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Attractions
Julie was the only attraction. I met her at work, two months after Emily and I were engaged. The first time I spoke with Julie, I thought that she was fun to talk to. Blonde, a bit overweight. Certainly not great looking. But fun to talk to. She got better looking as time went on.
Employment Opportunities
I can tell you about at least one job opening they had at the ARC of Monroe County. After I got married, I quit my job at the ARC and moved down south. Julie stayed. Not sure if she's still there, so that means there might be two open positions. Maybe they haven't been filled yet. Call to inquire. The job is good. Decent money, not too hard. If it wasn't for Julie, I might've stayed. But being married, I couldn't see her anymore.
Festivals
Park Avenue Fest
For two nights, I stayed at Julie's house on Park Avenue. We drank a lot, spent a lot of time in the bed. She was a good kisser, and she always had a nice smell, sort of like fruit and hairspray. I liked how she smiled in bed. She showed me a picture of herself when she was little. "Look how beautiful you are," I said. "You make me feel beautiful," she responded.
Party Houses
Golden Ponds Party House
Emily and I were married in a gazebo in the back of Golden Ponds on a chilly October morning. There weren't a lot of people there. In some ways, it was the happiest day of my life. My family was there, and they all hugged me. Emily looked beautiful. It felt good to hold her and dance to the song "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole. In those moments, holding Emily and dancing with her, Julie was gone. She vanished, and the month that we spent together went up in smoke. I forgot about her.
"We'll always have our wedding day," Emily told me when we separated. That was five years after we were married. I'm already forgetting the details. In another year or so, it will be gone, disappeared, just like the thought of Julie when I held my bride in white and twirled her on the dance floor.
Restaurants
Mark's Texas Hots
Julie and I sat across from each other in the morning and ordered breakfast the day after we first had sex. It wasn't awkward. We went to eat because we liked being together. When we were together, I felt no guilt. I knew I had cheated on my fiancé, but there was no sting. Not there in the diner. I didn't feel bad about what I'd done until after I ate my omelet, paid the check, walked Julie home, and found myself alone.
Mario Via Abruzzi
Emily and I loved this wonderful Italian restaurant. We ate there on our first Valentine's Day together. We had wine and giggled. I knew that I loved her, and that I wanted to marry her. She was so beautiful then, and we ate a mozzarella, spinach, and tomato salad. She sat across from me, with her silver knife and fork, looking as beautiful as any woman I'd ever seen.
Damien's Pub
In the back of this dark bar, Julie and I played darts. At first it was fun. Just a few beers and some giggles. The first time we met each other out, I kissed her on the cheek and we laughed. I was engaged, so it didn't mean anything. A month later, things were different. We sat at a table in the back and she asked me if anything was going to change. If I was still getting married. I told her yes and looked away. I knew I hurt her.
Things to Do
There are plenty of things to do in Rochester. I haven't gone back since Emily filed for divorce. I don't plan to go back. There's nothing there for me.
Emily doesn't plan to go back either. As for Julie, I believe she's still up there. Time made us strangers. I haven't heard anything about her, seen her, or spoken to her in the five years since I got married and left. She's somewhere in the city, I guess, maybe with a man who makes her feel beautiful like I used to.
They still have my heart. Both of my Rochester girls. I keep them in my head, along with the recollections of the city I grew up in. Rochester. I can't think of the place without thinking of those girls. They have become my city guide, taking me back, through memories, to the places we used to go when I was foolish and in love.
Will Spires lives in an empty room in Charlotte, NC. He has previously been published in Thirst For Fire, Cherry Bleeds, and MicroHorror.com, among other places. After spending long days teaching high school, he works on a novel, which will hopefully be finished sometime within the next fifty years. Keep a look out.