You Can't Marry Them All and Other Hollywood Stories

By Linda Roberts

Marvin English is a prominent name in Hollywood, mainly because he is married to a Broadway superstar, and for no other reason. He considers himself a talent Agent. Someone who can provide a new face to Hollywood and make them a star. Sound familiar? His business is done out of a Los Angeles apartment and all six bedrooms have been converted into offices. His business is providing celebrities for commercials, events and public appearances. He is also known for offering and providing a safe haven where he can take his paramours. Yes, he is a cheater of the worst kind. When he would bring his mistresses to the apartment/office, the staff was given warning to leave the office immediately. Marvin is not unlike others who play the same kind of game. Promises that never happen, false joys of excitement only to be disappointed; and dinners and events where the payoff is what happens afterwards. Producers, Directors and other well known people can take advantage of someone new to L.A., but not all of them do it. This book sheds light on some of the activities you might see if you were to become involved in show business. With the ups, downs and dog-eat-dog daily rituals, its what turns some really nice people into back-stabbers Success!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504951937

Book preview

My Love Affairs, plain and simple

CHAPTER ONE

Charles Lopez

My name is Melissa Elizabeth Leeds and I was just six years old when I fell hopelessly in love with a twelve year old. That’s the way it happens sometimes, then that puppy love disappears as the six year old grows into a teenager, but that didn’t happen. I still loved Charles who was an exceptionally handsome Latino, with all the Latino charm. When I turned eighteen I was still very attracted to Charles, whom I hadn’t seen in many years. This is how I met him. His Mother was my Mother’s hairdresser and sometimes he would be at the beauty shop when my Mother would come in for a wash and set. I always accompanied her to the beauty shop, so when Charles was there, I would see him. Charles had jet black hair, with brown eyes and thick black eyebrows, but neatly curved. Kind of like they were drawn in perfect form, but they weren’t. They were just naturally rounded in the right places. His eyes were piercing with warmth that said, welcome, and he had a gentleness that had been there for as long as I had known him. His face was as chiseled as if a fine sculpture had created it. High cheek bones, with an olive complexion let me know he was a true Hispanic of the finest kind. His loving ways taught me how to give and receive love from a true friend. We were the best of friends.

It’s now years later. Charles is 22 and I am just turning 16. Bea, Charles’s Mother and my Mother were also best friends, so in addition to being business friends, the two mothers would get together to share tamales and salad and what made it nice is that we only lived three blocks from each other in Crown Point, California. Charles and I were always together until he went into the service and became a Naval Officer. Now, visits were sporadic, but when Charles came home he would always want to see me.

Charles, now 26, took me out for dinner at a restaurant on the bay when he was on leave. I was now 20. The boats were beautiful, as the sun was going down. The water was glistening and I was feeling great sitting next to him, still with a flutter in my heart when I was in his presence. After dinner we walked along the harbor side, looking at the yachts that were moored, wishing we could hop on one of them and take it out to sea. After a while the weather changed and it became a bit cold. I wasn’t wearing a sweater or jacket so Charles suggested we go to his house and visit there. We got to his mother’s house, where he was staying while on leave, and we listened to music on his phonograph. After a few minutes he took me in his arms and told me how great it was to see me and how wonderful it felt to have me sitting close to him. How he wished it would never end. Those words sounded good to me because I was wishing the same thing. Only problem was he was leaving in two days for a long tour out of the country. As we talked on the sofa, he leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, but that kissed turned into a hungry kiss on the mouth. Something I had wanted for many years. I know I must have been blushing. I could feel my cheeks on fire and my heart racing. I looked at him as if to say, it’s OK, do what you want, and so he did. He made love to me on his mother’s sofa, in the living room, with his mother in the next room over. What if she had come out for some reason? What if anyone else in the house saw us? What would Charles think of me the next day? So many what if’s, but I wasn’t really thinking of them seriously. I was too caught up in the moment of having this handsome Navy Officer lying on top of me, looking at me through my soul. Is this for real or did I die and go to heaven? I was in heaven for sure. Well, I was no longer a virgin, and this was the only time this event ever took place. Only we knew the secret, which we kept from both our Mothers.

Years passed by, Charles married someone else. I married someone else, but both became divorced. Friendship was still deep and historically sound. In 1992 Charles died of Liver Cancer. For a brief moment, he and I reunited to relive old times and that First Love encounter. While we both loved each other as friends for many, many years, it was now time to say goodbye to the handsome Latino that had been a part of my life for over forty years. Sometimes first loves remain in your heart forever. Although Charles is gone, his memory lives inside me as one of my best and longest friendships and my first love. Memories of Charles will always be there.

CHAPTER TWO

Billy Ray

It’s 1958, I’m 21 and working at Convair, General Dynamics in what was called the Missile Site up on Kearny Mesa in San Diego, California. I was often late punching in, but the fellas that worked there saw me coming and would hold up my time card so all I had to do was punch it. It was already in the slot and pushed half way down. If the clock turned to 8am and I hadn’t gotten to it yet, they would punch it for me. Such adorable men back then in 1958. Well anyway, I worked in an electronics lab and I was the only girl. Boy, was I lucky. In that lab was Billy Ray. A tall, lanky, quiet kind of guy but always had a welcoming smile for me.

I was what you would call a trouble-maker. Not intentionally to try and cause trouble, but I got into trouble very easily. Like one day I was bored so I asked if I could take the truck to the main building and the guys said ok. They asked if I could drive a stick shift and of course I said yes. I went outside and looked at the truck with the big silver letters on the front that said MACK. This was a big ass truck. I had to climb up four steps just to get to the door, but I made it. I was agile in those days. I opened the door and hopped in. A couple of the guys were standing outside watching this entire procedure, laughing a bit with each step I took. I yelled out the window and said, How do I start it?

I thought you knew how, said Billy Ray

Turn the key to the right then use your gears in an H position. Bring the gear down to the middle of the H, push down and move it to the far right, then down again. Did you hear that?

Ok, I got it. I said, but all I really heard were the gears being stripped. They were really laughing by this time. I did get it in gear and backed up. Remember, this is a long truck and it doesn’t back up easily, but thank heavens I only had to go a little bit before I could move forward.

So I’m cruising down from the missile site toward the big Convair building and who do I pass along the way but my boss, Mr. Greenberg. I was so busy watching him, I got stuck between the main gate and the circle of plants. I couldn’t move. The worst part is that Mr. Greenberg was walking with the CEO of Convair. Now what was I going to do? I smiled, but he didn’t smile back. I knew I was in trouble. With some help, I got the truck unstuck and drove it back to the missile site. Billy was waiting for me and had been instructed to get the keys from me and park the truck, never to let me have them again. He was laughing when I was getting out of the truck as I came sliding down the 4 steps headed for the ground, but luckily he caught me.

A few weeks had passed and by this time and Billy and I were good chatting buddies, then one day out of the blue he asked me if I’d like to go on a date with him. Of course, I replied. I would love to. Billy always smelled really good. He wore Aqua Velva. Whenever I’m in a drug store and I see it, I always open the top and smell it because it reminds me of him and the wonderful memories I have of him.

When he picked me up on Saturday morning, he gave me two yellow flowers from his garden, and a 45 record entitled What a Difference a Day Makes. This was the start of my falling in love with Billy. I became close with his family too. Edna was his mother and Eddie his brother. Eddie was a hoot. He and I used to pretend we were millionaires and talk funny at the dining room table, like he was Mr. Knudsen (Knudsen cottage cheese) and I was Mrs. Parkay (margarine). I remember us laughing and carrying on and Billy would walk in the other room thinking we were ridiculous. We were way too old to be acting like idiots. I was 22 and Eddie was 23. We were silly, and much too dingy for our ages, but we still had a blast being rich dairy people, and eating the food Edna had cooked for us. She was a great cook and always had plenty of it whenever I came over.

Billy and I were inseparable, spending many hours together, but I never spent the night. I always went home, as tough as it was to leave him. Often I would be with Billy in his bedroom and we would sit on top of the five mattresses he slept on. His bed would sway from side to side. Sometimes I thought we were going to topple over, but we never did. There was a lot of laughter that came from that room making Edna and Eddie wonder what was going on. One time I did fall off the bed and landed on a pile of clean laundry, for which I was thankful, but Billy was right there to pick me up and hold me in his arms, making it so difficult to leave him, but my Mother would have a fit if I spent the night anywhere but in my room. Sometimes I would get home at 1 or 2 in the morning and there she was – waiting up.

My assignment was soon over at the missile site and it was time for me to go back to the main Campus in San Diego on Pacific Highway. I didn’t want to leave Billy but my job had been changed. It was at this time I rekindled my relationship with Howard McCaully upon my mother’s encouragement. She liked Billy, Eddie and Edna but they were of a different class as my mother would say. She wasn’t really a prude, but she answered to my aunt and uncle who were, in my Mother’s words, society people and proper. She was still under the impression that black people weren’t allowed in our home unless they were servants. My mother was behind the times.

I still saw Billy but rarely. Howard had become more active in my life, but he did cheat on me and I was still reeling because of it. I liked Howard when we were dating. I looked up to him. He was an Engineer at Convair and wore a secret badge, but I was completely in love with Billy Ray and sad I didn’t see much of him.

At Christmas I was showered with gifts from Billy and I returned the favor. And on any occasion I saw Billy he always brought me something. Flowers, perfume, or a drawing he would make that was funny. Sex with him was great too. Nothing wild or out of the ordinary, but so wonderful because I felt the love he had for me. The concern for my welfare, the genuine feeling of being adored by someone and returning the feelings. I was involved with Billy for almost two years, but I married Howard. This action broke Billy’s heart and he became an alcoholic. He died from alcoholism and I always felt terribly guilty, because if you ask me who loved me more than anything, it would be Billy Ray who is now deceased.

CHAPTER THREE

Jerry Valentine

It’s 1964. I am a single mom with three children, living at home with my mother and working at KSLO Radio in San Diego California. I loved my job and the people around me. They were all fun to be with every day. There’s something about broadcasting, advertising