Drops of Jupiter: A Short Story
This is a story based on a song by "Train" with the same title. A story about a man who falls in love with the star in their small town. Will she finally live her dream? And is their love strong enough to face any obstacle?
"She's back..."
5 years before:
The first time I met her, I didn't even see her.
I heard her voice on the radio. It was a song about finding your dreams and trying to fight for them in a world where dreams weren't the reality.
The DJ said it wasn't the song that would make her famous. It was her voice, that beautiful floating air of perfection that came out in every note.
I first fell in love with her voice. And I knew I would never have her.
It was about a month later when a small burst of miracle fell to my lap that Monday morning. It was a dreary day. Bob, my fellow car technician had the flu so he couldn't come to work. For some weird reason, there were about a dozen customers waiting for me to fix their car. It was an atypical day right from the start.
I managed to finish the last car at about 6 in the afternoon, feeling pain in almost all parts of my body. I often wondered if I wasn't the son of the resident car repair guy that I would have been someone great. My only dreams then would be to try to finish college and work in my dad's car repair shop for the rest of my life.
Everything changed that night. As I was about to close off, a lime green beetle almost ran over the post next to my garage door. Its driver swiftly tried to swerve it away at just the right time.
A few seconds later, the car door opened and a large brown boot with heels smashed itself on my driveway. Following it was this dark-haired girl in a messy pony tail.
She looked up at me and immediately a large smile formed on her face. The first thing she said to me was, "Are you gonna help me out or just stand there with your mouth wide open?"
The second time I met her, I fell in love with her face.
I'm not going to tell you it was an easy task to try to woe the most popular 18 year-old in our small town. She was famous then, always singing in all the town feasts and concerts organized by the school.
I knew her of course. She was in all the conversations of my great Aunt Clara and her group of church-going friends. They said, "She was bound to be a star". The only hope of our town to be on the map.
Yet somehow, we started to meet in all the weirdest times: at the backstage of a Christmas concert, at the christening of my neighbor's baby, and most importantly, at a party organized by our church for the youth.
Gradually, we just started going out. It was funny she said that I was the first guy who ever tried to ask her out in this small town where she was (worshipped) by everyone for her voice. I added that word for her. It was just my luck that every one else was scared to ask out the star of our town.
We dated for over 2 years after that. It was almost normal except for her frequent auditions and performances. Both of our families even liked each other. It turns out that our parents were acquaintances since kindergarten.
We both liked to drink root beer (hers without ice), enjoyed riding on motorcycles, reading Paolo Coelho books, and making different types of pizzas out of anything.
It was alright for a while. I knew then that I was in love with her.
I also knew that sooner or later I would lose her to her dream. I knew the first time we met that she was destined for greatness. I knew she didn't belong in this small town that I called my home.
She often referred to it as her "vacation town". She longed to be up on stage in some large concert arena in the city. It was a dream that was picking up and becoming solid every single time she sang on a stage.
My nightmare came at a Spring Concert that last year together. She was invited as a guest performer by the mayor himself. She was to sing a new ballad she had been practicing for a while now. She told me, "This is big, babe. This might finally get me a record deal." I saw that beam in her eyes, and even then, I knew I'd lost her.
The night of the Spring Concert, she sang her heart out and the audience loved her. She smiled from the stage as she bowed towards her audience. And even though I was right in front of her, I knew that I wasn't the one that she was smiling to, but her audience.
"Did you see that, babe? Was I ok?" She asked in anticipation, the moment she stepped off the stage. I waited for a few seconds to compose myself. "Yes. Yes, of course. You were amazing." I managed to tell her, while giving her a hug.
After that, the mayor introduced her to a man sitting next to him. We found out later that he was a talent agent from the city. He had heard of her for a long time. The record deal, the city, the dream was now within her reach.
Two weeks later:
"They tell me it's only for a month, babe. I'm gonna be back after that. It's just that we need to do some paperwork and maybe meet some important people. Mr. Blake also said that my image is too "simple town girl" and I need to change it up a bit. Of course, when I'm here with you, it'll be back to normal." She said, while packing her things into a large suitcase.
"Can't you just stay here?" I said in a small voice.
She looked at me as if I was being impossible again. "Babe, you know this is a big deal. You know that this has been my dream for a long time. I finally have the chance to do this. You can't do this to me now..."
"I know that, but... can't we just stay here please? Can't we just stay like we are? I mean, we're happy, aren't we?" I asked her.
"Of course we're happy together----now. What's gonna happen after this? We're gonna keep fighting 'coz you'd say I'm always angry with you for not letting me live my dream. And I'd always remind you to finish college so you can find a better job. And what? We're going to get married and have 3 children and pretend everything is fine just like everyone else in this crappy town? I'm not that person. "
Her best friend stuck her head on the door with an annoyed expression. "What are you two doing here? It's almost 1pm! She has to be at the bus station in 20 minutes! "
"She's right. Look, let's talk about this when I get back, ok?" she said with a pleading look on her face.
"Alright..." I said with a defeated voice.
"Promise me you'll think good things about me when I'm gone." She said.
"You know nothing will ever change, not in a month, not in years..." I said and I gave her the last kiss we'd ever have.
And when she got into the car and waved goodbye at me from the rearview mirror, I knew that I would always love her.
Nothing ever goes as planned. She never came back. It was in the letters she scarcely sent me. It was in the phone calls she'd manage to always hang up first. It was a month, 2 months, 6 months and finally a year, when I didn't even talk to her.
Her star finally rose. Her first single was on the top 20 at its first week. I would constantly see her on TV as a guest in a daytime show or her music video on a music channel.
What was the hardest thing were the first few months without her. People would constantly ask me about how she was doing and then they'd be disappointed when I couldn't answer properly.
What was the most humiliating was when a gossip column showed her in the arms of some A-list actor. Most of the people I met then would snicker behind my back, but the hardest thing to hear was the pity of the people I was closest to.
So when I saw her living her life, I tried to live mine. I graduated in college. I might not have been on the top of my class, but it was enough attention to get me a job in the local newspaper. When the old Editor-in-chief retired, everyone agreed that I should get his position. And that's how I lived a dream I never thought I had.
As always, nothing ever goes as planned.
"She's back..." I heard him say. "What are you talking about?" I asked from a stack of papers on my desk.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I mean it. She's back and I'm betting that she's looking for you right now." said Jayson, my right hand man.
I'd heard about it, of course. My mom had been telling me about it since last week. It was gossip coming directly from the ladies at church.
That afternoon I watched the sun slowly change its color to a more inviting, darker shade. I stayed seated on the wooden bench hoping that she'd just change her mind and go back to the city.
I should have known that she's more stubborn than that. She walked towards me in 3 quick strides and quickly took a seat next to me.
I heard her sigh. "I missed you, you know? " she started.
"Why did you come back?" I asked.
"What do you mean, why did I come back? I told you, I missed you." She said.
"I don't know what you expect from coming back here. Three years... Really? You expect that everything is the same after 3 years?"
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She just stared first at her lap, hoping to say something appropriate. The words finally came. "I know you're angry. I would be too. You see, I needed this time to do all these things that I had to do. I needed time to live my life away from this town, away from nothingness and maybe, away from you. You were always the person that could keep me grounded even when I wanted to fly away. You loved this place and I hated it. I always did. I needed to run away and find myself. Now that I have, I realized something. I realized that I wanted something else, something to complete everything. I wanted you."
"It's not that easy. It isn't the same anymore. You can't change the fact that we've lost over 3 years and we've become different people."
"I know that. Yet I always knew that. I always knew we'd end up as different people one day. I always knew that even if I was the only one trying to live a dream, that you would find yours too and I couldn't be the one to stop it."
"Are you sure you really want me? I'm not just some plain guy from a small town to you?"
"You should know you were never that to me. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you in those large, dirt-covered overalls and your spiky hair. I said to myself, would this guy, who'll be great one day, ever want a girl who always tries to run away? And you did. Did everything really change?" she asked me.
"Yes, everything changed, but I'm glad you came back. Do you know how much I missed you?" I said, and showed her exactly that with a kiss.
I fell in love with my wife 2 times. The first was the girl singing a song in the radio. And the second was the woman who came back to me 5 years later.
Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long. I immediately got my jolt of inspiration from listening to this song from Train. I hope you like this story and please tell me what you think about it.
5 years before:
The first time I met her, I didn't even see her.
I heard her voice on the radio. It was a song about finding your dreams and trying to fight for them in a world where dreams weren't the reality.
The DJ said it wasn't the song that would make her famous. It was her voice, that beautiful floating air of perfection that came out in every note.
I first fell in love with her voice. And I knew I would never have her.
It was about a month later when a small burst of miracle fell to my lap that Monday morning. It was a dreary day. Bob, my fellow car technician had the flu so he couldn't come to work. For some weird reason, there were about a dozen customers waiting for me to fix their car. It was an atypical day right from the start.
I managed to finish the last car at about 6 in the afternoon, feeling pain in almost all parts of my body. I often wondered if I wasn't the son of the resident car repair guy that I would have been someone great. My only dreams then would be to try to finish college and work in my dad's car repair shop for the rest of my life.
Everything changed that night. As I was about to close off, a lime green beetle almost ran over the post next to my garage door. Its driver swiftly tried to swerve it away at just the right time.
A few seconds later, the car door opened and a large brown boot with heels smashed itself on my driveway. Following it was this dark-haired girl in a messy pony tail.
She looked up at me and immediately a large smile formed on her face. The first thing she said to me was, "Are you gonna help me out or just stand there with your mouth wide open?"
The second time I met her, I fell in love with her face.
I'm not going to tell you it was an easy task to try to woe the most popular 18 year-old in our small town. She was famous then, always singing in all the town feasts and concerts organized by the school.
I knew her of course. She was in all the conversations of my great Aunt Clara and her group of church-going friends. They said, "She was bound to be a star". The only hope of our town to be on the map.
Yet somehow, we started to meet in all the weirdest times: at the backstage of a Christmas concert, at the christening of my neighbor's baby, and most importantly, at a party organized by our church for the youth.
Gradually, we just started going out. It was funny she said that I was the first guy who ever tried to ask her out in this small town where she was (worshipped) by everyone for her voice. I added that word for her. It was just my luck that every one else was scared to ask out the star of our town.
We dated for over 2 years after that. It was almost normal except for her frequent auditions and performances. Both of our families even liked each other. It turns out that our parents were acquaintances since kindergarten.
We both liked to drink root beer (hers without ice), enjoyed riding on motorcycles, reading Paolo Coelho books, and making different types of pizzas out of anything.
It was alright for a while. I knew then that I was in love with her.
I also knew that sooner or later I would lose her to her dream. I knew the first time we met that she was destined for greatness. I knew she didn't belong in this small town that I called my home.
She often referred to it as her "vacation town". She longed to be up on stage in some large concert arena in the city. It was a dream that was picking up and becoming solid every single time she sang on a stage.
My nightmare came at a Spring Concert that last year together. She was invited as a guest performer by the mayor himself. She was to sing a new ballad she had been practicing for a while now. She told me, "This is big, babe. This might finally get me a record deal." I saw that beam in her eyes, and even then, I knew I'd lost her.
The night of the Spring Concert, she sang her heart out and the audience loved her. She smiled from the stage as she bowed towards her audience. And even though I was right in front of her, I knew that I wasn't the one that she was smiling to, but her audience.
"Did you see that, babe? Was I ok?" She asked in anticipation, the moment she stepped off the stage. I waited for a few seconds to compose myself. "Yes. Yes, of course. You were amazing." I managed to tell her, while giving her a hug.
After that, the mayor introduced her to a man sitting next to him. We found out later that he was a talent agent from the city. He had heard of her for a long time. The record deal, the city, the dream was now within her reach.
Two weeks later:
"They tell me it's only for a month, babe. I'm gonna be back after that. It's just that we need to do some paperwork and maybe meet some important people. Mr. Blake also said that my image is too "simple town girl" and I need to change it up a bit. Of course, when I'm here with you, it'll be back to normal." She said, while packing her things into a large suitcase.
"Can't you just stay here?" I said in a small voice.
She looked at me as if I was being impossible again. "Babe, you know this is a big deal. You know that this has been my dream for a long time. I finally have the chance to do this. You can't do this to me now..."
"I know that, but... can't we just stay here please? Can't we just stay like we are? I mean, we're happy, aren't we?" I asked her.
"Of course we're happy together----now. What's gonna happen after this? We're gonna keep fighting 'coz you'd say I'm always angry with you for not letting me live my dream. And I'd always remind you to finish college so you can find a better job. And what? We're going to get married and have 3 children and pretend everything is fine just like everyone else in this crappy town? I'm not that person. "
Her best friend stuck her head on the door with an annoyed expression. "What are you two doing here? It's almost 1pm! She has to be at the bus station in 20 minutes! "
"She's right. Look, let's talk about this when I get back, ok?" she said with a pleading look on her face.
"Alright..." I said with a defeated voice.
"Promise me you'll think good things about me when I'm gone." She said.
"You know nothing will ever change, not in a month, not in years..." I said and I gave her the last kiss we'd ever have.
And when she got into the car and waved goodbye at me from the rearview mirror, I knew that I would always love her.
Nothing ever goes as planned. She never came back. It was in the letters she scarcely sent me. It was in the phone calls she'd manage to always hang up first. It was a month, 2 months, 6 months and finally a year, when I didn't even talk to her.
Her star finally rose. Her first single was on the top 20 at its first week. I would constantly see her on TV as a guest in a daytime show or her music video on a music channel.
What was the hardest thing were the first few months without her. People would constantly ask me about how she was doing and then they'd be disappointed when I couldn't answer properly.
What was the most humiliating was when a gossip column showed her in the arms of some A-list actor. Most of the people I met then would snicker behind my back, but the hardest thing to hear was the pity of the people I was closest to.
So when I saw her living her life, I tried to live mine. I graduated in college. I might not have been on the top of my class, but it was enough attention to get me a job in the local newspaper. When the old Editor-in-chief retired, everyone agreed that I should get his position. And that's how I lived a dream I never thought I had.
As always, nothing ever goes as planned.
"She's back..." I heard him say. "What are you talking about?" I asked from a stack of papers on my desk.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I mean it. She's back and I'm betting that she's looking for you right now." said Jayson, my right hand man.
I'd heard about it, of course. My mom had been telling me about it since last week. It was gossip coming directly from the ladies at church.
That afternoon I watched the sun slowly change its color to a more inviting, darker shade. I stayed seated on the wooden bench hoping that she'd just change her mind and go back to the city.
I should have known that she's more stubborn than that. She walked towards me in 3 quick strides and quickly took a seat next to me.
I heard her sigh. "I missed you, you know? " she started.
"Why did you come back?" I asked.
"What do you mean, why did I come back? I told you, I missed you." She said.
"I don't know what you expect from coming back here. Three years... Really? You expect that everything is the same after 3 years?"
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She just stared first at her lap, hoping to say something appropriate. The words finally came. "I know you're angry. I would be too. You see, I needed this time to do all these things that I had to do. I needed time to live my life away from this town, away from nothingness and maybe, away from you. You were always the person that could keep me grounded even when I wanted to fly away. You loved this place and I hated it. I always did. I needed to run away and find myself. Now that I have, I realized something. I realized that I wanted something else, something to complete everything. I wanted you."
"It's not that easy. It isn't the same anymore. You can't change the fact that we've lost over 3 years and we've become different people."
"I know that. Yet I always knew that. I always knew we'd end up as different people one day. I always knew that even if I was the only one trying to live a dream, that you would find yours too and I couldn't be the one to stop it."
"Are you sure you really want me? I'm not just some plain guy from a small town to you?"
"You should know you were never that to me. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you in those large, dirt-covered overalls and your spiky hair. I said to myself, would this guy, who'll be great one day, ever want a girl who always tries to run away? And you did. Did everything really change?" she asked me.
"Yes, everything changed, but I'm glad you came back. Do you know how much I missed you?" I said, and showed her exactly that with a kiss.
I fell in love with my wife 2 times. The first was the girl singing a song in the radio. And the second was the woman who came back to me 5 years later.
Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long. I immediately got my jolt of inspiration from listening to this song from Train. I hope you like this story and please tell me what you think about it.
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