Chapter 2
Penny always wanted to be an actress. Her parents wanted her to live her dreams, so they couldn't say no when she wanted to leave for Hollywood. The only thong was they did not approve her going with her new boyfriend Kurt. She made it through but only for one bad horror movie.
She had hope thay wpuld have opened doors. After one commercial, two bad reviewed plays, and catching Kurt cheating, Penny was about to give up. She was staying at a co-workers apartment as she was working at the Cheesecake Factory. That is when an agent from a New York agency saw Penny from a play. She loved Penny's stage presence and knew Penny had much potential. The agent approched Penny one day after the play and gave Penny a offer she could not refuse. The agent set Penny up with the best acting coach in the theater industry.
With the help of her parents and what she had saved working in California, Penny had enough to get a studio apartment, to pay her new agent, her new acting coach, and the esstiauls that she needed. So to help keep everything and try to live her dream Penny got a part time job at a twenty-four hour diner.
After six month Penny finally had a break. Was not quite she had hoped but she would take anything to pay the bills and put food in her stomach. Penny became an under study for the role of Susan in the off Broadway show Becky Shaw.
A few months after that she was hired as an extra but that only lasted for sometime. This how it was for the next few years of being extras or understudies for Broadway and off Broadway shows. Penny could not complain though. She was acting most of the time even though it was not quite her dream. Penny decided to stay at the dinner. She was glad because that was where she met her boyfriend Zack. He was on a business trip to get his menu business over on the East coast. Penny had fun with Zack plus he was really sweet and faithful. But being in a relationship that was long distance and only seeing your boy one week out of the month became depressing and lonely.
Penny finally got her break when she got a call back for A Streetcar Named Desire. She was one of theain actors. Penny felt happy in her professional life. Her parents even flew in for the opening night. Zack even promised he would be there. But like always Zack had to cancel last minute. Penny knew what she had to do.
The second week of the show, Zack finally came. After the show, Penny and Zack went to go to a dance club. As much as Penny was having fun, she knew Zack had to leave a couple hours later. He did not quite understand why Penny was breaking up with him because they were a hot couple but Zack still let her go.
After two months being on stage, Penny just constrainted on her work and friends. Yet still worked at the dinner well because she loved her daily customers and loved hearing their stories from the day.
But this night as Penny perfromed and on stage somehow her eyes kept looking out to the audience. She could not see their faces but something told her that someone from the third row kept watching her. Yes the frowd watched her but this person paid extra attention to her in a good way. During intermission she peeked out from the curtians. The audience was moving around, yet there in the third row sat a man with big brown eyes. Just like her physic told her, "A man who you have been searching for will not be blind when he sees you because he has already found you." Yes this man was not what she expected but there was something about him that Penny wanted to lnow more about.
After the last curtian call Penny searched for him. To her heart, this must not have been the man. Then her cell phone rang. It was her manager and called to see if Pnny would fill in even of it was after a show. Penny agreed since she had not feel like joining the after party for the first time in two months.
Penny was on her second hour and three to go. She was taking an order when the front door bell rung. Penny looked over and she felt like time had stopped. It was the man from the audience and now was her chance. Penny finished taking the order and hung up the ticket. She had saw the man sit down at the counter. She could not help but grin and walked over to take his order. "His Sweetie, may I take your order?"
"Um, right..." Leonard studdered as he combed his fingers through his hair after looking up at the beautiful woman and looked back at the menu. "Well how about apple pie and decaf black."
Penny took his order, poured his coffee and then served others. When his pie came up, Penny sat it down and decided to talk to this guy since she had no one else to serve for the time being. "So never seen you here, where are you from?" Penny asked as she leaned over placing her chin on the palm of her hand. She noticed the guy caught a glimpse of her cleavage by the way his adams apple moved slowly as he swallowed but that ended quickly when his eyes met hers once more.
Penny listened to him that he was from Pasadena, California and was visiting his dad.
"Well nice to meet you Mister Pasadena, I'm Penny." Penny stood up straighter and extended her arm as they shook hands.
"I know... I know because I saw you in A StreetCar Named Desire. Not because I am some weird guy. Well I guess I'm a little weird since I am considered a nerd and a scientist. My girlfriend does not like that. That I'm a nerd. She loves that I am a very smart scientist. She is trying to change me, that is why I walked here. Anyways sorry I rambled on like that. By the way I am Leonard."
Penny smiled big at his nervousness and his small smile. She put her hands over his and gave him a wink. There eyes met again and this time Leonard seemed more relaxed. "Hi Leonard. I thought that was you from the audience. Sorry myself, at intermission I like looking out to the audience to see th people. Just something I do. And by the way that is wrong of your girlfriend to change you. Doesn't show she really loves you. So how about this you finish your pie amd coffee. I go clean up the table over by the corner. Once you are done and pay my shift is done and then I can take you on a tour of the city so you don't have to put up with your girlfriend?" She gave him a hopeful look as Leonard agreed. Which they could not help smiling back at each other.