Chapter 3: Later Sunday Afternoon as the Party Winds Down

As the afternoon passed, Penny and James St. Croix introduced me to several A-listers and other celebrities. I found most of them to be rather dull. They came across as one-dimensional, and without prepared lines, they seemed no different from anyone else. It was as though they had nothing worthwhile to say; without a script, I couldn’t imagine any of them having a life beyond the camera. I had no doubt that alcohol and drugs helped numb their monotony. While not all of them were like this, the majority certainly seemed to be.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and most of the crowd had eaten and were either drunk or high. I couldn’t wait to leave, preferably before or after they did. They were definitely in no condition to drive. Recently, the news had been filled with stories about celebrities driving under the influence and tragically ending up killing themselves or others. I was relieved to see a few people trying to take the keys away from those who were clearly unfit to drive. The valets had strict orders not to hand over the keys to any guest who appeared intoxicated. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to stay off the road, while I was outside talking to some of the people I had just met, I saw several patrol cars from the California Highway Patrol pass by the estate.

Whenever I had the chance, I tried to help by picking up trash and tidying up around the place. The household staff appreciated my efforts, and each time I brought a full trash bag to the back of the house, the housekeeper would smile and say, “Gracias.” I couldn’t help but notice how much trash that crowd had generated. There were paper scraps and leftover food that eventually found its way into the dumpster. As a thank you for my help, the housekeeper put together a care package of leftovers for me to take home. The bag looked like it would last me tan entire week. With my limited student budget, I wasn’t about to refuse — I was grateful for any handouts.

Penny, even though she spent most of the afternoon sitting down, was tired by the time the party broke up. I could see she was exhausted, and several times she almost fell while using her crutches. She must have given up and motioned for me to come over to where she was standing, leaning against one of the tables.

When I arrived, she asked, “Could you please carry me inside? I’m so exhausted that I might fall and hurt myself.”

I replied, “Of course, it’s not every day I get to carry such a beautiful girl.”

Once I spoke and realized how my words might have sounded, I decided not to say anything more. Penny shot me a mischievous grin, leaning closer to my shoulder as I carried her into the spacious family room, a space so large it could’ve easily fit the entire city block where I grew up.

As I set her down on the couch, I was about to leave when Penny asked me to stay and sit with her. We spent more than an hour talking about our childhoods. It was no surprise that Penny’s story revolved around growing up with nannies and absent parents. She was sent to boarding school at seven and stayed there until she turned eighteen. Her mother never attended her high school graduation, and, in fact, cut ties with her entirely after she turned fourteen. Her parents had divorced, and that was when her mother vanished from her life. Penny believes her mother was living in Monaco with her fourth husband, though she’s unsure— it might even be number five.

Penny said her dad always tried to be involved in her life. While he couldn’t be there for everything, he made an effort to show up for the important moments he could. She mentioned that the studio was like his mistress, always demanding his time. Penny described making movies as a tough, thankless job, and said that, more often than not, families took a backseat. That’s why she decided that when she found the right man, he wouldn’t have anything to do with the industry.