Chapter 17

Monica and I went to the Starbuck's across the street from the Naval Research Laboratory. We both ordered cafe lattes, and we sat on a couch.

"So where are you from, Michael?" asked Monica. She took a sip of her latte.

"Originally from Nevada," I said.

"Las Vegas?"

"Yes, and you?"

"I'm from California," Monica said.

"Wow, we're almost neighbors."

Monica giggled with me. "What part of California?"

"Stockton."

"Up north?" I asked her.

"That's right."

"Where did you earn your bachelor's?"

"UC San Diego. And you?"

"UNLV," I said. I admired Monica's long, shiny black hair that she brushed aside from her ear. She curled some of her hair along her finger and then uncurled it.

"Where did you get your Ph.D.?" asked Monica after she finished playing with her hair.

"Harvard University."

"You must be very intelligent, Michael. They rejected me as freshman and as a grad student." Monica put her hand on my right shoulder. "What was your dissertation on?"

"Observational astrophysics," I said. "Namely, the dark matter problem."

"What exactly did you do, MACHOs or WIMPs?" Monica asked.

"I was on the data analysis team of the MACHO Collaboration." MACHO stands for Massive Compact Halo Object, while WIMP stands for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle.

"Could you explain a little more?"

"Sure," I said. I took a white napkin and drew a few diagrams. I showed Monica how according to Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, light bends around a massive object, such as a planet or a star. We at the MACHO Collaboration used a phenomenon known as gravitational microlensing to detect the MACHOs, which were essentially Jupiter sized objects in space that emit no light. "When a MACHO passes in front of a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, it creates a temporary increase in the star's light intensity. We had a telescope in Australia that was dedicated to looking for these MACHO events."

"What was your conclusion, Michael?"

"I found a few MACHO events, but we couldn't conclude if MACHOs form a significant part of the dark matter."

"So how did you get your Ph.D.? What discovery did you use for your dissertation?"

"I discovered a few variable intensity stars that had light curves never seen before."

"Awesome!" Monica momentarily slipped off her shoes. "Listen," she said. "After work, would you like to come to Brookland? I live near Catholic University, and I know a great place we could go."

"I'd love to," I said. Could Monica be the one to wear my rosary bracelet?


After work at NRL, Monica and I took the Red Line of the Washington Metro Rail System to the CUA/Brookland Station. She took me on a tour of Catholic University of America, which looked to me like a typical eastern university. We walked by the Columbus School of Law, and we briefly stopped by the student center. We walked a flight of stairs in the student center across from the law school. We walked through the center and out a set of glass doors.

"You see that?" Monica said. She pointed to a building with a tall tower and a blue dome.

"Yes," I said. "That must be the campus church."

"It's not just a church," said Monica. "That's the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the biggest Catholic Church in the country."

"Oh, I see," I said. I had heard of the basilica. It was America's equivalent of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

"Let's go in!" Monica said. She took me by the hand and led me up the steps to the beige building.

We entered huge wooden doors, and we were near the altar, which was reminiscent of the altar at Saint Peter's Basilica, from what I saw on television, especially during Christmas Mass at the Vatican with the pope. Above the altar was a huge vaulted ceiling, under the blue dome outside apparently. A towering painting of Jesus Christ stood behind the altar. A blue circle in the vaulted ceiling had a verse painted in gold letters:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the One who is, who was, and is to come, the Almighty."

People were lighting candles at the little chapels all around the basilica. I had always wanted to come to the basilica, but I plain just didn't have time. I preferred to attend Mass at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Old Town Alexandria.

Monica, still holding my hand, led me to the front pew. "We have to pray first," she said. She put down the kneeler and kneeled. She folded her hands and rested them on the pew wall. Monica made the sign of the cross and prayed. I did so likewise.

I silently prayed, "Lord Jesus Christ, let this be the one. Amen."