A Moment In Time

You finally did it! Traveled all the way from Michigan to New Orleans to meet up with your fellow writers and most of all meeting your favorite writer. Everyone is lining up to have their book personally signed by P.M. Glaser. Your heart is pounding, you are gripping the book like its going to disappear and now you are standing infront of him, offering the book to him as if he was royalty. You memorized this moment over and over again, yet you are hesitant and feel like you just got hit by lightening, or more like a deer caught in headlights. Just say it, you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret if you didn't. You remember the title of your favorite book written by him, before he became famous," Hookfoot and Finn", blurting out like you are on the game show Jeopardy. He eyes you suspiciously, you smile and say I love the different voices you used in audible books, in somewhat of a robot tone voice. You're thinking snap out of it! You are sounding like a rabid fan. Why is this man making me feel unglued. It's like time stood still and just the two of you are in the room. You remind yourself again the main reason you are here: share your experience of feeling helpless and fear of losing everything that is dear to your heart. For this is why you love his stories. Its the way he strikes at your existance and brings those fears to light instead of dismissing them as if they are nothing more than swirls of steam from your coffee. His voice is soft and husky and now he is truly looking at you. Your knees feel like they are going to collapse and your voice seems to go high pitched. What is going on?, you are wondering. This only happens in your books not in real life. He is thrilled that you enjoyed the voices he gave to his characters. His artwork in the book was phenomenal. Wow, he is smiling and laughing with you. No way! This just doesn't happen in your world. You are lucky if you won the door prize at the last writer's seminar much less experiencing this! He is truly genuine and handsome too. He is actually sharing his art for his next book with you through his Iphone. Your mind and body are just in overload. It feels like Christmas morning and seeing an old friend you have missed for years all at once. Then all of a sudden you get this strange notion to hug him. What are you doing, your mind shouts! Where is your self controll? But your heart tells you this is instinctual and true. He hugs you back in the same embrace. He smiles and his eyes sparkle like the pacific ocean on a sunny day. Again you want to pinch yourself to make sure this is real. Then he thanks you for your support in his work. You are still reeling from what just happened. Then he asks you who do you want this book to be dedicated to, you finally come back from dreamland and say: To my niece, may you always believe in the unexpected and expect the best. PM Glaser's favorite quote signed Best wishes. You feel like you just found the Holy Grail as you gingerly hold the book that your favorite author just signed. He has personally invited you to his next event and wants your opinion on his first three chapters of his next book. You feel like you just won the mega millions lottery! You yell YES!! Wow, what a moment in time to treasure till the next time you meet.

So you give him your card with all your information. Then you step away noticing everyone is looking at you, with awe and envy because you are bold and courageous in going after what you want. Your friend Carolyn who happens to be his publisher and market agent, sees the connection btween you two and says you really should be honored because he doesnt interact with his fellow readers like that. You are beaming and feeling flushed. What a confirmation that this really happened. So as you are walking with Carolyn, you notice Glaser is coming up beside Carolyn and talks in a whisper near her ear and she glances over to you with a knowing smile, says "How would you like to join us for dinner at the Ciao's this evening. You are ecstatic to receive such an esteem invitation. Then your mind goes to what do I wear? What did I bring that is appropriate for such an occassion.

On the day of the anticipated dinner to Ciao's, you remind yourself that you are an artist when it comes wearing the right clothing to fit the occassion. You are a well known personal shopper to the executive world of business, you can so do this!! Just find the right shop and off to an unforgetable evening you go. You remember your budget for this trip and realize trendy boutique is where you will find the dress that celebrates New Orleans and brings out your 20's fashion woman spirit. So here you are anticipating how this evening will unfold, there in the window of this quaint shop of Southern Comfort shows a dress with peacock feather design with beading detailing and the hemline you adore. You cant wait to try this beauty on! The material is chiffon with a silk lining in black with the outer layers in teal, azure and torquoise with peacock feathers printed design all over the material. The hemline is high- low with a mermaid flare. Spagetti- straps beaded with torquoise beads that look like tear drops and a sweatheart neckline that accentuates your swan like neckline. When you try this dress on you feel like Cinderella when she has on the gown her fairy Godmother magically made for her. It fits perfectly and even the saleswoman remarks it was made for you. You feel like you just walked on stage of Dowton Abby. Now for the shoes and accessories. Very important details to make an entrance. Yes , you are truly an unforgetable woman, your mind tells you. Black strappy heels and my Grandma's Swarowski crystal encrusted choker necklace with cascading marquise stones in antique silver with matching earrings. Always a conversation piece due to the artistry work of the pendant. Attention to detail is your trademark. You are so ready for tonight. One more thing your matching shawl of torquiose and your black satin clutch with the jeweled clasp shaped like a fanned peacock. Now you are ready to have an evening to remember. Carolyn is such a dear. She knows how to make people feel welcomed and feel like royalty. She ordered a covered Victorian horse drawn buggie for your transport from the Grand Hotel to the Ciao Restorante. What elegance as you are escorted through the cocktail area into a small sitting area where there is an elevator to take you to the private dining area. You eyes cant taken all of the artistry of old southern gentry charm. From the ornate paintings to the chandeliers hanging from ceiling like crystals found in undersea cave and the crisp white tablecloths with crystal wine glasses. Breathtaking. The colors of the walls and celings are of tuscan Italy which coordinate wonderfully with the New Orleans style furniture and decor. Waiters waiting on you with tuxedos and white crisp cloths draped over their left forearms. In the center of all this magnificence is the guest of honor table seating your one and only favorite author crush..Mr. Glaser. You gracefully walk over to where he is standing waiting to seat you at his table. You think you are going to swoon but gathering your nerve , you graciously accept. You are seated at his right hand, thanking that you are left handed as he is also so you won't be dueling for space to eat. He orders your drink which is Southern Sweet tea, while he orders wine. You are celebrating 18yrs of sobriety and share that with him. You go girl! saying to yourself with confidence. He is enjoying your company. He even compliments you on your attire which brings up your favorite subject: your Grandma, the Matriarch of your family and the one who raised you. Mr. Glaser insists you call him Paul. Oh my! You are thinking I have definitely arrived. You are blushing and smiling that your cheeks actually hurt. He has a sense of humor that tickles you to the point of giggling so hard it catches your breath. You are thinking don't let this evening end. All of a sudden like being abruptly awoken from a dream, the rest of his entourage arrives and more people are taking their seats and vying for his attention. You excuse yourself and go out to the balcony to get air and to just absorb the moment spent with him. Out on the street below people are gathering for the night's festivities. Just as you turn to go inside , literally walk into Glaser. Your face meets his chest which has a few hairs peaking out just below his neckline from his black button down dress shirt. He is definitely alot more broad chested from this angle, you discovered. Oh how embarrassing! Someone have a bag I can hide in, you are saying to yourself. He gives you this awesome smile that makes you melt like ice cream on a hot day. Your heart is beating like a hummingbird's wings. Your feeling very warm and its not from the New Orlean's sultry weather. He very gently places his right arm around your waist as if he is going to lead you into a dance. You are spellbound. But very alert to the way his face is lowering to yours. You see eye to eye. Oh how alluring are his eyes. His pupils are dilated and there's this ring of indego blue surrounding his irises. Time has truly stood still at this moment. Your mind is saying snap out of it, you are causing a scene, but your heart is telling you instictually this is right. The next thing that happens is indescribably epic.

As he is bringing his arm around your waist, your shawl which has beading on the edges starts to tug on your shoulder strap of your dress and before you can blink, down comes the strap cascading like a waterfall down to your bend in your arm thus revealing a part of you that is only shown in private or when you choose to be with your one and only. Really! Yes!? the inevitable wardrobe malfunction that you so carefully avoid is happening in front of his eyes, Right now! Oh my God! Seriously, this is not happening right now!! Yep, like an artist painting of a Eve in the Garden bearing her rounded breasts without any demure. One word, Mortifying!! This certainly will top your list of awkward moments. Before you could reset the scene, Mr. Gentleman very casually without a note of hesitation protects your virtue by taking the shawl and very skillfully brushes the strap to your shoulder as if nothing had happen at all. You are stunned and relieved, as he asks," would you like to powder your nose," in a french voice he used from his book that you love. You then very quickly say yes and he is nice enough to escort you in that direction with a concern look and a sympathetic smile. So sweet. Inside your mind is telling you: only you could this happen to! Ugh! You walk into this ladies room that looks like someone's personal dressing room, which calms you down. You fix up the straps so that mishap is not going happen again. Then in the mirror you tell yourself Well, thats one way of making an unforgetable impression. You have to laugh otherwise you would cry and never stop from the embarrassment. While you are getting the nerve to go back out there, dear, sweet dependable friend Carolyn comes in and then she says Paul wants to know are you ok? Carolyn has no idea what transpired even though you feel like its going to end up on the 6pm news. You let her know its not a big deal just that you bumped into him literally as coming from the balcony and had tripped, your mind is wishing that's what happened. Both of you return to the table as Paul, Mr. Glaser offers you your seat and you sit next to him like nothing happened except the reddish plume that is surfacing on your face as you gaze into his loving eyes. Then conversation starts about storytelling. You giggle because you have one story to tell your friends back in Michigan that will last a lifetime. Your emotions feel like they just rode a literal rollercoaster. Meomory comes to your mind of how Grandma would sit everyone down for a story from her life in Ukraine when she was a young girl. As Paul was sharing his experiences in finding characters for his book, you bring up your Grandma who was an excellentent storyteller. Paul is intrigued and wants to hear more. Unforgetable moments that require presence and perserverance, your mind is already working on your next novel via this experience.