As Above So Below

As a child, I was fascinated by the heavenly bodies. I would climb up a hill near the
country house owned by my grandparents and there I would stargaze every single night (except
when it is raining). My eyes grew accustomed of the star-studded night sky laced by what I used
to call as ‘purple cotton candy’. Later, I learned that this bluish-purple hue was the Milky Way.

One time I also tried to name a star, only to realize it already has one, though I must
argue that “Proxima Centauri” is quite a mouthful compared to “Skylark 123”. While it may
seem presumptuous, I always believed I named it better.

My penchant for astronomy continued until my last year in elementary. Just like most
kids, I dreamt of becoming an astronaut and reach for the stars I used to admire from afar. The
unfortunate reality is that this dream, just like other kids’ dreams, is bound to be crushed sooner
or later unless I had the smarts of entering an Ivy League School—unfortunately I don’t think I
could handle studying Fluid Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics and other
subjects that end in –ics; much less to qualify in Harvard’s entrance exam, to begin with.

This may sound dramatic, but I was devastated by the fact that I was forced to abandon
my dream as I grow up. Adulthood sucks, and my adolescence sucks as well. As much as I’d like
to search for a new dream to move forward, I still couldn’t let things go, and so I was stuck in the
gutter for a while, until this one event that happened when I was in my last year of senior high
school.

“Hi.” smiled the stocky old man seated on the guidance counselors’ desk. “I’d reckon you
know why you’re here, right?”

Palming my recently dyed green hair, I looked at him aimlessly. “I will be held back for a
year, am I wrong?”

“Right.” The old man nodded. “Do you know why?”

I heaved an annoyed sigh and enumerated each of the reasons rather indifferently. “I cut
classes, I was the instigator of a recent class fight, I violated the dress code, I broke my locker
and my grades were consistent F’s. And oh! I recently had a beef with Ms. Moore and I violated
the dress code... again.”

The old man laughed heartily.

“I haven’t seen a very self-aware youngster like you in a while.” He blurted halfway
through his laugh. “You’re an interesting fellow. I guess I have nothing to warn you about
because it seemed to me that you are pretty much aware of the consequences of your actions.”
 I murmured. “I am.”

He looked impressed with my conviction… or lack of thereof.

“Well then, would you mind this old man to blabber random stuff while you are here?”
The old man asked and I merely shrugged.

“I don’t mind, really.” I replied nonchalantly.

“Okay then.” The old man smiled. “Please excuse my rambling.”

He proceeded on talking about actual ‘random stuffs’ that most certainly has nothing to
do with the reason I was called in the guidance office in the first place and I must admit, I was
appalled. I usually find no interest in listening to an old man’s blabber, however I found his
storytelling engaging and so I sat there speechless and just listened intently.

“I used to work as an astronomer in an observatory, probably a thousand miles away from

here.” He said as he fidgets on a pencil. “That’s probably some seven years ago now.”

That time, my ears perked up and all of a sudden I am more invested to listen.

“Why did you quit?” I asked and the old man looked satisfied that I am still listening.

“I truly loved that work but I had to meet with adult demands and duty.” He gave a faint
smile. “You see, son, my wife was severely ill that time and I had to take care of her. I packed
my bags as soon as I heard the news and while my heart well in regret that I had to leave the
profession I enjoy, I know I had to be by her side.”

That time, sacrifice is a concept I am yet to grasp, but somehow, I felt a strong sympathy
towards the old man. Out of nowhere, a bizarrely profound thought entered my mind. I thought
that perhaps the hardest part of being an adult is to make a difficult and probably, life-changing
choices.

“My wife, she was also fond of the stars, though in a different manner.” He beamed
fondly at the thought of her wife. “She enjoys divination and astrology. She used to give me
readings and initially, I was skeptical, but in the long run it’s making a lot of sense.”

“We were set up by our friends way back in college and do you know what was her first
question upon arriving at our meeting place?”

I shook my head and I earned a chuckle from the old man.

“She asked me what was my sign. And then I told her I am a Cancer.” The old man took
a sip on the bottled water sitting atop of his desk. “That very moment she smiled so bright and I
was so confused what was that supposed to mean, given that as an inexperienced, shy bachelor I
find ladies as mysteries. Then some 20 years into our marriage she told me she got a reading
earlier that day that she was bound to meet her twin flame with a Cancer sign. Turned out that
was me.”

“Mister, astrology and astronomy are two different things, right?” I asked.

He nodded in agreement.

“Apart from the prefix astro, there’s no way they are similar, though, they’ve branched
out from one common root.” He said as he tried to distinguish one from another. “Let us say in
simpler terms that astronomy deals with the science of the movements of celestials, while
astrology deals with the divine and its ties to human behavior.”

“You see, astrology and astronomy dates back almost as early as human beings grew
sentient. Ever since the beginning we are fascinated by those floating, glowing dots in the sky.” I
leaned forward to listen to him. “It’s almost akin to human nature that we look up the sky and
observe from here below.”s\