DreamCity

Part 6

We came home and I made Shawn watch Carmen Jones with me 'cause guess what?  Arden found his gym and she got us two guest passes.  On Monday morning at 6:30, we're putting Operation Shane into action.

I told Shawn about my brain tumor and she thought I was crazy.  She thinks I'm a hypochondriac just because I stopped using birth control in college 'cause I thought I had early menopause.  She also had to bring up the time in high school when I was convinced I was going blind.  One day I'm going to really have something and she'll see it wasn't just my imagination.

May 16

Before I took Shawn back to the airport...she was flying to San Francisco to visit her boyfriend (more about him later)...we went to our usual spot, Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. 

It was pretty crowded for a Sunday morning.  The one on Gower and Sunset is much smaller than the one on Pico, but it's closer to my place.  I got my usual Carol C. Special - the chicken and waffle deal.  Since I got my paycheck on Friday, I have a little money in my pocket and can afford to splurge at the finer restaurants.  I'm kidding.  Roscoe's is like a fast food place with sit-down service.  The food is good though, but chicken and waffles together is an acquired taste.

Anyway, Shawn's a corporate lawyer for some big firm in New York.  She works 50 million hours a week.I'm surprised she took time off to actually have a vacation.  Her boyfriend Thomas is a mechanical engineer...he's married.  Thomas' wife is out of town on business for the week, so Thomas and Shawn are going to drive to Monterey and spend a few days there.  I told girlfriend she's simply putting out some bad karma, but she said she loved him. 

I know there's a shortage of good men, 'cause I'm still single, but I've been there and done that with the married man thing and it spells nothing but TROUBLE and restraining orders.  Sometimes, though, I guess you have to find out things for yourself, the hard way.  

Shawn left on time and I went to meet Collin at Venice Beach.  He looks fine in a pair of shorts!!  He has such a perfect body, I didn't see an ounce of fat on him anywhere.  The bike path that we went blading on was crowded with cyclists and other bladers.  Afterwards, we went to the Starbucks on Washington for coffee. 

We talked for two hours, non-stop.  I'm still amazed over how natural it feels to be with him. He's just so easy to talk to.  He invited me over for dinner at his place.  He actually cooks, not reheat, not order out, but mixing fresh ingredients and cooking.  I felt like I was back in high school with the whole butterflies in my stomach and the racing of my heart when we kissed goodbye.  If this works out, Collin may be my first real relationship out here in L.A. 

May 17

This getting up at the crack of dawn is for the birds.  It's only 9:30 p.m. and I'm dog-tired!!  Arden and I actually made it to the gym at 6:15 a.m.   The thing of it is, though, I've only seen one tiny little picture of Shane...so I wasn't sure what he looked liked.  I felt so stupid, I went up to this one guy and I'm like "Shane?" and he's like, "No."

Meanwhile Arden (let's just refer to her as "Backstabbing Bitch" from here on) slipped the receptionist $20 and had her point out Shane.  So of course by the time I found her, she was laughing it up with him comfy-cozy like.  Needless to say, I was introduced as an afterthought, an, "Oh, by the way, this is my friend Adrianna."

So who gets a dinner invitation?  Not me.  I tried to talk about Carmen Jones and why I would be right for it, but I wound up just sounding like some freak at 7 in the morning.   He basically looked at me like I was some stalker actress.  I was so mad at Arden that I told her that was really uncool. Yeah, I really came out swinging. I don't have the most extensive vocabulary when I'm upset and tired.

She looked at me with these flint black eyes and said, "I can look in your eyes and know that you aren't willing to do whatever it takes to make it.  I am.  So why should I be stupid and pass up a good opportunity?"

I hate her.

May 18

Can life get any better than this?  I don't know where to start. Too bad I can't write down two things at once.  My agent called, and I have another audition tomorrow morning in Beverly Hills.  It's for a music video and usually I don't like to go out for those, but he said it's going to be put in regular rotation on MTV. 

More importantly, though, I had the best time with Collin last night.  He owns a condo in Beverly Hills and it is gorgeous!  It has hardwood floors throughout, a spacious, contemporary kitchen (one I can see myself in flipping flapjacks in the morning) and his bedroom closet is every woman's dream.  He made a yummy vegetable lasagna, a small garden salad and he even thought of dessert.  We had sorbet and berries, which he fed to me.  We streamed a movie, There's Something About Mary, and I laughed until I almost puked.  I don't care how many times I've seen that movie, I laugh like it's my first.  After the movie goes off, we're still lying on the couch, my feet are in his lap.  He starts to give me a foot massage.  Can anyone say "edge of heaven"? He's saying all the right things, like he's never met anyone like me before, he's never felt this way about a woman before...and I want to believe him.  Even though my body was saying yes, yes, YES! I had to pull away.  I still have the warts from the last toad I kissed. Now, I want my Cinderella story.  I want my Prince Charming and all of the trappings that come along with fairy tales.  Is that even possible?