21 Degrees

September, 2023 - Hawaii, USA

While washing the dishes, Grant looked out the back window at the warm Autumn night to see his teenage son, Isaac, staring up at the night sky, wearing shorts and sandals, having long changed out of his uniform. Frowning, Grant scrubbed at a glass. “Don’t schools hand out homework anymore?” 

From her place on the couch, Kalea looks up from her book to glance outside at Isaac. “He’s waiting for the northern lights.”

Grant turned away from the window, giving his wife an incredulous scoff. “You believed him?” 

Unamused about being disturbed, Kalea shot Grant a deadpan glance then returned to her book with a shrug. “They talked about it this week in school. I guess the lights were spotted here in Hawaii a long time ago. It was a ‘wonderous phenomenon’. He was determined to be the one to see it again.”

“Kalea – honey –” Grant found himself at a loss for words. “He’s an intelligent young man. Don’t you think he realizes seeing the lights here would’ve been a once in a lifetime event, even back then? He’s lying to you. He’s trying to find an opportunity to slip away again with his friends. To drink.”

“You don’t know that.”

“We were young once. We know how youth are. He’s been spending all this time away from home, neglecting his studies. If he isn’t studying, he should be spending his evenings with his family.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s been drinking. He’s sixteen. It’s only been the first week of school – let him enjoy his quiet evening.”

“He’s graduating next year, Kalea. If he wants to be a pilot and travel the world, he needs to take his studying seriously.” Grant turns back to the sink, scrubbing viciously at the specks of sausage burnt into the cast iron pan. 

When Grant was younger, he could remember having long conversations with his own father regarding his studies. He’d almost let his own future slip away by not listening to those lectures. If he hadn’t listened, he wouldn’t have met Kalea, nor had his son, Isaac. 

After a few minutes, Kalea left her place on the couch and placed her hand on Grant’s arm to stop his scrubbing. She gingerly pulls his hand out of the water to rub her thumb over his pinky.

Where she rubbed, a small, almost faded tattoo of a simple smiley face stared back at them. Grant dropped his shoulders, gazing at Kalea.

“You’re right, dear,” Kalea said. “You were a young man once. With friends. Dear friends. Let him enjoy this opportunity.” Kalea walks away, leaving Grant to his thoughts.

Grant looks out to see Isaac continuing to gaze up at the stars. It seemed odd that Isaac would be holding so true to his lie that he would watch the sky just to sell it.

Grant dries his hands and opens up his phone to search: “northern lights Hawaii”.

To his surprise, several articles appear detailing the solar storm of 1859 where the Aurora Borealis was witnessed in Honolulu, only 21 degrees north of the equator. 1859. Grant tried to think of what things were like during that period in history. The Civil War was right around the corner for the United States, creating tension amongst the citizens. Hawaii had already been discovered by the growing nation but had not yet been annexed; the islands would’ve remained unaffiliated with the heating Civil War, content to bask the celestial event at their leisure. It did sound wondrous.

Grant heard voices outside. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been distracted. It sounded like at least one other person had joined Isaac.

Setting down his phone, Grant peaked around the corner to look outside. Sure enough, an unfamiliar young man was with Isaac, the two sitting beside each other at the edge of the property. 

Between the two sat a brown paper bag with unknown contents. 

Furious, Grant set his jaw. He knew his son had been lying. This was no way to spend his youth if he wanted to achieve the career of his dreams. Even if Grant was wrong about the contents of the paper bag, if Isaac wanted to aspire to something outside his career, it needed to be spent with family – not with friends, who would inevitably disappear.

Grant strode towards the back door where he tugs on his shoes and stormed out the door. 

He then witnessed something – that froze him in place.

This new young man placed a tender kiss on Isaac’s cheek. 

Grant’s eyes widened, his mind raging against itself. What did this mean? Could the night shadows have played tricks on his eyes? Had his son wanted that to happen? What was Grant supposed to do?

Furious that his footsteps would be too loud if he went back inside, but no longer brave enough to stop this interaction – Grant swore under his breath, and sidestepped behind a tree. 

The two young men continue to enjoy their intimate moment together. After a minute of soft whispering and handholding, Isaac glanced back at the house to make sure no one was watching. Then the two gathered themselves and walked around the side of the house where they disappeared.

Grant couldn’t do it. He let out a heavy breath. No matter how much that old voice in his head told him this wasn’t right and that he needed to confront his son regarding this new ‘friend’ – a warmth inside him reassured him that everything would be alright. A warmth he had forgotten.

Without thinking, Grant rubbed his own thumb across the faded tattoo on his finger, remembering when he’d snuck away from his family all those years ago to get a matching tattoo with his best friend, Michael. 

Michael…

Grant tilted his head back to face the dark night sky. Closing his eyes, Grant wondered what it would’ve been like, if he could’ve gone back in time to that night in 1895, when he could’ve seen the mystical, swirling colors of the Aurora Borealis for himself, amidst the chaos of the world, secluded in this small island, far from the turmoil of the world. To feel that touch of arctic cold on a warm Autumn evening 21 degrees north of the equator.

Grant stood there by the tree for the rest of the evening, staring at the now dark, empty space at the edge of the property.