Keys?
Check.
Driver's License?
Check.
I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror before stepping outside.
Go get 'em!
I step outside and am...
Instantly blinded.
Where the hell are my damn sunglasses? I rummage around in my purse for them with one hand while I squint to block the sun from burning two gaping holes where my eyes used to be.
Got 'em!
I throw them on for immediate relief, lock my door, and take in the view from the top of my steps. I'm temporarily staying at some furnished apartment while I'm in LA. It's very Melrose Place; although we're not in Melrose -- and there's no Kristin Davis rising from the pool in the middle of the night to put a curse on us all.
The original series was so much better than the new one. I hope they cancel it soon so one of my shows has a chance...
"Consuela!"
I clunk down the steps and walk towards the pool in the middle of the courtyard. I'm already late for my meeting, but want to make sure that Consuela is going to be ok while I'm gone.
"Whaa-aaat, Mia?" she whines from the pool. She's managed to buy herself some sort of floaty-bed thingy. How in God's name she ever found one that could hold her fat little body is beyond me...although somewhere in the back of my mind I remember seeing some sort of computer recreation of how steel ships float in the water. Something to do with the entire weight of the water being heavier than the steel ship...
So I guess the water weight of the pool is heavier than Consuela. Good to know.
"I'm off to my meeting." I say to her as I stand by the edge of the pool. She doesn't look up. I'm surprised she hasn't figured out a way to blast The Macarena through an outdoor sound system by now -- because that and a Pina Colada is the only thing missing from this scene.
I stand there for a minute to see if she will respond. It's high noon, and the sun is beaming down on both of us. She takes her fat little hand and splashes some water on herself.
I feel the sweat start to pour out from my armpits; and know that I need to take immediate shelter in the air conditioning of my car.
"OK, so I'm off.." I say as I begin to walk away.
"Yer iz have a good day, Mia" she coos from her floating throne. And so I push through the rod iron gate and head towards my car. Well, it's not my car. Just one that I rented for while I'm out here paving the road to success.
I hop in, blast the air conditioning, and remove the roof. Yes, it's a convertible. Very LA. Very cliche. Very Carrie Bradshaw when she went to go meet Matthew McConaughey in season five. Or was that season 4? In any case, I don't care. I couldn't resist. It's a bright sunny day. I'm not hurting anyone...
I think about my meeting as I sit in traffic. I think about everything that brought me to this moment. I wonder if Nancy Myers will pop her head in and ask me for lunch...or maybe Tom Hanks...or J.J. Abrams.
I'm about to be welcomed into their world. I'm one of them. They see me. Really see me. I'm having a Sally Fields moment like when she won her Oscar.
I just love her in Brothers & Sisters. To think she started out as a flying nun...
Concentrate!
I regroup so I can focus on the traffic that seems to be flowing around me. Why I always end up in the lane that never moves is beyond me. I'm late -- but everyone is more or less late here. They're very forgiving of the traffic. If I knew my way around the city better I could take an alternative route, but I'm not there yet.
One day...
For now I need to focus on my meeting.
