The Unwritten Verse of Romy & Julian

Scene 1: The Rooftop

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business, Romy.”

“Julian, you made it my business by coming here. So, just, don’t leave like this, please. Sit down. Let’s talk.”

“Ok, ok.”

Julian somberly saunters over to his usual spot on the roof right by Romy’s side, shoving some of the fallen maple leaves out of his way. It is fall in New England and there is a chill in the air tonight. When he sits, the crunch from the leaves makes them both giggle a little. The two young lovebirds meet here after hours almost every night to sit on the rooftop right outside Romy’s bedroom window. They sit underneath the branch from the giant maple tree that Julian uses to climb up here. They sit underneath the stars, read their favorite poems together and hold make out sessions, all unbeknownst to Romy’s mother, Bianca.

This is Romy’s beloved home where she and her mother live together. The rooftop that is located outside Romy’s bedroom has a small window that opens just enough for Romy to squeeze her petite body through it. Romy waits until her mom is asleep before she crawls out the window and meets Julian, here, almost every night.

Julian is much taller than the petite Romy, standing at five feet and eight inches tall, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He towers over Romy when they stand together, side by side. However, her short stature of five feet and two inches is no match for her bold personality. Her boldness, in contrast to Julian’s quiet demeanor is a reminder as to why the couple works so well together. Julian is able to almost tame her in a way that no one else could ever do, especially her mother.

Her mom is the proud owner of The Cozy Nook, a café located within walking distance of their home on May Street, in the small town of Woodstock, New York -the cafe is the place where these two lovebirds first met.

Romy’s mom, Bianca, is considered an Italian princess among the guys in town. She has dated most of them, but chooses to remain single. Romy has taken her mom’s lead in life by becoming uber focused on a career at the young age of 18, and some say she is destined to become just like her mother, but their personalities often clash when it comes to the dating scene.

The smile fades as Julian confides in Romy. ”I am just upset, I guess. I knew it was the plan to go to college, but why do you have to move away? I’m not ready for you to go.” Julian tries to sound cool and unhurt, but his voice wavers and it is clear to Romy that his feelings have been hurt by her decision to leave Woodstock and go live in an apartment in New York City so that she can attend New York University and follow her ambitious dreams of becoming a journalist. 

“I like what we have here, you know. It’s simple, not overcomplicated like things in the city.” Julian continues to try and plead his case.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know. Remember, you’re from the big city, but I’ve been here in this tiny town my entire life, hidden away like a prisoner.”

“Now, that’s awfully dramatic.” Julian says this with a sly smile as he stares lovingly into her eyes, as if they are the center of his soul. “Romy, what is it you want? This, here with me, or life in the big city?”

A long pause ensues before Romy replies. “Is that an ultimatum?”

“Uh, I don’t think so. Maybe. Uh, I wish I knew what words to say.”

She returns his soul searching stare with her bright blue eyes peeking out from her dark brown, overgrown bangs as she grabs the back of his head with her hands and pulls him in for a long, strong kiss filled with the passion of two teenagers newly in love. She claims this moment with one statement.

“I want both.”

Scene 2: University Romy

“Mom, this one is perfect. Now, let’s go.”

“Honey, you can’t just wear anything on your first day of college. You have to dress the part.”

“Dress the part? The part of who? I am Romy, so shouldn’t I wear something from my closet at home?”

“Don’t be silly. You aren’t just Romy anymore.” Her mom says this with confidence.

Romy replies in a confused, yet humorous tone. “I’m not? Well, then who am I?”

“You are University Romy.” Her mom gives her a title.

“Here, this is perfect.” She hands Romy a deep red short-sleeve blouse and a pair of blue skinny jeans, size 2 to fit her small frame. “Wear this!”

“Ok, ok.” Romy complies. Her ‘ok, ok,’ response sounds too familiar to Bianca who is not a fan of Julian Demario and his dysfunctional family.

“I do think you have been hanging around that boy again. Thankfully, you will be well on your way to the future University Romy and away from all the nonsense with him and his defunct family.”

“Oh, mom, please, they aren’t defunct. And Julian is not just going to disappear from my life simply because I go away to college.” She says this statement with confidence, despite her uncertainty.

“Let’s wait and see, honey. People change when they go to college. And he’s not going to one, now is he? Well, is he?”

“Mom.” Romy says this in a way that is meant to end this recurring conversation with her mother.

The two say nothing else on the topic. They buy the red blouse and jeans and head home, home to the two story house Bianca purchased for herself at age 22 after her second successful year as a café owner. The color of the house is unmistakably the same deep red color of the blouse she just purchased for her daughter to wear on her first day living outside of their home. Ironically, the rooftop where Romy and Julian hideout without her mother’s knowledge is actually painted dark blue, like the jeans her mother just bought. As she stares out the car window, she realizes going home is just a reminder of everything she is leaving behind, so even though they are moments away from parking in their driveway, she quickly asks her mom to go to the café instead. The café is only a few blocks away from their home and they could walk, but Romy insists they drive, as she wants to get away from the rooftop as fast as possible.

Glittering stars hang all around the shop glowing in amber tones. The chatter of guests and clanking of coffee cups can be heard over the calming jazz music in the background. The aroma of Italian coffee fills the air. Romy knows this place well. As a little girl she used to try and climb on top of the wooden round tables to reach the glittering stars. The tables and chairs are made of dark brown oak, which helps illuminate the café with the contrast of the warm glow of light from the stars above.

Romy looks around the café after taking her coffee from the counter and heads towards one of these tables. This is where she met Julian. It was her poetry club that she created at age sixteen that attracted him to this place. He read Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe to a crowd of people sitting here in this café, but if it were up to Romy to retell the story of that night, she would say he was only reading it to her.

Romy decides not to sit down. She quickly asks her mom if they can leave. “You know what, mom, on second thought, let’s take the coffee home and just sit on our couch, maybe watch a movie. What do you say?”

Her mom, perplexed by this rather odd change of plan, begins to protest, but the bell on the café door makes a ringing sound signifying Romy’s exit from the conversation.

Scene 3: The Apartment

“This is crazy. I can’t believe I lied to her. I never lie to my mom. And the fact that she’s paying for this apartment! How will I hide you when she visits? How could I do this to her? Who am I? I’m supposed to be University Romy. I’m not supposed to be the villain in my own life story. Julian, tell me I’m not evil. Please, tell me I’m not the villain.” She plops herself onto the giant burgundy couch next to Julian and looks for his answer. Her bangs have grown out and she chopped off her long hair into a shoulder length bob that seems to give her a certain aura of sophistication that she lacked in her younger, wilder years.

He laughs at her rambling. “No, not the villain, not at all. You are the Juliet of a tragic love story.”

She playfully pushes his shoulder with hers. “I don’t want our love story to be a tragedy. Do you consider it a tragedy?” She asks this in a more serious tone.

The phone rings. Julian looks relieved. “OOH saved by the bell!”

Romy answers the phone, still staring at Julian as if to say this conversation is not over. “Mom, hi.”

“He’s there isn’t he?”

“What? Who? What are you talking about?” Romy’s rambling gives her secret away.

“Romy, Julian’s mom. Yes, let me repeat that, the woman I loathe to talk to came to my house, pounding on my door, smoking her cigarette in my face and accusing me with that raspy voice of hers of stealing her son away from her. She says she hasn’t seen or heard from him in weeks. Last she knew he was going to stay with some friends in New York City. And hmm, who is in New York City that Julian could be staying with? Romy, is he there with you?”

She doesn’t break long enough to get an answer from Romy. Romy and Julian’s eyes deadlock on each other, both understanding that the rivalry between their families will somehow always get in the way of their desire to be together. A wedge seems to grow between them as Bianca continues angrily. “That boy is trouble. His family is trouble. I thought sending you away to college would get you to see that you are so much better than him.”

Julian grabs his black faux leather jacket and his brown duffel bag that sits by the kitchen table and starts to head out the door. He stops to pet Moonie, Romy’s black Burmese cat whose eyes gleam up at him, golden as the rays of the sun. This is the cat that she brought from her home in Woodstock. This is the same cat that always came to the window when Romy and Julian were on the rooftop, meowing loudly trying to gain their affection and at the same time, almost giving their hideout away. He pets her as if to say goodbye and whispers to her. “The tragedy.”

“All I am hearing is crickets. Romy, tell me the truth. Are you still there?”

Romy’s heart begins to race as Julian walks out the apartment door. “Umm, I will have to call you later. I gotta go. Sorry. Yes, it is the truth, but I can’t talk now. I love you mom.” She lets the phone drop from her hands as she races to the door.

Julian is almost at the elevator as Romy runs down the hall. She bumps into a tall man with white hair and a navy blue suit. He drops his briefcase and some papers fall out. Romy, out of politeness bends down to pick them up, but she needs to get to Julian, so she quickly gets up and darts in his direction. “Julian, wait! Julian!” She calls out to him twice, panicked, and she just makes it to the elevator when the door closes shut in her face as they make eye contact for the last time.

Scene 4: Home

Months go by and Romy never hears from Julian or sees him again. No one really knows where he went, though there is a rumor going around town that says he is traveling around Europe.

Romy, heartbroken by Julian’s departure from her life, stops attending her classes, fails out of NYU, and lies to her mom until Thanksgiving break when she visits home for the first time since she left in September.

She pulls up to the house in her red Kia, the hand-me-down car her mom gifted her when she set off to NYU. She hesitates to open the car door and make the long awaited journey to her childhood home. Full of hidden tears, she pushes the car door open, leans against her car and stares up at the rooftop where Julian and her spent so many nights underneath the stars. She reminisces in memories of reading poems written by Emily Dickenson, William Butler Yates, and her favorite Shakespearean Sonnets. Her mom, who heard the car pull up, swings the front door open so hard that the Thanksgiving wreath falls to the ground. She runs to Romy, who hasn’t budged from her leaning post and hugs her tightly.

“Ok, ok mom, I’m happy to see you too.” And she actually was happy. It felt nice to be home. She wasn’t feeling as heartbroken as she had been over the past few months, sulking in her apartment by herself. After stepping foot into the house, there is only one thing Romy wants to do. She uses Moonie as an excuse to head upstairs to her bedroom. She goes up the stairs, opens the creaky door of her bedroom, making sure to close the door behind her, lets Moonie out of her pet carrier and heads directly toward the window that leads to the rooftop. The sun is setting a lot earlier these days and she does not want to miss it. She remembers last fall when her and Julian argued about the fate of their relationship after she decided to accept her admission to NYU. She can actually hear him, smell him and see him when she closes her eyes.

She will never understand the feud between her mom and his parents.

It is getting dark outside when Romy hears her mom calling to her to come downstairs for dinner. She doesn’t move from her spot. She stares at the stars with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Her mom finally comes upstairs, squeezes herself through the window and sits by Romy’s side in the spot where Julian would normally sit. She speaks to her daughter in the gentlest, sweetest voice. There is no judgment, no anger in what she says to her.

 “You’re pregnant.”

As she speaks, Moonie appears on the windowsill, meowing for some attention - her golden eyes twinkle like the stars in the sky.