In warm, temperate, Los Spirites, CA, where suburbs nestled in cozy cul-de-sacs and high bridges arched around tall cities, Natty Gan stopped at her last port of harbor, enroute from LA.
Tall, red-haired, she wasted no time finding an apartment and a job at a local diner. She hustled fast for tips and at sundown, visited the local pubs.
Before long, she connected with a college student, bright, smart, and sexy. Her name was Kelly, and her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Typical of her life in California, people were friendly, especially to their own.
They exchanged numbers. Kelly was curious, so met up the following night. They made a connection. The next day, Natty applied for a part-time course at the community college of LSCA. She shared a sociology course with Kelly, and for that time, maintained a connection.
Before they parted, as Natty always seemed to do at a crucial year, she learned a lot from Kelly who though curious ultimately married her boyfriend. Kelly left her a ring and a note. Natty almost left it, but on reflection read the note and wore the ring.
In their nights together, Kelly and Natty dreamt up of a new societies, in bed. Wistful thinking, but it emerged as an idea based on rings. Kelly left Natty a green ring: it meant ‘pursuing newer things’.
As new roomies passed through her dorm, Natty made new acquaintances, but left them a ring when she parted ways. It was nearly a tradition. Every ring had a new color, and each color meant something new.
Natty ultimately became a business major with a minor in sociology. But she left a tradition among her lovers who came and went. Left them rings to celebrate their identity. Whenever a student from LSCA visited the local pub, just for her special type and her lady friend, she is sure to observe the rings worn by current students and grads of the same school.
“White is for light flings only, red for serious, green for seeking new things, dark is for the darker side of love, and silver is for keeping it casual”, Kelly explained. With that, the sub-culture emerged with a new set of rules, just for them.
Natty found no ultimate satisfaction in her lovers: but ultimately found peace at her work, and what she left behind was perhaps the only endearing custom she and Kelly left behind. As Kelly grew into her marriage, and Natty into her business, both had a brief fling but ultimately left something behind for future lovers who visited their old lover’s lane in LSCA:
A tradition of rings.
***
(Disclaimer: all persons, places, schools, cities, and items described in this story are purely fictional: all resemblance to real people, places, schools, or cities are purely coincidental)