Secrets & Lies (8 page)

I bought postcards, a Disneyland shirt, and a Mickey Mouse hat for Freddie, ha ha.

We stayed until nightfall—Peter had business—and saw the fireworks over Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The day went so fast, I couldn't believe it was over when the car Peter sent to pick us up met us at the front gates. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got in the car. After not sleeping so well last night, I was dead.

Tomorrow Lucy and I will explore Hollywood, then tomorrow night Peter gets off and is meeting us at one of the hot spot nightclubs.

What a vacation!

F
EBRUARY
10, 1961

Well
, dear diary, I had a very interesting day!

And this evening I met a man and we have a date tomorrow night, without Lucy or Peter!

This morning Lucy and I walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard. We saw Grauman's Chinese Theatre and all the hand-prints of movie stars. My favorite was seeing Marilyn Monroe. I wondered why Elvis Presley's prints weren't there, but I guess they don't consider him a movie star, even though he makes movies. Is there a place with singers' prints? I don't know. And, oh, my gosh, we went in Frederick's of Hollywood. I was turning all kinds of shades of red when I saw the sexy lingerie. I thought about buying a corset but I didn't know who I'd wear it for. That's not the kind of thing a girl wears when she's alone! Lucy told me the owner, Frederick, invented the push-up bra. There were plenty of those! I bought one, but don't tell anyone.

For lunch we went to Musso & Frank Grill, a Hollywood landmark, it's been there since the days of silent movies. We still didn't see any celebrities though! I thought for sure we'd see
someone
on this trip, but it hasn't happened.

I stood on the corner of Hollywood and Vine for a few minutes in case a movie producer spotted me and wanted to make me a star, ha ha. From there I had a great view of the Capitol Records Building, which looks like a stack of records. On the sidewalk are a few stars with famous names on them. Apparently this “Walk of Fame” is going to extend all the way down the boulevard.

After going back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and a rest, Lucy and I took a cab to Flickers nightclub, which was close to the Sunset Strip. The lights of the Strip were dazzling. It was just like on
77 Sunset Strip
except in color!

Flickers is a nightclub with a stage; they have popular music acts there. Frankie Laine performed tonight. The only thing I knew of
his was the theme from
Rawhide
, which he sang. Everyone loved it.

The club wasn't very big. You had to have reservations to get in. The bar was separated from the tables and stage area, but waitresses moved around and got drinks for people. Lucy and I waited a half hour at the table before Peter finally joined us. He was glad to be almost finished with his conference.

Right before Frankie Laine went on, Lucy squeezed my arm and blurted, “Is that Paul Newman over there?” She indicated a well-dressed man across the room standing near the bar. He was talking to the guy wearing a tuxedo who had greeted us at the door. Sure enough, the man she was talking about did indeed resemble Paul Newman, but I could tell it wasn't him. This fellow was short, and his upper body was muscular. I've heard Paul Newman is shorter than he looks on screen, but this guy was probably 5′ 7″. That's no big deal to me. I don't necessarily have to have men as tall or taller than me. It's usually
the men
that are bothered by it.

I said to Lucy, “He's not Paul Newman, but whoever he is, he's
quite the man
.”

He must have seen me watching him, for he caught my eye and kept turning his head to look at me. In a little while, the guy in the tuxedo came over with a tray of drinks for all three of us. He introduced himself as Charlie Kelly, the owner and manager of Flickers. He said his nephew Leo—and indicated the Paul Newman look-alike—had treated us to drinks and would like to come say hello. I knew then that it was me he was interested in. I was the third wheel at the table.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at me, letting it be my decision.

“Sure,” I said.

The owner went back to the bar, spoke to his nephew, and then the man came over to our table.

“Good evening,” he said. “I'm Leo Kelly. My uncle runs this place.”

“Yes, he told us,” Peter said. He introduced us all to Leo.

He then addressed me. “I couldn't help but notice this lovely young lady sitting without a partner. Are you waiting for someone, Judy?”

His blue eyes were dazzling and he had the nicest smile. I figured him to be maybe ten years older than me, early thirties. Oh, he was
definitely
handsome, and he had a glow about him that was infectious. There was something hard-edged about him that I couldn't quite define, though. “No, I'm not,” I replied.

“May I sit a minute?”

I looked at Peter and Lucy. Peter beat me to it. “Please do.”

Leo sat beside me and said, “You look like visitors. Am I right?”

“Yes, we're from New York,” Peter answered. “I'm here on business. Lucy and Judy are here to have some fun while I'm otherwise engaged.”

“We went to Disneyland yesterday,” Lucy offered.

Leo laughed. “You can't come to L.A. without going to Disneyland. What else have you done?”

Lucy and I took turns telling him a little about our adventures. Peter asked him what he did, and Leo replied that he was in the warehouse business, whatever that was. His father had built a company located in the Wholesale District of Los Angeles and he ran it now. As he was saying this, I made a point to look at his left hand. No wedding ring. He was becoming more and more attractive by the minute, dear diary.

Leo was very charming. Not only was he terribly good looking, he spoke with confidence and as if he was worth a million bucks. He had light brown hair cut short like Paul Newman's. He was dressed in a pin-striped suit that looked as if it came straight from Italy. When that thought crossed my mind, I realized what it was my intuition had flagged. He wasn't Italian, I don't think, but he reminded me of gangsters I had come across in Manhattan. Leo had the same attitude, but not the menace. He asked us what our plans were for tomorrow. I said Lucy and I were doing more sightseeing. And then Lucy spoke up and said, “I'm going with Peter to a banquet at his
conference tomorrow night. Judy, have you decided what you're going to do?”

“No, not really.”

Leo raised his eyebrows. “You mean you're on your own tomorrow night?”

“Yes.”

“May I take you to dinner? I would be delighted to keep you company.”

My heart fluttered, dear diary. “Oh, I don't want to impose. I'm sure I can—”

“No, no, I insist. Please. It would be my honor to show you the town. I know a landmark Italian restaurant that's exquisite. It would be my pleasure, Judy.”

I looked at Lucy. She was giving me the
do it! do it!
eyeball. “Well, all right,” I said. “That's very kind of you.”

With that, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and removed a business card, which he gave to me. It had his name, office address—Kelly Warehousing Enterprises—and phone number. I told him I was staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He seemed impressed by that.

“Why don't I pick you up there at, say, seven thirty?”

“Sure. That'll be fine.”

He smiled and tilted his head. “You don't sound like a New Yorker. Are you from the south?”

“Texas. But I've been living in New York for almost ten years.”

“I
love
your accent.”

That made me blush. “Thank you.”

All of a sudden, a gorgeous brunette approached the table. She was dressed in a cocktail dress and wasn't too bothered by the amount of cleavage she was showing. My first thought was,
Uh-oh, here's his girlfriend
. But no, Leo looked up and said, “Ah, Christina!” He stood. “Everyone, this is my sister Christina.” Peter stood and shook her hand, and then Lucy and I did, too.

“Won't you join us?” Peter asked.

“No, thank you, I just came to collect my brother. Are you ready, Leo?” she asked. As soon as she spoke, my senses went haywire. This girl was dangerous. She was in her late twenties, but she exuded a worldliness beyond her years. She had seen some things. If I thought Leo had a mysterious hard edge about him, Christina Kelly had him beat in spades. It was an instant dislike, dear diary, and I'm not completely sure why. She seemed nice enough, but I felt as if she looked down her nose at me. Like I was not good enough for her brother.

Leo turned to us and said, “Ah, yes, Christina and I have an appointment. It was such a pleasure meeting you all.” He shook hands with Peter and Lucy again. “Have a marvelous stay in Los Angeles for the rest of your trip.” Then he took my hand in both of his. I swear I felt a shock run up my arm. This guy had overflowing charisma. “Judy, I'm so happy to meet you. I look forward to tomorrow evening. Seven thirty, in your hotel lobby?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“
Buona sera
,” he said. Frankie Laine was just coming on, so Leo said, “Enjoy the show,” and scooted off with his sister.

“Well, how about that?” Lucy said, giggling and grabbing my arm.

“Oh, my God, I have a
date
! What do I wear?”

“He's so handsome! Don't you think so? He's shorter than you, but does that matter?”

“Not at all. Yes, he's very good looking.”

The music was going full swing by then, so we had to shut up. I sat there during the show, sipping my drink and thinking about the mysterious man I'd just met. Now
that
's going to keep me awake tonight!

1961

F
EBRUARY
12, 1961

I'm writing this on the airplane. We're on our way home to New York.

It was such an incredible trip. I had so much fun. Going back to cold, dreary Manhattan won't be fun. I loved L.A. I liked the sunshine and the climate. I liked the food and the sights. It's so different from New York, almost the antithesis. Life seems to move at a slower pace in L.A., so I felt more relaxed.

Which brings me to something Leo proposed to me last night, dear diary, and I'm actually thinking about it.

Yesterday began with breakfast at the hotel, Peter went off to the final day of the conference, and Lucy and I were turned loose on the town, ha ha. We went to Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard and looked at really expensive clothes. I wanted to get something to wear on my date with Leo, and I told Lucy I wanted to look like a movie star. It was unbelievable how much the so-called designer clothes cost. But I found something I liked, and Lucy said I looked great in it, so I splurged and paid
30 for it. Highway robbery if you ask me, but it does look cute. It's a black chiffon cocktail dress with a sleeveless bodice and a low neckline. The bodice has satin cord floral “appliqués”—that's what the salesman called them. Fitted skirt.
I also purchased a cashmere scarf—a black one—that would go well with New York winters. It set me back another
9. Outrageous, but it's pretty and it'll be a nice souvenir of the trip. I'm actually glad I bought it.