Whitney - June 26, 1947

I had just finished filming a movie called "Castle Doom"and I had just left the cast party to go have a celebratory drink and I decided to have my driver take me to a hotel that I have never been to before called the Hotel Cortez. I walked into the lobby and this hotel was quite exquisite, but not as exquisite as most hotels I have been to parties at. I went up the stairs to the bar area and sat down at the bar and ordered.

"One Martini please." I said to the bartender.

He nodded and I turned my head to see a mysterious bleach blonde sit on the stool that was left to me. The bartender handed me my drink and I gave him change.

"No, no honey the drink is on me," said the blonde next to me as I looked at her and the bartender handed me back my change as if he was ordered to obey her. "I own this hotel."

I thought that was pretty bizarre a woman owning a hotel and after hearing that I chuckled a little.

"You own this establishment?" I asked still chuckling.

"Why yes, but I never always have. This hotel was a gift from my ex-husband." She answered.

"Wow, he must have still loved you enough to give this whole thing." I said very shocked.

"He sure did," she said. "Hey you look familiar aren't you that movie star ...ah... Whitney Frost?"

I honestly didn't want to tell her the truth, but I guess it really wasn't worth hiding.

"Why yes I am and you are?" I asked her because she still hasn't told me her name yet.

"Well, you can just call me the countess." she answered.

I can definitely tell you that that wasn't her real name and that it is just a nickname or something she calls herself.

"I know that's really not your name, what is it really?" I asked.

"Okay, you got me," she admitted. " My name is actually Elizabeth Johnson."

That name sounded very familiar, even though Johnson is a pretty common last name. I had meet an Elizabeth Johnson from Brooklyn, who was spending the summer with my neighbors, the Johnsons, in Oklahoma when I was about nine-years old. I remember liking her and being quite fond of her especially since she was years older than I was. I think we even wrote to each other for a while.

"Hey, I know this might sound like a silly question, but you wouldn't happen have any relatives that live in Oklahoma do you because I grow up living next to a Johnson family that was just down the road?" I asked her.

"Why yes I do, I don't know if they still live there,but I spent one summer there when I was about sixteen, and I meet this girl just down the road about seven years younger then I , Agnes Cully, I believe her name was."

Now I knew for sure it was her. She remembered my real name. I didn't recognize her at first because her hair was brown when I last saw her and it's clearly not brown now.

"I am Agnes Cully," I responded. "Whitney Frost is my stage name is my stage name."

"Oh my god, Aggie!" She said cheerfully as she gave me a hug, which took me by surprise. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"I thought I wouldn't see you again either because you stopped writing to me after a while, but who knew we would see each other again, in Los Angeles no less!"

"My papa flipped once he heard that I was writing to someone who was years younger than me."

" It's alright, I understand." I told her.

I looked at Elizabeth and wondered how in hell could she be she be in her forties she looks much younger then me and I'm thirty-six.

"You look pretty good for your age!" I told her.

"Why, thank you! You don't look so bad yourself, Aggie or should I say Whitney?"

"Thank you! And Whitney will be fine. I don't want anyone here knowing my real name."

"Oh, don't you worry your little secret is safe with me." She assured me as she gave me a huge smile.

I looked at the clock just above the bar it was almost eleven and Cal would be expecting me home soon.

"Can I use your phone? I have to call my driver." I asked Elizabeth.

"Sure," she said with a disappointing look on her face like she didn't want our talk to end. "You got to get back to your husband that politician that's running for senator, ah what's his name…Something Chadwick right?"

"Yes, Calvin Chadwick." I answered as Elizabeth lead my to the phone that was behind the bar.

"What's the number?" She asked me. I told her my driver's number and she told it to the operator and hand the phone to me and my driver started to talk to me.

I told him that I was down at the Hotel Cortez and he told me he would be there in about five minutes. So, while I waited I chatted with Elizabeth some more. It turns out she first came to L.A. about twenty years ago and she used to be an extra in movies, but didn't have the heart to expand her acting career after a while.

"Well if you ever change your mind and want to try to be in a movie again. I can ask my director Ken if he needs any extras." I suggested. Ken probably wouldn't even notice that Elizabeth was in her forties because she looks so young.

"No thanks, I got a hotel to run." She answered.

Elizabeth and I exchanged phone numbers because we had am lot of catching up to do with each each eachother. We then walked downstairs and into the lobby to see if my drive had arrived yet and before I knew it I saw his car pull up.

"That's my driver, I have to go," I announced. "It was very nice to see you again and thanks for the drink."

"You're Welcome and come back anytime!" she called out and she waved goodbye as I started to head towards the car.

Oh, I definitely was going to come back and again and not just for a drink or to catch up with an old friend, but there was something that was drawing me to Elizabeth and I don't know what it was and I couldn't explain it either.