Julie has moved out of her home, leaving a lot of memories behind, because that’s exactly what she wanted. A new start.
Those old rooms and windows reminded her of the life she once had with her husband. James and Julie had been married for almost five years. They loved each other dearly; they completed each other’s existence. As they reached their five-year anniversary, just a few weeks before the big day, James got into a car accident. Julie lost a part of her soul. She didn’t really like talking about it, either. She neither talked to the second closest human being she had in her life, Olivia, her best friend since tenth grade, nor to the expensive therapist Olivia hired for her. Julie just wanted a fresh start, and that wasn’t going to happen in her old house. She collected the money from selling the old house and moved into a rental for now. She hadn’t really planned on getting a new home. She wanted to take things slowly, as she couldn’t, for now, imagine a future without James. Julie hated the way her life was. But all that is about to change. A new home. A new start. It’s all about happiness. Right?
It was close to night on the day Julie first moved in. She got out of her cab, tipped the driver, and stood there with all her things in just two bags as she saw the driver leave. She was now staring directly at her new home, a bright red building with close to 15 floors. It had an old nursing home vibe to it. As she walked towards the elevators, she got a call from Olivia.
“Hey Olivia, yeah, I am just about to move in. No, I don’t need your help; you have done plenty. I will send you a pick after I move my stuff in. Yeah, bye, sweetheart! Say high to Gerard for me.”
She struggled to get her bags into the elevator and somehow got to the seventh floor. As she was unloading the heavy bags off the elevator, Julie heard a voice behind her.
“Hey! Do you need a little hand there? It was the raspy voice of a woman.
“Uh yeah, please; I think it’s stuck here. Julie replied
Julie looked back at the voice of help and saw a woman approaching her. Julie noticed that she had a good build, like she was a bodybuilder, but upon closer inspection, she saw that the woman was in an old maid dress; she had kind eyes and almost black hair, which looked like a poor dye job.
Both of them pulled as they somehow got the bags out of the elevator.
“Thank you so much; they were a burden to get here. I wish I caught you downstairs; you could have helped me load these bitches too ha. Julie, trying to strike up a conversation.
“Oh, no problem, dear, are you new here?” asked the kind women
“Yeah, I am moving into 7B.” Julie replied.
“Oh, really, I live in 7A; we will be neighbors!” The woman said with a hint of excitement, “My name is Rhonda, and I am a caretaker. she added
“Julie, Julie Browns. I guess we will be seeing each other a lot.
“Sure, sure, let me help you get these to your room. Also, would you like a cup of tea after that? I was about to make a pot, if you would like some. Rhonda asked
“Oh, I would kill for one; it’s been a hectic day. You can also tell me all about the cool spots here, Rhonda. You seem like a person who knows how to party. Julia added
Rhonda smirked at that comment. They both moved the bags into Julia’s room. As she entered her dusty premises, she saw how little it was; there wasn’t much space in the room. But what would you expect? Julia got a good deal for that. Julia put a hold on completely scanning her room and joined Rhonda for a cup of tea.
Rhonda opened her door, dropped her purse on the sofa, and went straight to the kitchen. Julie helped herself in and started admiring the house. It looked comfy, the interior was cozy, and it smelled of lavender. She remembers that smell, as James used to wear perfume with the same smell. It reminded her of him. As she was reminiscing, she saw a desk full of journals. What piqued her interest even more was a telescope next to it, looking straight out to the open night sky. It didn’t look rustic or even dirty, so Julie figured it wasn’t there just for show.
As she moved closer for inspection, she heard a voice behind her that wasn’t Rhonda’s.
“HEY! Can you move away from the telescope?”
Julie turned around and saw an old man standing there; his back was arched, and he had a stick in his hand to support his weight. He was wearing a blue cardigan and prescription glasses. His face was full of wrinkles, but it didn’t look bad on him; it suited him for some reason.
Julie moved away as she saw the old man grabbing a chair from his desk to sit in front of the telescope. He removed his glasses and sat slowly to not hurt his back. He moved closer to look through the telescope and said,
“Hey baby. How are you doing? It has been a long day, you know. It feels good to see you shine. You could light my soul even in the darkest nights,” said the old man in a sweet voice.
Julie looked around, confused about who the old man was talking to. Rhonda came back with three cups of tea and said,
“I see you two have met. Julie meet DeMarco. Marc, this is Julie. She is our new neighbor.
“Yeah, yeah, can’t you guys see I am talking here? Take this into the guest room and have your tea there. Marc said it in an agitated tone.
Julie couldn’t figure out what was going on or who he was talking to; she figured that he was a little off, maybe retarded.
She followed Rhonda into the guest room, where they sat down and started drinking tea.
“What is that all about, Rhonda? Is that your husband? And who is he talking to with his telescope, the aliens? Julie said as she laughed a little.
“Uh no, Julie, Marc is someone I take care of. He can do his chores but needs my help sometimes. To move things here and there or to make him dinner, etc. He isn’t off or anything; he is a renowned astrophysicist. Quite a good one at that, too. He just talks to his wife every night.
“So he sees his wife in the stars? Julie asked; she was intrigued.
“He sees his wife in a star and talks to her every night. She was a friend of mine back when I used to work in a restaurant. She was a good woman. A kind one. Marc just wasn’t the same after she died. He discovered a star and named it after her. They used to talk about how, if she died, she would watch over the house as that star. So now he sits there every night and talks to her. It’s his way of remembering her, I guess.” Rhonda replied as she took a sip of her tea.
Julie didn’t say a thing after it; she apologized to Rhonda for the alien remark and drank her tea in silence. It was delicious, but the mood didn’t permit her to say that. She finished her tea, thanked Rhonda, and returned to her house to unpack her stuff. She saw Marc laughing and bobbing his head as she was leaving.
Quite an interesting fellow, she thought. Julie understands the feeling of losing a loved one more than anyone else, but pretending to talk to your dead wife and not moving on was just sad. Julie unboxed everything she had to, added some life to her house to make it a home, sent a selfie to Olivia, and went to bed that night. She had trouble sleeping after the incident, but that night was even worse than her usual ones. She couldn’t shake the idea of the image of the old man and his telescope. How did he look so happy? She checked her phone. No new notifications. It was also 2:00 AM. She switched it off and cuddled her pillow even harder in an attempt to sleep faster. She could still hear Marc laughing from the next apartment. Is he still up? In this whirlpool of thoughts, Julia didn’t know when her eyes gave up and she slept.
It was the next day, as she woke up at 10:00 AM. She had some more chores to do that day and later planned on meeting Olivia for drinks. She was on leave for a week from her office. Julia unpacked the rest of her things and went to look around the neighborhood. She went to three different cafes to find a place and work a little. She was a graphic designer, so she could work from anywhere. Although she was on leave, she needed something to take her mind off James and Marc. She did that for the rest of the evening, went home, and got ready to party with Olivia, who had picked her up.
It was now later in the night, and Julia was returning home. She drank all her sorrows out and was hungover as an effect. Shen was mumbling some songs as she got into the elevator. She reached the seventh floor, went over to her apartment, and started knocking.
“Hey James, open the door. I know it’s late. I am sorry, but I brought cheese-”
Julie stopped herself, realizing what she was doing.
“I guess old habits don’t die, huh?” Julie said as she reached into her pockets for keys.
To her surprise, she heard the door open with a creak. Julie jumped at the sight of Marc standing there inside her house.
“HEY! What are you doing inside my house? Julie said, wobbling on her feet; the alcohol was kicking in even harder.
“Huh? This is 7A woman! Your house is next door. Get out of here.” Marc told her
“What? Oh, okay, man, chill out.” Julie turned back, still unable to walk straight, and went to her apartment.
“Are you drunk?” asked Marc
“Yeeeeees,” replied Julie.
Julie was still struggling to find her key. Marc noticed that
“Get in here; let me make you tea and get you out of this hangover.” Marc
“Okay Marc. Mr. Demarco. Nahh Marc is better. Thank you, Marccc,” Julie said as she went in.
Julie sat on the chair near the desk and flipped through Marc’s journals. It was mostly poetry. They were all addressed to Monica. Julie figured that was the wife’s name.
“Were you still up talking to Monica?” Julie asked as she flipped through the poetry. She saw a picture fall out of the journal. It was of a couple, Marc and Monica, when they were in their 20s.
Marc came back with two cups, handed Julie one, and then picked up the photo.
“As a matter of fact, I was.” Marc said.
“Oops, sorry to disturb the two of you, Marc. I hope Monica doesn’t mind. Will she be angry to see a beautiful girl in your room? Julie giggled a little when she said that. “Why don’t you remarry, man? I know Monica would be happy for you.” Julie took a sip of the tea. It was atrocious but seemed to make her head hurt less.
“My wife is dead.” Marc said
“Yeah, that’s what remarriage is for Marc: getting a new wife,” Julie said.
“My wife is DEAD” Marc told her.
“Oh, so you know that,” Julie said, getting a little better with the tea. “So who are you talking to every night, huh? I know that you are up every night talking to her. What’s that about, dude?
“I know she is dead. I am not a mental case. But it’s the only way I know how to live. You know, the first time I ever discovered that star, I wasn’t doing anything worthwhile with my career. For 10 years of my career, I accomplished nothing, and she was there every step of the way. Even that night, she was sitting right where you were, supporting me to stay awake one more night. Maybe today was the one where I found something. And I did that night. She was dancing and jumping all around the house. She was so happy for me. This telescope reminds me of her every night I try to go to bed. That star shines on me every time I take a nap in bed. So I figured, why not share everything with that star? With Monica. You know how hard it was. To be stripped of the only person who ever cared about you. Getting your soul ripped in half I couldn’t deal with it. Meditation, therapy, all of that bullshit — still, the only thing that helped was talking to her and reading poetry to her. This telescope is the only way for me to preserve her soul. Call me crazy all you want, but this is the only way I know how.
Marc said this with all his body; he was now coughing a bit. Julie, now fully sober, got up and gave her seat to Marc.
“I understand, Marc.” Julie said. “More than you think.”
Marc’s coughing intensified. Julie got him a glass of water from the kitchen and looked for her jacket. She found the keys in the pocket.
“Oh, the keys were there all along. Thanks, Marc. I will leave now. You and Monica continue. Say hi to her for me,” Julie said as she left the place.
Marc looked at the door for a few seconds until he heard the voice of Julie’s apartment door closing.
“Monica. Darling, I feel a little closer to you than ever. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Anyway, the new neighbor I told you about She seems nice. She feels broken to me. I can tell the same way you could. Let’s hope she finds her peace.
Julie woke up in the evening the next day. Half a day is gone. Apparently she still had a little alcohol in her as she left Marc’s apartment. Oh shit! She barged into Marc’s place. All the memories came to her. Julie went to Marc’s apartment to apologize about the night before. As she knocked, Rhonda opened the door and called her in.
“Rhonda, can I talk to Marc? It’s important.” Julie said
“Oh sweety. You can’t.”
“Why is he sleeping? Was he up all night again?”
“Uh no, Julie, Marc is dead.”
Those words hit Julie like a truck. She had known him for barely two days. But it broke her heart.
“WHAT? HOW? I met him last night.
“I don’t know Julie. I came this morning and saw him passed out on his desk next to the telescope. He usually did that, so I thought nothing of it. But when I went to wake him up, he didn’t move. His body felt heavier than normal. I tried to wake him up, b-but I couldn’t. Rhonda had tears in her eyes.
Julie was processing all of it when some men came in the door and said,
“This is 7A, right? DeMarco’s residence. We are here to move this stuff; the landlord requested that the stuff be moved immediately.” One of the boys said
“I guess yeah,” Rhonda said, not knowing what the right words were.
The boys swarmed the place like ants. They picked it apart.
“Hey boss. The telescope goes in the truck too, right?
“Yeah, just throw it in the back,” the leader said.
Julie couldn’t stand the sight of that.
“Actually, I don’t want you to take that with you; could you shift that to the apartment next door?” Julie said
“Julie, you don’t have to do that; it’s not your responsibility.” Rhonda said
“No, but Marc wouldn’t have wanted that.” Julie told the boys to take that telescope into apartment 7B.
Later that night, Julie was alone in her place. She went to see Olivia and told her about Marc. She wasn’t too upset about it. Julie shouldn’t be either. She knew him for two days for Godsake. But something about that telescope made her remember it. As the telescope stood there, looking into the open sky, Julie pulled up a chair in front of it and sat down.
“Hey James, it’s been a while.”
She talked to him for a long time.
As the clock struck 12 at midnight, Julie said
“Happy Anniversary, Darling.”
Julie sat there the whole night. Looking at the same star. Talking to James.
After a long time, she finally felt happy.
