We shared our first kiss while studying poetry in the foothills of the Rockies. But he won out, and we ended up here in his hometown. Domi had wooed me well. Now he wanted Los Angeles to seduce me. He showered me with scarves and necklaces as we perused the trendy Melrose Avenue shops.
When I saw the flames and smoke of the fires on the screen from thousands of miles away, it felt as though I had lost Eric all over again. I began to acclimate to L.
I thought I had whispered discreetly, but both Domi and the movie star laughed so loudly the whole restaurant turned to look at me. While we tossed back margaritas at Mexico City, I resolved not to embarrass myself again by staring at the lead in my favorite television show sitting two booths over. Yet by the end of her meal, she had slunk down so low her head was almost level to the table. One day we hiked up past Griffith Observatory to the top of Mt. I sat facing westward, drinking in the big sky view that stretched all the way to the ocean.
The only other group of hikers clustered together, facing eastward. When they left, I gushed that they had been members of a famous rock band. I finally belong here! Domi agreed. On a weekend trip to Baja, we stopped for lobster at Puerto Nuevo. We bought cheap rings in Ensenada and exchanged them under the full moon. Back in Los Angeles, we performed our wedding vows — a poem we wrote together — for friends and family among the pepper trees and roses at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Cypress Park.
As educators in South Los Angeles schools, we worked long hours. My life suddenly changed. My husband had two sudden massive heart attacks and died. We bought a fixer-upper in Eagle Rock. Thanks to my high school students, I had become as enamored with L. Domi and I pushed their stroller down the Venice Beach Boardwalk, stopping to listen to Harry Perry and watch a man on roller skates juggling while wearing a Speedo. We dug our toes into the sand as we waited for our names to be called for a seat at Gladstones in Malibu.
