Beginning chapters of my book.

I Am Mr. P

Please call me Mr. P. I choose to give myself an alias for reasons only known to myself. Maybe you will understand my ploy to keep my identity hidden.

I am just that guy down the block. Not one to gather your attention. Not outstandingly good looking and not grotesquely ugly. Just average. My profession you wonder, I am a graduate student. When I first graduated high school, I was lucky enough to win the lottery on my 18^th birthday. I would like to lie and say that I am a secret agent that fights terrorists here in America. Oh how would the ladies love to see that but then why not speak the truth? I have noticed that men generally inflate their appearances in order to impress members of the opposite sex, and I would have to say that I was one of those. In a society of cut throat competition for the beautiful women, men have no choice but to do so. I wish this wasn’t the case but it is.

I guess the only specialty that I have is my love in music and my vivid imagination (or so I am told). Being a musician I wanted to learn many types of instruments. It was always my ambition to learn some new horn and explore the wonders of each style of music. Sadly, I was not very ambitious. Once I began learning some new saxophone or a brass instrument I would give up once I heard how horrible my tone would be. C’est la vie, I guess. But there are certain times in my life where I suddenly became very ambitious and strove for what I wanted. Also, being very imaginative, I tend to write stories for no apparent reason. I would awaken in the middle of the night and just turn on my computer and type until the sun would rise and the light would enter my window. Never true stories mind you, just my fantasies and wishes—until now.

First Impressions

I have a curious habit of turning on the television whilst on the computer. Why? I don’t know. I am assuming I was afraid of missing something interesting on some random commercial or some special broadcast that clearly stated “Mr. P! We want you to be the next president!” Okay, maybe not really but it was just a habit of mine.

One night, when I returned home it seemed nothing out of the ordinary. I Got out of my truck, unlocked my door, walked in, and hung my keys on the wall. I went upstairs and sat down at my desk and turned on the television while simultaneously turning on my laptop. Thinking back, I don’t even know why I even bothered going on the computer. I never did anything productive.

I looked around at my office. The first thing I saw was a painting given to me as a house warming gift. There was a man on top of a building and down on the ground was a child in the middle of the street and a truck was coming down upon him. The drop from the top of the building must have been some twenty feet. Conveniently for him, there was a mattress right below him. At the bottom of the painting was a saying “When courage is needed, it is created. Never search for it; it will come when the time is right.” It was an odd painting, but I quite admired the quote. I began to wonder, when that time will come to me and with a sigh I began my tedious night of routine nothingness.

The computer started up and I began my ordinary routine. E-mails? Nope. Myspace messages? Nope. Facebook? Ah, a notification! “You have been invited to join this application!” It said. Damn, I was hoping for a message. This is where I begin my never ending search for entertainment. I began to click and clack on the keyboard, searching for something interesting to watch on a random website. Then out of the jumble of noises coming from the computer and my TV I began to hear a voice. I checked several windows that I have opened on my internet browser. Nope, no video or media player was active. I began to go crazy; I just had to find out where it was coming from. After a second or so I remembered; the television was on!

My eyes quickly shifted onto the television screen. There, on the screen, was the most beautiful voice accompanied by the most beautiful voice that I have ever heard. She looked familiar, I have seen her a few times on television as I flipped through the channels, and I did not pay very much attention until now. I was drawn in to the television. Then as suddenly as I heard her voice, the channel changed. I frantically searched for the control. I wondered if I would be able to find out who she was, but when I finally found that damned remote she was gone.

After that moment I did not have any enthusiasm to be awake. I shut off everything in my office and walked downstairs to grab a bite to eat before I slept. While gathering the materials needed to make a sandwich I began to hum the ten seconds of the song I just heard. The tune was very catchy and although I only knew a short snippet of the song I continually hummed it. After preparing and snacking on my sandwich I decided to get to bed early. I once again travelled up the stairs, changed, and got into bed.

That night, I dreamed I met her. We just randomly bumped into each other in the mall, and as if we were not strangers to each other we began to have a deep conversation on life and love. We continued to converse with each other for what seemed like hours. Then, I just woke up with a smile on my face. “I just had to meet her!” I thought, but what was I to do? I am just an average guy who only won the lotto. With that depressing thought, I fell back asleep and never dreamt of her again.

Several hours later, I awoke to the sounds of my cell phone ringing. I was too dreary to find exactly where my cell phone was and when I finally found it I had missed the call. It was Thomas, my long time college friend. Right when I was going to hit redial he called again.

“Mr. P! Where the hell have you been?” he said frantically.

For a second, I was wondering what he was talking about. I never received a call from him. Then I remembered. My phone, which I always set on high, did ring except I chose to ignore it because I was too preoccupied with my encounter with that beautiful lady.

“Sorry Thomas, I was preoccupied last night. Is there something wrong?”

“Yeah there is! There is a huge party going on tonight and guess who got us in.”

“Oh man, not again. Every time you take me to one of these parties you end up drunk and I just have to be your chauffeur.”

“Don’t worry. I have a date. She can take me. You should get one too! Or you can search there.”

“I think not Thomas, but I guess I will join you tonight.”

I don’t know why I finally took this offer. I have a bad habit of just doing anything asked of me. I usually never think too much about it, I just say yes. One day, I thought to myself, I will regret doing these things on impulse.

“Where is it going to be?” I asked, remembering that I had no clue where I was even going.

“Hollywood!” he said excitedly.

“What?!” I replied in disbelief.

“Yup, I have a friend in the film industry and he is inviting me to his house warming party. All the celebrities will be there!”

At that moment, my mind raced. Would I be able to meet that lady I saw last night on the television? This is my chance!

“I will see you there. I need the time and place,” I said boldly.

“Eight o’clock tonight. I will e-mail you the address,” he replied.

“See you there then,” and with that our conversation ended.

An Attraction to Be Remembered

When I arrived around eight that night I immediately called Thomas. I was not about to enter this place unless I know at least one person. As I dialed his number I looked at the house for the first time. In front of me was a huge mansion. Beautiful gardens on each side of the door. The lawn was neatly mown and not a single blade was out of place. The place where I parked felt as if I was in a mall parking lot except for the variety of vehicles. I felt so lost among the BMW’s, Mustangs, and limousines. The phone began to ring and right when the phone rang twice I heard someone call out my name. He had already spotted me.

“There you are! Why don’t you look dashing Mr. P. Tuxedo and all. You know, I could not have seen you in one of those until now. Oh, by the way, this is my date Elizabeth” he said.

I looked at the woman at his side. She was a tall, beautiful blonde. I should have expected as much; he always leans toward the same type of girl. Blonde, beautiful, and a boob job.

“Nice to meet you Elizabeth,” I said, “I hope you like to drive,” I finished with a quick glance at Thomas.

“Nice to meet you as well, Mr. P. Thomas has told me much about you” she said with a smile.

After a few more exchange of words, we left our vehicles to go inside. When I first stepped inside I was in total awe. The roof seemed to be thirty feet high. It was painted in great detail with images of angels, clouds, and the sun. I felt as if I could feel actual warmth coming from the artificial sun but in reality it was just the heat being given off of the massive amount of people packed into the gargantuan house. Around me were stone statues of Greek gods. I felt like I was in a museum. The only difference was that it was packed with people not actually there for the wonderful art. I began to look at all the faces around me. Everywhere I looked there was a celebrity or a famous director and here was I, some guy that would probably be mistaken as a waiter.

Where did Thomas go? I suddenly wondered. We must have lost each other in the crowd. I did not worry too much; I did have his cell phone number after all. Sigh. He never ceases to do this to me. He is probably getting all boozed up already.

I began to give myself a tour of the place. I nodded politely and smiled at anyone kind enough to look my way. As I walked farther into the house I saw a stunning spiral staircase. The banisters were gold and the steps were a finely polished mahogany. As my eyes slowly climbed the staircase I saw something that instantly caught my eye. It was a beautiful red dress that gracefully flowed behind the one wearing it. When I finally saw the face of the person wearing the dress, my heart dropped. It was her. I just had to know who she was.

“Excuse me, who is that lady in the red dress?” I asked the man next to me.

Again, for my own purposes, let us give her an alias.

“That is Miss C, now if you will excuse me, I have to say hello to Tom Cruise,” the man snobbishly replied.

Finally, I had a name to match with her face. Now is my time, I told myself. I will meet and get to know her. I could feel the courage building up within me. I felt like a young schoolboy going up to their crush and just when I was about to go up and introduce myself, I had a sudden gut wrenching feeling.

“What am I going to do? How am I supposed to approach her?” I asked myself.

This question never actually passed through my mind at all. How is a regular guy going to approach someone like her? There is no way that I could compare to her. She probably knows all the hotspots in and around Southern California, New York, France, and so many other places. I just know the hot spots around my house, my hammock.

With this sudden sense of despair I decided to walk the opposite direction onto the patio. As I stepped out of the glass doors leading outside I noticed that I was the only one outside. I rapidly felt at peace with myself. The moon was out and full. She was sharing her light upon me, as if comforting me for thinking of my foolish ideas. I could hear the birds chirping at each other, snickering behind my back. I decided to put this all of this behind me and I continued farther out on the patio.

Looking upon the beautiful garden I noticed an exquisite fountain in the center. I decided to walk down the neatly made path of stepping stones that lead up to it. Just standing next to the statue I saw the great detail put into sculpting. The bowl of the fountain was made of very expensive clay. Lining the interior bowl was a beautiful mosaic of glass that made formed the face of a woman. It was hard to truly distinguish her facial details due to the water rushing down upon it. My eyes glided up to the top of the fountain and on it was a small sculpture of two people, a man with his arms around a woman. His lips were close to her ear as if he was humming a beautiful love ballad into her ear. Her arms were placed over his, making the lock between them twice as strong. It seemed as if they were dancing. They were forever frozen on the top of a fountain in the middle of what seemed like Eden. It was a dance that the two of them can share for the ages.

I began to daydream. I wished that I could be that guy, I thought. My surroundings slowly morphed into a ballroom. Of course, I was not alone. I was with Miss C and her beautiful red dress. I held my hand out and she took my invitation. Music began to drift into the hall from an unknown place. We glided to the center and we began to dance. Our dance was suddenly interrupted.

“Mind if I join you?” a voice from behind me asked.

I abruptly turned, and to my disbelief, it was Miss C.

“Sure, be my guest” I somehow spat out.

“I don’t exactly like being in there, I feel so fake talking to all those guys about movies, music, and politics. It just isn’t my style, you know what I mean?” she said exasperatedly.

“I am sorry, I don’t. I am not an actor or director. This is my first time to one of these big parties . . .” was my reply.

“Oh, my apologies, I never would have guessed. Well, you look quite handsome in that penguin suite” she said jokingly.

“Why thank you. You look quite stunning yourself,” I replied in a laugh.

“So, may I ask what you are doing out here by yourself?”

“Oh, just marveling at this statue and parties are not really my sort of thing.”

“Haha, I hate these parties!!! I only go because my agent says it will help me look good among the others. You know, now that I look at it, this is a really beautiful fountain. I wonder what those two up top are feeling right now. It must be so wonderful to be locked in time together; knowing that there is a person there to hold you forever and never fear of being torn apart . . .” she said with a melancholy expression on her face.

“I was thinking about the same exact thing. You surprise me; I would have expected you to have someone with you. No Mr. C?” I boldly asked.

“Haha, oh no. I am way too picky in my choice of men. Most of the men in there are too egotistical for my liking. I just wish that I was a regular person, but then again I absolutely singing and acting. Oh well, C’est la vie,” she replied.

She said it!!! I thought to myself. That was my saying. My friends always made fun of me for saying it but now this gorgeous star that I have wanted to meet shares something with me. My heart began to flutter and my body grew warmer. I could feel my blood beginning to pump faster. The night was absolutely perfect.

“I guess I should get back in. It’s nice meeting you, umm . . . How rude of me, I did not even ask your name,” she said.

“Oh yeah, well my name is Mr. P.”

“Nice meeting you, Mr P,” she said as she flashed me with the most beautiful smile.

“Well, if you ever feel like you are being too overwhelmed by stardom, feel free to find me by this fountain” I said as she turned.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Cross my heart, hope to die,” I said trying to hold back the excitement of meeting her.

“Well you better be here, I won’t be in there for long.”

And with that, she left.

I began replaying what happened in my mind. I just could not believe it. The two of us actually shared a moment! I began to smile uncontrollably. This is what a fan girl must feel, I thought. How embarrassing it would have been if I acted like this in front of her. Wait, where did that courage come from? As I reflected on our conversation, I thought about the things I said. None of it sounded like me. Is she the one that brings out the courage within me? I thought back to the painting in my office. I have always been told that I am too timid. There was just that special feeling about her that let me say what I have always wanted to say. If only she would come back, I thought.

After a few more minutes of thinking I began to feel adventurous. There were three paths leading away from the fountain. The first was the one I took to get here. One of the paths would have led me to an elongated path back to the house and the other path seemed to lead moon. If I were to walk straight, it would have felt as if I would be able to walk straight onto the moon. I took that path, and who knows; tonight was the night of nights.

I began my journey towards the moon. As I walked down the path a feeling of weightlessness grabbed me. I felt like I was gliding. All the happiness within me began to lift me up. A skip was soon added to my step. It seemed like I have become a brand new person. My life just went from average to outstanding. The flowers glowed at me, illuminating the path before me. I could hear the owls hooting at me, telling me to live on with my life and take what is happening to me and live it to the fullest. I continued to stroll down the path, listening to the medley of sprinklers, animals, and my footsteps. Bliss.

When I returned, she was there sitting on one of the stone benches. She looked exhausted. I sat beside her, and put my back against the wall.

“Tired much?” I asked.

“Oh, you have no clue” she drearily said.

“Why don’t you go home?”

“That is a grand idea! But I am much too tired to get a cab,” she said.

“A cab?!? You? Why not a limo or fancy car like the rest?” I responded.

“I wanted to be spontaneous,” she said with a weak smile.

And with that she collapsed on my shoulder. I was afraid to do anything. I just let her rest. Hearing her breathe was somehow soothing. Usually, this would have been an awkward situation but it was not. It just felt right. Maybe I am just overly excited. Yes . . . That was it.

From the corner of my eye I could see Thomas and his date. The jerk was leaving! He didn’t even try to look for me. He is probably drunk off his ass again. Yup, he is. Oh well, I guess he gets this one off. Without him, I would have never had this wonderful experience. I’ll let him be.

I looked at her. She looked very peaceful. The moonlight was making her glow. She was absolutely radiant even when asleep. Her face was absolutely perfect. From the top of her long, straight, black hair to her chin. Not a single abnormality or sign of facial reconstruction; pure, unaltered beauty. I let her stay on my shoulder for a while. I glanced at my watch, it was already twelve!

“Hey, wake up,” I whispered into her ear.

“No, I want to stay like this forever,” she sleepily replied.

After hearing her say this, I had no other thought in my mind other than wanting to be with her. A few more seconds later she was fully awake. She shyly smiled and apologized. She need not have apologized, the pleasure was all mine, I thought. With enough courage I gave her a modest proposal.

“Hey, would you want a ride home?”

“May I ask with whom I shall ride with?” she asked.

“Well, I know this guy who I know wouldn’t mind at all” I said with a smile.

“Ah, well I don’t like to ride with strangers, so can you give me a ride?” she said while looking into my eyes.

As our eyes locked, her eyes began to fill with a certain glow. It was a glow of passion and deep down within her brown eyes I am sure I saw look of longing.

“Well then, would you care to join me?” I asked as I elbow extended out.

She slid her arm between my arm and we walked to the parking lot. We got into my truck and I drove her home. It was a bit difficult to understand her words in between her waking moment but after an hour or so of driving, we arrived. I got out of my truck and opened her door. I helped her out. Holding her soft, cream colored hand and watching her step out of my truck is a moment I will never forget. Her red gown, although it was dark, glowed. Although she looked absolutely exhausted she was still as beautiful as when she was fully awake.

I walked by her side up to the door. Her house was very humbling. I would have never guessed she would have lived there; a simple two story house. She never ceases to amaze me, I thought to myself.

“Thank you for driving me home Mr. P,” she said as we arrived to her door.

“Any time, I really enjoyed meeting you, Miss C” I politely replied.

As I was about to turn and leave, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek. By the time my mind finished processing, she was already inside. I slowly walked to my truck. I got in, and then drove home. When I finally arrived home it was already three in the morning. As I stepped out of the truck I barely noticed something. My face was sore. I looked into my mirror I remember having a confused look on my face. I looked okay. Then it hit me, I was smiling. I never stopped ever since Miss C and I first spoke. There was never a time in my adult life where I had ever smiled for so long. It was an attraction to be remembered.