The Sky’s the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen

Suddenly, I remember what happened on this day. And suddenly, I know how to say goodbye to the Larkins and the perfect way to thank them at the same time. I’m so excited that I can hardly sit still when we get back to the car. Everyone else has long faces, and Maryellen holds my hand as if she can’t bear parting from me.

Mr. Larkin mournfully says that we can’t put it off any longer. It’s time for me to go home. I tell him to drive me to 3450 Massachusetts Ave., Northwest. We don’t have to go very far. But when we pull up, we see a huge marble building with a sky-high roof. Mr. Larkin says this can’t be right. Beverly asks if it’s my house, and I say that it’s the Naval Observatory. I want everyone to come inside with me because I want to thank them for taking me on this trip. We all climb out of the car and go into the Observatory.

Carolyn asks why we’re here, and I smile, happy to tell her the wonderful thing I remembered. I tell her that there’s a total lunar eclipse today. And it’s a full moon. The moon is below the horizon here in Washington D.C., so we can’t see it in the sky. But here at the Observatory, we can see what the eclipse looks like in the planetarium star show.

Everyone says it’s a great idea. Mr. Larkin jokes that when it comes to me and good ideas, the sky is the limit. We all laugh and groan at his dad-joke, and then Carolyn asks me how I knew about the eclipse. Maryellen says that I know everything on earth about the sun, moon, stars, and planets. I love the night sky the way Maryellen loves to sketch. And she just knows that I’ll grow up to be an astronomer.

We go into the planetarium and I get goosebumps when I lean back into my seat and look at the starry sky in the dome. It’s beautiful and huge. Maryellen pokes me and points to the Big Dipper. I know she’s remembering the night at her grandparents’ house when we first looked at the constellations together. I squeeze her hand and we watch the lunar eclipse in rapt silence. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I think about how the universe is full of mysteries and miracles, and how lucky I am because I’ve had my own mysterious and miraculous experience here with Maryellen.

When the show is over, I excuse myself to go to the ladies room and I change back into my ski team uniform. I give Carolyn her clothes back and tell them that I’ll say goodbye now. I can find my way home from here. I hug Mrs. Larkin, Beverly, Carolyn, and Mr. Larkin. I thank them. They’ll never know how much they’ve changed my life. And I’ll never forget them. I hug Maryellen last of all, and she says the best goodbye of all: “I’ll think of you every time I look up at the stars.” She makes me promise that I’ll think of her when I do, too. I promise and we say our goodbyes. And then, even though it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I walk away.

I click the stopwatch, and then I’m back on the ski race awards platform. Not one second has passed since I first left. I hand the watch back to the judge and say I didn’t cheat. I made a mistake. And then I explain what happened.

Later at home, when Emma and I are alone, I tell her that I’m glad the misunderstanding about the race is cleared up. Emma says that she’s so sorry that she doubted me. She should’ve known that I would never cheat. I tell her that I may not have cheated in the ski race. But I have been dishonest with myself, and with her. I tell her that being on the ski team is her passion, not mine. She asks if I’m quitting the team, and I tell her that I’ll finish the season. But next winter, I’ll only ski for fun. No more uniform, no more team, no more Coach Stanislav, and no more races. Emma says that I’m so good at skiing. She thought I loved skiing fast, flying over moguls and going airborne. I tell her I do, but not in races. Competition takes all the fun out of it for me.

Emma says that she loves to win. Maybe I’m right. Ski team is her passion. She looks at me and asks what my passion is. I tell her the stars. I think about Maryellen and the stars we saw together, and the wonderful show at the planetarium. I tell Emma that next summer, I’m going to astronomy camp, not ski camp. What I really want to do most is to look at the stars. Emma nods and looks at me with a smile that combines surprise, respect, and affection. She says that I’m different. How did I get to be so sure of myself all of a sudden? I smile, and simply say that a friend helped me.