I was never a theater guy...never. You couldn't pay me to go see a play in the "legitimate" theater. But, the tickets were free, and a friend of mine wanted to go, so I gave in. I don't remember much about the show, except that I was bored and hoping it would end soon. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the show came to a close, and I was the first one out of my seat and heading for the door. My friend asked me if I had enjoyed the show, and I told her I did, even though I could have done without it. We headed for the parking lot and said our goodbyes, as she had to be up early for work the next morning. I watched her leave, then remembered that in my quest to leave the theater quickly, I had forgotten my jacket.
"Fuckin idiot," I muttered to myself, cursing my stupidity. I explained to the usher what had happened, and he allowed me back in to get my coat. After retrieving my jacket, I turned to leave and noticed a small group of people centered near the stage. Curiosity got the better of me, and I went over to see what was up. As I neared the stage, I saw what the hubbub was all about. A small group of theater goers had cornered the show's star, Laura Linney, and were asking her a ton of questions. I had seen Laura before, in movies, and always thought she was very beautiful and talented. Up close, she looked even better in person. Her long blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, her blue eyes gleaming as a smile beamed across her face. She was wearing a tight white sweater and black Capri pants, with sleek black boots. I couldn't help but stare a time or 2 at her as she spoke to her fans. I had always heard she wasn't like a "normal" celebrity, and was easily approachable, and would talk to fans forever if she had the time. She spotted me in the back, and flashed me a smile and a wave, sort of welcoming me to the party.
Eventually, the group started to slowly thin out, and it was just down to Laura and I. I figured she'd go at this point, as she had been talking for over an hour. I turned to leave, and she said, "So Mr. Quiet, what's your name?" I spun back around, and Laura stood there smiling at me. She was so beautiful, I'd go as far as to say breathtaking even. I started to feel the sweat build on my palms, and I began squirming like a school kid.
"Uh, I-I just came back to get my jacket." I didn't even realize what I had said until it was out of my mouth. I felt like the world's biggest loser, and could have crawled into a hole and died at that point. I looked at Laura, and she was laughing hysterically.
"Well, Mr. Jacket, it's nice to meet you." She was chuckling rather heartily at my blunder by now, and I smiled like an idiot. I couldn't help but notice the way her breasts heaved up and down under the fabric of her tight sweater as she laughed, and I could feel a stirring in my pants as I watched. She finally let up laughing some, and extended her hand. I shook it, and I could feel the sweat pouring off it. She smiled, sensing how nervous I was, and told me to relax. We began talking some, first about the show, then just about life in general. After a while, she shocked me by asking me if I'd like to go get some coffee so we could talk some more. I managed to stammer out a weakened response, and she went to the back to grab her bags and coat, and we were off.
I took her bags as we exited the building, and she smiled. "Such a gentleman," she said, patting my arm. I placed the bags in the trunk of her limo, and she informed the driver of our destination. "It's a little place I know, very quiet." I was in awe. Here I was, some nobody that had just gone to a play he didn't want to be at, in the backseat of a limo with Laura Linney, on our way for coffee. I could have sworn I was dreaming. And if I was, I didn't want to wake up anytime soon.
We arrived at this little cafe about 20 minutes later, and it was pretty much deserted. As we began walking to the door, Laura took my arm in her's. I looked down in shock, still not believing all this. We were escorted to a table, and I held her chair for her. She smiled at me and said, "Wow, all this flattery is amazing. Your girlfriend is lucky to have someone like you."
I sat down and chuckled nervously, "I don't have a girlfriend...anymore." The words still cut like a knife for some reason, even regardless of the fact of who I was with. I kind of lowered my head, the words bringing back a lot of bad memories. Laura sensed this, and reached her hand across the table to take mine.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said, her voice quivering some. "It never hurts to talk about things. I don't really know you, but I'm here to listen."
I looked up into her eyes. At that moment, she looked even more beautiful then before. I tried to smile, but it wasn't happening. I began talking about things that occurred only 2 weeks earlier with me and my ex. Laura listened intently, not once taking her gaze off me as I pretty much poured my heart out to her. I felt bad in a way for making her sit through this, but she insisted I go on. Once I finished, I could see her eyes welling up some, and I really felt like a jerk now. Finally, she broke the awkward silence that had overcome us.
"You're young, and an obvious gentleman. Your ex sounds like an immature brat, and she doesn't deserve a guy like you. You're gonna make some girl very happy one day, I can promise you that." For the first time since we sat down, I smiled, and Laura smiled back. She squeezed my hand as our eyes met, and we proceeded to drink our coffee and talk some more. It was nearing 1 in the morning, and I figured the night would be ending soon. But, Laura continued to talk, and the conversation veered into her acting career. She spoke of how she attended Juliard, her early days on screen, and her most recent foray into the world of legitimate theater. It was an amazing story, and I was hooked on every word she spoke.
"Oh God, "she gasped, "I must be boring you to tears with all this."
I laughed softly as I responded. "Absolutely not," I assured her. "I've only seen a few of your movies, but each one always astounded me. You've got something a lot of actresses only wish they could have."
She smiled, and once again took my hand in her's. She began to show me her fun side by questioning me on several of her roles. I seemed to shock her by knowing all the answers, and she laughed when she asked, "Are you sure you're not 36 instead of 26?" I chuckled with her, and assured her of my age. It surprised her, because she felt most people my age had no clue who she was, and that only, "old people" knew an "old actress."
"You're not old," I said. "39 is young, and if I may say so, you look like you could pass for 29."
She blushed and lowered her gaze to the table. She looked back at me with a big smile on her face. "You are just too cute, you know that? So charming. I wonder why guys twice your age can't be this nice."
I just smiled at her, feeling myself blush this time. There was another awkward lull in the conversation, but this time, our eyes met and did all the talking for us. A slow song began playing on the cafe radio, and Laura broke the silence once more.
"Do you dance?" she asked.
I giggled like an idiot, "Not well," I replied.