“How far from the center of the galaxy is the Earth then?” Cynthia asked without raising her hand.
“Sol is about twenty-seven thousand light years from the center of the galaxy.” Miss Li did something with the controls, and the spiral arm shifted to show the breadth of the galaxy. “You’ll also notice the galaxy is relatively flat, like a plate. Sol sits about eighteen light years above what could be deemed the center of the plane of that plate, if you consider that the plate is about one thousand light years thick. So it is pretty close to the center or equatorial line of the galaxy.”
“Cool,” said the boy who had to be, by default, Joel. “So how many stars are in the galaxy?”
“Our best estimate is three hundred and forty billion stars. Just in our region of the Milky Way there are over a billion planets. Of those, the habitable planets...” Miss Li hesitated. “Well, we assume that there are many planets that would be habitable.”
Cynthia interjected. “I thought they didn’t know if any of the planets were habitable.”
“Well, Earth scientists do not have any clear evidence of habitability, but statistically there is a strong likelihood that some of the planets could support life, especially for different life-forms.”
Randy replied defensively. “My uncle says that Earth is the only planet with life on it, and that all the stories we hear about UFOs and stuff are just somebody’s imagination running wild.”
“Yes, many people believe that, Randy,” Miss Li responded. “Can you explain how all one billion planets are devoid of life, while Earth has such an abundance and variety of life?”
Randy sat pondering, but his brother Joel jumped in. “Well, God created the universe, the galaxies, the solar systems, and the planets. He created it all for us.”
“Interesting idea,” said Miss Li. “Cynthia Flores, what do you think?”
Cynthia seemed to be caught off guard for a moment, but Ryder could tell she was thinking because she always furled her brow when she was considering something challenging. He’d first noticed that pattern on a science test just a couple of weeks earlier. Cynthia began hesitantly. “I believe in God, and my family goes to church every Sunday, but it seems to me that God would not create something so vast just for us. I think he created it for us, and probably other…” She seemed stuck for the word she was looking for. “People, creatures, whatever,” she stammered at the end.
“Ryder, what are your thoughts?” Miss Li inquired.
Ryder was ready for this one. “Miss Li, I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure out how you know there are a billion planets. Last I heard, we had only been able to verify a few hundred. But, if there are a billion planets, considering that there are various types of stars, various different rotations around respective stars, and various life forms, it seems to me that the odds of one supporting life would be roughly eight hundred and fifty to one, which would work out to….one million one hundred seventy-six thousand four hundred and seventy-one.”
Miss Li gave Ryder a pleased look. “Actually, Ryder, our best estimate is between one-point-four and one-point-five million planets in this galaxy that can support life.” She frowned and paused. “In any event, it seems likely that there are some habitable planets even in our galaxy. Now multiply that by thousands of galaxies.”
Ryder started thinking about that, and he suddenly felt very, very small. Then something clicked in the back of his mind. "Who are the “we” who estimate one-point-four to one-point-five million habitable planets? I haven’t seen anything online about that, and I do pay attention to astronomy articles".
“A very good question, Ryder.”
Just then the door opened and a short man started backing into the classroom with a dolly loaded with six boxes. “Sorry I’m late,” the man said.
Ryder didn’t have to wait for the man to turn around. He immediately recognized the voice, then the back, of Mr. Small.
“Mr. Small! What are you doing here?” Ryder couldn’t keep the enthusiasm out of his voice.
Mr. Small turned, with several beads of sweat covering his brow, and smiled broadly. “I heard this was the best class in the school district, so I begged for the opportunity to be part of it.”
Miss Li gave him an exasperated look. “Roger, I’ve told you not to lie to the students.” She then turned toward Cynthia, Debbie, and Ryder. “Mr. Small had a disagreement with the principal of Diablo Junior High School about some management issues. They came to a mutual agreement that it would be good for Mr. Small to join me here and let Mrs. Mallard come out of retirement to finish the year for him. Is that not closer to the truth, Mr. Small?”
“Yara, as always, you are perfectly correct,” Mr. Small replied, then winked at Ryder in a way that Miss Li could not see.
By the time Mr. Small had finished introducing himself to the class, it was time for break.
Ryder looked at his schedule. PE, yuck! He scowled, then smiled. Oh yeah, doctor’s excuse. I think I’ll get a start on that library.
Chapter 4: Outta This World
Ryder was surprised how easily his parents had gone along with his going abroad for a year. They sounded almost as if they had been expecting the trip to Europe. Mom had gone so far as to say, “We knew it had to come up sooner or later.” They had been more hesitant about Debbie going along.
“She’s too young,” Mother had said.
“I’m not so much worried about her age as her sense of adventure,” Dad had stated. “She’s not afraid of anything, and I don’t think she has the judgment to avoid mischief. I just don’t think she’s ready for Europe and all that goes with it.” Ryder would never admit it to Debbie, but he had finally sold his parents on letting her come. She had been in tears when she ran to her bedroom. “I’ll take care of her,” Ryder volunteered. “I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.”
Ryder tossed and turned as he tried to get to sleep that night. The excitement of visiting a far off land had him contemplating the things he might see, the places he might visit. He rose three different times to check out information about the Swiss Alps, the Prado, and finally the Black Forest. He could not seem to get his mind to shut down. Finally, he decided to get up and grab a snack from the refrigerator. As he reached the kitchen, he could overhear voices in the dining room.
“Elise, we knew this day would come. We’ve been planning on it for what, six years now?” he heard his father console.
“But it wasn’t for another year. William isn’t even sixteen yet.” His mother sounded on the edge of tears. “And Deborah? You know the troubles I had. She isn’t even close to old enough to go.”
“Yes, I was surprised that Debbie was invited too. But it makes some sense. She’ll have William to keep an eye on her. I’d rather she went the same time he goes,” his dad replied.
“It isn’t safe,” Mother stuttered.
Ryder felt embarrassed. He never liked to be around when she, or anyone else for that matter, was crying.
“Frankly,” Ryder’s dad interjected, “after what William experienced at that ridiculous excuse of a school, I think they will both be safer at Europe. Who knows, maybe they’ll bring us back some dewsnips?”
Ryder heard his mother laugh halfheartedly as he slipped back down the stairs. He decided he would definitely have to bring some dewsnips home. He spent the next hour trying to find the word online, but despite using every combination he could think of, he came up empty. The search did get his mind off the upcoming trip, and eventually he dozed off at his computer.
Over the next few weeks Ryder frequently regretted talking his parents into letting Debbie come along. She seemed twice as irritating as normal, and her confidence seemed to be expanding beyond reality.
“I’ll bet I can get the pilot to let me fly the plane,” she boasted. She would then go on to say she was going to be a pilot when she grew up. Later, she was going to join the Air Force. Then she was going to be the President of the United States.
“After that I
assume you’ll be an astronaut and become a multi-millionaire selling energy drinks,” Ryder responded sarcastically.
The fire in Debbie’s eye warned him in time, and he ducked as the TV controller sailed past his head and broke against the far wall.
“Dad’s going to kill you.” Ryder laughed as he fled to his room, locking the door behind him as Debbie’s body slammed into it.
“I’ll get you sooner or later,” she screamed. “You have to come out some time.”
Ryder assumed that one of the reasons his parents had agreed to the trip was because the anonymous donors for the school program were funding everything. The biggest costs so far had been the exorbitant price of a rushed passport and their luggage.
The airport wasn’t crowded when his family arrived at the terminal at five in the morning as they had been instructed to do. They checked their luggage, and then found out that the security line didn’t open until six o’clock. “This doesn’t make sense,” Ryder complained. “Why do we need to be here an hour early if security doesn’t open until thirty minutes before our flight?” The whole family had come along. Debbie and her twin sisters had slept all the way to the airport. In fact, Ryder wondered if Mom had needed to dress Debbie while she slept. However, once they got to the airport, Debbie was fully alert, jumping up and down and chirping so loud that Ryder was embarrassed to be near her. Dawn and Marie could barely be rousted to get out of the car and dragged along behind with Mother.
The wait at security was the worst, though. The twins began crying. Something must have gotten into Mom’s eye as she kept blinking, then Dad gave Ryder one of his famous bear hugs, but wouldn’t let go. By the time the security line opened, the whole family was in some variation of tears, including Ryder. He wanted to say, “Hey, it’s no big deal; it’s like summer camp. You won’t even know we’ve been gone,” but the words just didn’t come out. He gave Mom a big hug, and then with Debbie’s help got the sisters to giggle by giving a pimple hug, where they would select one of the siblings to be stuck in the middle for a tight squeeze.
Ryder wondered where the other kids were. Miss Li was near the head of the line for security and told Ryder and Debbie that she would see them when they got through the queue. When they got through, he watched as other members of the class snaked their way through security. He noticed that Cynthia came with her extended family. She must have had fifteen to twenty people with her including siblings, aunts, and uncles. Rebecca had just her parents with her. Randy, Joel, and Athena all came together, and there was only one adult with them. The woman hugged Randy, Joel, and Athena in succession, so Ryder wasn’t sure whom she belonged to. Finally Mr. Small came running toward security as Miss Li was escorting the rest of the group up the escalator to the gates. The look Miss Li gave Mr. Small could have cut through sheet metal.
Mr. Small finally caught up with them at Gate A-17. The person at the desk had already announced that the plane was boarding families with small children, then first class, then “all tickets in group A.” Ryder looked at his ticket, “Group C,” and was wondering when they would get on the plane.
“Sorry I’m late,” an out-of-breath Mr. Small began.
Miss Li had her hands on her hips, with a cross look on her face.
“I forgot to bring this from my apartment and had to run back and get it,” he offered apologetically as he handed Miss Li a small box. “I know I could get you a bigger one where we’re going, but I like the Earth variety better.”
Miss Li opened the box and then opened the smaller box inside, which contained a ring with a small diamond. She smiled, then wiped away a tear. “Roger, you are way too nostalgic.” Then she turned toward the gate. “All right, ladies and gentlemen, they just called Group C, let’s line up and get going.”
Ryder noticed that she put the ring on her left ring finger but didn’t look down at it as she slipped the box into her coat pocket. As soon as Debbie saw Miss Li putting the ring on her finger, she started bouncing and laughing, and soon the other three girls were doing the same thing around Miss Li. “So when are you getting married, Miss Li? Can I come? Can I be a bridesmaid?” Debbie said enthusiastically.
Miss Li quickly shut down the excitement. “Everyone, we need to board now, or we will miss the flight.”
The rows of seats were small and cramped. Ryder kept bumping his knees into the seat in front of him, which was doubly troublesome as Cynthia was sitting there. Debbie, of course, had finagled the window seat next to Cynthia.
After the plane took flight, Ryder’s excitement quickly waned. There was not much to see. He read through the flight magazines in about thirty minutes, then sat wishing he had taken a book out of his backpack to read. As his mind began to wander, he reflected on how easily he had made friends with both Joel and Randy. Although their first love was sports—any sports—they were so enthusiastic about everything it was hard not to join in, one way or another. Randy and Joel had talked Ryder into a little hike two weeks earlier. The little hike turned into a fifteen-mile ATV ride (they supplied the ATV), then some rock climbing. Ryder had never been so scared or exhilarated in his life. They had successfully scaled the last one hundred feet to some peak, with the opportunity for instant death at every handhold. The view of the valley on the one side, and the rows of mountains going back behind them as far as he could see, had been fantastic. It was the first time he had gotten an understanding of what “purple mountains majesty” meant. The analytical side of his mind simply interpreted it as the way the sun refracted the light and shadowed it. Still it was really cool.
“Do you think we’ll have time to leave the airport in Chicago?” Joel asked simply as they were discussing the trip.
“I don’t think so. I believe the tickets say the layover will only be forty-five minutes.” Ryder responded.
“Too bad. I’d love to climb the Sears Tower,” Joel continued.
“Willis Tower,” Ryder corrected.
“Huh?” both Randy and Joel responded in unison.
“It’s not the Sears Tower anymore. It was renamed the Willis Tower a few years ago.” He added, “We couldn’t climb the Willis Tower anyway. We’d just take an elevator to the observation deck. I’ve actually been there once. It wasn’t that great, but it was an overcast day, so you really couldn’t see too far.”
Joel looked disappointed, so Ryder added, “Maybe we can take the elevator up the Eiffel Tower in France.”
“Are we actually going to France?” Becky looked up from the book she was reading.
Ryder thought for a moment. “I assume so. Hard to imagine going to Europe without visiting Paris. But I still haven’t seen our itinerary.”
Cynthia joined the conversation. “I’m not so sure that we will spend much time in major cities.”
“Why not?” Debbie straightened up in her seat.
“Well, for one thing, they told us not to buy calling cards because we wouldn’t be able to use them.”
“Yeah,” Randy interjected, “I think it sucks that we can’t bring video games or cell phones or any electronics.”
“Miss Li says that electronics would take away from the experience, and that they wouldn’t work in Europe anyway,” Cynthia responded.
“Actually, there are some differences in the electrical connections between here and Europe. I already checked on that,” Ryder said sheepishly. “You can purchase adapters here in the States. But Mr. Small assured me that we would have all the computer technology we would want or need where we’re going.”
“How is that possible if we don’t have cell phone connections?” Randy interrupted. “We should at least be able to use Skype or something,” he added.
“Well I don’t care what they say,” Athena whispered conspiratorially. “My parents bought me a dozen hundred-minute calling cards. They’re in the makeup compartment of my bag.”
“I used Skype last time I was in Madrid with my parents,” Becky acknowledged. “That’s probably the best way to go.”
Cynthia shook her head, “I really don’t think we should be violating the rules before we even get started. I’m sure it will all make sense when we get there. At least that’s what my great aunt said.” She paused. “Thank goodness for my great aunt. If it weren’t for her, I don’t think I would have been able to talk Papi into letting me come. Mother was okay, but Father was totally against it.”
“I think our aunt and uncle were glad to be rid of us,” Randy snickered.
Joel affirmed, “Yeah, happy to be rid of us for a while.”
Ryder fell silent. Something wasn’t right. The more he thought about the strange instructions, the more they didn’t make sense.
O’Hare International Airport was huge. Ryder noticed masses of people everywhere. It looked worse than the one time he’d talked his parents into getting up at five in the morning to go to Walmart the day after Thanksgiving. The next thing Ryder noticed was the Chicago Dog vendor. Ryder was a big fan of hotdogs, and he had heard that the Chicago Dog was the best. It became clear that his target was out of reach when Miss Li actually yelled out, “Concourse M-23! We’ll have to hurry to make the flight!”
Running down the concourse was challenging. Ryder had to keep an eye on Debbie, who was in wide-eyed wonder and wanting to stop along the way. He also had to avoid collisions with self-absorbed travelers going in a different direction while keeping an eye on Cynthia, who seemed to be running a little slower than the rest of the group, just so he didn’t lose them. After he and Debbie gang tackled a businessman in a suit with a rolling suitcase, Cynthia actually stopped and came back.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Yes, take Debbie, and I’ll carry her bag,” Ryder got out in an exasperated voice.
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