LJ Idol: Week Fifteen - Nimbus
“Where are we going? I haven’t seen a single restaurant in over twenty miles.”
Alan glanced over at his date. “You’ll see,” he said with a smile, reaching out to playfully tug on a curl that had escaped her scarf. They both loved driving with the top down on his ’62 Impala, even if it did mean tangled hair when they reached their destination.
It was a warm, early-summer night in West Texas. Loretta Lynn was singing about her man loving another on the radio as the headlights cut a path through the darkness.
They drove on, not talking much, both of them content to enjoy the night drive. Finally, after another half or so, Alan slowed the car and turned onto a small dirt road. Georgia looked over at him, about the ask again where they were going, then shrugged and smiled, one hand holding tight to the door as the car bounced down the road.
Alan pulled into a clearing and rolled to a stop. He turned off the car and for a few minutes, the only sound was the popping and clicking of the engine as it cooled down. “Ready for dinner?” he asked, laughing at the expression on her face. He reached into the backseat of the car and grabbed a couple of box dinners. Still grinning, he handed her one and took the other.
“This might be the strangest picnic I’ve ever been on,” she said, biting into her chicken salad sandwich. “I trust there’s a reason we’re out here in the middle of God’s country in the middle of the night?”
Alan took a swig from his bottle of Coke before answering. “There’s something I wanted you to see. Besides, it won’t be too long before we can’t just take off in the middle of the night like this,” he added, reaching over to gently caress her stomach.
She looked down and smiled, one hand going down to cover his. “I guess not,” she replied, her voice dreamy. “I’ll be too busy taking care of the little one, and you’ll be too busy taking care of both of us.”
They finished their dinners, then scooted over to the center of the seat. Georgia rested her head on Alan’s shoulder, his arm warm around her. They sat there, looking up at the dazzling array of stars in the night sky. They didn’t talk much, didn’t feel the need to. When two people are as happy and content as they were, sometimes you didn’t need words.
Alan pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “Okay,” he said, excitement coloring his voice. “Keep your eyes focused directly up, right next to that big blue star there.”
“What on earth - “ Georgia started to ask, but did as he suggested. She stared at the stars, not sure what she was supposed to be looking at that. Then she saw it, a quickly-moving object moving between the stars. “A shooting star? No, it’s not moving like one. What is it, Alan?” she asked, twisting in her seat to watch the strangely-moving object until it disappeared over the horizon.
“That,” Alan said softly, “was Nimbus 5. We couldn’t have seen it in town with all the lights, but I thought it would be worth the trip out here.”
Georgia turned to look at him, her eyes shining. “You mean that was the satellite you helped design? We just saw something that is in orbit that you helped put there?” She leaned forward and kissed him, her hand reaching up to caress his face. “Our baby is going to have the coolest father ever,” she whispered. “And this was the best date ever.”
Alan just smiled as he scooted over to the driver’s seat and started the car up. They held hands the entire trip back home.
Alan glanced over at his date. “You’ll see,” he said with a smile, reaching out to playfully tug on a curl that had escaped her scarf. They both loved driving with the top down on his ’62 Impala, even if it did mean tangled hair when they reached their destination.
It was a warm, early-summer night in West Texas. Loretta Lynn was singing about her man loving another on the radio as the headlights cut a path through the darkness.
They drove on, not talking much, both of them content to enjoy the night drive. Finally, after another half or so, Alan slowed the car and turned onto a small dirt road. Georgia looked over at him, about the ask again where they were going, then shrugged and smiled, one hand holding tight to the door as the car bounced down the road.
Alan pulled into a clearing and rolled to a stop. He turned off the car and for a few minutes, the only sound was the popping and clicking of the engine as it cooled down. “Ready for dinner?” he asked, laughing at the expression on her face. He reached into the backseat of the car and grabbed a couple of box dinners. Still grinning, he handed her one and took the other.
“This might be the strangest picnic I’ve ever been on,” she said, biting into her chicken salad sandwich. “I trust there’s a reason we’re out here in the middle of God’s country in the middle of the night?”
Alan took a swig from his bottle of Coke before answering. “There’s something I wanted you to see. Besides, it won’t be too long before we can’t just take off in the middle of the night like this,” he added, reaching over to gently caress her stomach.
She looked down and smiled, one hand going down to cover his. “I guess not,” she replied, her voice dreamy. “I’ll be too busy taking care of the little one, and you’ll be too busy taking care of both of us.”
They finished their dinners, then scooted over to the center of the seat. Georgia rested her head on Alan’s shoulder, his arm warm around her. They sat there, looking up at the dazzling array of stars in the night sky. They didn’t talk much, didn’t feel the need to. When two people are as happy and content as they were, sometimes you didn’t need words.
Alan pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “Okay,” he said, excitement coloring his voice. “Keep your eyes focused directly up, right next to that big blue star there.”
“What on earth - “ Georgia started to ask, but did as he suggested. She stared at the stars, not sure what she was supposed to be looking at that. Then she saw it, a quickly-moving object moving between the stars. “A shooting star? No, it’s not moving like one. What is it, Alan?” she asked, twisting in her seat to watch the strangely-moving object until it disappeared over the horizon.
“That,” Alan said softly, “was Nimbus 5. We couldn’t have seen it in town with all the lights, but I thought it would be worth the trip out here.”
Georgia turned to look at him, her eyes shining. “You mean that was the satellite you helped design? We just saw something that is in orbit that you helped put there?” She leaned forward and kissed him, her hand reaching up to caress his face. “Our baby is going to have the coolest father ever,” she whispered. “And this was the best date ever.”
Alan just smiled as he scooted over to the driver’s seat and started the car up. They held hands the entire trip back home.