The Underclassman Ch. 24

Starry Nights

After having checked all his answers on the physics midterm, Mick looked at his watch to see what time it was. He was surprised to discover that it was almost 12:00 p.m. which prompted him to hurriedly collect up his belongings before standing to turn in the exam. When Mick arrived at the food court, he continued to be vexed that it had nearly taken him the three allotted hours to complete the exam. Feeling somewhat pressed for time he did not bother to deliberate much before snatching a roast beef and Boursin multigrain wrap from the Grab-n-Go sandwich bar and rushing back to Bradley Hall.

When Mick got back to his dorm room, he quickly gathered up all his dirty clothes and started the load of wash before sitting down to eat his lunch. Mick knew he should have done his laundry the night prior but after returning from Zoe's recital he wanted to concentrate on and spend as much time as possible studying for the physics test.

It was the second day of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament and the first games tipped-off at noon. His boss Gil had told Mick that he could come in as early as he wanted and with it being Friday, it was going to be a long, busy day at The Dugout. Even though Mick planned on leaving for work on Saturday morning prior to the mandatory move-out time of 12:00 p.m. due to spring break, there was going to be enough time to run his wash the following morning. Saturday however not only meant another full day of tourney games, but it was also St. Patrick's Day, and Mick realized that every possible minute of sleep was coveted, so laundry now meant more shuteye tomorrow morning. As soon as his last tee shirt was folded, Mick grabbed his car keys and ran out the door.

Mick slept in until 10:00 a.m on Saturday morning which still gave him plenty of time to have breakfast, shower, pack his clothes and leave for The Dugout prior to being temporarily evicted at noontime on account of the school break. Not only had Mick taken Lonnie up on his offer to put him up for the next two weekends which allowed him to work and make good money during the busy times of the tournament, but Mick had also accepted Katrín's invitation to come to her parents' home along with the astronomy club for the intervening week. He placed his laptop and phone charger in his backpack along with a few other odd items and rolled his pillow up inside his sleeping bag. Once Mick double-checked that he was good to go for the week he picked up his bags, locked the door behind himself and headed to his vehicle for the drive to work.

Mick ditched his car in the tenant parking lot behind The Dugout as his boss Joe Gilman had given him permission to abandon it there for the night. When he walked through the rear entrance the buzz about the kitchen was immediately apparent indicating to Mick that the bar was already packed with customers and jumping. Gil found Mick before he could even punch in and began to rattle off the game plan to him which did not seem to deviate much from New Year's.

"We have Guinness on tap at both ends of the bar so be ready to change kegs all night," instructed Gilman before adding, "Plastic cups only and if they complain that the Guinness isn't cold tell them that's how its served in Ireland."

"Got it," acknowledged Mick as he hung up his coat.

Over the din of the bustling kitchen, Gilman barked, "Shots of Jameson are three dollars so help Lonnie out with that when you can and push the Mile-high hot corned beef sandwich and entrees with glazed carrots, smashed potatoes and Irish soda bread." Joe's attention was momentarily drawn to a ticket accompanying two plates sitting under the warming lamps. After checking the order, Gil picked up the warm platters and as he backed into the kitchen's swinging door he shouted at Mick, "Don't forget Maggie at the horse trough with ice and Killian's Irish Red."

"Switching it up from silver bullets," thought Mick, "Joe must have stock in Molson Coors brewing."

A little over an hour into his shift, Mick found himself down in the cellar swapping out his first keg. As he placed the spent container next to the other three empties congregating outside the walk-in cooler, Mick could not help but be reminded of his run-in with Athena on New Year's Eve, and at the health clinic. He wondered if she would make an appearance at some point as Athena had suggested she might see Mick on St. Patrick's Day.

Athena quickly slipped from Mick's mind as the day was no less frenetic than expected. Between all the revelers who found themselves temporarily Irish for the day, and one of the basketball games not concluding until after the midnight, The Dugout stayed fairly busy right up to last call at 1:45 a.m. The bar would be opening at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and with heavier than normal foot traffic expected due to the tournament, the entire staff stayed and cleaned until almost 3:30 a.m.

It was mostly silent during the fifteen-minute drive to Lonnie's as they were both equally wiped. Lonnie told Mick as he pulled out the sofa bed for his guest, "I have to find some sheets for you." Mick instructed Lonnie not to worry about it, he would just use his sleeping bag because truth was, Mick wanted to get horizontal as soon as possible.

The two did not have to be back at The Dugout until 4:00 p.m. so they each made sure to sleep in past noon. When Mick finally came to, he found Lonnie in kitchenette. "Hope that thing wasn't too uncomfortable," remarked Lonnie.

"I was in the military," Mick informed him, "that was four stars compared to most of the cots, bunks and other places I had to sleep."

"I can offer you some Cheerios or I'm making a banana kale smoothie," Lonnie told his visitor.

"What else do you put in the smoothie?" inquired Mick.

"Some unsweetened almond milk, flax seeds and honey," he apprized his itinerant boarder.

Lonnie was a funny guy, in that he took great care of his body by exercising and eating healthy, but he was a prolific partier, however.

"Do you want me to make some coffee he asked his temporary roommate.

"That sounds good, thank you," replied Mick, "And I'll take a banana if you have any left over."

Although it was still very crowded, Sunday at The Dugout was not nearly as hectic as the day before had been. It was not until Mick went down to into the basement to begin bringing ice up to the bar did he realize that Athena had never made an appearance on St. Patrick's Day. By the time closing rolled around at midnight the bar was already empty of customers and the staff was able to leave after only an hour of clean-up. This time, Mick followed Lonnie in his own car so he could leave directly from his apartment later that day.

The two slept in until late morning on Monday and Mick took Lonnie to lunch as a thank you for putting him up for the two nights. Afterwards, he started out for Katrín's parents' home west of Denver in the mountains. Taking his rattletrap of an automobile on the long drive, not to mention up into the Front Range where it tended to be sparsely populated made him extremely anxious, and snow at this time of the year and at elevation was also a very real possibility. Nearly two hours later, Mick arrived at what he believed to be the correct destination when he pulled into the driveway of a rustic mountain house that blended beautifully into the surrounding landscape.

He admired the natural stone and wood exterior of the home as he walked up to its entryway and it did not take long for the door to open after he knocked. Katrín beamed immediately when she found Mick standing on the porch and she threw her arms around him in an extremely friendly embrace which was unexpected. "It's so good to see you, I'm glad you could make it," said Katrín as she hugged him, "Come inside and meet everyone."

Right away, Mick met Katrín's mother Silja who to his surprise bore little resemblance to her daughter, having dark hair and grey eyes. He thanked her for opening her house to him for the week. Katrín then escorted Mick down into the club basement where there were presumably three of the other houseguests sitting around a corner sectional sofa and two more shooting pool over to the side of the room. She introduced Mick to Matthew, Natalie and Liz before asking Matt who had his computer on his lap, "How does it look for tonight?"

"Improbable," he answered, "but clearing out tomorrow by midday." Katrín let Mick know that the weather had not been very cooperative since everyone arrived on Saturday.

Next, they walked over to the billiards table where Mick met Logan and Sierra who Katrín advised were sleeping in a tent in the backyard for the week. Mick asked, "Not too chilly for that?" Logan replied they had camped in much colder weather before when backpacking and rock climbing.

"I told them they could sleep in here on the floor if they got cold," said Katrín before advising Mick, "so don't lock the slider in case they want to come in or use the bathroom during the night."

"Where am I to crash?" inquired Mick.

"Do you mind sleeping on the sofa down here?" asked Katrín, to which he answered, "Not at all."

"Matthew and Natalie are engaged to be married in the summer," she remarked, "so we gave them the spare bedroom upstairs." As Mick nodded, Katrin continued by telling him as she pointed to a door in the rear corner of the basement, "Liz has the pull-out sofa in my mother's office so be mindful of sharing the bathroom and shower in the adjacent laundry room."

Mick got the distinct impression from Liz that she would not be too happy if he were to walk in on her, but probably not too upset if it was one of the other girls were to do so.

"Do we have another house guest?" asked Katrín's father rhetorically as he rolled up his shirt sleeves while coming down the stairs into the basement. "I see you found the place okay," he observed when he got to the bottom of the landing and spotted his daughter and her newest guest standing by the pool table. "I'm Jökull," he declared while offering his outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you sir, I'm Mick," he replied as he shook Katrín's father's hand. Jökull was a relatively tall and trim man with dark hair naturally frosted by time and Mick could detect the slightest touch of an accent when he spoke.

"My daughter tells me you are studying to be an engineer," said Jökull.

"Yes sir, that's correct," replied Mick.

"Good, we need engineers to help us solve our energy and climate issues," he told Mick before instructing him, "and just call me Jökull."

Katrín's father then began to explain to Mick all the house's features such as the rooftop solar panels and geothermal heat pump.

"Pabbi no," begged Katrin, "Mick just got here... show him the heat pump and water heater later."

"I was actually about to offer him and your friends a drink," her father informed her, adding, "I need one after that conference call." Katrín let Mick know that her father was very proud of the geothermal system and liked to show it off.

"Anyone care for a little vodka over rocks?" asked Jökull as he stepped over to the walkout basement's built-in wet bar.

"Reyka," said Mick out loud as her father retrieved the bottle from the shelf.

"From Iceland," Jökull informed him.

"I've seen it around but don't think I've tried it before," admitted Mick.

"Best vodka on the market," remarked Jökull as he handed his daughter's guest his drink.

By all outward indications, Katrin's father seemed extremely affable and Mick immediately took a liking to him. "Cheers," said Jökull as he tapped Mick's glass with his own.

"Why don't we go take a look at that heating system now?" replied Mick.

For the next few hours, Mick hung out in the basement getting to know Katrín's friends from the astronomy club. Everyone seemed to at one point or another, drift away from the conversation and over to the pool table and back, as the discussion meandered from what hometown they each came from to their majors and future plans for when they had graduated. Logan was particularly interested in hearing all about Mick's military outdoor survival training and everyone wanted to know how he came to join them for the week.

Silja summoned everyone up to the kitchen around 6:00 p.m. for supper. She had prepared two whole pans of lasagna, a large bowl of Caesar salad and had sliced garlic ciabatta bread for the visiting coterie. When everyone had finished, they all pitched in to help clean up and while doing so, Natalie suggested the group play a game of Monopoly afterwards. Her suggestion was met with very mixed enthusiasm.

"Every game, even a friendly game played with my family usually ends with someone having hurt feelings," stated Sierra, "or missing fingers." Mick laughed to himself recalling how upset Abigail got when they played at her mother's house during Thanksgiving.

After the dishes had been taken care of, the group reconvened downstairs arrayed around the coffee table on the sofa and the floor to play the board game. One by one the players slowly dropped out due to bankruptcy but after two hours of play the game was finally called with Katrín, Logan and Natalie all refusing to give in.

It was at that point that Liz asked the gathering, "Do we want to formulate a plan for tomorrow night?" Everyone began to offer their favorite night sky viewing objects until Logan made a suggestion.

"Let's start with the Pleiades using all three scopes and simultaneously work our way through the stars and nebulas over to Sirius, then hit the planets," he proposed. Logan told the group that with having three different types of telescopes between them, it would be an interesting exercise to view both solar and deep sky objects and see the advantages and limitations between the scopes firsthand. The remainder of the club quickly agreed to the proposition and after some more discussion about the specifics the gathering began to break up with people heading off on their separate ways for the evening.

The following morning, Mick immediately shielded his eyes with his arm when he awoke and was blinded by the brilliant light pouring in through the sliding glass door. He laid there on the sofa for many minutes, listening for any movement in the house as he came to while his vision adjusted. When he was able, Mick looked past the billiards table and could see that a beautiful morning appeared to be in progress on the other side of the basement walk-out which encouraged him to sit up and place his feet down on the floor.

Upstairs in the kitchen, he found Katrín and Liz quietly congregating around the center island with mugs in their hands. "Good morning," they both said upon his appearance. "There's coffee, juice, fruit, yogurt, bagels" announced Kat, "and plenty of Icelandic oatmeal."

Mick remarked how nice it looked outside as he helped himself to a cup of coffee. "Liz and I were just talking about setting up my tripod," remarked Katrín, "We need your muscle."

By mid-morning the entire crew was up and about, and Mick began helping his classmate with assembling the mount for her telescope. "This thing must weigh fifty pounds," stated Mick as he carried one of the implements across the yard.

"I believe forty-six to be exact," Katrín replied.

"What is it?" he queried.

Kat explained to him that it was the equatorial mount which held the actual telescope and that it compensated for the earth's rotation to keep objects centered in the field of view. She noted that the weight had the added benefit of creating a rock-solid platform to prevent the telescope from shaking.

"At high magnification, even the slightest vibration from something like the wind would make the objects bounce all over," she informed her friend.

Mick made several more trips to bring out the remaining parts including lugging out a heavy battery pack and several disk-shaped counterweights. He was absolutely fascinated not just by how it all worked, but the mechanical engineering that had gone into designing such a contrivance. Mick intently observed Katrín as she assembled all the components and he peppered her with questions.

"What is the that for?" asked Mick as she wrapped a corded Velcro strap around the barrel of the telescope.

"This is to warm the lens and keep it above the dew point tonight," Kat answered, "which prevents condensation from forming on the glass."

"Unreal," blurted Mick.

Liz attached her telescope to the equatorial mount alongside Katrín's who then commenced to balance the counterweights and complete a rough, daytime polar alignment of the mount while explaining the entire process and purpose to her inquisitive guest. "This will be good enough for solar viewing," she assured him.

Kat picked up the handheld controller hanging on the side of the tripod, tapped several of the buttons, and suddenly the contraption whirred to life. She looked into the eyepiece of her scope and made a couple of additional adjustments with the controller, then told Mick to have a look.

Mick peered into the ocular and observed a grayish-white granulated disc containing a few dark areas. "This is the sun?" he asked sounding astonished, "Are those sunspots?"

Kat confirmed what he was looking at and told him, "Wait until you look through Liz's solar scope."

Throughout the day, everyone took turns filtering between the telescopes, the pool table and the sofa. In the afternoon, Mick broke out his laptop as he had not gone through his email since vacating Bradley Hall for the week. A small card fell out of his backpack and onto the floor as he retrieved his computer from inside the satchel and when Mick picked it up, he read Professor Miriam Seidman, Director of Theatrical Productions.

Mick had not given much thought to auditioning, but he had thought about it. To his own surprise, the idea of being on the stage performing in front of an audience continued to intrigue Mick even though he could not figure out why it did. He tossed the business card back inside his backpack before setting the bag down and firing-up his laptop. After clearing out his inbox, Mick went through his social media accounts to see how all his friends were spending their spring break.

Just as he was ready to power down and pack up his laptop, the play slipped back into Mick's thoughts. For a few moments, he pondered the prospect of participating in the production and all that it might entail. Mick convinced himself that nothing would be lost by simply reading the script, so he retrieved the business card from his backpack and sent a quick email to Professor Seidman requesting a copy.

When the sun started its descent towards the horizon, Logan and Sierra, and Matthew and Natalie began to set up their own telescopes. Katrín enlisted Mick's help with dragging out some folding outdoor chairs and a large picnic blanket to spread out on the ground. "Plan on building a campfire tonight," he asked.

"No," she replied resolutely before explaining to Mick that once his eyes adapt to the darkness, any bright light would ruin their sensitivity and ability to see faint objects in the sky.

After Jökull arrived home from work around 6:00 p.m., Silja served everyone one of her supposed specialties -- lamb stew. Mick pitched in along with the club members to clean-up after the meal then everyone headed outside into the remaining twilight to begin polar aligning their mounts. Once calibrated, each telescope was trained on their first objective, the Pleiades star cluster. When Mick looked through Katrín's refractor he observed several sharp pinpoints of dazzling light spread over the pitch-black field. "That's amazing!" exclaimed Mick as he surveyed the open cluster, further remarking, "It's so beautiful."

Mick was not so nearly impressed when the group trained their scopes on the Orion nebula. "Looks like just a light blue smudge," he told Katrín, "Not what I was expecting." She informed her guest that many of the incredible images that people are familiar with were taken through the Hubble Telescope. "Can't you take photos with your scope?" he asked. Kat told him it was certainly possible and then began to explain to Mick what was involved in astrophotography.