Chapter 15: Stars

The house feels oddly empty when Catherine first moves out. The first few days are fairly quiet, with each family member keeping to themselves as they adjust to the change. Philippa in particular misses her sister; she was fond of Catherine.

"It's very simple, Philippa. Water molecules are polar molecules, you see. The bonds between the hydrogen and the oxygen are bound by covalent bonds, meaning they share electrons. The covalent bonds formed in water molecules are polar bonds because the shared electrons tend to hover around the oxygen nucleus, giving that end of the molecule a slight negative charge, while the hydrogen end of the molecule has a slight positive charge. The slight positive hydrogen end is attracted to the slight negative oxygen end of another molecule. This attraction is what keeps water molecules together, and is called a hydrogen bond. When water is heated, the energy produced by the heat can break the hydrogen bonds, causing the water molecules to escape into the air."

"But Jane, I still don't understand. What do polar bears have to do with the water cycle?"

"Well, the polar bears ARE losing their habitat due to global warming," James says idly as he works on his trigonometry.

"Polar BONDS, Philippa," Jane says exasperatedly. "Not polar bears. Like I said, the energy caused by the heat can break the molecule's..."

"I don't CARE about stupid water molecules! I just want to know how water becomes vapor in the water cycle!" Philippa snarls. "I miss Catherine, she always knew how to help me."

"Aw, don't get upset, squirt," James says comfortingly. "What are you working on, now?"

"The water cycle," Philippa mumbles.

"Well, you're in luck, squirt. I happen to be an expert on the water cycle," James says. "Being a fisherman, I spend a lot of time with water. You see, water is a very special substance that changes forms at different temperatures.  When water is heated to a high enough temperature, it becomes water vapor. You know how when Dad boils the water to make spaghetti, you can see white smoke coming out of the pot? That's water vapor. The process of water becoming vapor is called evaporation."

"Oh, I understand now," Philippa says. "Is evaporation how the water gets in the sky to form clouds and rain?"

"Yup! You're exactly right!," James replies, ruffling her hair.

Philippa breaks into a smile. "It makes sense now.  Thanks James!" She hugs her brother before running outside to play.

"That was an extreme simplification of the process," Jane grumbles.

"She's just a kid, Jane," James says lazily, pulling his homework back towards him. "You lost her at 'covalent bonds.' She wouldn't understand your complicated explanation no matter how many times you told her."

"She's going to be mad at you in a few years when she takes chemistry and finds out how you dumbed down evaporation for her," Jane replies.

James stands up and heads towards the living room, snickering. "I doubt that. Only you would get worked up over something like that, Jane."

"I'm worried about Philippa," James admits to Jane after she's breezed through trigonometry  "She's never been this clingy before."

"Oh she just wants to hang out with her 'cool' older siblings," Jane says.

"I think she's worried we're going to abandon her or something. Maybe she feels like Catherine moving out was her fault?"

"But that's absurd! Catherine's an adult now and engaged to Carmen. It would be silly for her to stay here."

"Philippa wouldn't understand that, Jane. All she knows is her favorite sister is gone. She misses her. Maybe she wants to hang out with us more so she doesn't think about it. We should be nice to her."

"Fine," Jane sighs dramatically. "But you answer all the homework questions because apparently I confuse her."

"Jane, I'd be lying if I didn't say that you confuse us all."


Jane finds herself spending more time with Manu over the next few weeks. He is the antithesis of what she usually looks for in a person; he has no ambition, no regard for the rules or authority, and loves being the center of attention. Yet, she finds herself drawn to him. He puzzles her, and Jane, like a bulldog, won't let this puzzle go until she figures it out.

It's also nice to have someone besides family to vent to every now and again.

"She's been real clingy ever since Catherine moved out. All she wants to do is hang out with me and James. It was cute at first, but now she's just getting on my nerves. Does your brother do that?"

"Not really. He has his own friends at school that he hangs out with. Doesn't Philippa have any friends at school?"

"Yeah," Jane sighs. "But it's not the hanging out part that's irritating. It's the homework thing. She's started doing her homework with James and me every night and asks us all these questions, but when I try to help her, James says that I'm making it too complicated. I tell her not to ask me, but ask somebody else, which really makes her mad."

Manu laughs, causing Jane to glare. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because we have the opposite problem. My brother won't give me the time of day half the time when I wish he would and yours is made of velcro. Wanna trade?"

"You really want a clingy sibling?"

"I wouldn't mind if Helmut wanted to hang out with me more," Manu says. "He just...doesn't. He's a little goody-two shoes, and I'm not. I'd love to pass down my wisdom, but he doesn't want to learn the secrets."

"The secrets of pulling the fire alarm and stealing other people's notes?"

"I'll have you know that note-snatching is an art form."

Jane rolls her eyes. "As high an art form as pigtail pulling, I'm sure."

"Hey now, a good pigtail pull is a difficult maneuver that takes years of practice. It has to have enough force to get person's attentions without causing actual pain, and sneaky enough so that person in question doesn't realize that it was you who actually did the pulling. It took me years to perfect my hair pull."

"Didn't anybody ever tell you pulling people's hair isn't nice?" Jane asks. "Like, your mother? Didn't she tell you that was wrong?"

"Of course she did," Manu answers.

"So...why do you do it?"

"Well, for starters, it's fun to see you get so riled up," Manu says with a grin. "You usually have a really serious expression on your face, so provoking some reaction out of you is quite satisfying. It's also an easy way to prove that you aren't an emotionless robot."

"The premise that I'm a robot is utterly absurd," Jane huffs. "Why would you need proof to the contrary?"

"There was a rumor going around freshman year that you were a robot. I disproved it. You're welcome."

"I bet you started it, too."

"I'm offended at the suggestion," Manu says with mock outrage. "Anyway, the second reason I continue to pull hair is a way of expressing affection."

Jane stares at him. "That's rather sadistic."

"It would be if I pulled it to cause pain. I do it to acknowledge people's existence. A hair pull from me is my way of saying, 'Hi there, I'm happy to see you!' If I only wanted to be mean, I'd just yank."

"Your social skills could use some improvement," Jane observes. "Most people actually say, 'Good to see you.'"

"Well, where's the fun in that?"

"So, you're telling me I'm supposed to be happy that you pull my hair and steal my stuff?"

Manu grins his cheeky grin again. "Well, if I didn't care about your existence, I wouldn't bother messing with you, now would I?"

"I don't know. You're sending awfully mixed messages," Jane says. "If you really cared about my existence, we'd talk and you'd do nice things for me instead of you pulling my hair and stealing my stuff."

"Like carry your books and push you on the swing?"

"Yes, exact...wait, Manu what are you doing?"

Before Jane can react, Manu pulls her swing back as far as he can.

"Manu, let me down this minute!"

"As you wish," he says lazily, letting go.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Despite his apparent lack of regard for anything academically related, Manu is very interested in astronomy.

"Dunno why," he says shrugging, when Jane asks why. "I just do. I remember looking at all the stars as a little kid and wondering what it was like out there." He fidgets with his sleeve. "It's hard to explain. Anyway, my folks got me a nice telescope when I was a kid because it was the only thing that kept me out of trouble. I've been stargazing ever since."

"That's fascinating," Jane says. "Would you mind showing me how it works?"

Manu smiles his cheeky grin. "Well, I don't usually let other people touch it, as they tend to mess up the settings. But for you, dollface, I'll make the exception."

"Why me?" Jane asks. "We aren't exactly good friends or anything."

"Yeah, but I like you dollface." Jane stares at him quizzically, causing him to blush. "Well, you're smart and stuff. You wouldn't break it or anything."

"I promise to be very careful with it," Jane says.

Manu shows her how to aim the telescope and zoom in and out.  It takes careful precision to turn the knobs, but Jane manages to get the hang of it.

"I never realized just how many stars there were," she says, awed. "It's absolutely incredible."

"Isn't it?" Manu replies. "There's a whole universe out there that we know so little about. To us, they are little specks of light, but out there, they are great balls of gas and flame. They appear so insignificant, but their beauty inspires music, poetry, and literature. They remind us how small we are in the grand scheme of the universe. Yet, they also remind us that beauty can be found in the small, trivial things of life."

Jane turns to gaze at him as he speaks. His voice has lost its usual bravado, being replaced by sincerity and earnestness.

"Not all stars exist alone, you know. Some exist in clusters or galaxies. Stars can be bound together by gravity and orbit each other..." He stops speaking. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just surprised, I guess," Jane answers.

"Surprised by what?"

"The fact that you're actually passionate about something. You never seemed to care about anything. The fact that you care so much about this surprises me."

"Everybody cares about something," Manu says shrugging. "I just don't go around advertising it. It's...personal."

"But everybody at school thinks you're an idiot," Jane protests. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not at all," Manu replies. "People can think what they want. It doesn't really matter to me what they think."

"Even if what they think is wrong?"

"Yep. It just doesn't matter to me. Here, let me show you something." He stands behind her, his hands closing over hers as he adjusts the lens. Jane feels a tingle run down her spine when his hands touch hers. "There. What do you see?"

Jane peers into the telescope. "I see...stars."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. What do you see in the stars?"

"I don't follow."

"Do you see a pattern?"

"Nope."

"Look closely," he urges. "Do you see anything that looks like people?"

Jane squints. "Well, there is something that looks like two sideways stick figures holding hands..."

"You found it!" Manu says, obviously pleased. "That's the Gemini constellation. The figures represent the twins, Castor and Pollux."

"You don't believe in that astrology nonsense, do you?" Jane asks, wrinkling her nose.

Manu laughs. "Nope. I like constellations, but I don't think they have any meaning beyond what we give them. I just thought you'd like that one. You could show it to James."

"He might actually like that," Jane says. "He'd probably paint a picture of it. He loves art."

Manu opens his mouth, but hears his mother calling him. "I'd better see what she wants," he sighs. "See if you can find anything else interesting." He heads downstairs.

Jane scopes the night sky, but to her untrained eye, she sees nothing but multitudes of stars. She envies Manu's ability to find the patterns in the endless twinkling lights, wishing that she could make sense of the random order of the sky. There has to be a way to make sense of it. Jane believes that nothing is inexplicable; most things simply remain unexplained, but the answers are out there, somewhere.

And yet...even Jane can see the beauty in the chaos of the stars.

A few moments later, Jane hears a commotion in the front yard. She heads downstairs to investigate.

The sand has run out for Simis Bachelor, Manu's grandfather.

The Reaper has come to collect and escort Simis to the other side.

Manu's brother, Helmut, is inconsolable.

Jane is horrified. This is her first experience with death, and she's at a loss for what to do or say.

Jane pulls herself together enough to attempt to console her friend.

"Manu, are you okay? Is there anything I can do? Tea? Soup? Dad made some really delicious spaghetti the other night, should I have him bring it over? Do you want me take notes for you for a few days? You should probably stay home from school for a day so you can start going through the grieving process. I'll bring you your homework and you can borrow my notes. If you want, I can..."

"Thank you, Jane," Manu says quietly. "I-I appreciate it, really. I'll let you know if I need anything, but I'd like to be alone right now."

"Oh, of course, absolutely. I'll leave you here. Just...just call me, okay? I'm really sorry about your grandfather."

Manu smiles half-heartedly. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Jane is pleased when Manu seemingly takes her advice and doesn't come to school the next day. She dutifully copies her notes for him, sliding them under the front door on her way home from school, along with the day's assignments. When Manu doesn't show up for school for three days in a row, however, Jane decides to find out what he's up to. She won't say it out loud, but she's worried about her friend. With the day's homework and a basket of muffins (courtesy of Philippa), Jane sets out for the Knollys-Bachelor residence.

Jane was expecting a sleep-deprived, angst-ridden and teary Manu to answer the door. The Manu who answers the door appears to be completely normal, full of his usual bravado. "Hey dollface!" he says cheerily. "Want to come in? Mom's just made some really excellent cookies."

"Manu, are you okay? You haven't been at school for three days! What's going on?"

"I didn't feel like going," he says shrugging. "Thanks for bringing me notes and homework, though. That was really nice of you. You really didn't have to."

"So, you're okay? You're not ill or having nightmares about your grandfather or regretting the last thing you said to him?"

"Nope."

"Well, you could have called me!" Jane fumes. "I was worried about you, you stupid prat!"

Manu grins. "Anybody tell you how adorable you are when you're angry, dollface?"

Jane groans. "I'm leaving," she says angrily as she turns around. "See you later, Manu."

"No, wait, Jane..." Manu grabs her arm. "Wait..."

She turns around. "What?"

"Never mind."

"Spit it out, Manu."

"I-I was w-wondering if..." He stops for a second, curses, and tries again. "I was wondering if maybe you'd, um, m-maybe want to go out with me sometime?"

Jane stares at him. "You're asking me this NOW? When I'm MAD at you? What is wrong with you?!?"

"I didn't want to ask you at school in front of other people," Manu mutters, staring at his feet.

"Manu, I don't know what's wrong with you, but you are acting really weird," Jane says. "We're friends, but you're asking me out? Why? And why are you acting like you're afraid of me? Where's Mr. Oh-So-Confident?"

Manu actually laughs. "For a girl so smart, you can be kind of dense," he says, grinning.

"Then explain it to me!" Jane snaps.

"Jane, I've always wanted to ask you out. I asked you at your sister's party what I'd have to do to get a date with you, didn't I? I thought if I stopped trying to get your attention by acting like a jerk and maybe be your friend, you'd give me a chance."

Jane blinks. "So...you've always wanted to ask me out? Then why did you tease me and steal my stuff in school?"

Manu shrugs. "I told you before, I tease and mess with people I like. I never meant any of it. I do the same stuff to my other friends and they do it to me. We don't mean each other harm. I guess I'd thought you'd pick up on it. Especially after I told you it didn't mean anything."

"Seems counter-productive to me."

"Which is why I stopped. Didn't that guy on the cover of our physics book say that doing the same thing multiple times and expecting different results the definition of insanity?"

"Yes, he did."

"So I stopped. I tried a different angle. I r-really like you, Jane. You're smart, funny, and cute. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have bothered to change my behavior. I-I wanted to prove that I could be the kind of guy you would go out with. So...w-will you go out with me?"

All together, say "Aww" or "Barf" depending on your sap tolerance level.

Jane blushes and looks away. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You could say yes," Manu suggests, taking her hands.

She smiles. "Yes. Yes, I will go out with you."

Jane doesn't flinch when Manu kisses her. She surprises herself by responding enthusiastically. An entire river of feelings she had never felt before suddenly burst through a dam in her brain and flood through her body. When Manu pulls back to catch a breath, Jane pulls him right back in with a force that makes him chuckle.

In the swirl of emotions inside her mind, Jane hears Manu's mother, Lettice, calling.

"Manu, for goodness sakes, what are you doing out here? Invite Jane in for a drink, you rude boy. I raised you better than tha...oh." Lettice stops when she sees the teenagers kissing. "Well, uhm, just come on in when you've, um, finished," she says awkwardly, and goes back inside.

Jane pulls away, mortified. "Manu, your mother just saw us!"

"So? It's no big deal Jane, " Manu says, his eyes twinkling mischievously  "Teenagers make out all the time. I saw your sister and her fiance making out at your last birthday party."

"I know, but still..." Jane bites her lip. "It's private. And wasn't it you who didn't want to ask me out in front of other people?"

Manu pulls her back into his arms. "You're right," he agrees, "but it's really hard to stop kissing you, dollface. You're almost as adorable when you're embarrassed as you are when you're mad! About asking you out...well, excuse me if I wanted to spare my ego from too large of a bruise." He winks at her as she playfully pushes him.

Jane has to admit, it's hard to stop kissing him, too. She faintly remembers not understanding when her father first told her that emotions aren't always logical. Well, she understands now.

Jocasta Bachelor, Simis' widow, chooses that moment to come home from her evening walk.

"I'm home...oh, sorry Manu, dear. Didn't mean to interrupt..."

"Oh no," Jane moans, flushing, while Manu laughs.

"It's okay, Grandma."

"You two just come into the kitchen when you're finished so we can sit and talk for a spell," Jocasta says as she heads inside the house. "I think it's high time we got to meet this young lady you babble about so much."

Now, it's Manu's turn to blush. "Sure thing Grandma, we'll be in in a minute."

"You talk about me?" Jane asks.

"Um...maybe?"

"You've told them I'm a robot haven't you? Oh, come on then, we'd better rid them of THAT delusion."

"I said NOTHING about you being a robot....yes dear, coming."

Jane walks herself home that night after meeting Manu's family. She gazes up at the stars thoughtfully. What was it about those specks of light that people find so inspiring?

The words of one of her father's favorite shower show-tunes suddenly comes to mind, and she hums it happily as she walks. Today had been a good day.

Stars

In your multitude

Scarce to be counted

Filling the darkness

With order and light

You are the sentinels 

Keeping watch in the night

Keeping watch in the night

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just call me the Submarine Simmer. I surface a few times a month, then get sucked back into a vortex of non-Simming.

Challenge-wise, things are well. Robert is halfway done with his lifetime wish (finally maxed the writing skill and he's on level six of painting) and Elizabeth is getting closer to hers (level 6 guitar and level 5 charisma). I'm fairly sure that they'll have the time in retirement to max those skills. I really want Robert to write a best-seller, something that has eluded him so far. Fingers crossed he'll have a stroke of brilliance.

Next generation, I'm hoping to have the storyline nailed down better so that I can get more photos. I tend to put in very few pictures and text walls, which is sad. I'll be working on that. I promise Generation 2 is coming soon...if I wrote longer chapters, it would be here sooner, but I tend to write shorter ones.  I guess it's six of one, half dozen of another, really.

I am in no way advocating for boys pulling girls' hair or stealing their stuff as a way to show affection. Manu is a mean-spirited Sim, but I really didn't want to make him a total bully. Let's just say he's more like a young Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables than an actual bully. If my mom were his mother, she would tell him to "use his words." (Manu may or may not have slight inspiration from a certain Captain Martin Crieff, captain of the MJN airdot from the BBC radio show Cabin Pressure.) Jane uses her words, just not always the right ones. Jane is socially awkward in the way that I am -she's never sure if she's saying the right thing, hence her babbling attempts to console Manu. Poor Manu. At least his name isn't Helmut. I'm really going to start intervening with SP from time to time.

Jane's diatribe to the "dumbing down" of James' explanation is a testament to the surprise I would get every year in school when I would cover the same material and learn something new. My friend the physicist recently informed me that there are more than three states of matter. Why did my teachers fail to inform us of this? I remember my entire class being shocked when we learned that George Washington was not the first President of the United States. He was the first president under the Constitution. Some bloke named John Hanson was the first president under the Articles of Confederation. Recently, I learned that there was not a single instance of the continents all being part of the giant landmass Pangaea  Apparently there have been several Pangaeas.  Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but the current we run modern light bulbs on was n not the direct current of Edison, but the alternating current of Nikola Tesla. Was everything I learned in elementary school I learned a lie?!?!

I suck at stargazing (I get excited when I can find Orion's belt) but I find it fascinating, thanks to an astronomy-related computer game I played back in the day. My father teaches astronomy from time to time, but I have a hard time with it. I do love reading about the stories behind the different constellations.

Lyrics are from the song "Stars" from the musical Les Miserables. I'm so excited for the film to come out and have been listening to a recording of the original West End frequently the past few weeks. I'm sure my neighbors all think I'm nuts, and they'll probably break my door down at the next playing of "One Day More." "Stars" is sung by the main antagonist, Inspector Javert. While there have been several wonderful Javerts (Philip Quast and Norman Lewis are both excellent), I'm very fond of the inaugural Javert, as sung by Roger Allam in the 1985 West End production. I just love his voice and he adds turns, apoggiaturas, and other musical ornaments to Javert's solos that aren't in the main score but just enhance the piece so much. Plus, he has the best "NO!" of all the renditions of the opening work song.  Roger Allam's voice has magical properties. Like Saruman (and Christopher Lee, for that matter). Seriously. He's just delightful. Incidentally, he also acts on Cabin Pressure, although he's not Martin. Martin is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Another man with another glorious voice. /end fangirling