Girlie — Part 3 of 4
When my paradise vacation ended
One of the most delightful aspects of working a job in Burbank, California babysitting a dog and cleaning a swimming pool daily was the fact that not a single person I had ever known in my life, including family and friends, had any idea where I was. Not even my ex-girlfriend.
I began my disappearing act about a year and a half earlier when I first stuck my thumb out and left everything behind. That was right after my ex-girlfriend dumped me. I found out how truly exhilarating it was to just walk away from everything and everyone, disappearing into the world. It was like starting your life from scratch — on your terms. I think everyone should try it sometime. It’s a powerful experience.
So I vanished into the world of books while hiding away in a tiny little oasis in Southern California. Absolutely no one knew where I was. It was just me and Girlie living in pure joy. At the time I was convinced that no job could be as wonderful as the current temporary dog-sitting job I had. Of course about five years later I would stumble upon a job that turned out to be my very favorite job of all — despite the fact that it would be much, much harder. Instead of taking care of a doggie for six weeks I would end up taking care of a tiny human for four and a half years. Being a full-time stay at home mommy didn’t pay nearly as well as taking care of a dog, in fact it didn’t pay at all, but it would prove to be my favorite and most rewarding job I would ever have.
During the fifth week of my utterly carefree job/vacation thoughts started up in my noggin. They invaded my peace. Time was running out. Walter and his wife would soon be back from Spain and I had to figure out what to do next.
I did not want to go back out on the road. I had not only fallen in love with Girlie but I had also fallen in love with the weather in Southern California. I liked it there and I wanted to stay there. I figured that I needed to find a job so that I could afford a place to live. I would then work for some months trying to save as money as I could so that I could quit that job and have maybe a couple of months to write full-time. I knew the next novel was coming. It was my top priority and all planning was centered on that.
Thanks to my daily walks with Girlie and my trips to used bookstores I had learned the lay of the land. I knew the neighborhood and I knew where the cheapest rents were — and back in the early Eighties there were still some affordable places — and I also knew where potential jobs were. It was almost time to bite the bullet and go back to retail hell.
To someone like me whose only desire in life is to write any job is hell. I do not take to the harness very well. It is so life draining to be some automaton in a store or factory working one’s life away to make someone else rich. I wanted to do what I wanted to do and that involved creativity, not mindless work. Without writing life seemed pointless.
But I knew that if I wanted to stay in California with hopes of writing full-time again that there was no other option but to get a job and put the harness on. So many, many times in my life I put my writing aside in order to eat and have a roof over my head. Would it ever end?
If there is anything worse than a job it’s looking for a job. Job hunting is something I thoroughly abhor. But to my utter delight I got a job at the first place where I applied. It was almost painless. A good sign perhaps?
My first day of work was scheduled for the day after Walter and his wife got back from Spain. That was good timing except for the fact that I would not get my first paycheck for ten days and I still needed to find a place to live. So when Walter got back and gave me more money I asked him if I could rent his guesthouse for a few more days until I could find a place to live and move. He agreed although he refused to take any rent money.
This enabled me to spend a little more time with Girlie even though I was now working.
In Southern California there are many apartment complexes with two 2-story buildings with a courtyard between the buildings. Many of these complexes were built in the 1940s. There was one in particular not far from where I was now working that I had walked past many times. Every time I passed it I would stare at it and get a warm feeling. It was so darn cute and the courtyard looked like a jungle.
There were no For Rent signs up but I decided to check with the manager who lived in one of the apartments. He said that there was nothing available currently but there was someone moving out at the end of the month. With the money Walter had paid me I paid a deposit on the apartment so that it would be held for me.
Everything seemed to happen so easily and painlessly for me. It was almost a little weird.
Before I knew it I was working a full-time job and had a nearby apartment that was so darn cute and cozy. Life was sweet. I could feel that the new novel was still not ready to show up so I just enjoyed living there in Southern California.
To my profound delight I learned that Southern California had something known as ‘mass transit.’ I knew what it was because I had lived in Europe before but I had never lived anywhere in America before that had mass transit. I learned that I could go to the bus stop at the end of my block and take a series of buses and end up on the beach!
Finally I was able to dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean!
Life was indeed grand but seven months after moving into my apartment my life took a seriously radical turn. Everything changed. And it was all because of one word handwritten on one otherwise blank sheet of paper.
Keep reading Girlie: Part 1 of 4: My One and Only Dog-sitting Gig Part 2 of 4: The Second Best Job I Ever Had Part 3 of 4: When My Paradise Vacation Ended Part 4 of 4: The One-word Letter
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