Page 9 of His North Star
“Everyone’s excited to hear fromyou.”
Sure. The only reason I agreed to address the crowd tonight was because we were discussing astronomy. Usually, I was more than happy to let someone else lead. I slid my computer out of its bag. At five past, Phillip got up to welcome everyone.
When it was my turn, I stood in front of the group. “Good evening, everyone. First, I’ll go over what exactly we’ll be seeing next month, and then I’ll demonstrate how to use the telescopes.”
Polite smiles stared back at me.
“We’ll see the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. Hopefully, it doesn’t rain on us.”
“My knees will know the day before. We’ll have plenty of warning if we need to reschedule,” Bob, a gentleman in his late seventies with bushy white eyebrows, said.
I smiled at him. “That would be great. Thanks, Bob.” I went through my slides about each planet quickly, then pointed to the telescope set up next to me. “I’d like to go over the type of telescopes I brought with me tonight.” I explained the brand and how clear of a view we’d get. “Why don’t you all come on up and practice looking into the eyepiece without bumping it?”
Like a choreographed flash mob, the crowd stood, then moved toward me.
“All right, Marey-Darey,” Mrs. Sheffield—not Judith, I made that mistake only once—said, “show me how my old bones should be positioned so I don’t mess up your fancy equipment.”
I lowered the trifold stand closer to Mrs. Sheffield’s gray eyes.
“It’s easiest to get as close as possible to the eyepiece. Put both hands on your knees for support and lean slightly forward with one eye closed.” I kept my arms out in case I needed to help steady her.
Her small frame, dressed in pink polyester pants and a white cable-knit sweater, mimicked my stance. “Like this?” Her steel-gray, perfectly curled hair didn’t move an inch as she bent toward the eyepiece of the telescope.
I smiled. “Exactly.”
“Not much of a view tonight.” She pointed to the lens while winking.
I chuckled. “I know. Tonight was to show you everything and explain what wewillsee. I promise next month, it’ll be worth it.”
She stepped away from the telescope and patted my forearm. “I trust you. I do hope I make it though. Nine is my bedtime. I’m not used to gallivanting around that late.”
“Drink some caffeine so you can stay awake. You won’t want to miss it.”
She grinned, showing her full set of dentures. “A hot date with you and Phillip should do the trick.”
I laughed while shaking my head. “I appreciate you including me. We all know that Si—“ I quickly cut myself off before saying Silver Fox. No need for everyone to find out I called him that. “Phillipis the real catch.”
“Oh, he’s too young for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the view.”
My brows shot up. “Mrs. Sheffield,” I exclaimed in shock.
“Hush. We don’t want him to overhear. We like to keep our admiration between the women.”
It was like talking to Grandma again. She often talked about the attractive guests that checked in. My heart squeezed. Grams always said no matter your age, you could appreciate God’s masterpieces. But the most important work He created was on the inside.
I kept my voice low. “You’re quite right. At any rate, I’m happy to spend time with you.”
“You’re a good woman, Maren. I wish my grandson could meet you.”
I opened my mouth to decline the millionth offer of being set up with someone’s relative when Loretta interrupted us. “Are you two done jibber-jabbering? I want to try out this spiffy telescope here.”
I smiled at Mrs. Sheffield as she waddled away. The rest of the night passed quickly. After collecting my things, Phillip held open the door for me, then walked me to my car.
“The night of the viewing party, will you share some of the stories associated with the constellations we’ll be viewing while we wait in line to see the planets?” he asked.
I popped open the back of my twelve-year-old Grand Cherokee, setting the telescopes gently on top of the blanket I kept there.
“I can,” I nodded. “But most of the constellations are based on Greek myths. They don’t really have happy endings.”
