Close Calls

The eggs popped in the pan when the water boiled down and the kitchen was billowing smoke and it smelled. It was a while before the house cleared out, windows all opened and the fan blowing. I'd been on the computer writing and forgot about the eggs boiling. I threw everything out in the trash.
Later, after working out in the gym and reading a few pages of my story I fell asleep. My eyes felt heavy and I slipped into a dream with a dark figure looking at me. She smiled. This happened very fast, so when I woke up it seemed like it was only a few seconds. The next thing, it was a half an hour later, and time to get dressed and get down to pick up Carlos.
Driving my Jeep, I hear Carlos yelling at me; 'Watch out, watch out,' and the brakes slammed on and chattered, the ABS system worked, and I was an inch short of running into a road sign in the median. We were going to Hollywood, and I wondered if accidents happened in threes.
At Hollywood and Highland the chairs were all taken. We found a table. People came up to us saying this was their table, and I said no, we'd been there for an hour. The guy grinned and pointed to something he'd left at the table to mark it as his. I said, no, no way. But join us anyway.
Carlos from Peru and Ivonne and Eliezer join us after a while. My friend Carlos is from Columbia and has been here for eight years. Carlos, numero dos, es de Peru and is an actor. Eliezer is an actor, via Puerto Rico and New York. Ivonne is an actor, Carlos' acting coach and well known in Latino cinema.
The music is beautiful, Francisco Aquabella on congas, very precise and strong band. The wonderful horn section plays the breaks with strength and style. Francisco sings in his wavering voice. He will play forever, I think. He will always play.
Carlos from Peru is amazed that this great music is free. The summer in Los Angeles has so much to do, with free music, wonderful beaches and weather, the city celebrates this, embraces it as ours, our gifts to enjoy. It is why we are here. The KJAZ summer series draws music fans and locals and great musicians together in a setting where we all feel together, people meeting new people, talking and joined by great rhythm and sound.
After the music, Carlos and Eliezer and I have dinner upstairs at the Grille, and talk about coffee and cinema and not much about politics, but a little.