A Short Blurb from my Memoir

So This Happened - Chapter One

Once Upon a time for like a Hot Minute.  A long, long time ago …

It was a complicated time in my life as far as love and all that jazz....

September 21^st, 2008.  I was living in Denver.

 The DNC convention had just about wrapped up.  

I met up with my [now] Life Coach whom I had insanely stalked for the better part of my teens.

Very quick Side note:  When I was 15 I went to a church thing where I heard him preach / speak for the first time. He was a wild man. He was jumping around on stage, yelling at the top of his voice and the crowds were going nuts! This was back in South Africa. As I walked out through the throngs of people, this lady started singing a song called: 'all that I am" and I am not sure what happened but something told me in an almost an audible voice: "You are going to be part of his life in the years to come"    

Ok enough freakishness, on with the story:

I honestly thought the sun and all things spiritual shone out of his proverbial butt and I would follow him and search for him anywhere I could find any hint of the man, just to listen, absorb, get a glimpse of greatness.  He was famous and moved around all the Celeb groups around the world. Very, very hard to get to...  After a cleverly devised plan, many years of stalking and stars aligning somehow... we finally became friends and he became my “Life Coach” [and my sanity].

One night, while he was in town, he invited me to join him for dinner.  He was with a group of friends sitting at the bar of a very fancy Seafood Restaurant when I arrived.  He sat there cool and casual as always, waiting for me with a glass of wine. I was nervous.  I was always nervous around him for some reason.  He always smiled at me in a very gallant and protective way.  There were about 8 people.  A few quick introductions went around, I was intimidated, but smiled as I shook everyone’s hand.  I didn’t particularly take note of everyone’s faces in that moment.  The quaint restaurant was very dimly lit.  We all got up as the waiter showed us to our table. Coach turned to me, put one arm around my shoulder and said very nonchalantly, “oh, and this is Jake” he motioned to a guy standing behind him. He was almost as tall as Coach, about 5"11 or so, wearing a baseball hat, baggy blue jeans and grey sweat shirt.

At first I didn’t fully recognize him, but when I realized who it was, the whole experience started moving in slow motion.   It all became surreal. My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute. I was convinced everyone could hear it!  I wondered who I was in this scenario. I looked around our table to memorize everyone’s faces.   I felt silently insignificant. Everyone at the table seemed genuinely interested each other, me included.  I was asked all kinds of questions.  Coach noticed that Jake took a particular interest in me as the night went on and the wine flowed freely among the jovial group.

I started feeling self-conscious and stupid thoughts started flooding my mind, like: "Why did you wear this stupid dress?" - "Gosh, did I put make up on!" LOL

I tried to be cautious with the wine so I don’t get motherless and make an ass out of myself!   I also couldn’t eat. I felt really bad because I had just had a bout of food poisoning and I hadn’t eaten much food except for toast days prior.  Unknowingly, Coach decided to take it upon himself to order for me - oh, yes - HIS favorite fish dish dunked in decadent sauce.  Even the smell started making me feel nausea well up.  I tried my best to pick at it without blowing chunks all over the beautiful, famous people. And, I also didn’t want to be rude.

Side Note #1: Food poisoning seemed to have been a theme with me back then. (Not now, otherwise I wouldn’t be carrying around all this extra podge – ha ha!)  When I was in Shanghai with Moya, we went out to a very fancy dinner with the Famous, incomparable dancer and icon - Jin Xing.

Being very well-known in China, people stopped in droves to stare in awe and take pictures of her. 

  No one dared approach us, Chinese culture is very conservative.  At the restaurant, we sat in a private room and they ordered food for the entire table (Once again, I was negotiating stomach issues). The food was really spicy. I was sweating like a pig, I looked like Ben Stiller in that movie: 

“Along Came Polly” (see pic) when she took him to the Indian restaurant. J  Moya kept asking me if I was ok and offering me more beer with a giggle. But I couldn’t be rude! SO I sucked it up [or rather ate it it up cautiously], enjoyed the banter and made the hotel room loo my best friend for the rest of the night. LOL

Jake sat next to me on the right, a little hunched over, hidden away in his chair.  His hair was unruly as it had been flatly imprinted by the removal of his baseball hat. He sported a cute Five-O’-Clock shadow and looked a little tired. He talked to me with a flirtatious smile on his face enjoying my chirpy knowledge of cars and travel.  His questions seemed endless as if I were the most interesting person on the earth...

His strong, assertive voice seemed to fill the air and tickled parts of my girlishness every time he spoke.  All his comments and comebacks to the table were so intelligent and funny. I felt inferior.  His blue eyes sparkled in the dim restaurant light.  I tried to avoid much eye contact just in case I wound up staring like a blithering idiot.  

It was weird, it felt like we already knew each other.  I could feel him leaning in with a tilted head to my every answer as my face turned bright red.  Every time I spoke, it felt as if the entire table went silent and everyone looked at me.   The introvert in me wanted to die. I could feel my dress getting soaked in sweat.  Kerri, one of Coach’s church friends, commented on my accent.   Amidst the chatter, I was profoundly aware of every part of this night.. and like a movie, my world would pause for a second. 

Well-versed in the art of pretense under pressure, I seemed confident and graceful, which is the exact opposite of what I felt inside. The compliments flowed. It was weird.  When Coach [as he does], perceived that there was a vibe happening across the table, he decided he might take it upon himself to become Mr. Match Maker. Very pleased with himself, he shot a naughty, dimpled smile in my direction with a raised eyebrow looking back and forth at Jake and then back at me – his mischief was met with my “Delise” kind of eye roll.

As the night went on, some people in the restaurant started recognizing the people at our table and it became a little uncomfortable, so we decided to leave.  Coach signed a book and prayed for a little old lady. He was so nonchalant and unwavering in his approach to people. This was his life. It was so natural for him, I admired him so much.   I was glad to leave as I suddenly felt exhausted and overwhelmed.  Even though I soaked in every minute of the experience, part of me just wanted to escape into the peaceful world of civilian anonymity.

We all hugged and muttered pleasantries and goodbyes.  Jake stealthily crept up alongside me and awkwardly mumbled: “Hey, I would really like to continue our conversation”.  With that, he shoved a torn yellow piece of paper into my hand, but before he let go, he added.  “Can I trust you?” His deep, blue eyes were mesmerizing and serious.

Side Note#2: What kind of a question is, “Can I trust you?” I mean who will ever say: “No you can’t trust me”. #dumb

Either way, I just nodded and smiled like a robot zombie. (what the hell is a Robot Zombie anyway?)

I think I said something, I cannot quite remember. His number was scribbled on the crookedly torn yellow-lined piece of paper - which I still keep in my memory box as a keepsake! Lol.  (Highest bidder gets it! Jokes). I drove home in a daze wondering when he had torn the piece of paper, what pen he used, where did the paper come from, where is the rest of it. (brain-full-of-silly-questions).

I was self-consciously driving a very ugly blue Ford Taurus at the time. A company car I reluctantly drove only when I REALLY had to drive somewhere, like up to the mountains.  In Denver I walked everywhere. Living in the heart of the city, a car was a useless commodity.   For my ego sake, I had parked waaaaaaay on the other side of the parking lot.  Coach smiled and embraced me.  He leaned his 6ft tall body  down to my 5"2 frame and leaned towards my ear and whispered how great it was to see me and showered me with compliments about my graciousness and how “cool” I was and then hurried off with the rest of his group.

I could always count on Coach to make me feel like the most important person alive.  I have never “needed” ego boosts, but if I ever felt less than amazing, he sure was the one to go to for a "pick-me-up"

I hurried off to my car avoiding any eye contact with anyone.  As I turned on the ignition, my Blackberry rang. Coach was on the other end. In his usual “Stage” voice he said: “Delise… it is Mr. Coach”. He would always drag out my name like a song (Deliiiiiiisssse) and always call himself: “Mr.” 

He then proceeded to give me a speech that went something like this:

“You know you are amazing and incredible right?  Over all the years that I had known you, I never second guessed having you around me, around my world. I am no ordinary man.  I do not live in an ordinary world and circumstance, so I choose very carefully whom I trust in my circle.  There is a grace about you that makes me feel like I can trust you completely and also trust you around my friends, they, too, are no ordinary people and I feel like you have always understood that, ok?”

I listened for a second and said, “ok, thanks?.  I said it almost as a question.  

Before I could say anything else, there was another voice on the line:

Conversation:

Delise: “Hello?” There was a pause, but I could hear shuffling and voices in the background

Delise: “Coach?” I asked confused

It wasn’t Coach on the line anymore. I heard a throat clearing.

J: “That was a great dinner wasn’t it?”

D: “ yeah ermm” [giggle]

My heart started to pound really loudly

J: “I would really like to see you again. I think you are very interesting”

D: “Thank you.” Sure, what were you thinking?” I hope words actually came out of my mouth, because at the time, it felt like my head was going to explode

I am almost sure I was trying to be cool, but it escaped me entirely.

J: “Erm, well I mean.  Can you meet me at Denver Airport tomorrow, I will text you the time”

D: “ok”

We said a few awkward goodbyes.

I started thinking how the next day was a Monday and I had to work, but I was pretty sure I could come up with a valid excuse to take off for a few hours. My mind raced with thoughts throughout my sleepless night.

[Have you noticed that my brain is an endless abyss of stupidity under pressure!]

Sidenote#3:

The words: “well, I mean” would be said A LOT in my interactions with Jacob.

No text came.

Early that morning, he called.  It must have been around 6am, I was still groggy when his voice, out of breath rattled off, “can you meet me in an hour? My plane leaves the DIA Jet Center then? “.

My inner voice was like NO! Its daylight, I need at LEAST 2 hours to decide what to wear get ready etc.  It takes atleast 30-minutes to drive the Ugly Ford Taurus all the way to DIA from Downtown Denver. {and Park somewhere no one will see me!}  “Yes, ofcourse” I chirped instead.  Those Denver days, I had a sexy closet to die for and a body to die for too - so, looking hot in a minute was pretty effortless. ;)

The traffic was terrible and I was sweating from the stress.  As I got there hurriedly, about 10 minutes late.  I walked into the FBO and saw him leaning against the wall wearing a dark blue t-shirt and jeans, he looked remarkably taller and different in the daylight.  His hair was all ruffled and unruly like he had just woken up.  He was on his phone talking softly and smiled broadly when he saw me.

He motioned for me to come to him, and like a robot zombie [again with the zombies!] summoned by its master I obediently walked toward him, smiling.  My heart was pounding so hard, I was worried I would die of a heart attack right there. I could just see the news headlines now:

“Commoner drops down dead at a Denver Airport in the presence of Celebrity”

Now, I am thinking that sounds like a great blurb for my tombstone LOL

" Here lies Delise Moore - dropped down dead, either from stupidity or heart failure caused my stupidity"

Wondering if anyone could see the sweat which was now dribbling from my armpits down my sides.  I chose to wear these light blue jeans, a grey shirt and a cute waist coat. Might sound basic, but I knew these jeans made me look great, slim and tall and the shirt was sexy but also said "I am conservative and sophisticated and hot without effort".  I did throw on a killer pair of heels, too!  

He hung up the phone and put his arm around me in a huge embrace. Good thing I wore 4 inch heels, he seemed so tall all of a sudden. I returned his hug and was surprised at how muscular he felt, compared to how slender he appears. We talked for a few minutes about dinner and plans for the day, like old friends catching up.  He kept touching my hand as he spoke.  He seemed a little awkward. He told me he felt connected to me.  He was so jovial, laughing and smiling the entire time.  He complimented me in ways I had never been complimented before. It was intense. The precursor for every sentence was: “Well, erm” or “you know”…

As he began looking through his phone for his schedule, His ‘Assistant’ [or whoever that guy was]  came over with a huge folder, huffing and frowning, looking very stressed, “The pilot is ready, we are already half an hour late for the meeting in New York, shall I call and postpone?”    Jake got up and they talked for a minute.

He then mid-sentence turned around to face me and threw and almost violent hug my way. He gave me an innocent kiss on the cheek before scurrying away. “I will call later” he yelled as he scurried off and then he turned back to me and flashed me the most amazing smile and waved like a geeky idiot. I waved back.. like a geeky idiot...

AND I didn’t wake up! It was real.

I had just about lost faith in the whole experience as a whole week went by without a call.

 Then I left for Singapore......