I Dream of Saturn

By Matthew Curcio

Shane Tallard grew up in San Clemente, California, only knowing the sand and surf. Before Shane’s first week of senior year of high school, he is introduced to Sophia Torres, one of the best soccer players in all Southern California. Shane immediately takes a liking to Sophia after they share a textbook for a required Science class. Shane teaches Sophia how to live life on the edge, while Sophia teaches Shane patience and growth. However, just months into their relationship, their love is tested by a tragedy that appears unfair and at the worst of times for both teenagers. The fear of loss tests both Shane and Sophia as the waves of Southern California crash against their own testament of time. Ultimately, both Shane and Sophia discover that even the planets, moon and stars were at some point in orbit. This gives their relationship hope for love, if not for today, for tomorrow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532090974

Matthew Curcio

Matthew Curcio currently resides in New York City. I Dream of Saturn is his fourth published work and third published novel.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Planets

Saturn has the most extensive rings in the entire solar system. Named for the Roman God of agriculture, Saturnus, it was first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. It is the sixth planet from the sun, and it is most commonly identified with the billions of ice, rocks, and dust particles that form the rings that make it so beautiful to admire. But Saturn is not what it appears to be, or at least not how we view the planet in high school textbooks. Some of these particles are as tiny as the sand that seeps through our toes at night, while other particles are as large as the houses we rely on so heavily for sleep, or in other words, our dreams.

planet.jpg

San Clemente, California is a beautiful place to grow up, mainly because you can breathe. And because you can breathe, you can think. And when you think, you begin to dream and look up at the stars. I wasn’t daydreaming in this particular moment, for it was way too dark on the beach; however, I was in awe of the lights that illuminated the ocean while I got ready to paddle out. It was September 1, 2014, the eve of the first day of classes of my senior year of high school. This is how Southern California did pep rallies, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Diego, hold up! I yelled as my ankle shook in anticipation of the swells that were rolling in perpendicular to the pier.

Shane, for the last time I don’t have any leftover wax. You’re on your own.

Diego was my best friend but if there was one thing he was weak for, it was the waves.

No, that’s not it. I can barely see my leash, never mind, I said as I waved him on. I need to re-strap. It’s too loose on my ankle.

From time to time I would surf without a leash but it never felt right. Plus the deal was that I had to chain up or my dad wouldn’t let me keep venturing out late at night. Also, I felt naked in the water without one, like a student without a pen or pencil on the first day of class.

Yes! Let’s go, I said as I simultaneously heard a slight tear from the fin below me. It was my leash. I had ripped the string that connected to the Velcro right below my grip tape. It must have got pulled in from the slack and there was no doubting the fierce slice that echoed in my mind. I started searching and looking for anything I could find to tie a knot to the bottom string. My frustration was infectious as the cheerleaders and jocks from the football team asked me what was wrong.

Shane, just calm down, Mason said as he ran over to comfort me.

Mason lived next door, we sort of grew further apart than our physical addresses would suggest. Mason didn’t surf or skate but he knew what I loved and he respected that.

Do you or any of your teammates have their cleats on them? Hurry. This is urgent! I yelled.

Shane, it’s San Clemente, California in September at 8 o’clock at night. This could be a Sandals photoshoot, for God’s sake. Mason joked.

Then, before I knew it, a yellow Jeep pulled up that flashed a light so luminous that Mason and I had to lean on each other for support. I cupped my hands over my eyebrows as I locked pupils with maybe the tiniest chick on the varsity soccer team. I had seen this girl from time to time. She was a grade or two younger but last year her locker was four or five rows down from my own. I was instantly reminded of the classic Adidas spikes that would fall from her top buggy. Her name was Sophia Torres. Everyone knew her name but I don’t think many people were actually friendly enough with her to know anything significant about her. She certainly didn’t look Italian or Spanish or whatever her last name insinuated. As she exited the car, I noticed the embroidered team bag that weighed down her tiny frame from 50 feet away. She was joined by my cousin Hailey and her twin brother Logan. Logan and I had a striking resemblance. He might as well have been my identical twin at birth.

What are you still doing out here? Hailey asked.

It’s a long story. My leash ripped. I’m not myself out there without my leash, you know that.

Logan paced back and forth almost as if the news of my absence in the water affected him first hand. And there’s nothing you can do? There has to be something you can do!

Logan, trust me, I’ve been hanging around here the last two minutes as frustrated as a grom with a dented boogie board. I feel like it’s been an hour.

And all you need is a string?

All I need is a string. But that’s always my luck.

All of a sudden another Jeep pulled up. And it wasn’t your modest beach SUV, but rather one of those really fancy trucks with black rims and a glossy crisp white paint job. It was my ex-girlfriend Sarah Carpenter. Naturally, my twin cousins turned on Sarah, but that didn’t stop her from walking over my way and asking what was wrong.

Sarah, unless you have a leash in your car I don’t want to hear it.

Nice to see you too, Shane.

Yeah, Sarah, that’s the difference, it’s not nice to see you.

I was seconds if not a few blinks away from disobeying my father’s orders until that tiny girl with the most beautiful beach blonde hair stepped into our inner circle and opened up her soccer bag.

I sized up this petite specimen that appeared to be a gift from the ocean gods. Her tiny freckles complemented her perfectly shaped lips that spoke the first words I had witnessed fall from her tongue.

Here. Use this, she said as she began to yank the shoelace from the tiny little holes that patterned the outside of the cleat.

Thank you, I said. But…

Logan began to clap as he looked at Mason. Mason shrugged his shoulders and flipped his sandal upside down where the rubber bottom served as a bottle opener that latched to the Coronas that were flowing like candy for the high school upperclassmen.

But I can’t, I reiterated.

No, you can. My parents owe me new cleats for my birthday anyway. Maybe an excuse for some Nikes.

Are you sure?

A smile so natural started to form on my face and I had almost forgotten I was there to surf.

The shoelace was thick, durable, and with just enough substance to secure a few sets out in the ocean without worry or slight hesitation.

I’m certain, Sophia said as she drew circles in the sand with her toes.

So then I did what any teenage boy in Southern California would do. I paddled out. The first person I met up with was Diego. He had three or four ‘glow in the dark’ bead necklaces on that could be seen from the shoreline. As I threw a few on, I saw Sophia give the thumbs up from about 70 yards out. Or maybe it was just Hailey, but I like to believe it was Sophia.

I wanted to impress her and the minute I was sitting upright on my board I started to crave her. Miss her was not enough. I still was yet to know her but I knew that time would tell if tonight went as planned. A few waves pumped in and continued to crash onshore. I was waiting for the right one. Eventually a wall of water so pure started to form in the distance. I could feel the momentum shifting. It was now or never. So, I did what any fearless and somewhat rebellious long-haired salt watered punk at the time would do. I went for it. As the gravity pulled me forward, my paddling only ensured my acceleration. My adrenaline pumped just as fast as a hose with the nozzle turned up to maximum pressure. I will always remember that moment. If my mind was software, that image would be forever encrypted in my memory.

When I stood up, my toes stuck to the small yet thick fragments of wax. It was at that point that I knew I had successfully caught the wave. I leaned in and pointed my feet forward towards the top of my 6'1" LOST! fiberglass board. I started shifting my weight downward and glided into the face of the wave where the barrel started to spray the back of my neck. Soon I was on top of the massive force and I threw my fingers tips onto the edge of the water. The resistance felt good, the resistance was powerful. As I looked up, I saw the stars, but most importantly I felt my soul magnetically pulled back towards Sophia. So, for the first time in a long time, I decided to follow my heart and come in. Some say you only really need one good wave to make it count. Others argue that if you wait for one, you must go for it.

Chapter 2

The Stars Collide

There was a lot to look forward to the day after Ocean Pep Rally. But, for me, I had even more to live for after meeting Sophia. Now, at our high school (Mission High), surfing, although extremely common in the community, played second fiddle to more organized athletics. That’s what made Ocean Pep Rally so special. It was a chance for the athletes to cheer us on, and in return, they knew we would be cheering for them in the stands every Friday night.

As I got to my locker, I was bombarded by a storm of teenage girls whose highlighters headlined the love notes that were shoved into the top cubby of my metal cube. Diego was leaning against the wall with a few wave chasers who seemed to be living off the late Ocean Pep Rally high. Hailey stood across from Diego as Sarah Carpenter made her way to my territory. My face started to blush as I could see Sophia looking on from the corner of her eye.

You were amazing last night, Shane, Sarah said.

Hailey rolled her eyes and I couldn’t have agreed more.

You were AMAZING last night, Shane, I mocked.

Okay get a grip, Shane, Sarah said.

I was just kidding, I told Sarah. But honestly, thank you, I do appreciate that.

I wasn’t kidding. You looked awesome out there. I’ve never seen you so happy in the water.

I tried to incorporate my peripheral vision as much as I possibly could. I saw Sophia looking on as she stalled in her locker and whispered to herself very softly.

Eventually, the crowd started to disperse as Sarah hung out along with a few wave chasers who clung to Diego as if he was joining the world surf tour after study hall.

I started to feel uneasy as Sarah would just not leave my side. I did crave the attention, but at the same time, I felt as if I owed something to Sophia, considering the circumstances. Then, the worst-case scenario happened. As Sarah and I exited the narrow hallway, Sophia tried to budge her way in between the both of us and tripped over Sarah’s outlandish sandals that worked halfway up her calf muscle. She went down hard but her recovery is what caught my attention even more. She simply stood up and flattened out her Property of Mission High practice tee shirt. Sophia didn’t even look back despite the cries of laughter from Sarah. However, she did leave behind a few pieces of paper that were as good as gone to her. Sarah’s laughs began to grow even stronger and louder and I could almost see Sophia blush without having to look her directly in the eye as she continued to walk forward.

I felt embarrassed. Not so much that Sophia tripped in front of me, but the fact that I let Sarah laugh in front of my face before telling her she was wrong and out of line. I should have been the bigger person, and besides, I didn’t even like Sarah. At least not after laying my eyes on Sophia. The bell rang and Sarah gave me a hug like we were back to dating, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I ran over to the half torn apart pieces of loose leaf that Sophia had dropped after her minor fall. When I finished untangling the stationery, I saw a lot more than I bargained for. It was me. And better yet, it was me on top of the wave in some outer space type galaxy. I was no scientist, and certainly no aspiring astronaut, but it was quite obvious that Sophia had placed me on the Rings of Saturn.

Chapter 3

Extraterrestrial

I quickly folded up Sophia’s artwork and made sure it rested safely in a tight zipper of my Hurley backpack that my father purchased for me the previous Christmas. The first official day of classes was always exciting due to the unknown. So many unanswered questions, even little things, like: Who would sit next to me in history class? or What period would I have lunch? But I think the best part was developing new friendships. I was always craving something different, something bigger, sort of like that next big wave.

I took my class schedule out of my back pocket and unfolded it out of the four squares that were conveniently overlapped over each other. I was late to class but what else was new?

*Planetary Science and Astronomy* Room 201 - my schedule read.

I know what you’re probably thinking. The first day of class, Shane’s got to be a terrible student, right? Actually, I’m the complete opposite. I have a great understanding of science and numbers. When it comes to mathematics and how things work from an objective standpoint, I’m interested. I think that’s why I love surfing so much. When I sit out on my board, I can feel the wave pull me to where I need to be. It’s real and that’s the best part.

Shane, really? On the first day. You know I’m not dealing with this all year, Mr. Zee said.

Mr. Zee was short for Zeekakulus. Mr. Zee had style and was well respected in the community. Not only was he the coolest teacher in the district, but also the most respected lifeguard during the thick of summer. He’s always the first one out in the morning when the swell is fresh and the last teacher in the office to stay