For the past few weeks, I wake up undecided on which cafe or restaurant I'm going to spend most of my day. My main intentions are to find business establishments with a wireless Internet connection of course. I normally use cafes and there are a myriad of cafes to choose from in LA. Thus, I try my best to switch it up from time to time.
This morning I went to the The Coffee Bean on Wilshire/Vermont. Previously, I've walked inside but I never actually took a seat there before. Today I took a seat and pulled out my laptop. As I was using the Internet, I looked through the glass window to my left and I noticed someone that looked extremely familiar. She looked a person I often crossed paths with at USF's (University of South Florida) African Student Association in Tampa.
I didn't make nothing of it because I wasn't sure if that was her and the chances of it actually being her were pretty slim. A few minutes later, I heard a voice say, "Motown." I looked up and it was her. That same familiar face I just saw out the glass window. It was a joyous moment even though this was our first time talking to each other. She told me that she's been in LA for a week and she's been meaning to call me. A couple of her friends from Tampa, Abu and I think someone else told me her to give me a call. We didn't talk too long because she had a job interview to attend to.
After a few hours, I text-ed her and I invited her to Cafe Novel where I was stationed for a while. The irony of our connection is that we have seen each other several times at USF but never once spoke. We were both associated with USF's African Student Association. She as a student there and I use to hang out at USF on Friday's in the past.
In addition to hanging, my production company did a lot of video and photography work for various student organizations there. Moreover, we never ever once spoke until today. How crazy is that?
All the times I've seen her at USF, I don't even recall seeing her smile. She always had a serious face. I will admit, often my my eyes titled in her direction because I always thought she had an appealing look. We were even friends on Facebook for a period of time but we never spoke. I had no clue what her voice sounded like until today. I interacted with a lot of people at USF but for some reason not her.
Truthfully, even though I figured it was her, I still wasn't 100% until we meet up again at Cafe Novel. Her vibrant and colorful personality threw a curve ball at me. I never seen her happy better yet smile before today.
I even learned her name for the first time today. Her name is Nike, she's on her own unique quest to become a fashion stylist. Listening to her story on how she arrived in LA puts my story to sleep. I thought my entry into LA was exciting. You got to hear hers. I won't put all of her business out there but lets just say she woke up, got in a cab and left Tampa. None of her family and friends know where she is yet.
Even though I really didn't know her before, I observed enough to know that she is not the same person that use to live in Tampa. According to Nike, she hasn't been happy for the last 11 years of her life and relocating to LA has brought her joy. She is clearly happy to be here in LA pursuing her dreams and not living in Tampa. In her own words, "I'm a hippie, LA is where I belong." We only hung out for a few hours but I really enjoyed her company.
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| Motown Maurice & Nike at Cave Novel on Wilshire/Western |
Nike claims over and over that she was planning to call me. The says the only reason she didn't call before is because she was a little timid not knowing exactly how I would respond. She's cold called people before and they would say, "Now who gave you my number?" My honest opinion is that she wouldn't of called. I really doubt it. More than likely she would of get caught in the lights and glamor of LA and realized she didn't need to call me for any assistance. Not to mention forget I even lived here. That's why the forces of the universe had to intervene for us to connect.
If your reading this Nike, "you wouldn't of called. Just be honest with yourself."
Moreover, so far she's been fun and there is a good chance I might have an adventure sidekick on my quest.
As the quest continues...
The Future of Late Night
Motown Maurice
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