DreamCity

Part 14

        July 11

Still no change.  Guess my pep talk didn't work. 

Mommy's been working overtime trying to get me to stay out here.  Here is no longer my home though.  It's so true when they say you can never go back.  All of my friends are busy with their own lives and now my life, as pitiful as it is, is back in L.A.  Not to mention, I'm tired of having to defend my lifestyle.  At the hospital, some of Daddy's other sisters were there (not the Wicked Witch of the West) and so was Grandma (his mom).  I swear I was going to pimp slap the next person who asked me when I was going to settle down and have some kids.  All of my aunts are much older than Dad, so I'm like some aberration to them.  Anita's not married, but she's a Career Woman to them.  Me?  I'm the gal who doesn't have a job and is trying to get into pictures.  Which to them, I have about as much a chance as finding a pot of gold under a rainbow.

Then I had to sit and listen to a virtual "who's doing what" of the family tree.

Cousin Tanya (the almost doctor) just finished her first year residency.  Cousin Greg passed the bar and is working for one of those fancy law firms in Manhattan.  And the list just went on.  Something inside of me snapped and I told them what was on my mind. 

"I'm so sick and tired of everyone being so unsupportive of my dreams.   Just because you don't understand what I'm doing doesn't make it any less important.  When I make it, y'all are gonna be the first people up in my face asking me for something."

That shocked them into silence momentarily and then it was on.  We got kicked out of the hospital for being too rowdy.  It's not like Daddy knew I was there anyway. 

I decided to leave on Monday and go back to L.A.  The shoot for the indie movie went well last week.  The director was really cool, very professional. Everyone on the set was down to earth.  They were shooting on the slimmest of budgets.  They're hoping to do the festival circuit.  I read the script and it's a nice flick.  Should do well.  My scene is especially funny.  The actor who played my love interest (the cheat) had perfect comedic timing and our chemistry was great. If it does make the festival rounds, that scene will generate some buzz for me.  I sent a thank you card to the director and a token gift. 

I have an audition to go to on Tuesday for a guest spot on a sitcom.  Who knows? Maybe this will be my big break.

 

July 12

My nerves were already rubbed raw cause of the whole hospital scene, then just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Trent showed up on my doorstep. Apparently, he has enlisted the services of Anita to be his spy and she told him that I was back in town.  I'm not going to lie, when I opened the door and saw his face, for a moment, I wanted everything to be back the way it used to be.  Just smelling the faint scent of his cologne made my heart feel as though it would explode.  When it was good between us, it was really good.  Even if it wasn't real.  I was kind of pissed that all this time has passed and a part of me wasn't over him.

He invited me to dinner.  At first, I didn't want to go, but the lure of a free meal was too strong.  We drove into the city and wound up at Sylvia's in Harlem.  It used to be our favorite spot.  Of course he couldn't wait to tell me that he was separated from Yvette and that he missed me.  A part of me wanted to go back to him.  At least I knew what I would be getting into, no surprises.  He also wanted to know how I could just leave him without saying goodbye or anything.

I knew someday I would be face to face with him and I would have to answer that question, but somehow I still wasn't prepared.  I tried to explain to him the emptiness I had started to feel when we were together.  Seeing him with his wife that time clinched it for me.