Sharron, you have a way of setting the scene like few others I've read on Substack. The Greyhound, the sky, the juxtaposition with the imagined L.A. Very nice.
I was hoping that it wasn't the casting couch scenario. You've set a very realistic scene with a determined young lady who has bravely set forth to follow her dream. It reminds me of my youth when I set out for the land of milk and honey in my VW bus. I'll write about that someday, (maybe). Loved this one , Sharron! So good, maybe you could turn this into a longer story or serial. Just sayin'.
1975. I was 19. My travel partner dropped out at the last minute and I didn't have enough money to get too far, especially after the bus broke down on the second day out of Connecticut. A misguided adventure. Finally made it to CA in 1981 in a nice big airplane.
Smart girl! I couldn't think of a finer place to end up. But then, I may be prejudiced, since I was born here. Where did you begin that journey and how old were you?
After 28 years of trying to jumpstart a life in Salt Lake City, I finally worked up the courage to move.I chose Santa Cruz because it's halfway between San Francisco and LA and a small town. Quite the cultural shift, but I met Jeff there. My daughter was born there. And it was a yeasty place (in more ways than one) to learn about the world. Your name is familiar to me for some reason. Did we ever meet in another life?
I like thinking that, Sue. I was a teacher trainer ( locally and nationally). I taught English as a Second language at adult education for many years. I was part of an antiques collective in Soquel. I am related to the Hudsons in SC Any of those possible connections?
No, those connections don't ring a bell. I worked for a couple of years with the In-Home Support Dept and met some wonderful elders. Then I did semi-professional storytelling with the Santa Cruz Storytellers and also worked in the schools telling tales. It wasn't until I moved to Truckee that I did ESL tutoring. Could we have crossed in the night in the schools? It's weird. Santa Cruz keeps coming up in my life in recent years. My daughter married into the Haskin Family from Santa Cruz. Andy even went to the same school in Boulder Creek, but about five years later than Val. There seems to be a pipeline of migrants between SC and Truckee?northern NV.
As a lifelong resident of Los Angeles until 4 years ago, I can confirm that that the sun dances on the ocean every single day, all year long. Indeed it does.
Sharron, you have a way of setting the scene like few others I've read on Substack. The Greyhound, the sky, the juxtaposition with the imagined L.A. Very nice.
I was literally just going to say the same. The imagery is amazing.
Wowie! Thanks, Kristi for saying that. My main goal is to put the reader into the scene...
Oh, Clancy! You are so kind. Thanks for saying that. I loved your OK Hammock story and the Khakis story! I am working my way through your posts.
Thanks for reading!!
Beautifully set up, deliciously executed ... love this
Yowza! Thanks so much FandF!!
And here I was thinking casting couch and victim and every other cliché dream of Hollywood...and she hasn't even reached Colorado. Well done!
She is VERY young, and full of misguided dreams... She'll survive.
Whew. Good one, Sharron. At least she's taken the first steps in her dream.
We wish her well. She is very naive.
Dreamers dream. We all do it. Sometimes we make them happen. )))
Yep! Thanks, Kate.
I wonder what the cost will be for that dream to come true - "come for a screen test at his home. "
Yeah. I am not writing that part.... She will no doubt have a few of her dreams shattered.
"A modern remake of Casablanca"? They already tried that on television twice and it flopped both times.
Right!? Still it seemed to be incongruously, perfectly big for this little story. Thanks for your comment, David.
Sharron, I think you just wrote the story of a million young women with dreams 😊✨️
Yeah, maybe. She is at least brave enough to act on them. Whatever the result.
What a beautiful and vivid piece! Really enjoyed this, Sharron.
Thank you, Justin. When's the next 50s by the fire?
I have to reach out to John (and get my act together!) but I’ll most likely shoot for next Friday. 😃
I was hoping that it wasn't the casting couch scenario. You've set a very realistic scene with a determined young lady who has bravely set forth to follow her dream. It reminds me of my youth when I set out for the land of milk and honey in my VW bus. I'll write about that someday, (maybe). Loved this one , Sharron! So good, maybe you could turn this into a longer story or serial. Just sayin'.
So, about that journey to the land of milk and honey.... where did you start your journey and where did you end up and how old were you?
1975. I was 19. My travel partner dropped out at the last minute and I didn't have enough money to get too far, especially after the bus broke down on the second day out of Connecticut. A misguided adventure. Finally made it to CA in 1981 in a nice big airplane.
Write this up! Could be very funny. The hero's quest gone bad.
Ah, the dream of so many in snow-bound towns. At 28, I followed that dream to Santa Cruz and never looked back ... much.
Smart girl! I couldn't think of a finer place to end up. But then, I may be prejudiced, since I was born here. Where did you begin that journey and how old were you?
After 28 years of trying to jumpstart a life in Salt Lake City, I finally worked up the courage to move.I chose Santa Cruz because it's halfway between San Francisco and LA and a small town. Quite the cultural shift, but I met Jeff there. My daughter was born there. And it was a yeasty place (in more ways than one) to learn about the world. Your name is familiar to me for some reason. Did we ever meet in another life?
I like thinking that, Sue. I was a teacher trainer ( locally and nationally). I taught English as a Second language at adult education for many years. I was part of an antiques collective in Soquel. I am related to the Hudsons in SC Any of those possible connections?
No, those connections don't ring a bell. I worked for a couple of years with the In-Home Support Dept and met some wonderful elders. Then I did semi-professional storytelling with the Santa Cruz Storytellers and also worked in the schools telling tales. It wasn't until I moved to Truckee that I did ESL tutoring. Could we have crossed in the night in the schools? It's weird. Santa Cruz keeps coming up in my life in recent years. My daughter married into the Haskin Family from Santa Cruz. Andy even went to the same school in Boulder Creek, but about five years later than Val. There seems to be a pipeline of migrants between SC and Truckee?northern NV.
The schools may have been using some of the ESL books I wrote. Maybe you saw my name there?
Maybe. I'll dig deeper.
The dream is usually better than the reality. But what is life without dreams?
Right you are! She's just a kid. Lots of time to dream, and wake up and dream some more.
As a lifelong resident of Los Angeles until 4 years ago, I can confirm that that the sun dances on the ocean every single day, all year long. Indeed it does.
Aha! I am from Santa Cruz, so I was pretty sure it does. Thanks!