Stick Figures
“Are you coming back in soon, Asher? Mr. Richardson is about to say a few words” Reid asked, half hidden by the door he was holding open at the back of the community hall.
“I’ll.. I’ll be in soon. Just a couple more minutes” I said, barely suppressing the crack in my voice that would’ve exposed my true intentions. “..please” I added, figuring it would buy me some deeply-needed quiet time.
“Alright dude, I’ll see ya in there. Remember, they’re here for you as much as me” Reid grinned as he softly closed the exit door. I knew what he meant. Had it been just for him, he might’ve left me out here, but it was likely mom, emotional herself, who sent him out to come grab me. I couldn’t really say I was in the mood, however.
The sunset is what I found more appealing. The soft orange glow that transitioned to a darker and darker red as it rose against the clouds soothed the soul. I always think of the adage that mentions the red sky at night being a sailor’s delight, but I never really got on a boat that much. As I looked up to the darkening sky, I remembered the childhood past-time I longed to truly enjoy again.
“And that one is–” she began. However, I wasn’t letting her get the best of me this time.
“–Orion’s belt” I finished, looking over at her with a smug grin on my face, prepared to flaunt my astral knowledge. But, as I should’ve remembered, that didn’t matter to her.
“Yep! You’re really picking this stuff up fast, huh? Do I even need to be telling you this stuff anymore, Ash?” her voice glimmered, a shine you could feel but not quite see.
“I don’t even know half of them Ari, so I still need you to teach me” I smiled as I said it, knowing that was exactly what she wanted to hear. She giggled and continued raving about the different assemblies of stars she could find. It was almost trance-like the way she was able to rattle off the astral knowledge without sounding too much like a boing teacher.
All of a sudden she let out a shriek and I was brought from my daydream daze back to reality. “Ari, what’s wrong?!” It came out sounding demanding, but my first priority was her safety. I needed to make it hadn’t gotten worse. But she just began laughing.
“Sorry Ash, I got excited. Look!” I followed her fingertip to the sky again. Beyond it were stars, just the same as we had been looking at all night.
“What am I looking at, Ari?” I was puzzled, there wasn’t a constellation there that I recognized. I knew the basic ones, like the dippers, and Orion, but she had been studying astronomy in her spare time between her appointments since school wasn’t really an option anymore.
“Here, look, watch my finger.” She slid closer until her left side was touching my right. She then began to trace a line. Nearly immediately the tremors began, making the lines erratic, so I reached my hand up to grab her arm and pull it down.
“Ari you don’t have to do this, the shaking isn’t wort–“
“Yes it is! And yes I do!!” She shouted back, emotion creeping into her voice, sending cracks into her cheerful facade. “This is the first time I’ve been able to show you my favourite constellation and hell if I’m going to let any juvenile Huntington’s stop me from doing that! Now just hold my arm and watch my fingertip” she commanded as her arm shot back up. I obliged, not wanting to incur her wrath further. Again she began, more stable with my support. I watched her connect the bright dots as if there were stick figures. She ended on two that were noticeably brighter than the rest. “That’s Gemini, and the two really shiny ones are Castor and Pollux. Twins, just like us. Always together, no matter what.”
I turned my head to look at her, and there were tears rolling down her face despite the smile on her face. “Ari–” I started.
“No, I-I’m fine Ash. Don’t focus on me, you’re gonna remember all these stars with me, right?” she leaned her head onto my shoulder. “You gotta be able to keep up!” she said with a laugh that came out less convincing than she meant it to.
“Arianna, Asher! Our reservation is for 8:30. We have to leave now, come on!” we heard from the house. It was Dad, reminding us of the spot they had booked for our 14th birthday. I always thought it made it easier that they only ever needed one day to celebrate both birthdays.
“Last one to the car is the youngest” I shouted as I sprung up to my feet and ran to the house.
“Hey! That’s no fair Ash!” I heard behind me as I was climbing the wood steps. “I was making sure you don’t forget Gemini!!” The giggle that followed reassured me she was just fine and was right behind me as well. Right before I went inside, I took one last glance at the nearly dark sky and saw the two stick figures interconnected, twins forever.
I woke back up, lying on my back in the spot I had last remembered sitting in. The sky had gotten quite a lot darker, and the twinkling of those lights were emerging one by one again. I stayed there for a few more seconds thinking of what happened. How I had gotten busy with school and hadn’t had the time afterwards to learn any more constellations. And how, shortly afterwards, Arianna was admitted back to the hospital for more treatment. She spent 3 more years in and out of immediate care, but never left.
I couldn’t face the decline of what a neurological disease was doing to my sister, and didn’t go to see her, despite everything my parents told me. I guess internally I wanted to preserve the Arianna I knew, the one full of life. I hated myself for a long time for doing that, leaving my sister to die alone without the one connection she truly had to the world. It pained me to leave my other half alone.
Desperately, my eyes surveyed the sky, looking for anything familiar. Behind the tears that were forming, I couldn’t see anything clearly. In a move of near desperation, I glanced at my northwest direction. Through the dew in my eyes, I saw them. The two glowing orbs, sitting nearly side by side, with their bodies to the side. I swear Pollux twinkled brighter for just a second. I got choked up and barely held it in. I had thought about what had happened since her funeral.
How all the niceties were said and the support given. How my best friend at the time had sent me a link to a university close to us that offered both a stellar engineering degree and future connections to jobs. How I worked at getting that and then my jet pilot’s license shortly thereafter. How I practiced and trained, knowing I had to be the best. For her. All the physical training was for her. Everything for my sister, Arianna, my other half. I–
“Dude, what happened to you? You pass out already?” Reid came back out. My best friend from high school, and now my co-pilot. “We have the whole night ahead of us, what’s going on?..” His voice softened as he realized. “…I miss her too man. You just gotta remember that you’re doing this for her. To see the thing she loved the most, so that one day you can tell about how you got closer than she ever could.” He gave a grin and rubbed the NASA patch on the arm of my jacket. “You didn’t earn this by just passing a couple online astronomy courses.” He pulled me up and brought me back to the hall. As we approached, I could hear the music again, a celebration before our depart to the International Space Station. I was never one for parties, but he insisted it had to happen.
I turned and glanced one more time at Gemini. Twins, forever together.
“Last one there is the youngest.”
"Every time I looked up into the night sky, I immediately found the constellation I was trying so hard to forget"