, ready to embark on what she thought of as an adventure, no less. Carol was thrilled and miraculously refreshed by the turn her day had taken.

Therese suggested a pit stop at her favorite take-out joint. The dinner would be her treat, she insisted. “This way I get to pick what we eat,” she laughed at Carol’s surprise. “I know what’s good here.” She ordered two huge wraps and two chocolate shakes with basil in them to go. When Carol tried to object to the shake, Therese shook her head determinedly. “You’ll just end up stealing mine, and I’ll be left with nothing.” She stored her purchases with great care in different thermal containers.

The ride up to the northern tip of Manhattan didn’t last too long, and Carol wouldn’t even have minded it if it had. She enjoyed watching Therese steer her vehicle along the Henry Hudson Parkway. She was in her element, Carol thought, so self-assured doing what she knew inside-out, for her car must have cruised this road numerous times before. Leaving the bustling beehive of the city behind, Therese seemed to grow more talkative, almost chatty, which suited Carol fine. Stealing glances of her driver, Carol was more than happy to have the role of a listener.

Passing under I-95 and the George Washington Bridge, they were getting close. Right after Fort Tryon Park they reached their destination, the wilderness where “Peter Minuit supposedly bought Manhattan from the Lenapes,” Therese told Carol. “Here you can get an idea of what Manhattan looked like before the Europeans showed up,” she elaborated, once they had left the car and entered the park by foot.

Therese was carrying an impressive, padded canvas bag that seemed ridiculously big for a woman of her size. She didn’t complain though, but she welcomed Carol’s offer to take care of the food and another smaller bag Therese had packed for them. The hike to the top of a 200 ft. hill wasn’t an easy one, and the carry-ons made it even more trying. Seeing Therese drag her oversized case so effortlessly up the trail, Carol viewed her added weights as somewhat miniscule. She gritted her teeth, and pushed on along the narrow footpath.

Leaving the hum of the parkway traffic behind, they were soon surrounded by mere footfall silence and the chitter of an occasional bird. The landscape had changed drastically from the park’s lower reaches with their ball fields and picnic areas. The bare branches of the tulip trees, maples and sweetgums showed signs of rejuvenation, alluding to the sea of green foliage soon to take over. The haze of the evening painted the native caves and glacial erratics with a soft hue, as the trail under their feet turned more rugged and unpredictable the further up they ascended.

Finally at the summit, Therese set her load down and laid out two folded camping chairs she had had attached to the case. Carol sat on one of them almost immediately, breathing heavily out of exertion. The constant fatigue reared its head, even if she was reluctant to admit it. What Carol saw ahead made the steep climb more than worth the effort though. The view over the Hudson took her breath away, the somber waters glistening in pristine silence. The sun was melting away over the river, but the deepening darkness didn’t bother her at all. The cloth of heaven was lit with countless stars. 

“You okay?” Therese asked, glancing at her apprehensively. Carol nodded, surprised at how hungry she suddenly was. “I think we worked up quite an appetite,” Therese smiled, handing Carol a parcel she was already waiting for. She took a hasty bite of a falafel wrap with crunchy pickled onions, grilled scallions and toasted sunflower seeds. As the creamy sesame sauce hit the roof of her mouth, Carol closed her eyes for a rapturous second. “Try some of mine,” Therese urged, handing hers to Carol. The grilled cauliflower and spicy pineapple bursting with bold flavors and textures tasted equally heavenly.

“We can see a lot with the naked eye from here,” Therese said when they were lounging in their chairs and drinking their shakes. “Jupiter, Saturn and Venus,” she explained leaning closer to Carol and finding distant spots at the crystalline sky. “The Big Dipper, of course, and Ursa Minor over there…” Her finger traced the constellations calmly. “But I intend to show you much more,” she stated, winking at Carol. “Can you hold on to this while I mount the telescope?” Therese handed what was left of her shake to Carol.

Therese took out a pro-grade telescope which at first resembled a mere steel cylinder. It started to look more like a viewing device to Carol once attached into its tripod mount. “I have two telescopes,” Therese said, “this one for viewing and another for astrophotography.” She picked her first target and aimed the hefty tube at it, centering the object in the field of view. Having made the needed adjustments, she was ready.

“Have a look,” Therese encouraged Carol. “Let’s gaze at the moon first.” Carol peeked in, and what she saw made her gasp. The huge celestial sphere loomed ahead in quiet solitude. Observed more closely, its pale surface was dented with shallow, empty pools and deep holes echoing some ancient event like mouths transfixed by a silent scream. “That’s the lava-flooded crater Plato,” Therese specified. “It’s about 67 miles wide.” Carol focused on what she was telling. “Right there, just above the Sea of Showers.” What looked like a narrow trail of breadcrumbs beside the sea were the Apennines Mountains, she elaborated. “There’s so much to see in the moon, it never looks quite the same,” Therese concluded reverently. Carol agreed, and it took Therese another half an hour to get her interested in other objects she had in store for her.  

The night grew colder, but Carol found the celestial splendor all too engrossing to even notice it. Therese’s telescope showed her the faint rings of Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy between Pegasus and Cassiopeia. Therese taught Carol to spot different constellations, spicing up her stories with her knowledge of myths and folklore. 

“We’re right under the star Vega here,” she told Carol, “one of the most luminous stars in our sun’s neighborhood, and only twenty-five light years away from it.” She adjusted the telescope’s settings. “With Altair and Deneb, it forms the so-called summer triangle, thus linking the brightest stars in the constellations of Lyra, Aquila, and Cygnus.” Therese let Carol marvel what she had prepared for her to see this time.

“Do you know what Tanabata is?” she asked quietly. Carol shook her head, still immersed in her view. “It’s a special festival in Japan, dedicated to Vega and Altair, those two stars you’ve been gazing at.”

Surprised, Carol glanced at Therese for a change. “Is there some special meaning to this festival?” she inquired curiously.

Therese’s smile was pensive. “It commemorates the story of two star-crossed lovers, a seamstress and a cow herder.” Carol’s interest was piqued. “Princess Orihime wove beautiful clothes by the heavenly river, the Milky Way, and her loving father was no less than a God of the heavens…” Therese paused to let her words sink in.

“Well, the young girl was really sad since she didn’t have anyone to love because of her endless toil, so daddy decided to find a man for her. She met Hikoboshi, who lived on the other side of the Milky Way, and they fell madly in love right away.” A faint smile touched Therese’s lips. “They got married and pretty soon forgot to take care of their jobs, no more weaving and cows running rampant, you know.” Carol’s easy laughter pleased Therese very much. “Daddy was ticked off big time,” she added, “and he forbade the happy couple to be together.”

Carol knotted her brow. “I trust the daughter didn’t take it too well?”

Grinning, Therese shook her head. “Nope, I’m pretty sure she made quite a spectacle out of herself begging and pleading.” She took her time before explaining it further. “They reached a compromise: daddy would allow the lovers to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, if Orihime started weaving again.” The look on Therese’s face told Carol she didn’t think much of such an arrangement. “The first time they were supposed to be reunited, the Milky Way was too perilous to cross, and Orihime just lost it completely.” Amused, Carol tried to picture it happening but couldn’t. “She was so desperate, a flock of magpies came and made a bridge for her. Then again, if it rains, even magpies can’t help her to cross over.”

Therese picked up a couple of random items and put them back in her bag. “That’s why every August 7^th we make a point of wishing ‘clear skies’ in all earnestness – to imagine the lovely reunion of Vega and Altair across the night sky.” Smiling secretively, Therese cast her eyes down.

It was already after midnight when they dragged their equipment out of the park. Never having been in actual darkness in the city before, Carol found the silence and the starlit solitude eerie and almost troubling. Therese seemed to sense her fearfulness, making sure Carol was never more than a step behind her on the narrow path.

They remained quiet for most of the ride back to Carol’s. Therese seemed preoccupied with musings of her own, but not in any sullen way. The closer they got to Carol’s apartment, the more nervous Carol became, not knowing what to say or do when the Jeep would finally pull up next to her home. When the inevitable happened, she was still clueless about it. Therese got up and helped her to carry her stuff to her door.

“This is it,” Therese said, looking straight in her eyes. “Thank you. I had a great time.”

Carol looked at Therese, distressed by her inability to come up with anything intelligible. “It’s terribly late,” she managed to mumble after an awkward silence. “I mean… you could very well stay here for the night and head back home in the daylight.” Embarrassed, she averted her eyes. “It would be safer, you know.”

Therese’s smile was warm. “I’d love to, but I have an early morning class.” She fell silent for a while as if she wished for Carol to say something more. “I’ve driven many a night so it’s nothing uncommon… no traffic...” Hesitating, she lifted her arms above her waistline – only to cross them awkwardly over her chest. “O-kay,” Therese started, taking a step backward. “I’ll skedaddle so you can get some shut-eye.” She shoved her hands in her pockets in the casual manner Carol was already familiar with and slowly turned to walk back to her car. “Bye.”

Stumped by her own stilted behavior, Carol struggled to get a word out of her mouth. “Therese!” she shouted unexpectedly after her.

“Yes?” Therese turned around in a flash.

“Will you…” Carol fumbled for words. “Will you at least send a text or something to let me know you’re back at home safe and sound?” Her voice was soft and pleading.

“Of course,” Therese assured her, beaming. “Sweet dreams, Carol.” Then she was gone.

Two hours later Carol lay awake in her bed, both happy and restless over the events of the day. When she closed her eyes, she saw the moon and the planets, the two star-crossed lovers linked across the Milky Way. Her cell phone beeped somewhere beneath the rumpled sheets, and it took her a moment to find it at the foot of her bed. The message was from Therese, and it was short and simple.

I’m here.