Most of the time Carrie Fisher loved her job. Other times, like today, she hated it.
Her day went from bad to worse. She was finally back on the road after an hour wait and an expensive call to Triple A to replace her blown tire. Just as she was pulling into her and her mother's driveway in Beverly Hills, she got the call.
It was the call that would change her life, as well as send her hours away from her family across the country. Instead of going right into her own home, she headed over the small hill to her mother's home.
"Carrie, I would've come and got you," Debbie said as her daughter entered through the kitchen.
She waved her hand. "It's fine. It was either going to be fixed right there or it would've needed towed."
Debbie watched as her daughter slammed her phone and purse down on the kitchen table. "Bad day at work?"
"I got transferred."
Now Debbie was on her way over to the kitchen table. "What do you mean you got transferred?"
She threw her keys on the table. "They're sending me to North Carolina to write about the Panthers."
"Why are they sending you to North Carolina?"
Carrie ran her fingers through her long chestnut hair. "There's not as much news around here anymore. The Panthers are coming off one of their worst seasons ever. The year before they went to the Super Bowl. People are beginning to speculate how they are going to rebound from going from one of the best teams to one of the worst."
Debbie could read Carrie like an open book. She did not look happy about her transfer. "You don't want to go, don't you?"
She shook her head. "No. I like it around here. I get to see you and Todd every weekend."
Her mom put her hands on her shoulders. "Give it a chance. You might like it on the east coast. If you don't like it, come home. I'm sure one of the Major League Baseball teams would hire you. What about the Dodgers or Angels?"
"Working with a private company like the Dodgers doesn't pay as much as my job now. Most of my salary comes from ESPN. That salary alone is more than a writer working for the Dodgers gets paid. I also get paid bonuses for working with teams like I do."
"Maybe you'll meet somebody. Did you ever think of that?"
Her face reddened. "Mom, I don't need a boyfriend. I'm fine by myself."
"Come on Carrie. Open up a little."
The redness on her cheeks from her blush turned into anger. "I opened up to a guy before. And look how that turned out."
Debbie knew the situation she was referring to. She'd gotten involved with a football player before and it didn't work out in the end.
"You never know Carrie. Maybe one of them will be worth it."
Carrie doubted it. Leaving the conversation at that, she walked back across the small hill to her own home on the same property she shared with her mom.
Carrie was born a child of Hollywood royalty. Her mother was actress Debbie Reynolds and her father was actor Eddie Fisher. It was the perfect Hollywood family except that Carrie didn't want to follow in her parents footsteps. She wanted to write. Not write scrips or plays, but Carrie Fisher loved to write about athletes. She loved being able to talk to them and get to experience the life of a professional athlete. Then back at her home after a long day of interviewing, she'd put the pieces together and produce a good article for ESPN.
Now her life was about to change. Instead of writing about the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams, and the soon to be Los Angeles Chargers, Carrie would be writing about a team all the way across the country, the Carolina Panthers.
The more she thought about moving to North Carolina, the more she didn't want to go. Everything was here in Beverly Hills. Her life writing for the new Los Angeles football teams, her mom, and her brother Todd.
She closed the door and was rewarded with her French bulldog Gary to greet her. Carrie would also miss the two and a half hour beautiful drive she made almost every week from Beverly Hills to San Diego. With the Chargers now moving to Los Angeles for the upcoming season, she would definitely miss the closeness of her job. Now she would be across the country.
Gary followed her through the house where she began to get some of her things together. "Ready to go to North Carolina Gary?"