Page 51 of Sensing Selma
Iboarded the firsttrain to London bright and early the next morning. I’d called for an early morning lift the night before and had packed just a few small items into a small bag.
I’d never been to a movie premier before and was a little befuddled as to what to wear. What did one wear to a movie premier? How glitzy could it be? Figuring it all out had been the true dilemma. I’d finally opted to wear comfy jeans and a simple white shirt for the train ride with the intention of changing into a simple but very chic hot red cocktail dress once in London. The bulkiest thing in my bag were the three inch shiny red pumps I absolutely had to wear with that little dress.
The sun had barely been up when I tiptoed out of my room and down to my waiting lift.
“The train station?”the driver had said.
“That’s right,” I’d said with a smile as I slid into the back seat. “I’m off to London.”
We’d reached the station in no time and once on that train I simply couldn’t stop smiling. I felt so absolutely cosmopolitan. I felt so worldly and well-travelled, although I’d hardly ever travelled at all. But the adventure of it suited me so very well.
I took my seat, happy to have a window through which I could watch the scenery pass me by.
The weather was perfect; cool temperature, light breeze and high feathered clouds that didn’t hold a drop of rain. What a beautiful day. What an exquisite day.
The train pulled into London leaving me more than enough time to find the venue, find a nearby place to change into my cute cocktail dress and then wait for Damen’s limousine to pull up.
With so much time on my hands, I opted to do a little bit of shopping. I found a huge department store and got an eyeful of gorgeous everything; clothes, shoes, house décor...all of it. I finally found my way to the jewelry department and bought a perfect little bracelet to go with my dress. Pleased with myself, I stepped back out onto the street only to find that tiny droplets of rain had begun to fall.
“No. Oh, no, no!”
The rain, the humidity...even the wind had picked up. What had happened to my lovely day?
Disheartened, I marched back inside the store to buy an umbrella and, sulking like a child, walked back out to face the rain. Time was ticking, and I had to find the venue for this movie premier.
Following the map on my phone, I walked two blocks, turned right, walked another block and turned left.Why had I not realized how far the venue was from the train station? Seemed when I’d first checked it was just minutes away...by car. There was my mistake. I’d neglected to specify that I was on foot.
“Damn,” I groaned to myself. “I can be such a dunce sometimes.”
It turned out to be so much farther than I’d anticipated that I now had to rush to find a nearby place to change.
Why hadn’t I changed at the store? Why? Because I hadn’t wanted to walk in my heels more than absolutely necessary. I chastised myself again. I simply wasn’t thinking ahead.
As I walked around with no luck, I grew more and more disenchanted. My genius idea of finding an adequate place to changed proved to be another challenge I hadn’t anticipated. Many of the neighboring businesses and restaurants were either closed or filled to capacity, refusing to let me in.
I finally managed to enter a hotel lobby and go to their restroom to change. I slipped into the tight dress, struggled to get the zip at the back completely pulled up, then put on my heels. After quickly shoving my jeans and shirt as well as my walking shoes back into my bag, I checked my hair and makeup.
While the humidity added a little more frizz to my curls, it still didn’t look bad. And all my make-up needed was a fresh swipe of lipstick and I was good to go.
I walked out, and while the clerk looked at me funny, she said nothing as I passed her by and exited the hotel.
Feeling pretty and proud to be there to support my new love, I went to the theatre where a crowd of fans had already begun to line up despite the rain.
A limousine pulled up and the crowd screamed. But when the director stepped out with her husband, who also appeared in the movie, the crowd quieted down. A few fans even left, giving me front row access.
Three more limousines came by to drop off other stars of the movie. With each one that came and went, the rain fell harder and the crowd of fans grew thinner.
Finally, I saw Damen emerge from the last limousine. My heart swelled with love and pride. He looked so dapper, so incredibly handsome. He looked every bit the big star that he was. I couldn’t help but smile knowing that he was all mine.
His co-star, Roma Lane, a pop star turned actress, came out right behind him. She was breathtaking. Her thick auburn curls were swept up, exposing her long delicate neck and highlighting her gorgeous features. She wore a sexy yellow gown, that clung to her curves just right. Damen took her hand in his, held it up high, then kissed her hand.
For a second, I felt a pang of jealousy. I knew it was all a part of his job, but still...did he have to look so happy holding her hand.
Yes, I realized. Yes, and I had to get used to the idea. This was what I had to expect in dating a man whose career consisted of making romantic movies with beautiful actresses.
I pressed a smile and waved without looking too fanatical.
Under the shelter of a large umbrella held up by a guard, they entered the theatre. And that was it. They were gone.
