Welcome to Paradise (20 page)
Then he went over to Sofia, still in a state of aggravation, and said “Jesus Christ, Sofia! You DON’T KNOW how gorgeous you are. Can I have your number?”
”No.”
”Do you want to go out?”
”No.”
”Here. I’ll give you my card.” He gave her a card, then pulled me aside.
”See Andrew, she probably won’t go out with me. But it’s worth a try. You know? That’s what I’m trying to teach you. Everything is worth a shot. Even if you get discouraged. Don’t EVER give up. In life. Just don’t give up. For your acting career, too. Same advice. It applies to everything. Do you hear me?”
”Yeah.”
”Do you understand?
”Sure.”
”You get it?”
”Uh-huh.”
”Don’t EVER give up. Have you had dinner?”
”No.”
”I’ll buy you a burger. I have to get home in time for Britney Spears on Dateline. You like Britney Spears?”
”Yeah, she’s alright.”
”Can you drive me home?”
Oh my God.
”Sure, Syd.”
As we left Syd said goodbye to Sofia, who didn’t respond. As we walked, Syd had to jog to keep up with my long strides.
”This Time article is great. Do you know how many people read this magazine? I mean, this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. It’s a mitzvah. I want to be famous so fucking bad, Andrew. I’m on the verge.”
”Yeah, this could be it, Syd.”
”Sofia probably won’t call me. What a schaunder. Oh well. See if you can get the number to Rolling Stone Magazine, maybe I can get an interview. And Spin Magazine, the E! Cable Network, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Call them and tell them about the article. I can do segments on the Daily Show. I can do anything! Tell them that. Tell them, tell them—remember this— ‘When you fly air Hollywood, you fly first class.’ It’ll be a catch phrase. Hahaha, that’s good. Air Hollywood, first class.”
”Yeah, that’s funny.”
We got to the car.
”We can do this, Andrew. I’ll take you straight to the top. You’ll write my jokes.”
We drove to the In-N-Out on Sunset and parked. Inside there was a huge group of USC kids in Trojan Marching Band jackets milling around waiting for burgers. Immediately Syd whipped out a copy of the article and waved it around, announcing “Hollywood Syd Ross here!! I’m in Time
magaziiiiiiine
!”
The marching band kids all looked over at Syd, laughing. Relishing the attention, Syd announced, “My assistant Andrew Culver, a USC graduate! I love the Trojans!”
I went over to order our burgers. Waiting in line, I looked over and saw Syd surrounded by a Mexican family. He was handing out copies of the article, speaking fluent Spanish.
All I could make out was “
No soy Latino, pero hablo Espanol. Tengo amor para la gente hispanica
.” Pretty soon the marching band members, Mexican families, skate-boarders from Hollywood High, hoboes, and guys from some punk band were surrounding Syd and reading copies of the article. He was in heaven.
After the burgers we started driving towards his place. As we drove he pointed out Hollywood landmarks.
”Marilyn Monroe used to live on this block. And there used to be a studio in this parking lot. It’s called the phantom studio, nobody knows about it. They tore it down to build a parking lot. Can you believe that? See, a lot of these bungalow apartments were built in the twenties by the studios for their stars. They came from New York. Classic Hollywood bungalows. See that Chinese restaurant Wok of Fame? Over there. No, over there. Phil Spector’s record label used to be there. You know what, Andrew? I could never leave Hollywood. I love this place. There’s magic here, Andrew. There is magic in the air!”
”There’s definitely something in the air, Syd.”
I got him back to his apartment just in time for Britney Spears. He gave me my payment for the week and hurried inside. On the drive home it started to rain. And as I drove past the phantom studio I thought I understood what Syd was saying about Hollywood.
Read more of Andrew’s adventures in LaLa Land in his book
Yellow Days
at:
http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Days-ebook/dp/B004BSGG9G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1312861947&sr=1-1
More from Carol Grace
Return to Paradise
Rancher Parker Robinson was having one of those weeks. His cook quit and his daughter was trying her best to get expelled from boarding school. To top it off, he found a strange woman on his ranch who didn't know who she was! What he knew was that she was off limits. She could be another man's wife!
Christine couldn't remember her name or how she got to the ranch in the middle of Colorado. All she knew was that she'd landed in some kind of paradise where men were rugged and women were cherished. Somehow she had to find out who she was, where she came from and most important - was she free to love again?
Trouble in Paradise
Back from serving on the front line in the Middle East - cowboy Quincy McLoud comes home to find a sassy, sexy female has taken over his ranch and turned it into a resort! He'll do anything to get it back including some dirty tricks. What he can't do is fall for the new owner, gorgeous Abby, but how can he help it when she needs his expert help to tame the land. All he has to do is hold onto his hat and keep his heart safe. What are the chances?
The Prince’s Nanny
Super-Nanny Sabrina West is on her way to a choice assignment as nanny to the twin daughters of the Prince of Savoy. She's always dreamed of visiting the lake country in Italy with its shimmering waters and mountains in the distance. Now is her chance to fulfill her dreams. She can't imagine how hard her job will be working for the arrogant prince and raising his mischievous daughters. But Sabrina wins over the girls, falls in love with their father and lives happily ever after in the castle on the lake.
Almost Married
Laurie Clayton, meet your goddaughter.”
Laurie held out her arms and took from her friend Gretel the most adorable baby she’d ever seen. The baby’s little fingers tangled in Laurie’s hair and her sweet smell filled her with a bittersweet longing for a child of her own. “Oh, Gret, she’s sooo cute. A perfect angel.”
Gretel sighed. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d heard her crying all the way down to the airport. She’s teething and it’s been awful.” Laurie hugged the baby to her and Morgan gurgled happily. “She likes you,” Gretel said, then surveyed her friend carefully. “Still slim, gorgeous and single. How come? I thought you’d be the first to take the plunge and have a family. You like kids so much.”
“Yes, well, it’s still customary to get married first,” Laurie said ruefully. “Like you did. Like my sister did.”
Gretel nodded understanding. “You wait here with Morgan. I’ll get the car from the garage and bring it around.”
Laurie hardly noticed Gretel was gone, she was so entranced with this baby, this miracle of soft skin and round, chubby cheeks. The baby gave her a toothless smile and Laurie thought she’d landed in paradise instead of Buffalo, New York.
“I’ll let you get over your jet lag tonight,” Gretel promised as they headed out of town into the fertile farmland of upstate New York where Gretel and her husband raised apples, “but tomorrow I’m going to give you the royal tour, from the museum to the zoo and last but not least, Niagara Falls!”
“All in one day?”
Gretel laughed. “We’ve got five whole days before I join Steve in Seattle. Plenty of time to see everything and let you get to know Morgan. If you’re sure you’re still up for baby-sitting for two weeks.” Gretel shot an anxious glance at her best friend.
Laurie turned her head to smile at her goddaughter. “Of course I’m up for it,” she assured Gretel. “I can’t wait to have her all to myself. You’re right, I’ve always liked kids. And I adore Morgan already. Her pictures don’t do her justice. You don’t have to entertain me. I’ll be happy to help out around the place. With Steve gone away to school, you must need help picking apples or something.”
“We’ve got a small staff who do the year-round stuff, spraying, grafting, but during harvest a whole crew comes in to work. By that time Steve will be back to oversee the whole thing.” She turned to smile at Laurie. “I’ve been waiting for you so we can relive those carefree days when we were young and foolish, when we flew from coast to coast, flight attendants without a care in the world except which restaurant to go to and which guy to go out with. We’ll put Morgan in the back seat with her teething ring and we’ll be off.”
Laurie noticed Morgan had nodded off and was sleeping peacefully in her car seat, her pale eyelashes dusting her fair skin, her cheeks the color of her pink dress.
“We’re in apple country now,” Gretel explained, waving her hand at the green fields dotted with heavily laden fruit trees, “one of New York state’s major crops.”
Laurie tore her eyes from the sleeping child to look out the window at the acres of trees, trying to pay attention to what Gretel was saying. Young and foolish. Laurie didn’t ever want to be young and foolish again, not foolish enough to fall in love with a married pilot and foolish enough to believe him when he said he loved her.
Gretel continued her lecture on the cultivation of apples until they arrived at a cobblestone house set on a rise above the orchard. Laurie stood in the living room of the vintage structure admiring the rustic furniture, the Native American blankets hanging on the wall and the huge old fireplace while Gretel rushed to answer the ringing telephone in the kitchen.
When Gretel reappeared with Morgan in her arms, her expression was anxious and her face a shade paler than before. “That was Steve,” she said. “He’s finished his agriculture course early and wants me to come right away.”
Laurie spread her arms out, palms up. “Well, why not? I’m here. You haven’t seen him in what, six weeks? You haven’t taken a vacation together since your honeymoon. I say go for it.”
Laurie hugged her daughter to her and sat down on the couch. “You’re right, I know you’re right. It’s just that—I’ve never even left Morgan overnight before. When you offered to stay with her I was—I am so grateful. But...” Gretel’s lower lip trembled as she buried her face in her daughter’s red curls.
Laurie watched the interplay between mother and daughter and her heart filled with sympathy and a touch of envy. If things had been different, if she’d been more sensible...
“It must sound silly to you,” Gretel went on, “but you’ll understand when you have a baby of your own.”
One of her own. Laurie felt a lump form in her throat. With her luck she had small hope of having one of her own, let alone finding a man to have a baby with. She nodded at Gretel. “I understand perfectly.”
“You’re a true friend,” Gretel said earnestly, “the best. Don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re offering, staying with a teething baby while I fly off to take a second honeymoon. If I weren’t such a worry-wart… Come on,” Gretel said, getting to her feet. “You must be tired. I’ll show you your room. I told Steve I’d sleep on it and let him know tomorrow.”
The guest room was furnished in the same style as the rest of the house, with a handmade quilt on the antique iron bed frame and a large oak armoire against the wall. After Gretel said good-night and took the baby with her down the hall, Laurie sat on the edge of the bed, her stocking feet resting on a handwoven braid rug, and tried to stifle the feelings of envy that threatened to engulf her. A charming old house, a husband and a baby. What more could anyone want?
She shook off her unbecoming feelings and got undressed. In bed, snuggled under a fluffy comforter, Laurie told herself now that she’d quit her job with the airline and forgotten about the handsome but married pilot who’d nearly broken her heart, she had her whole life ahead of her, that anything was possible, that all her dreams could come true. But the niggling questions remained: How, When, Where and Who?
The next day Gretel called Steve back and told him she couldn’t leave so soon and she and Laurie and Morgan headed off to see the sights. Morgan was tucked safely in her car seat, gnawing happily on her teething ring. It was Gretel who didn’t look happy. Not the next day nor the day after that. No matter how interesting the pictures in the art museum or how dazzling the view of Ontario from the Peace Bridge, she was racked with indecision about when to leave.
“So, Morgan,” Laurie said one afternoon as she held the little girl in her lap and fed her applesauce. “Shall we put your mother on the next plane for Seattle before she has a chance to change her mind?” Each day Laurie found herself growing more attached to her goddaughter, and Morgan was more willing to go to Laurie when her mother was tired or busy.
Gretel gave Laurie a wry smile. “How did you know what I was thinking?” she asked.
“Intuition,” Laurie answered. “I’ve known you a long time. Longer than Morgan here. And she and I agree that it’s time for you to cut the cord. Vamoose, skeedaddle, be on your way.”
Reluctantly Gretel met Laurie’s gaze. “But we haven’t seen the Falls yet. I’ve been saving it for last. And a friend of Steve’s was going to give us a personal tour. A gorgeous guy. I wanted you to meet him.”
“Morgan and I can see the Falls on our own. We don’t need a guide, no matter how gorgeous, do we, Morgan? After we drop you at the airport, we’ll go.” Laurie put Morgan in her high chair and reached for the phone. “I’ll make the reservation for you. You’re ready. You’ve been packed for days.”
