Star Ridge

In the small suburban town of Landash, Ohio, people all seem the same. The same ladies from one church looked like the same ladies from the other church. The children getting off a school bus from one elementary school were indistinguishable from the children getting off a school bus from a different school. Every sedan and SUV looked the same as every other sedan and SUV.  

At least that’s the way it felt to 26 soon to be 27-year-old Julia Smith. Even her name was so mundane. So were her looks: average height and weight, shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. But Julia had done what every other person had done in this small town- born, grew up, went to college in the local college and got a job right in this boring, musty town. She had been on A-B honor roll all through school-but so had most of her classmates. She hadn’t been able to find a job in her field of Psychology and so had settled for working at a local grocery store. Originally, Julia had thought she’d be there a year or so, just to have an income until she had found a ‘real’ job. But here she was four and half years later. Like many of her peers, she found herself still living with her parents. The rent and housing costs in the area were really high and her income did not keep up with that plus the cost of food and her student loans. So, she paid her parents a modest rent and stayed in the finished attic-turned-bedroom. It had been her bedroom her whole life. And her parents, despite getting paid rent, still treated Julia like she was 16 instead of 26. She couldn’t just invite people over, she certainly couldn’t have ‘partners’ come over; and her mom still said, ‘call me when you get there and check in at blank time’.  

In fact, on this Friday night she had gone out to the local bars. She’d had a 10-hour day of apologizing for stuff that wasn’t her fault- like why upper-management had told them to re-arrange the store yet again so Miss so-and so couldn’t find the cat-food this week. And her mom still was ‘do you really need to go out? Maybe you should spend your money not on alcohol, I think you should come home now’ Good. Lord. It was 10:35 pm and Julia had only been out a little over an hour and only had one drink. She paid for it and then went outside to call her mom to once again explain that her rent and bills were paid and that she wasn’t a teenager.  

Julia looked around for a place where people who were smoking wouldn’t hear her. She knew she wasn’t alone nor the economy her fault, but society still made her feel ashamed of her common situation. She scurried to a half-moon lit side of the aged brick building. She had been looking angrily had her phone screen and hadn’t seen the man sitting behind the building, out of the moonlight and accidentally kicked with her foot.  

“Oh my go- I am so sorry. I didn’t see you!” Julia sputtered.  

“No worries, hon.” said a man with a deep, honey voice. The voice’s body stood up.  

It was someone Julia had never seen before. She didn’t exactly know every person’s name in town, but she usually recognized people.  

He had what looked like long hair for a guy, at least guys around Landash, a beard, and was wearing a dark colored duster-like the kind people wore in old westerns. In the dark, she couldn’t make out any more detailed features. Especially when he turned away from her.  

Julia looked around for a more private spot quickly. Then she turned back and looked at the man.  

The man had stopped and turned back to face her.  

“Have to call your boyfriend? Or you need a ride?” the honey voice asked.  

“Uh, no, I um, I was actually just about to call m-my um mom” Julia said. She felt her cheeks flare and she stepped out of the moonlight.  

“Aw, don’t move. You looked pretty in the moonlight” the honey voice cooed.  

Julia felt her cheeks flush even deeper and didn’t move back; she just said “Thank you” softly.  

“So, your mom sick or is she just worried about you?” the stranger asked.  

Julia started panic-debating in her head. Should she lie to this stranger? She didn’t want to give too much information to a total stranger. But it was just a casual question and he didn’t like, try to grab her or anything. But still you never can tell who the crazy people are. Julia realized she was standing there silently for way too long so she took a chance.  

“Ugh, worried about me. ‘Forever her baby’” Julia didn’t mean to mock her mother, but it just came out. 

“Are you an adult?” the stranger asked.  

“Y-yes” Julia hesitated. That seemed creepy but not creepy at the same time and the conflict made Julia uneasy.  

The man chuckled “Heh. I was just asking, like does your mom know you’re an adult? You’re calling to what, ‘check in’ with her at only 10:30?”  

“She’s just...I don’t know” Julia shook her head and sighed.  

“You know what’ll show your mom you’re an adult?” the man asked.  

Julia was nervous but excited “What?” she asked. She might have been taking the bait, she didn’t know. Was he about to insult her by saying ‘move out’ or would he say something incredibly inappropriate? 

“By texting her that you’re out and can’t talk right now.”  

“That will show her I’m grown up?” Julia asked, perplexed; maybe even a little let down.  

“No, walking to a different bar with me so I can buy you a drink and she doesn’t have to know will” he said smoothly.  

“Why a different bar?” Julia wanted to know.  

“Why not?” he replied.  

Why not, indeed. She was an adult, and her stuff was paid, and she didn’t work tomorrow. Her mom didn’t need to know of every minute or Julia’s life. She quickly texted her mom that she was busy then looked back up to the man.  

“Okie” Julia agreed.  

Just like that the man took her hand and they headed away from the back of the first bar.  

“Isn’t the sky beautiful tonight?” he asked, tilting his head up.  

Julia did the same.  

He stopped and they both just looked up at the beautiful navy-blue sky lit up by little splatters of diamonds.  

“Yeah.” Julia agreed.  

They chatted about their favorite times of day and favorite season until they got in front of the other bar. 

 In the window light, the man had a light tan, a small freckle on the left of his chin and his beard was well-kempt and shorter than it had looked as a shadow. He had his long light-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a streak of teal in it and part of a tattoo was on his neck. His eyes were a bold green- like how vacation water looked in the moonlight. The back of the hand holding Julia’s had a tattoo that looked like it connected up his arm too. His lips and eyelashes were the kind women paid for.  

They went inside at the bar the man said, “Ever had a cosmopolitan?”  

Julia shook her head-she normally had some kind of seltzer or maybe a light beer.  

The bartender came over and asked what they wanted.  

“Two cosmos” The man ordered.  

The bartender nodded and moved away to make the drinks. When he placed the one in front of Julia, she just stared at it.  

It was a fancy drink like they ordered in TV shows! It was light pink, garnished with a lime slice in a martini glass.  

The man released Julia’s hand to pick up the drinks and they shuffled past others into a booth towards the window.  

Julia took a sniff then a sip of her drink. It tasted strong yet refreshing and tasty; a dangerous drink.  

“So, um, what’s your name?” Julia asked. She felt butterflies swirling in her stomach. She had never not called her mom before. Usually, she just agreed to go back home to keep the peace.  

“Why do you need my name?” he asked over the rim of his glass with a playful smirk on his lips. 

“Um...it’s just...w-why n-not? Are you...wanted or something?”  

Now Julia was starting to have doubts; maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.  

“Oh, I am definitely ‘wanted’” he said, his smirk intensifying, and he winked at Julia before taking a sip. He bounced his one eyebrow. 

Julia felt the blush coming back but she couldn’t hide it now. She went to take another drink then stopped. What if he had put something in it? She was with him the whole time, but she admittedly wasn’t paying attention to his hands. And he hadn’t given her his name.  

“Don’t like the drink?” the still stranger asked. His face had a bit of concern or disappointment on it. He leaned forward a bit.  

What should she do? Oh geez. Julia bit her lip. 20 minutes ago, she was thinking how dull her town and the people in it were, but now that there’s this intriguing, different person, she was thinking he could be a serial killer. And she had no clue how to handle the situation.  

“Um, I-I do, I just never had it, could you taste it and see if they made it right?” She blurted as she shoved the drink towards the man.  

He cocked his eyebrow and gingerly took the drink. He looked at her as he brought it to his lips “Or perhaps to see if I put something in it?” he asked with a light smile.  

Then he took a drink and swallowed emphatically. He gently handed the drink back out towards Julia.  

Her eyes widened and her face fully felt hot. She looked to the window and tried to tuck her body into itself.  

He chuckled. "It’s okie. You never can tell who the good or bad weirdos are” he winked again. 

“Y-yeah” Julia said and took her drink and to show her good faith in him, took a sip.  

“I have an idea. Have you ever been to ‘Star Ridge’?” he asked.  

She shook her head. “What’s that?”  

“It’s in Freeman Park. But there’s a secret path to get there. It’s a bit of a climb but worth it.” he said. “If you wanted to” he added after taking another sip. 

Julia didn’t respond but sipped her drink again too. 

 The man had a gentle aura and seemed insightful but that worried Julia too. Someone who could read people so well could use people too. Then her phone buzzed and she apologized to the man. He smiled and waved at her to indicate it was fine for her to check.  

It was her mother. Again. Demanding to know why Julia hadn’t answered and that she was to come home, or she was locking the door.  

Julia felt her mood darken and she texted back “Mom. I have a key to the house so unless you’re changing the locks at 11pm, it doesn’t matter. And I am busy, I’m out enjoying myself. I’ll be home when I get home” Julia mashed the send button.  

“What’s up?” the man asked with concern, and he gestured toward the phone with the hand holding his drink before bringing it to his soft-looking lips and his fluffy beard.  

“Just...parents being parents, I guess.” Julia rolled her eyes and took a big drink.  

They sat in silence for a bit, sipping their drinks and when they were both empty, he asked “You want another?”  

Julia shook her head “I want to see that ridge in the park you were talking about”  

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was a rebellious defiance against her well-meaning but overbearing mother that led Julia to accept going to a park to climb to a ridge at night with a total stranger.  

His eyes lit up and he smiled when she said that, and he responded “Okie! Great, I’ll pay for these and be right back then”  

Julia smiled back with a nod as she watched him whisk the two empty martini glasses back to the bar.  

He returned and they went outside.  

Freeman Park was only a few blocks from the bar and instead of going down the paved path into the wooded area, he led Julia through some winding brush and alongside a creek. It was darker under the thick canopy of woods. He was holding Julia lightly by her forearm with one hand and holding his phone light out with the other. She hit and almost tripped over a fallen tree at one point too. The man helped her up. Julia didn’t say much because she was a little wary of being here; she’d never been off the paved path before and had no idea where they were and the woods at night made all kinds of sounds that echoed around them. Owls, scritching, the cracking of twigs beneath their feet. She clutched her own phone in her jacket pocket. The man had been right- it was 20-plus minute climb through the trees.  

“Almost there” he said encouragingly when the trees spread out a bit and the sky could be seen again.  

He lightly pulled her past some bushes and onto a rockier hillside with the creek still running nearby.  

As soon as Julia precariously stepped out of the bushes she gasped.  

Julia could see most of the park lit up under the moonlight and the stars were clearer here. It was picturesque and breath-taking. She had never seen nature or beauty like this in real life; only on her screensavers. Now here was this Aladdin-scene of an endless diamond sky and the moon seemed so much closer too. How had she never been here or knew about this? 

“WOW!” she breathed, looking around in utter awe.  

“I told you it was worth it” the man said, looking around himself.  

“It WAS! Wow!” Julia said again. She looked at him with awe for him too “Thank you for showing me this! It’s beautiful!” 

“You’re beautiful too” the man said, his hand cupping her cheek and gazing into her eyes.  

Julia’s heart skipped a beat. “Th-thank you” she managed.  

He stepped closer, she could feel his body heat. His eyes were magnetic, his aura was alluring and his lips were inching closer to hers. She could see his eyes closing and hers were closing too.  

But when he got close enough to graze her lips, she pulled her back a bit. Both of their eyes fluttered open a little more. 

“What’s your name?” she asked softly, still gazing through her half-closed lids.  

The man sighed and fully pulled back. They opened their eyes.  

“You want me to kiss you without knowing your name?” Julia asked.  

The man sighed again, rolled his eyes to one side and licked his lips nervously.  

“I....sigh...when I say my name you won’t want to kiss me anymore” he confessed.  

“Why not? I can go first; my name is Julia” Julia told him, hoping that would either make him more comfortable or guilt trip him enough to share his name.  

He let go of her cheek and took a full step back. He stared at the ground to one side and quietly stage whispered “My name is.... sigh...Seymour”  

He now looked like he was ready for the other shoe to drop.  

Julia smiled a little- she had to admit it was hard to match that nerdy name to this more rocker face, but most people didn’t name themselves. She stepped close to him, close enough for their chests to touch and she cupped his face with both of her hands this time to move it into just the right place for her to plant her lips right onto his.  

Right before her eyes fully closed, Julia had seen Seymour’s eyes get wide.  

A second later, he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her in closer to kiss her back.  

They released the kiss with a breath and gazed at each other’s eyes, their noses still just touching.  

They stood there a while under the beautiful sapphire sky with dazzling stars all around, lit up under the moon. A gentle breeze passed. And they leaned in and kissed again.  

Julia thought maybe she would never text her mom back at night ever again.