I:4: AND ALL THE STARS FELL DOWN

Tom meets Mickey outside by the telescope behind a large greenhouse that’s had dark tarps draped over it to block the light from the house. She’s writing in a notebook, looking in the telescope, and then writing some more.

TOM
How’s it going, kiddo?

Mickey looks up and smiles at her dad.

MICKEY
Oh, you know how it is – you try to watch the whole sky all at once, and it seems like they’re only falling where you’re not looking.

Tom looks up at the sky just as a nice bright meteor streaks across the sky.

TOM
Do you have the camera on?

MICKEY
Oh, yeah, the whole night is going to be recorded – I have the hard drive hooked up like you showed me – but it’s just not the same as seeing it yourself.

Tom smiles and sits down, putting the bowl of popcorn between them.

MICKEY
When is Mom going to get that stick out of her butt about Gramma being here? You’d think the President was visiting or something, the mad rush she pulled when she got that letter.

TOM
You know how your mom gets. Give her a day or two and she’ll be fine.

MICKEY
But will she get a rectal craniectomy before Gramma leaves again?
Tom stares up at the sky again and sighs.

TOM
Call it a hunch, but I don’t think your grandmother is going to be leaving as quickly as she normally does.

MICKEY
What makes you say that?

Tom shrugs.

TOM
Just a feeling. I’d say let’s plan on her being here at least a week.

Mickey smiles.

MICKEY
This is going to be so fun. Gramma does such awesome fun stuff.

TOM
What? Like your mom and I don’t?

MICKEY
You know it’s different when it’s not a direct parent.

She leans forward to look through the telescope again and glances at her dad under the pretense.

MICKEY
So, no sibling this year?

Tom sighs.

TOM
She’ll come around eventually, Mickey. You’re not going to be an only kid forever.

MICKEY
I don’t know, Dad. At this point, I’m pretty much spoiled with having all of the attention to myself, getting all the Christmas presents, going everywhere with you guys… maybe I don’t want a little rug-rat to share the spotlight with.

Tom pauses for a moment.

TOM
Wow, you’ve been practicing that all day, haven’t you? It was almost convincing.

MICKEY
Didn’t buy it, huh?

Tom shakes his head.

MICKEY
I guess I’m going to have to work harder on that if I’m going to try the old reverse psychology.

TOM
While I admire your intentions, sweetheart, I think your mom is twisted around so much about it that reverse psychology might end up backfiring.

MICKEY
I was planning more on inciting the wrath of the god Murphy.

Tom chuckles and points at the sky as another shooting star goes by.

TOM
That’s about as good as shot as any of us have to getting your mother to change her mind faster.

Mickey looks through the telescope again.

MICKEY
So, if I play it back again and again and wish on every star every time, do you think that would hedge our bets?

Tom smiles at his daughter and then looks up at the sky again, trying to hide the disappointment even from him.