It's Hard to be Lee

15. Fun in the Sun

Lee packed light for her trip. They provided her with wardrobe changes, most of the clothes she could keep.

Her mother was excited that she got to go on the trip. Her salon was doing well, but she wanted a vacation. Though this was no vacation for either. Lee's mother was now her professional hair stylist and the only one that did Lee's hair. Lee made this a special request that everyone agreed on. The few times an assignment called for a look they felt another stylist could create better, Lee's mother recommended someone.

As soon as Lee arrived in South Beach, she prepped for her photoshoot. It was on the beach and was her first time modeling a swimsuit. She was not nervous at all. It was all natural to her.

"Lee, they're going to do a profile on you as the next up-and-coming supermodel. It shouldn't take long. Come on," her agent said to her when they were done with her make-up and hair, leading her to a reporter and photographer.

"Hello!" Lee said cheerfully. The magazine emphasized teens, the reported looked young herself, early to mid-twenties. Maybe she could relate to her.

"LeAnne Anderson, have a seat," the reporter said, as she sat across for her. They were near the set, on the beach, and it was nice and sunny out.

"Sure. Call me Lee."

"Okay. I'm Rebecca. Now, I hear you're a terribly busy girl."

"Who are you telling!" she said with a sigh. "Can you believe this is supposed to be a vacation for me and I still have to work?"

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Wow!" Rebecca tapped on her phone, recording as well as taking down notes. "So young, but so mature. What kind of kid things do you do?"

"Oh, lots. I'm a cheerleader, I'm in the school play and I like hanging with my friends."

"You have lots of friends?"

"A select few. I moved from St. Louis to L.A. so I don't know many people. I've made a few friends, but it's hard. Most people treat me like I'm some big star."

"You are! Or very soon will be," Rebecca said. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

She could not believe she asked her that, but in this day and age, people still assumed teenagers were super boy crazy. Maybe she was, that's why she had so many boyfriends in the last year. All she wanted was to find Mr. Right.

"No, no boyfriend."

"But I bet you have your pick of the guys."

"It doesn't really work like that. I want to find a guy that is compatible with me, understand I am serious about my work. Can handle it."

"You wouldn't really have time to date, would you? With all your work and other involvement."

"I guess not."

Lee did not want to keep discussing her dating life. She was only fifteen, let her be. What was the point of asking about her and boys? The bigger she rose in fame, the nosier everyone became she guessed. She heard that before, and though she wanted fame, she was not ready for being constantly asked about her personal life.

"Tell us about a typical day in your life."

She signed a relief as the topic changed. "Sure! Well, I get up early, rehearse lines, or finish homework, then I head off to school. Me and my friends do the normal high school stuff and then after school either I have cheerleading, play rehearsal and/or voice lessons. Then I head home and eat dinner, do my homework, and go to bed. My mom and my agents have been very helpful in not getting me work on weekdays. I like it like that because there is a lot of other stuff I want to do."

"What about acting? How serious are you about that?"

"Very. I think of modeling as something I can do now but acting will be my future. I'd really like to dabble in it now, so if I get an audition, well, we'll see."

"You are very goal-oriented, and you seem to know what you want to do early in life. I give you two thumbs up for that. It took me till I graduated college to have that kind of focus about my career," Rebecca chuckled at that. "Do you think you are a role model to other girls your age?"

"Hmmm, I guess maybe. I hope to be a positive role model, but I'm just me, little old Lee."

"Well, not so little for too long."

After the photo shoot, she and her mother were able to lay out and have fun in the sun. her mother, who she loved dearly, did not look like a mother in her little black thong bikini and guys were hitting on her left and right. Her mother looked incredible for having had a whole kid fifteen years ago.

"Mom, when did you know dad was the one?"

Her mother shaded her eyes from the sunlight and looked at her. "The one what?"

"The one you wanted to marry and be with forever?"

Her mother chuckled at that but said nothing.

"Well?" Lee asked again.

"What makes you think he is the one?"

"Huh? You married him, bore his child, that means he is!" She was baffled by her mother not answering the question, not taking it seriously.

"I love you father, he loves me...I don't believe it was destiny or anything, or that he is "The One." I don't buy into that. We make it work, every single day. We have our bad days, mostly good days, and we balance each other out. I never thought he was the one. I knew I could make it work with him. And it is...work."

"Work?" She scrunched her nose at that. "I don't want a relationship that is work, I want it to be like effortless, just perfect together. No arguments, no fights, we like the same things, we want the same things."

Her mother laughed at her again, and at this point it was just plain rude.

"Mom!"

"Oh my sweet little girl," her mother pulled her close for a hug. "Stop stressing over this, you will develop worry lines over this pretty face. When you meet the boy you think it's the one...whatever that means, just let it happen. You will see, it's work. Have to stick in there for some of the bad times as well, just not run away."

Was her mother referencing her and Julius? She ran away from that relationship, but they could have worked it out. She did not even try.

Her mother taught her a lot that day, but she wanted to get her father's side of things as well. When she got back home, she needed to know things from a guy's perspective.

Hello!

What age were you when you wanted to find "The one?" I personally think fifteen is too young, but when I was that age (many moons ago) I was expecting to find him too.