The new Guy

San Diego

Something different happened online. Something that never happens. I had all these guys who seemed pretty decent, wanting to chat with me at the same time one afternoon. I was excited and nervous. What if Perry would walk in? I had my own room, but his closet was in my room and mine was in his, long story about how he wanted me to have the main bedroom and I couldn’t do that to someone in his own home. I was chatting away with all these guys, in no time, the number had gone down to two or three. Most of them turned out to be jerks. No surprises there! Elvis had sent me an email the night before hoping to catch me online so we could chat. I wrapped up my conversations with the final two or so guys and as I was about to log off, Elvis logged on!

We chatted for a few minutes and he asked for my number. I told him we would have to talk a bit longer than that for me to give him my number. He sent me two more messages and asked again if we had talked long enough. Funny, very funny. NOT. Eventually, I gave him my number, it must have been the following day or so. I told him to call me in an hour. I thought it would be safe for me to go for a walk and talk to me while I was out. The walls are very thin here, people overhear everything all the time. I’m not crazy about that. Elvis had a few pictures on his profile. He looked like someone you can trust. Tall, longish hair, slick back, dark hair, brown eyes, slim. Just like I like them. Blue eyes would have made him perfect, but I was still happy with him lookswise.

He was older, 47, never been married (red flag!) but I was like, let’s give him a try. He called me in an hour’s time as per arrangement. We talked for four hours flat. I was walking around and around in circles the entire time. Amongst other things, it came out that he was the youngest of three, a 62 year old sister, a late brother and then him. His dad passed away, but his mom is still living, he wouldn’t tell me her age, once he found out that I worked out that his age wasn’t what he had stated on his profile from the sibling’s ages and the age difference among them. I asked him again how old he was, he told me the age he stated on the profile, I was like, well, I forgot, tell me again! He told me he was 48, he had a birthday coming up in a few days, so he was turning 49. I didn’t understand (still don’t) why he would lie about his age, especially considering how young he looked (or did he?) and just one year’s difference? To that, he told me that his ex was on the site and he did that to spite her. Apparently, he knew it would get to her to see that he lied about his age. I don’t know why he cared what she thought and why he would think that she would care!

That was a bit of a red flag, the lying about his age and the ex whose opinion he still cared about. He told me that he had dated women from Africa before, one from Kenya and one from God-Knows-Where. I didn’t care, still don’t. The conversation went very well. He seemed like a cool guy, funny too. I laughed a whole lot during that conversation. He, for some unknown reason, when he found out about my interest in acting, told me I was talking to the right guy. He got his nephew into acting. He taught the nephew everything the nephew knows. Interesting! The nephew, has been on Grey’s Anatomy (love it!), Glee (love!), Entourage and a few other shows. He is currently, well last they talked, he was dating a woman who used to be a Laker’s Cheerleader in Paula Abdul’s time. So older woman. So he thought  he’d also tell me who in Hollywood is gay or rather in the closet. I thought that was a very interesting topic for our very first telephone conversation and something I really needed to know, urgently! NOT!

Half Asleep, in New Jersey, on the phone with Perry

We talked and talked and laughed and joked around and I was excited to get to know him. You wouldn’t say he was approaching fifty from his personality. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing. At some point, he told me he had to get off the phone because HE WAS TIRED! Ok, interesting way to end a call, YOU made to ME. Bye! I went back to the house, Perry was busy in his office, drawing plans and all that architecture stuff, chilling with the small dog, his best friend. I went to my bedroom and did my loner stuff. I can be such a loner sometimes haha.

Elvis called me the following day, He told me a bit more about himself, he works for Sears, you know the department store that also stocks The Kardashian Kollection? He told me that he trains people at work and he specialises in displays, the Kardashians were so impressed with his work, they called them personally when they opened a new Dash store and asked him to work for them. He told me he politely declined. He doesn’t like them and didn’t want to be associated with them.

He then went on to tell me about the celebrities he had served at his work, Pamela Anderson, Joey from Friends and a whole of others AND some porn stars. I heard the one about the porn stars a few times already. He has really long stories and background information on all the stars he served, you’d swear he went on dates with people and that they didn’t just buy a tv from  him. When I mentioned that, he told me he takes care of his clients and that some celebs are nice people like you and I. Ok then you didn’t have to tell me that, I’m from Africa not somewhere under a rock! He also made sure to explain every phrase he used, for some reason, he thought that I wouldn’t understand, this happened after he learned I was from South Africa, before that, he treated me like a normal person who understands English.

At Perry's one winter night

I had to ask him nicely to please chill out. I was an English teacher for a few minutes, you know? Gimme a break here! Other than that, I found him interesting and enjoyed getting to know him. He was in Los Angeles, I was in San Diego, two hours difference! Mh, will it work? I wondered! Imagine if it did? Dating someone who lived in my dream city, City of Angels, closer and closer to the dream! And he already had all this inside info and interest in the industry. I would obviously have to move to LA at some point, not necessarily with him but, you know, to get closer plus it’s not like I had a place to stay in SD. We talked all the time with Elvis. He would always call me when he got home after work, after he “had a bite to eat.” We’d talk until he fell asleep on me on the phone, sometimes he’d even start snoring haha. I thought that was cute and romantic.

San diego Bay

He was my something to look forward to when days were really dark for me. I was hoping, he wouldn’t ask me about my living arrangement just yet. I was almost glad he was a little ways away (yeah people say that here, doesn’t that sound weird, a little ways away?). One day, while conversing over the phone, I asked him about his living arrangement, darn it, Brook, why would you go there? Now you have to tell him about yours! What to do? What to do!

He stuttered for a second and asked if I really wanted to know, when he asked me that I more really wanted to know than I did when I asked initially! My heart started beating fast, Gosh, what if he’s married, is divorced but still lives with his ex wife, lives with his wife’s family, what? What? Ugh, WHAT?