"THE MOONBEAM CAFE LOVE"

This is a fictional story. All characters are fictional. This is a creation from the author, Vicki Lawana Trusselli's brain of visual dreams of life. Venice Beach and North Hollywood are real places. The cafe, apartment and story are fictional.

Denise was a beautiful middle-aged woman at age 45 when she met Edgar at The Moonbeam Cafe in Venice Beach, California. She had long bright red hair and piercing sky-blue eyes and a light olive complexion. She had tiny freckles across her nose and cheek bones. Edgar had long black hair and deep brown eyes and a dark olive complexion. He was 6 feet tall, with 2oo pounds of muscle and tattoos. She was five feet tall, 100 pounds, slim and firm. Edgar was born in Mexico City. His father was Mexican and Baltic. Edgar's mom was Mexican and Irish. Denise was born in Los Angeles, California. Her dad was African American, and her mom was of Irish descent with deep Celtic roots.

Edgar was 35 years old, ten years younger than Denise. Both of Edgar's parents were still alive. Denise's dad had passed away five years ago from leukemia. Edgar's parents lived in the city of San Fernando in the Valley. Denise's mom lived in Van Nuys in the Valley.

Edgar was a rock-a-billy musician and actor working with Universal Studios Hollywood. Denise was a journalist working for an online newspaper out of New York City. Edgar's father was a mechanic and computer IT guy who worked remotely for Apple Computer and freelanced as a mechanic out of his garage. Edgar's mom worked as a graphic designer for Warner Brothers studio in Burbank. Denise's mom worked as a makeup artist in a salon in West LA.

Denise's mom never wanted to remarry, but after being a widow for two years she met a woman ten years younger than her 65 years. They become intertwined in a love relationship. Denise embraced her mom's new lover, and they became incredibly good friends. Her mom and her love married in Las Vegas while they were on a vacation trip. They both worked at the salon in West LA. Denise's mom's name was Soleta Louise. Her mom's wife's name was Lori Ann. Soleta was 65 years old, had long curly auburn hair and blue eyes, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 110 pounds, and firm. Lori Ann was 55, had short bobbed blond hair and green eyes, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 120 pounds and firm.

Denise had driven to The Moonbeam Cafe to interview the owner of the cafe and draft an article on vintage cafes in Southern California. She chose the cafe for the vintage, boho decor.

As one steps into the cafe it's like going back into a time capsule to 1972, except for the electronics and modern stage lighting and small computers at every table. There was a juke box blasting 60's and 70's classic rock music. The stage was vintage except for the lighting and microphone and karaoke machine.

Denise interviewed the owner named Suzy Q who was originally from San Francisco. Suzy Q had pink hair and blue eyes, medium olive complexion and of Irish and French origin. They played music, laughed, and talked. Suzy Q agreed to a video presentation of the vintage art boho decor. The food menu consisted of chili cheese fries, burgers, salads, onion rings, tacos, and other basic southern California cuisine. Suzy Q had just added gluten free and lactose free food due to all the chemicals in over processed food wheat that many of her customers could no longer ingest. So, that was the main topic that Denise was going to present as the ultimate vintage cafe with very modern cuisine of health or junk food to please the customers.

After the interview, Denise decided to linger in the cafe sitting in the front of the stage. The chairs and tables were very eclectic pink colors. There were small laptops on every table. The tables were oblong, 10 feet long, 6 feet wide, except for one round rattan table with a glass top and a mini jukebox sitting atop the table in the circular 6-foot round table. The chairs were rattan with hot pink cushions. This table was the one directly in front of the stage where Denise had conducted the interview in the beginning before they walked around filing the cafe's atmosphere. Denise sighed, "Wow this is so unique and awesome."

Just as she said this to herself, the jukebox began playing, "Everybody's Movin'" by the late Glen Glenn of southern California. Edgar walks into the cafe, smiles as he glances across the cafe at the beautiful red-haired lady sitting at the large circular table in front of the stage. Denise's red hair shone bright across the tables and the light aura shined around Denise radiating across the stage. Edgar walks into the cafe slowly over to meet Denise. He asked her, "May I sit here?" Denise took one look at the handsome dude, "Yeah, baby, sure sit down." Denise was thinking, "OMG! Honey you can eat crackers in my bed with me anytime." They began to talk and laugh after properly introducing themselves to each other. Suzy Q approached the two future lovers, "What can I get you two?" Edgar ordered tacos and chili fries with extra cheese and an iced mocha coffee. Denise ordered a gluten free tuna melt with mozzarella cheese and a side of tomatoes anf regular fries with catsup, an iced regular coffee with vanilla almond milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

They finished their dinner, packing up the extra food to eat later. Edgar asks Denise, "Honey, let's dance on the stage before we leave." Denise agrees and they step on the stage dancing to the Stones song. "Let's Spend the Night Together." They rock and roll across the stage as they twirl around salsa style before the song ends. The song ends. They step off the stage feeling mesmerized and drunk after the electric dance a few minutes ago. Suzy Q had filmed the dance and planned to surprise the new couple with a video she would send as a gift on Denise's birthday on September 19, the following weekend.

Denise and Edgar walked out of the cafe to their cars. Edgar drove a bright yellow 2005 Jeep Wrangler. Denise drove a hot pink 1978, restored Volkswagon Bug. Edgar embraced Denise. Denise kissed him on the cheek. Edgar pulls her closer and plants a French kiss on her lips. She was dizzy and so overwhelmed with the electricity shooting through her body as she felt his tongue in her mouth and his arms embracing her in the mid part of her back. She placed her arms around his neck. Edgar was experiencing goosebumps all over his body. They looked at each other and at the same time blurted out, "Let's spend the night together." Denise texted Suzy Q, "Hey, Suzy Q can I leave my car here overnight?" Suzy Q replied in a text, "Yes, have fun baby girl."

Edgar and Denise stepped into his yellow Jeep Wrangler, pulled out of the parking lot onto Highway One.

They drove to the Air Venice hotel on Oceanfront walk with beach access. The room overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The room had a king size bed and a complimentary Somona County wine.

They were not expecting to meet each other nor spend the night. The evening was still young in the Indian Summer climate. They walked to the beach, holding hands, laughing, and embracing each other. They sat on the beach watching the waves undulate towards the shore. They were still dressed in the clothes they were wearing at the cafe. Edgar was wearing jeans and a blue muscle shirt and brown tennis shoes. Denise was wearing a low-cut blue sundress and pink flip flops. They had plopped down on the sand, looked at each other, eyes dancing in the moonlight. They embraced each other, hugging each other as they lay on the sand. They kissed a long French kiss, and they made love on the beach in the dark. They lay on the sand for two hours after making love.

They finally walked back to the hotel room. They stripped again, then showered together, caressing, and kissing as they showered. After the shower they dried off with the large white towels, placed the towels on the bed and collapsed of exhaustion as they held each other until dawn when they would go back to their homes.

The next morning Edgar drove Denise back to the cafe parking lot. They kissed, hugged, and made a date for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. Edgar drove to his apartment in the Valley. Denise drove to her apartment in North Hollywood, off Magnolia and Lankershim Boulevard. As she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed a yellow Jeep Wrangler parked in the lot. Ironically, she parked into the open space by the Jeep. Unknown to the two lovebirds, they had been living in the same complex but on opposite sides of the property. She lived by the pool. He lived in an apartment overlooking the parking lot. She left a note on his Jeep that read, "We can be with each other anytime we are not busy. We live in the same complex." She stepped in front of the two cars, snapped a photo with her Motorola Edge cell phone. She sent it to Edgar with a note that repilcated the one she left on the window of his Jeep. She texted him her apartment number in the text.

When Denise arrived at her apartment, she made coffee and a gluten free bagel with orange marmalade preserves and butter. She had to work on The Moonbeam Cafe project to meet her 5pm deadline Pacific time.

That evening Edgar called Denise asking if it was okay for him to visit her at her apartment in the same complex as his apartment. They both laughed, agreeing to order a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner.

An hour later, Edgar knocked on her door with a pizza in his hands. Denise invited him into her adobe. They kissed each other gently on the lips, hugging, and feeling euphoric. Denise poured red wine from Sonoma County telling him that her cousins owned the winery in Sebastopol, California. She showed him 7 bottles of red sangria wine from her cousins' winery. They laughed and agreed to not drink all seven bottles.

They talked and laughed for hours. Then Denise told Edgar she was exhausted and needed to go to sleep.

So, he spent the Friday night with Denise in her very eccentric boho style apartment. The following day, Saturday, was her birthday.

Edgar was up before Denise woke up, so, he cooked them a breakfast of scrambled eggs with mozzarella and gluten free sourdough toast and turkey bacon. He chose to make the toasted pecan coffee with cinnamon sprinkles and vanilla sugar free coffee creamer. He carried the breakfast to Denise in the bedroom. That was the beginning of a hot romance that would last for decades.

After breakfast they showered together again for the second time in one week. After they were both dressed, Edgar told her he would go home to change clothes but would be back later in the afternoon. He told her he was going to take her to Trejo's Tacos in Hollywood. They were elated, infatuated with love. Denise received the video of the two of them dancing at The Moonbeam Cafe the night they met earlier in the week.

When Edgar knocked on her door again, she opened it, "Honey, Suzy Q sent the video of our first dance this week." The two lovers watched the video of their dancing to the music on the stage at The Moonbeam Cafe. They noticed a bright aura radiating from the two of them casting out moonbeams of light all over the cafe.

They kissed and hugged knowing they would be together forever. They walked over to the Red Line Metro to ride the subway to Hollywood.

That was the best birthday Denise had had in many years. She had been celibate for five years and thought there was no one for her ever again. Edgar was only 35 but had also been celibate for five years, not really wanting to get involved in a relationship. Now here they were ironically living in the same apartment complex for a period of five years, moving into the complex on the same day but in different apartments.

Life can be sad.

Life can be happy.

As the two dined and partied in Hollywood, discovering their almost mirrored life. They rode the Metro back to North Hollywood to their apartments. They decided to complete their leases and then move in together to Denise's boho style decor apartment. Her apartment was a two bedroom with an office. The leases were up in two months so by the end of November they were living together.

To be continued as they had a spontaneous wedding in Las Vegas with her mom and her wife as their two witnesses.

WRITTEN BY

VICKI LAWANA TRUSSELLI

JANUARY 12, 2024

Love is a rose.

The two lives were intertwined as one

As they laughed, cried, made love,

to always be together at the

top of the scent of the rose.

A fiction story of time and space

as two lovers somewhere embrace

in The Moonbeam Cafe of dreams of love

and ocean tides on Venice Beach.