A Night Under the Stars

It was a rainy Thursday afternoon when Jennifer, a blonde 22-year-old intern, was leaving yet another boring day in the office behind. Although she liked her job, she can’t deny it was soaking her energy and mental health, dealing with e-mails, meetings, and maintaining good posture.

She walked to the crowded bus stop, and the thought of spending the next full hour inside the bus and subway commuting home taunted her head. She wondered how, after so many technical advancements, people were still forced to go to their office every day if all their meetings were online anyway.

As the rain intensified, she remembered a record store she always observed while waiting for the bus. She never came by because she felt like she never had the time to check it out in the daily rush. Today, however, the thought of getting all wet waiting for the bus was unpleasant, and with her umbrella left at home, she decided it was finally time to give it a go.

Stepping in, the atmosphere was cozy. The scent of old books and vinyl reminded her of the uncountable stories left to be uncovered on all these pages and records. A reminder of a time with such a rich culture that was slowly being left behind except for a small, selected group of enthusiasts.

That smell soon gave way to the coffee being made in one corner of the store. Jennifer closed the door, and the sound of the heavy rain muffled. Walking in felt like wandering in a world of infinite possibilities, from knowledge to fantasy.

In the background, the sound of a record player playing The Beatles' track Rain invited her for a pleasant moment with a playful satire on the weather. The rain was becoming the least of her bothers now, as she began wearing off all the work stress and the dark clouds surrounding her head. She reminded herself that life could be much more than the daily life she had been living.

She wandered through the store, reading the books' spines and imagining all the wonderful stories that could be beneath those pages, from romance to drama to thrillers to real life… But what caught her attention the most was the vinyl.

In a world where everything was so digital and connected, the idea that music used to come in a plastic piece inside a cardboard sleeve sounded very counterintuitive, but perhaps that was what she needed, after all. An excuse to stay out of the screens and the connected world.

Jennifer began flipping through the stack of vinyl on the desk, each cover more colorful than the other, most of these releases being older than herself and a reminder of the way we were. She flipped through dozens, maybe hundreds of records, each telling a unique story. Some names she was familiar with, some she never heard of, and some 50+ years old records that she asked herself if someone even remembered them.

The thought that she would never be able to listen to every record in that store during her lifetime was a bit anxiety-inducing, but also an invitation to a reflection of what truly matters and what is meant to be enjoyed.

Of course, the gold finds were in a separate bin: the timeless classics that were still relevant to that day and cost a huge chunk of her salary. As she moved through the pile of albums, some caught her attention for sounding familiar to her, though she only knew a song or two from the artist.

But there was one that caught her attention the most. One that was in the soft rock section, a cover with a blend of colorful psychedelic backgrounds, with some childish drawings in the foreground and the main, cartoonish girl standing in the front with a slight smile, almost as if inviting the listener to the world inside the artist's creative mind.

It was a passion at first sight, the inner child inside Jennifer couldn’t let go of that album sleeve. Soon, she reminded herself that her birthday was coming up, despite the counterintuitive monotonous days tried to say otherwise, and that was the perfect excuse to spend a little more on something special for her. In the verse, a little quote by the album artist, Ellie Ossen “Dream high and remember that the sky belongs to no one”. The album title: A Night Under the Stars.

Jennifer wandered around the store for a couple more minutes, fascinated by the wall of vinyl covers that ranged from all kinds of artists, genres, and nationalities. She was enjoying the place as a much-needed break from her repetitive life.

Some albums remind her of her grandpa, who was an avid vinyl collector and used to tell her stories from his young days while he listened to music with her on his record player when she was a little kid. Sometimes Jennifer felt a bit sad and nostalgic for her grandfather, who passed away when she was still young. Everyone who got to meet them both mentioned that Jennifer shared many of his traits.

As the rain started getting softer, Jennifer went to the cashier and paid for her album. The day was coming to an end, and the next workday felt like it was already knocking on her door, but instead of feeling distressed, she thought that the weekend was only getting closer. She exited the store already wanting to go back inside to what felt like a warm hug.

She went to the bus stop and took the bus that had just stopped. Even though the number of people in such a small space and the slow traffic outside would have been a bother to her during a normal day, she opened her bag to give a sneak peek at her vinyl and saw the little girl's happy face returning her a smile, immediately improving Jennifer’s mood.

She walked back home, only thinking about the adventure she was about to discover within the album. When Jennifer arrived home, she took a bath and had a quick dinner. As she finally sat on her bed with comfy clothes and her vinyl in her hand, she put it to play. Affectionately reminding herself that it was the same vinyl player she and her grandfather used to listen to music back in the day.

As the tracks went by, Jennifer felt like each song could be a future favorite. Some felt so intimately written that she could believe these songs were written for her. The singer’s voice, Ellie Ossen, felt like a close friend talking with her.

The next half-hour couldn’t have felt faster, but it was certainly the highlight for Jennifer for that week. With the album ending, Jennifer felt accomplished that her hard work paid off and that the album was worth every cent she paid. The moment she took the sleeve to insert the album back, however, she noticed a small card inside the sleeve:

“To my little girl,

Another year has passed, and you have grown even older and wiser, but our memories together remain crystal clear.

I hope you find some inspiration and comfort in the melodies of this album.

Here’s to a life full of richness, love, and adventure.

Enjoy!

• E.”

For a moment, shivers ran down her spine, as if that letter could have been written by her grandfather to her, leading to small disappointment and sadness that couldn’t be real.

She never felt so connected yet so distant from her grandfather as of that moment, and their memories together couldn’t feel more vivid and beautiful.

Looking at the bedroom window, she saw some of the faint stars that somewhat aligned with the album title, A Night Under the Stars, almost as a small message of the universe to Jennifer. She was certain that the brightest star had a special connection to her that night.