Chapter One…THE TELEPHONE CALL

There was a time when I wasn’t a singer/actor. There was a time when I took a break. I took a break because singing, acting, creating characters brought me the most joy. I know. It doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone give up something that gave her the most joy?

It was 2007 and I was getting a divorce. It was not at all what I wanted. But it was something I had to do. It was painful. It was the most pain I had ever been in my life. I was grieving the loss of my best friend, of the life I thought I would be living, of a family in a far-away country I had become a part of and loved. I felt betrayed, lost, exhausted. I had lost everything. It was the worst time of my life. I wanted no part of joy. No part of happiness. So I gave it up. I gave up singing. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Joy, happiness was not something I was interested in.

I did have a job. It was, as we actors call it, my day job. I was the personal assistant to an incredible celebrity fashion designer who had decided, unlike most fashion designers, to live in Los Angeles. She was already one of the top designers in the world. And she was kind. She was generous. Not at all Devil Wears Prada.

I worked in her home, taking care of things like personal shopping, bill paying, dropping off gifts and party planning. If I was no longer going to pursue a career in the arts, this is what I was meant to do. I was very good at this job. And I took great pride in my work. When I filed for divorce, the family was on holiday for the summer in Europe. I was alone. And I came into work daily, curled up in a ball on the floor of my office and cried. For hours. I wasn’t sure how long this would go for, how long it would take before I would stop crying. That’s when the phone rang.

I am the oldest of four kids and I have three younger brothers. They are all successful, fine men. Sort of. Let’s just say they have their faults. More on that later. The youngest of the three, Rob, is a beer maker. He loves beer. He makes beer. And he runs a store called Beer, Beer and More Beer in Southern California. So, yeah…beer.

So…back to this phone ringing. I’m at work and my cell phone goes off. The screen lights up the name ROB. Little brother. He never calls. Someone died. Something bad has happened. I don’t think I can handle any more bad news. I am already almost too tender to get up in the morning. Now this.

Rob’s chipper voice on the other end of the line (can we still call it a “line”?) calmed my frazzled nerves. “Hey. I’m getting married.” “WHAT?!?,” I replied. “Yeah, getting married. In Vegas. Can you come?” “When?,” I asked. “December 22nd.” I had to think for a second. Wait. December 22 is right before Christmas. I would already be back home for the holidays. And Mom. What about Mom? She works in retail. The holidays are her busiest time of the year. I didn’t think she could take the time off from work for a Vegas wedding three days before Christmas. I asked Rob about all of these things. He replied that it would all be okay. I said I wanted to be there and it was going to be a blast. But it wasn’t going to all be okay. This was just the beginning of what was to be a life-altering project.

Chapter Two…The Second Telephone Call…coming soon!