“The RAF tracked the Millennium Falcon as it headed over the Atlantic towards the United States, but the fear is that they may have left the planet.”
“Thanks, Crispin. In other news, a kitten was stuck in a storm drain …”
That was where the video ended.
“That’s so cool,” I said.
“When will they release it?” Mom asked.
“Frank and his team are working on it,” I said and turned to Coach. “Frank Ingram is my publicist.”
“That looked like an actual newscast,” Coach Diamond said.
“Lucasfilm is tops at what they do.”
“So, you really are up for the role?” Coach asked.
“Yeah, I should know soon whether I got it or not.”
I told Coach Diamond that I’d arranged for Eve ‘Country Girl’ Holliday to play for free. I planned to pick up the travel cost and hotel rooms as my donation to the cause. Coach thanked us for our help and now had some more calls to make. He only had a week to get everything organized.
◊◊◊
I went to my apartment and changed into my cowboy gear because Zoe had invited me over to go horseback riding. I’d been bad and told Fritz I wasn’t due back until tonight, so I planned to drive myself to the Pearson farm in the Jeep.
Having security and a driver was fine sometimes—I was able to actually get things done while I was being driven around—but I missed driving. I’m sure just about every teen would agree with me that it was a rite of passage and represented freedom.
Driving myself in the Jeep would have been fine, but I found that Peggy had taken it to her parents, so I grabbed the keys for the SUV. When I hit the county road and sped up, I discovered this beast was sneaky-fast. What felt like 45 mph turned out to be 60 when I looked down at the speedometer. Peggy had complained that she was sure she would get a ticket driving it, and now I knew why.
There wouldn’t be any traffic or police in the park, so I decided to see how the Ford Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV with a modified supercharged engine would handle. It was every bit as fast as my Charger had been. It didn’t corner like the Charger, but I felt safe taking the winding turns through the park. I vowed to take driving classes with it so I would know all its capabilities.
When I pulled into the farm, Zoe came out of the barn to greet me. She’d already done all her chores so we could go riding. As we finished saddling the horses, I received a call from Frank.
“We’ve had a fun idea. Do you have a warehouse or somewhere big you could hide the Millennium Falcon?”
“I have a barn that might work. Why, what are you planning?” I asked.
“Can you go there and take a picture of you in front of it with the doors opened?”
“Sure, but what did you want it for?”
“We’re not sure yet, but we’ve been kicking around some ideas. Just go take the picture and send it to me,” Frank said.
The shit hung up on me. I had an inkling of what they were planning.
“We need to ride over to my farm and take some pictures.”
Zoe, being a girl, wanted details. I tried to give her the facts but ended up having to tell her everything. I have no idea why stating, “I need to take a fake photo so it looks like I’m hiding a spaceship” wasn’t enough information.
◊◊◊
When we rode up the farm’s driveway, I saw my grandma had several people working. One was on a tractor, pulling a cart full of walnuts. They’d been cleaning up around the trees.
“What brings you out today?” Grandma Dawson asked.
“Zoe wanted to go for a ride, and I need to take some pictures of the barn for my publicist.”
The barn doors were open, so I handed Zoe my phone and stood in front of it.
“You want to be famous?” I asked her.
“Sure, why not?” she said.
I had my grandma take our picture.
“You should film them backing the trailer into the barn,” Zoe suggested.
“Why would you do that?” Grandma Dawson asked.
I had to tell her the whole story.
“That makes sense,” Grandma Dawson said. “You’d want to hide it inside so the satellites couldn’t see it.”
My grandma should be in movies. She had them unhook the wagon so I could come speeding up on the tractor, hook up the wagon, and then back it into the barn. It took me three attempts because backing a wagon wasn’t easy.
When I successfully parked the wagon, I acted like I was looking for satellites. As if you could see them.
“Here in the good old US of A, possession is nine-tenths of the law,” I said, and then closed the barn doors.
I sent the pictures and video to Frank. It would be interesting to see what they could do with them.
◊◊◊
Zoe and I rode to where the bluff overlooked the river. Someday I would want to build a house there. The view of the slow-moving river and forest looked like a scene out of a painting. When we came to the top, we startled three deer. The two females looked pregnant.
Zoe and I got off the horses, walked to the edge, and just took in the sights.
“Why did you not show up the other day?” I asked, referring to our appointment in the music room.
She looked away and blushed.
“I was being too brazen. That wasn’t me; I just couldn’t do it again. I came to tell you, and that girl was there, so I asked her to let you know I couldn’t make it.”
“You know that girl tried to take your place,” I teased.
“David,” she complained and then looked at me. “Did she really?”
I just gave her a cryptic look. Zoe looked shocked.
“I let her show me her boobs,” I said.
“You are such a pervert sometimes. I have no idea what I see in you,” she huffed.
I reached out and took her hand. She came into my arms, and we kissed. She laid her head on my chest.
“I’m conflicted. I was raised a certain way and know my parents would disapprove if they knew what we’d done. When I’m with you, all that goes away. But you can’t just pick and choose what you believe,” she said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“That’s not the way it’s done.”
“I think your belief in God is a personal thing. While I agree with you on most of it, I think some teachings are outdated. I believe man, not God, dictates some things. Of course, I could just be interpreting things to suit me. You need to decide what’s right for yourself,” I said.
“Like what?” Zoe asked.
I got a tight smile. This was one of those things that people believed in deeply. They would usually fall on one side or the other.
“Birth control. Some religions are against it. I use it, not only because I want to keep from having a baby, but also for health reasons. I understand the irony in what I’m saying and agree that were I in a monogamous long-term relationship, I wouldn’t have to worry about the health issues.”
“What about abortion?” she asked.
“You’re not going easy on me, are you?” I asked.
“I guess not, but I would like to know.”
“Okay, this is more complicated. I believe that life begins at conception,” I said.
“Is that why Pam’s having your child?”
“Partially,” I admitted. “Pam and I are too young right now. We both have a year left in high school. That doesn’t mean that couples haven’t faced this very issue and survived.”
“Do you believe in abortion?” she asked again.
“There are cases in which the health of the mother should be considered,” I hedged.
“What about rape or incest?”
“That would fall under the health of the mother. The mother’s mental health should be considered.”
“What if something’s wrong with the baby?”
“I believe the parents should be given all the facts and the support to decide. A child with a severe birth defect could mean a tremendous strain on a family, financially, emotionally, and physically, with the time needed to support the child. Something like that shouldn’t be forced on you without your consent.”