Things experienced so far in LA – part 11

– Sunday was my day to meet up with Bren and Cash. I woke up early and felt unbelievably refreshed. After the mania of the day before. I made some coffee, it was early, and I sat on the couch and read some of Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad which I have never read and which I am absolutely adoring. I am laughing OUT LOUD reading the damn thing. Bren called at 10 … and I said I would be over in an hour or so. Let’s try this driving down the 101 thing again, shall we???

— Alex emerged from her beauty sleep right before I left. She said, “Lemme tell you something. If any disaster occurs to you today?” Pause. “Don’t call me.” It’s been 2 days now and we are STILL laughing about that first day.

— And off I go into the sunblasted gorgeous morning. Here I go! Look at me! In my Enterprise car! Careening down the 101!!!!!! Again!!!!! Now, though, I feel like I have had a great trial run with that first debacle of a drive, and nothing can shake me up now. I blast music. I enjoy the scenery. I change lanes. I am AWESOME.

— 25 minutes after leaving Alex’s, I pull up outside Bren’s apartment. It is a beautiful neighborhood, peaceful, thick grass lawns, big trees, old buildings. I am about to see Cashel! In his natural habitat!

— Bren lets me into his apartment. It is cool, big, and beautiful. Bren says to me immediately, “Sheil … ” (and I could see immediately from his face that a game was about to be played) “I’m really sorry, but Cashel was here a while ago and now I have no idea where he is.” I say, concerned, “What?? But I really want to see him! Where did he go?” Bren, all sorry and sad, “I don’t know … but I can’t find him anywh—” and then Cashel burst out of Brendan’s room screaming and jumping up and down. To surprise me. I screamed, accordingly. Cashel was very happy about that. He immediately launched into what he WISHED he would have done – and that had something to do with spiders. The boy loves to taunt me. He said to me, slyly, “Auntie Sheila, have you seen King Kong?” I say, “No.” He said, to me, seriously, as though he was some jowly cigar-smoking career advisor, “I really don’t think you should see it.” “Why, Cash?” “Because … well … there’s a looooooootta bugs in it.” “Oh no. Really?” “Yup. A looooooootta bugs.” “Thanks for the warning, Cash. I really don’t want to see a lotta bugs.”

— I met Bren’s roommate and really good friend Larry – I have heard so much about this man, my parents love him, everyone loves him – so it was SO nice to put a face to the name. What a nice man.

— Bren and Cash took me up to the roof so I could see. There’s an outdoor pool up there. A deck with deck chairs. Tables. And a view like you would not believe. It was so beautiful that my breath caught in my throat. I want to hang out up there with my laptop and my dawn coffee. The palm trees just careen up into the air, above the horizon – giving a strange Dr. Seuss-ish appeal to the landscape – and right there was a huge hill with the HOLLYWOOD sign. The Hollywood sign! It was all just beautiful. Cashel, in his little fleece sweatshirt, and sneakers, kind of strolled around the pool, telling me how the water is heated and how sometimes he swims there. I, as always, struggle with my desire to SQUEEZE THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF CASHEL. I have to calm down. He’s such a little cutie. I was so happy.

— We drove to a nearby strip of shops and cafes – and Bren showed me the sights along the way. The apartment complex that was Mae West’s after she retired – she would walk around the apartments and collect the rent. Can you imagine if Mae West was your landlord? And then Jack Haley’s house – built like a ship. It looks like a ship – an ocean liner of a house – made of a light light green stone. You know what I also love about LA? The architecture. I love the OLD neon – you know? The kind of 50s style neon – big, brash, and retro. I also love the signs up on top of the old hotels – El Royale – or whatever – and these are not neon – but just swirly letters held up into the sky with steel poles. New York just doesn’t have signage like that anymore.

— We stroll the sidewalks. I am so happy to be with my family. I am so happy to see my brother and to be with Cashel. We sit and have lunch. We eat pizza. We overhear a couple next to us having an amazing conversation. Snippets that came to us: (oh, and it was only the girl that spoke. That poor guy) Anyway, here’s some of what we overheard: “Anyone who thinks that Jesus had a son has mental problems.” “I used to black out all the time in my 20s. I’d have a couple of drinks and then just black out.” Bren might remember more. The three of us would be chatting, having a nice time, then there’d be a pause and some random snippet would come to us – stopping Bren and I in our tracks.

— Back at Bren’s place, we watch the films of two plays Bren did this past year in LA. Plays written and directed by Larry. Cashel said, rolling his eyes, “I have seen these so many times.” Ah, yes, Cashel, to have your father be an actor … what a BORE. But of course Cashel kept coming into the room for his favorite parts. He sat on Bren’s lap, and I would glance over and see Cashel laughing, his little body shaking like a bowlful of jelly. They were GREAT. Truly funny and original pieces of work. Wonderful actors … and the SCRIPTS! I love funny people. I love people whose minds work in comedic ways. It was great to see my brother acting again, as well. He’s so good.

— Alex and I were supposed to go horseback riding that night. Some thing where you ride horses and then have dinner at the Sunset Ranch. We literally had no idea what we were doing. We knew nothing. I mentioned to Larry what we were doing, and he knew all about it – said they do it every year – and you ride up the cliff by the Hollywood sign. So … this will be an up and down journey. This will not be a flat-surface horse ride. I call Alex to tell her what I found out. She has a fear of heights (and it’s debilitating – it’s like me with “s”s) – and FLIPPED OUT. “I can’t do that. No. I would cry and also pee a little bit.” “And then you would have to be airlifted off the top of the cliff.” “No. I cannot do this. I am so sorry, Sheila …” “Oh God, no worries. If you said to me, ‘Let’s go hang out at the Tarantula Museum’ I would say – ABSOLUTELY NOT.” “Okay. I’m calling Meg.” So horseback riding was out!

— Bren had to take off at 3 … so we all parted ways. I drove off down Cahuenga – waving goodbye to my brother and my nephew – Cashel’s little head silhouetted in the backseat. Heartcrack!!

— I was home at Alex’s in 25 minutes. A miracle.