I was standing in a crowd which was unlike me because they had always made me claustrophobic. Everyone was crammed tightly together like cattle behind metal barriers facing a large theater venue. Me, of all people, was attending a film premiere courtesy of some tickets I had won through a radio station. All my life, I had been cursed with rotten luck, from the lottery and contests, up to most recently, any decent relationships.
Ordinarily never one to fawn over celebrities, here I was, waiting with anticipation as long, dark limos drove by in a slow procession, as stars, some familiar, even more, unknown, stepped out to uproarious cheers and applause. At last, a limo came to a halt almost in front of me. The door was opened by a tuxedoed man, and then she emerged. Slender and statuesque, one lean yet slightly muscular leg and then another, supported by feet in the crisscrossed straps of heeled sandals which just added to her height. Her face framed by flowing, golden blonde waves, red lipstick, a striking contrast against her pale complexion, she was an angel dressed from head to toe in black. From the sheer blouse, to the starkly visible bra underneath, down to her tight slacks. The crowd went wild as she smiled and waved, blowing kisses in the air. Charlize Theron, the cause of this fanatic commotion, stood still and posed for the phones aimed at her and for the media reporters scrambling for the best angle that would make the morning news headlines. I had followed her career for quite some time. Her talent could not be denied, neither could the fact that she was a real stunner, hence the reason why I found myself here today.
Charlize walked graciously to the beginning of the line, making her background as a dancer quite obvious, signing items proffered to her by eager hands in an automatic manner. I fumbled in my handbag to produce a photo I had brought along. Mind you, I was not a collector of celebrity memorabilia and this was a photo I had randomly selected online and printed at the last minute.
My nervousness increased the closer she got until she was finally facing me.
"Hi!" she said in a friendly, pleasant tone. And I really admired her for that. It must be exhausting meeting so many people and still remain civil.
"So, who should I make this out to? A pretty girl like yourself must have an equally pretty name."
It was all I could do to remember but I must have said something because soon she was scribbling on the photo I had presented to her. So mesmerized was I by her face, all closeup perfection, that I hadn't noticed when she handed me my photo and continued moving along. When the spell had been broken, I looked at her autograph on the front but then noticed something else scrawled across the white glossy back. It seemed to be an address and a time.
In what was my second impulsive decision of the day, I found myself driving to the address that Charlize had specified, leaving early to give myself enough time to get there. It led me to a tall high-rise complex, making me wonder where else this would lead. Somehow, she had always struck me as the California girl type with a beachfront home or one of those houses with a huge backyard and a swimming pool. But then, maybe this place was only temporary or just one of several she owned to make commuting from coast to coast more convenient.
The apartment number indicated that she resided in one of the top suites. In the elevator during the long ride up, my stomach fluttered and the lurching and bouncing of the mechanism was just making it worse. When I knocked softly on the door, her voice greeted me from within,
"Come in, it's open."
As I entered, Charlize appeared from either the bathroom or bedroom down the hall, barefoot and wearing a white terry cloth robe.
"Sorry I didn't come to the door, I was just stepping out of a hot bath. These premieres and promotional interviews are so draining, I needed to relax my tense muscles. Oh, and sorry about the mess, this is what's called living out of a suitcase," she apologized again, hurriedly going around the room to pick up trash that she carried to the kitchen which was really just one small corner of the living room.
"Do you realize this is the second time you apologize for something in the last two minutes?" I said jokingly, since I still hadn't said a word so far.
For a place that was seldom lived in, it was still pretty well-furnished if you managed to overlook the empty takeout containers and plastic water bottles adorning the top of tables and shelves, and the half-unpacked luggage spilling its contents out on the floor. After she had tidied up she said,
"Make yourself at home. I was just going to pour myself a glass of wine, would you like one?"
"A glass of wine would be good right now," I replied, turning towards the expansive window to look at the sparkling city lights.
"Nice view!" I commented as she walked up behind me.
"I agree," Charlize said, handing me my glass of wine, her eyes scanning over my body apparaisingly. Or was that just my imagination?