Most celebrities get hounded for autographs, and I got my fair share of that, but along with the autograph seekers I got the fans who asked me to have sex with them. I knew other celebs got that too, but I got it a lot more, about ninety percent of the time. I took it personally in the beginning, but the more it happened the more I got used to it. I realized and accepted that it just came with the territory. I even gave my fans what they asked for every once in a while, if I was in the mood. And if the fan (girl or boy, didn't make much of a difference to me) was cute enough. But I had to be selective; a lot of people are mean, dangerous, or just plain out of their minds. And the fans I had, they all believed I was nothing more than an out of control nymphomaniac, that I'd do it with anybody at the drop of a hat. One of the pitfalls of the industry. When you make fuck films for a living, everybody in the world thinks you're a slut.
There were moments when I just despised the future. Because of its unknown aspect. Because even if I had a good idea of what was coming, I could never be sure. Sometimes that can work in your favor, though, if what you're expecting is adversity, because at least then you can get yourself mentally prepared for the worst. And you can try to hope for the best.
This was my outlook when the plane finished taxiing and the passengers began unboarding. I knew that the next week or so was going to be difficult, but I tried to hold out some hope that it wasn't going to be as bad as I expected.
I took my time getting my carry on bag, then let other passengers go ahead of me. I would have let all of them go ahead but an older man in a business suit had to be a gentleman and insist on letting me go first. I went down the aisle and through the corridor to the main gate, half holding my breath.
Jimmy, my older brother, was waiting for me, and I saw him before he saw me. I started toward him and his gaze shifted. Our eyes met and his face lit up with an instant smile, which made me smile too. I realized I was glad to see him, and as we came together I laughed a little and held my arms out. Jimmy hugged me and kissed my cheek.
"Hi, Trish," he said, "it's so good to see you again."
"Good to see you too," I said.
We finished our hug and Jimmy asked me if I had luggage. I did, so we started toward baggage claim, talking and holding hands as we walked. We asked after each other's welfare, and I asked Jimmy how his job was going. Other minor things. I was really surprised that he was receiving me so positively; I was sure he would hate me. But he was not only nice and friendly, he seemed to purposely avoid mentioning my work.
When we got to baggage claim he grabbed my suitcase and carried it himself as we made the long trek out to his car. Jimmy kept up the majority of the conversation, telling me all about his work and his friends. Once we were in the car and driving out of the airport he switched the topic to his love life.
"I've had so many girlfriends in the last three years," he said, shaking his head. "None of them worked out. They either wanted too much from me or not enough. I don't know, Trish. I want to have a relationship with somebody, you know? I want to be able to connect with somebody, but it seems like none of the women I meet really try to understand me. They just want to come in and try to complicate my life."
"Maybe," I offered, "you seek those kinds of women out, Jimmy."
Jimmy chuckled a little and asked, "Why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you either don't really want to commit, so you pick women you know on some level aren't going to work out, or you've already made up your mind about the kind of woman you want, and until you find her you're just going through the motions." Jimmy thought about this for a minute as he navigated the onramp to the freeway.
"Okay," he said, "if that's true, Trish, then why am I just going through the motions? I mean, why bother doing that?
I shrugged and said, "To get laid, I guess. Keep yourself in sex until Ms. Perfect comes along."
Jimmy chuckled again, shook his head again.
"Wow," he said, "that's just my luck."
"What do you mean?