Hollywood Confessions: The Reluctant Starlet

The Tinsel Town struggle is real.

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sophisticated-woman-talking-to-a-man-inside-an-office-7319478/

The Dive Restaurant

It was kind of place you find yourself without knowing how you got there. It was just a spot to make a phone call, grab a quick bite, or even just to sit and stare at the walls, wondering what you are going to do next. It seemed made for those kinds of situations…at noon, when the office girls and boys were hustling along the sidewalks outside, you barely would have noticed it. And yet, at 3 am, when the streets were empty, littered with scraps of paper and empty bottles, and all the other doors had chains on them…it was all there was, your final destination.

The neon sign outside buzzed faintly, its pink glow pulsing in a hypnotic rhythm, casting a sickly light through the grimy windows. The paint on the sign was chipped and faded, the words barely legible: “Mel’s.” Short and Sweet. The air reeked of cigarette smoke and cheap liquor, mingling with the faint hint of desperation that seemed to cling to the patrons like a second skin. The vinyl booths were cracked and worn, the red cushioning peeling away to reveal the yellow foam beneath. The jukebox in the corner played scratchy old tunes in a whining monotone.