“Thanks,” she whispers as she passes by. Stopping at the top of the steps, she holds out her arm cocked back at the elbow and looks vulnerably back at me. “Could you give me a hand?” I’m there in a second, taking her arm like we are headed to the prom, helping her gingerly down the front steps and out to the car. “I’m not used to these shoes,” she confesses.
I close the car door when she is situated comfortably and move to get in back as Jared crosses in front to get to the driver’s door. “Careful my friend,” I hear him say, grinning his grin. Luckily, I’m too far away to receive the warning punch I have gotten so many times before.
We drive Kylie over to the hangar where our gyroscope exhibit is being constructed. There are a lot of cars parked in front of the hangar the shiff is in. Some ordinary ones, local by the coating of dust on the paint, and some fancy ones, probably rented at the airport down in Las Cruces, and one long, black limousine. “Who’s do you suppose that is?” I wonder.
Jared parks quite far away from the doors, “to give our guests better access,” he responds when Kylie questions why she has to walk so far. I am happy for another chance to steady her as we walk over to the entrance.
Passing through the door, I see the beginnings of the saucer sitting in the center of the building. The cowling we had salvaged from the bone yard is up on jack stands. To the right, stands an old podium with a few chairs set up facing it. Kylie walks over to check it out and store her notebook.
“Looks like Willie’s been here,” I comment, walking around the structure, looking up and down the height of it. The aluminum cowling has many measurements written on it in black marker. Around its circumference, equal distances have been marked and noted with the degrees of a compass; zero to three hundred and fifteen. Special notes have been made at zero, one hundred twenty, and two hundred forty, labeled ‘LG’ with a question mark above them. Hash marks, from top to bottom, have been measured every forty-five degrees and labeled ‘S1’ through ‘S8’.
I crawl underneath and between the jack stands to get up into the center of the cowling. I slip in between some framing I guess to be the beginning of the cockpit floor. The inside is also marked up with strange, elliptical measurements, both ends of which indicate thirty degrees from the horizontal center line.
I ponder them as I exit, walking towards Jared who is standing next to Kylie by the podium. She seems a little annoyed; or nervous, maybe both. He stops talking when I get near.
“Willie’s plotted things out pretty good,” I comment, “but I’m not sure what it all means.”
“The last time he was here he said he needs to talk to you about some things, too. He says your rough plans don’t include any sort of landing gear and wants to know your thoughts.”
“Where are the plans?” I ask, suddenly afraid they might draw some suspicion of our true purpose.
“They’re in here,” Kylie replies, pulling them out. “We didn’t know where else to put them.”
“I’ll stuff them in a pocket until this whole thing is over.” I reach for the plans. She playfully initiates a little tug of war as I take them. “Thanks,” I say, folding them twice and putting them away.
“I hear voices,” Jared alerts us. “They’re here.”
I turn to see a man coming through the door. He’s tall, with shaggy gray hair, casually wearing gray slacks with a light blue, short sleeved shirt. His face is clean shaven, framing a friendly smile. Jared’s dad is right behind him wearing his traditional southwestern jeans, shirt with bolo tie, and off-white cowboy hat. They are talking but with the echo in the building, I can’t make out what is being said.
Kylie is the first of us to move. She walks towards the group smiling confidently. Jared and I follow. We meet the tour group at the back row of seating. Jared’s dad is talking.
I miss the tall man’s name but Jared’s dad continues, “I’d like you to meet my daughter.” There is parental pride in his voice and it seems he is in a good mood. They exchange a quick hand shake as Kylie responds. Then he gestures to Jared and me. “And this is my son Jared and his friend Tyler.” We exchange a friendly greeting. “Without this man, there probably wouldn’t be any commercial space flight, and we wouldn’t be standing here right now,” he informs us all.
The tall man laughs slightly at the comment. I recognize his face, but his name doesn’t come to mind.
“Nice to meet you,” is the only response I can make before they turn away for another discussion.
I know a few of the other visitors. The group is smaller than I had expected. There are a couple of politicians, including the mayor, and Stiles, of course. He looks less threatening and more relaxed in civvies, but his face still wears a suspicious façade that I don’t trust.
“So are you ready?” Jared’s dad asks turning to Kylie.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she says, trying to maintain composure. As we return to the podium, she whispers anxiously, “Can you guys stand up here with me?” Jared nods.
Kylie moves into position behind the podium. We stand a little behind and on either side of her looking a little more like bodyguards than friend and family. She begins.
“Thanks for taking time to visit our exhibit. What we are planning to demonstrate with this hands-on exhibit is how gyroscopic control is applied to airborne vehicles to keep them stable, and to let visitors try their hand at controlling a vehicle. The idea first took form as a...”
I know the story so my thoughts begin to wander as she retells it. I watch the audience. Most appear to be politely attentive. The tall man, whose name I still haven’t remembered, watches with rapt attention, enjoying the youthful enthusiasm Kylie exudes as she is speaking. I feel that if he were a teacher, he would be the supportive kind, always trying to inspire his students to think of that next big thing and to obtain knowledge wherever they could.
I move on in my observations to Stiles. He just sits with a deadpan face, a thin slit of a smile on his face. He seems to sense my gaze and his eyes turn from Kylie to lock on me. Cold, hard eyes, staring into me as if they are trying to drag an answer out. I watch his thin lips curl up devilishly at the ends. I get that creepy feeling again.
The group starts to applaud, bringing me back into focus on Kylie’s presentation. “Are there any questions?” she asks. The tall man raises his hand in response. She nods to him.
“Whose idea was it to use the saucer as your platform for this project?”
“That was Tyler’s idea, sir,” she replies, motioning towards me. Heads turn and eyes focus on me.
I can feel the burn rising in my face. An explanation is expected. I hesitate. “Umm …, it’s just a dream I’ve had since I was very young.” A smile crosses several faces. “I used to read a lot of comic books.” Several chuckles erupt, and I feel like crawling into a hole. I burn hotter with embarrassment and I focus on the floor. It’s the truth! “My Gramps sometimes says, ‘New ideas are spawned from fantasy in some cases’.”
“Do you ever expect it to fly?” I look up to see who has asked the question. The small group murmurs humorously. It’s Stiles; always suspicious, always probing.
“Are you kidding?” Jared jumps in. “It has a lousy aerodynamic design and would be difficult to control. It’s just a fantasy, of course.” Stiles has been disarmed.
Sensing the presentation is spiraling downhill, Jared’s dad stands, thanks the three of us for our interest in the launch facility, and announces that refreshments have been set up in the shiff’s exhibit hangar. Some in the group clap, acknowledging the presentation, others just get up and begin to leave. The tall man looks towards the podium and the three of us, smiles and winks. It’s the only real encouragement we get.
Kylie, Jared, and I stay by the podium until the echo of every footstep is gone. “That went well,” Kylie comments sarcastically.
“It was okay,” Jared offers.
“You did great!” I laud her. “But I sure wasn’t expecting any questions.”
&nb
sp; “Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Jared shoots back.
“Thanks for helping me out,” I say to him. He grins.
“Let’s get out of here,” Kylie suggests. “I can’t wait to get out of this outfit.”
We gather up the folding chairs, placing them by the door before driving back to the house.
“Guess I’ll head home,” I say hesitantly.
“Thanks for being here, Tyler.” Kylie waves goodbye as she heads into the house.
“So, are you riding with us to The Butte tonight? Dad says I’ve got to take Kylie in. She’s meeting up with some of her friends for the fireworks.”
“Sure,” I reply quickly. “What time?”
“I don’t know. Whenever she’s ready,” Jared nods towards the closing door.
“Okay. Give me a call when you’re leaving and I’ll be ready.”
As I ride away on the hy-ped, I feel relief at getting through this part of the day. Even though Kylie had done all of the work, I guess I’d been anxious about our secret being found out. But she did a good job, and looked good doing it.
Now to enjoy the festivities of the Fourth. It’s even going to be better this year. In the past our parents had to drive us in, but this year, now that we can drive ourselves, they seem content to stay home. And that’s fine with us!
After dinner, Mom and Dad go over the rules for the evening. Nothing I haven’t heard before, but they apparently feel they have to remind me every time I leave the house. Jared and Kylie show up a little after 7:00 and we head for TorC town.
Truth or Consequences has had the Fourth of July celebration at Elephant Butte State Park every year forever. It’s the perfect place. The fireworks can be seen from almost everywhere around the lake, which is convenient since the camping areas are filled up with out-of-towners most of the summer. Most of the locals are left to find a place along the drive around the park which is okay because we know where the best spots are.
Kylie is giving someone our coordinates on her phone. The way her perfume circulates through the car adds a sweet scent to the evening air. It’s been a great summer so far. No lack of things to do and a real sense of purpose, not just video games and wishing we had something to do.
We reach the main gate into the park. Usually there is a fee, but this is a special event, and for special events, residents of the area don’t have to pay. We show them our identification and drive on through. At the first corner we turn right.
Kylie squeals when she spots her friends at the top of the boat launch, quickly closing her phone before getting out. “Text me and pick me up here on your way home?” she asks, then instead of waiting for an answer, just wheels around to join her friends. “Bye,” I say. Jared just waves her off.
We drive away from the campgrounds around to the south side of the lake. We can’t go too far before Jared has to park. The highway across an earthen dam at this end has been closed for decades and is now only open to pedestrian traffic. We’re early enough that we are able to get a good location for viewing the fireworks. The sky is clear and the air is warm as the shadows grow taller on the hills to the east. We set up some old folding chairs and settle in with a can of soda and some chips.
Looking over the water I can see Rattlesnake Island and Long Point Island beyond. Barges are docked in between where the fireworks have been prepared. Looking down along the western shore, the glow from marinas and campgrounds is taking affect. Headlights and taillights are moving slowly in heavy traffic. I’m glad we got here when we did. It’s almost a perfect night, except for Jared.
“What’s up with you?” I ask through a mouthful of chips. I’m having fun watching the crowd grow and pass by, but he doesn’t seem to be able to get into the spirit of the evening. Usually I’d wait for him to open up, but I’m in a great mood tonight, so I decide to press the issue.
“Nothing,” comes the curt reply.
I strain my neck to watch a group of girls walking along the road behind us. “Hey...” I prod him, tilting my head in the direction of the procession. He continues brooding after taking a quick glance. Then I figure it out. “This is about Jennifer, isn’t it?” I say jokingly, trying to lighten his mood.
“Shut up!” he snaps back. I knew I’d hit a nerve. Last year, they had been here together.
Jared, Kylie, and I had driven in with my folks. Mom and Dad were cool enough to drop us off before parking somewhere up the road. Of course, arrangements had been made ahead of time. Jen and her friend Riley were going to meet us here. Kylie’s friends were not too far away either so she joined them right away. We walked down towards the lake a little and found a place to sit.
Jen and Riley showed up a few minutes before the fireworks began. Jared and Jen pretty much forgot about anybody else, and the fireworks, retreating into their own little world of flirtatious romance. Riley and I sat uncomfortably watching the lightshow. She is a quiet art student in school. Jen had seen some of her drawings and said they were pretty good.
I had never been very comfortable with girls, and I didn’t know Riley very well, so when she slid a little closer to me after one of particularly loud display, I started to get a little nervous.
“That was a loud one,” I blurted out.
“Sure was,” she responded sweetly, taking my hand. Awkward as that felt, I didn’t move mine away. And since it was dark, I knew she couldn’t see my flushed face. My mind was caught somewhere between not wanting to hurt her feelings and not pretending we were together. Cause we weren’t. I mean, Riley was cute, but I guess I just wasn’t ready or in the mood to ‘get to know her’ as Jared had put it when he told me they would be joining us.
Anyway, that was last year. I shrug off the memory and look around. I recognize some of the other kids nearby. They group up by age and interest. Some upperclassmen are paired with dates, the younger kids more in groups. We are the out-of-towners. Those who are cruising around actually say ‘Hi’ to us when they pass, exchanging light-hearted barbs. Some of the other brainiacs settle in not too far away shortly after the fireworks begin.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” Jared says after a while.
“What’s that?” I say, fishing chip flakes out from the bottom of the bag and licking them off my finger tips as I watch some blossoms of red and gold burst in the sky.
“Being here by ourselves,” he complains.
“Not really.” I crumple up the empty bag and toss it near the cooler. Of course I couldn’t tell him that I wish Kylie had stayed with us. Every once in a while I’ve been glancing in the direction where she had met her friends, hoping they might come over and join us. I think she is fun to be with, but I know Jared wouldn’t want his little sister around.
“Well it bothers me,” he continues to whine.
“Thanks man,” I say, feigning I’m hurt. Then as an afterthought, but quite seriously I add, “Why don’t you just go and find her?”
“Who?”
“Jennifer, of course.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because we broke up.”
“That was already a year ago. You guys are still friends, right?” I state the obvious. “I mean, we’re all working together on the saucer and the bits. None of that seems to bother either of you.”
“That’s business,” he reminds me. “Besides, back then she said she wanted more excitement and that I wasn’t giving it to her.”
“Yeah, you are pretty dull,” I respond sarcastically. “But you tolerate each other. And you obviously still respect each other. Besides,” I continue, “she’s going through all that crap at home with her parents. She could probably use a good friend right now.” He says nothing but I hope he is thinking about it.
We watch the finale without another word being said. The crowd thins out slowly with cars bunching up quickly at the exit. It usually takes a while, so we wait for Kylie to find us for the ride home before packing up.
It’s not long before a loud, giggling group of girl
s are headed in our direction. The light is too dim to guess which outline is Kylie’s. They get quieter as they get closer and start their goodbyes as they pass. “Hi Jared,” one of the girls coyly greets him. He waves a muted response as he gets up, folds his chair, and picks up some trash. “Hi Tyler,” another adds, slyly eyeing me as she passes by.
“Hello ladies,” I respond, trying not to appear as awkward as I feel. There is a short burst of giggling. My face flushes.
“Be good on the way home, Kylie,” one of them suggests as they walk away with another eruption of giggles.
“Shut up!” Kylie answers back, waving her arm to push them away faster as they fade into the night.
“What was that all about?” Jared asks with suspicion, clouded by his sour mood.
“Nothing,” she snaps back at his intrusion. “What’s wrong with you?” She looks at me for an answer. I just shake my head.
She heads for the car. Jared and I follow with a chair under one arm and the cooler between us. Before we get in, we stow the gear in the trunk while Kylie takes a seat in back.
The line of cars is moving spasmodically. Jared flips the headlights on and waits for a gap to merge into. It seems to take forever before we are allowed to join the stop and go traffic. I’m staring out the window, my mind wandering when Kylie leans forward, pointing from the backseat and whispering, “Isn’t that Jen?”
I fix my gaze on the form in the headlights moving towards us. Her head is down and her hands are clenched as she walks deliberately forward. She has the appearance of escaping an unpleasant situation.
“Jennifer?” I say cautiously, as she begins to walk past my window. “Everything okay?”
She stops. After a short hesitation she pokes her head in my window. “Can I have a ride home?” she asks, sounding angry, sad, and desperate all at the same time.
I look at Jared. He doesn’t say anything but nods his head. “Get in,” I tell her. She quickly jumps in the back seat behind me. Nobody says anything right away. Jared just stares at the road ahead getting impatient for the line of cars to move a little faster.
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