I’ve never seen Star Wars… I was so excited to see it when it came out. My little brother was too… but when he asked if we could go see it together, I said no.
He was upset. He even cried. I rolled my eyes and called him a baby.
My parents scolded me and told him they would take him to see it that weekend, and that made him feel a little better.
I wasn’t going with them, though. Only losers went to the movies with their parents and little brothers… No, I had other plans.
I was going to ask Lisa Palmer to go with me opening day, after school. I’d had a crush on her since our Freshman science class together and… sure she was pretty popular but I felt like I had a good chance.
That Monday, I asked her. She said yes. We made plans for Wednesday night to meet at the theater and we would see the movie together, and Wednesday night couldn’t come soon enough.
I made sure to wear the coolest clothes I had- I even brushed my hair and used some my dad’s cologne. We were supposed to meet at 6 outside the theater. I got there at 5:30.
I waited, and waited some more for her to show up… 1… 2… 3 hours passed by… I kept thinking maybe she was just late. I had our tickets in my coat pocket, I could have gone inside and watched the movie by myself-
I saw Lisa arriving as I was finally leaving to go home. She was walking in for a later showing with a group of other popular kids, upperclassmen, laughing with her arms wrapped around some bigger guy that looked like he could’ve be a football player… I’d been stood up. I should’ve expected as much.
Home was a long way from the theater. On foot at least… It was getting late and it was already dark enough that most of the street lamps were flickering on by then… Lisa’s dad was supposed to pick us up after the movie, or so I thought… but I didn’t really mind the walk… It gave me some time alone to cry- Yeah, I cried.
My tears fell fast while I held the two tickets tightly in my hand… two tickets that I’d wasted most of my lawn mowing money on… but before I could rip them up like I wanted to, a car pulled up beside me. It was kinda weird, but I was more concerned about wiping my face before the guy inside could roll down his window see I’d been crying.
He seemed normal, middle aged- almost like someone’s dad, with the way he looked at me over his glasses.
He asked me if I was ok, why I was walking home this late by myself, then offered me a ride. I was reluctant, but I said yes since my parents would start to worry if I didn’t get back soon…
I never made it home to my parents… I never saw them or my brother… or Lisa Palmer… or my friends ever again. I was stupid to get in that car…
They never found me. They spent months searching. I wasn’t the first or the last kidnapping that year… I don’t know if they ever caught the guy… I don’t know if they found the others…
My parents buried an empty casket and moved away a year later.
I wish I’d never said no. I wish I'd just taken my lame little brother to the movies.
Maybe if I had things would’ve been different… and maybe I’d still be alive.