R.C.
MY EYES STAYED on him the entire ride. He was so unusual, it almost amused me. The fact that this famous actor was offering me, a complete and utter stranger, a place to stay was baffling to me. The strangeness of it all left me suspicious. Dark thoughts started creeping up on me slowly. What if he was a serial murderer? He probably wanted to carry me home so he could kill me in the most gruesome way possible in the middle of the night. Yet.. all those superstitions went away whenever he would look over at me.. and smile.
His smile was incredibly intoxicating, to the point where I felt as if I was getting drunk off of it. It was comforting and sincere, it wiped all my worries doubts away.
During this ride, I took the time to silently observe him further. He had large hands, very large hands. They practically engulfed the steering wheel he gripped onto tightly, he could easily strangle me with one hand alone. Then my mind started to wander further.. leaving me wondering what his large heavy hands would look like around my..
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked sheepishly, his French accent sounding like absolute music to my ears. I flushed, averting my gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about.." I mumbled, turning my head to stare out the window as he smiled. We ventured deeper into upper class caucasian New York. The parts that I always admired but never thought I'd live to see in reality. Lancaster had generously offered me a room at the hotel he was staying at near the set of his new film. He kept on saying to me how talented I was, and how much he would adore to have my career take off. He told me about countless amounts of clubs and bars I could sing at, ones that had many scouts and curious managers that were interested in finding new talent. I contemplated on going to one later that night.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, we pulled up to the hotel parking lot. I began to feel a bit jittery, afraid of the way people would react to see a black man in a wealthy space like this. Quickly, I shook the nerves off, holding my head up high.
The hotel looked so much more glamorous from the inside, even the bell boys looked like they stepped straight out of a high class motion picture. Soft Frank Sinatra tunes floated through the air, and the strong scent of lavender made my nose tingle. I had to stop myself from gaping. I felt Lancaster softly pat my back, directing me to the front desk.
As we approached, I saw the receptionist do a double take. She slowly lowered her reading glasses to take a better look at me as we drew nearer, an almost disgusted look on her face. I had no idea why she would feel superior to me when she was the one sitting behind the desk, not me.
"Good morning Gladys." Lancaster greeted brightly, sending her his best smile. She pursed her lips, holding her composure as she forged a smile back at him.
"My friend here would like to book a room, I hope it is no trouble." He told her, resting his arm on the desk smoothly. Her eyes landed on me once more, this time her gaze wasn't one of disgust, but one of satisfaction. "I'm sorry Lancaster, but we don't offer services to nigge-negroes.." She said, correcting herself teasingly, almost as if it was funny. I had to clench my jaw swiftly, so I wouldn't put her in her place.
"Lancaster.." I said steadily as I clenched and unclenched my fists to try and ease the urges to swing. "I'm really contemplating about beating this bitch up." I warned lowly, but just loud enough for her to hear it. Lancaster quickly eased off of the desk as Gladys's mouth hanged open, he sent her a sheepish smile before turning to look at me.
"Relax, I got it." He whispered to me confidently, his eyes sparkling from the bright glitter coming from the chandelier hung up above us. He motioned for me to go sit down in the lobby, as he turned back to Gladys. I sighed, forcing myself out of the situation. I really didn't want him to fight my battles for me, it made me feel powerless and I hated that feeling. Sure, I understood that that was how the world worked for someone like me, but it didn't make it sting any less.
