Program Log
By Junior
Part 5:If I’m going to this party, I’m going to choose my own outfit! I dug through the pile of extra clothes Luarann left behind for me just in case I needed to change. I found a nice pair of blue bell bottoms. I never did understand the concept of a pair of jeans that were skin tight around the waist and thighs but huge around the ankles. Farther down in the pile I found a denim button-up shirt that I could tie in a knot right above the midriff. A pair of beige open-toed sandals finished off the ensemble.
Now I need a hairdo. I made two small braids that started from the front of my head and circled around to the back where they meshed into one long braid going down. The rest of my hair stayed straight. When I finished all my preparations, I gathered up my back pack and headed out the trailer door. Laurann stood outside waiting for me.
“All ready to go?”
“Sure!” I hopped into Laurann’s Dodge Dart. “So, where is this party at?”
“It’s not too far away. One of the upper management guys from the Studio is letting us use his beach house off of Topanga Beach,” Laurann said. “It’s near Santa Monica but more north.”
As we drove to the beach house the sun was starting to set and the sky turned wonderful shades of red, orange and yellow. When we got closer, the area got fancier and had less traffic. Once on Pacific Coast highway, we arrived within ten minutes. The house was gorgeous, just like out of the movies. We pulled up to a gate and a security guard stepped up to us looking for an invitation. Laurann flashed him the invite and we were waved in. After about a half of mile of driveway, we pulled up in front of the house.
“What do you think, Connie? You think that they already started the party without us?” Laurann exited the car.
“Sounds like it,” I answered. Loud seventies dance music could be heard from the outside. We both walked up the steps to the door and entered into a large hallway. A small group of people I didn’t know came rushing up to Laurann. She then walked away with them and I found myself standing all alone. Not being the party type, I decided to check out the beach.
I snuck my way through groups of people and before I exited out the back door, I grabbed a bottle of soda. I felt a bit stressed so I decided to take a stroll down to the water in order to relax. For the first time I was able to see the sun set across the ocean. I stood at the bottom of the stairs to the house where I flipped off my sandals and laid them down along with my backpack off to the side. The sand felt warm from the sun’s heat and with a light ocean breeze along with the sound of incoming crashing waves, I felt my mind and body start to relax.
Few people were on the beach. Some were taking a last minute dip while others were trying to finish a volleyball game before they lost the daytime light. I strolled down to the water’s edge and let the incoming waves lap up at my feet. All of this beauty should have felt invigorating, but instead started to make me think about where I was and how I got here. From the house I heard the song “Desperado” sung by the Eagles come on. I backed up a bit and then sat down to rest. A small ache began to grow inside of me as I sang along with the words. Oblivious to anything going on around me, I was suddenly blinded by two hands cupped over my eyes.
“Guess who,” a male voice asked.
“Marco,” I answered in a monotone voice. “You have a hint of a hispanic accent you can’t hide,” I tried to joke.
Marco uncovered my eyes and sat down beside me. He noticed my unusually quiet behavior. “What’s up?”
“Just taking in the scenery, that’s all,” I noticed that this answer would not suffice. “Besides, I’m not much into parties or crowds. Being outside here talking to a good friend is my forte.”
Marco smiled. “The others have been asking for you. What should I say?” He sensed something else was bothering me.
“Tell ‘em I’m here, but outside where it’s quieter and less crowded. Don’t worry, I won’t disappear,” I reassured him as he got up. I stopped him by grabbing his arm. He sat back down with a questionable look on his face. “Can I have a hug Marco?” I blurted out.
“You don’t even have to ask Senorita...” He smiled and pulled me in for a huge friendly hug.
“Thank you,” I whispered into his ear, a trickle of sadness in my voice.
“No problem,” he whispered back. When he pulled away from me he asked, “is there anything wrong, Connie? Are you having a problem? Did I or some of the guys upset you?”
I shook my head no. “I guess I’m just beat.”
“Well, I’m here if you need to talk, just holler. I’m going to find the guys. I’ll be back with them!” Marco jumped up, gave me a warm smile and walked back to the house.
***
About a half an hour passed and it was now 8:30 p.m. All was dark except for the lights from the houses along the coast and the moon shining in a star filled sky. By the sound of the music I could tell that the party was going into a more romantic mood. Slower songs were being played as couples went off by themselves to be alone. The single people made up groups inside the house and along the beach front with little bonfires. A hint of marijuana was in the air. I decided to stay right where I was and lay back in order to look up at the stars. As I heard “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis in the background, my sadness overwhelmed me. This time I had to fight back some tears. Will I ever be able to go back? I love this special blessing I was given to go back in time but...I...just... I suddenly sat up and decided a quick dip in the ocean would shake some of the pain away.
Underneath my clothes I hid a two piece bathing suit. I pulled off my top and bell bottoms and then took off straight for the water. I ran into the ocean and then dived head first to dunk my whole body. I swam non stop and blindly for about a half a mile out before I stopped to see where I was. The land was pretty far away. I floated a bit in this area to enjoy the view and to clear my mind.
After about twenty minutes I felt better emotionally and decided to go back. As I turned around to face the beach I underestimated my exhaustion and the water's temperature. An excruciating pain shot through my right leg from thigh to toe.
“OUCH! SHIT!...Cramp!” I flinched in pain. Any movement would send waves of terrible pain through my leg. All I could do at the moment was try to stay afloat without using my right leg. With the strong undercurrent of the ocean, I had to use all of my reserved strength just to stay up top. I tried to yell for help but I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs as the cold water made me gasp. I couldn’t wave for help either without going under, and in my weakened state, I didn’t know if I could pull myself back up if that happened. I started to get sleepy and a warning went off in my head that I might be going into hypothermia. As panic started to rise within me I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Hey, Connie, didn’t your mom ever teach you to never swim alone...especially in the dark?” Randy joked.
“We would have gladly gone swimming with you,” Kevin smiled.
Randy and Kevin had seen me dive into the ocean and watched me swim out as they sat with Marco, Tim, Mike and Stoker around a bonfire on the beach. Both of them decided to swim out after me in order to surprise me. They didn’t know that I was in trouble. With it being dark out, Randy and Kevin couldn’t see the anguish on my face as I fought to stay afloat. I tried to reach out in order to grab on to one of them but they were just out of my reach.
“K...K...Kevin...” I stuttered, barely able to speak. The cold affected my voice and air intake. I strained to speak louder. “K...KEVIN! Rand...RANDY!”
I got Kevin's attention. He swam closer to me and I was able to lightly grab his arm. I was now barely breathing in gasps. I pulled him in closer so that I could talk straight into his ear. “Kev...in, help...I n..n..need h...help...”
Kevin starred at me as a look of concern washed over his face. “What’s wrong!” He noticed that I was barely responding to him and this worried him more. “Randy! Get over here!”
Randy swam closer. “What, Kevin?”
“Something’s wrong with Connie...” He looked at me. “Connie, answer me! What’s wrong!”
I was barely able to stay awake. “Kevin...I got a...” Kevin shook me to finish my sentence. “...a cramp. I’m so cold...I’m so...tired...”
Randy and Kevin both knew what was going on now. They also knew that I might be going into hypothermic shock by the way I was acting. They quickly grabbed on to me and swam back to land. In a few minutes we were close enough to stand and walk the rest of the way in. Randy grabbed me by the front and Kevin grabbed my feet. Marco, Mike, Tim and Stoker watched Kevin and Randy carry me in and ran over to see what was going on.
As they slowly put me down on the sand, Randy looked around for something warm to wrap me up in.
“What’s going on?” Asked Marco.
“Connie got a cramp out there and the cold water might have put her into hypothermic shock,” Kevin answered. “We need blankets or anything to keep her warm.”
There are some towels over by the fire. Why don’t we take her over there to warm up?” Stoker asked.
“Good idea,” Mike Norell replied. “Kevin, Randy, pick her up gently and let’s move her over by the fire.”
I was quickly moved over to the bonfire. They laid me down on a blanket and then wrapped me up with many beach towels. The guys rubbed my body in order to get my blood circulating again. Marco ran to the house to get a first aid kit and some hot tea for me to drink. I was still quite out of it, and as they tried to get me to talk to stay awake, I could only answer with an occasional nod of the head or a mumbled “uh huh”.
“You’ll be okay Connie,” Randy reassured me. He was using that sweet tone he always used when acting out a rescue scene only I knew he meant it. He let me rest my head on his legs while his arms wrapped around my shoulders.
“How is she?” Kevin asked Randy.
“She’s still shaking badly,” Randy answered. “Should we take her to a hospital?”
“You know we got a TA at the party here...” Tim reminded them. “Let me go get him.” He ran to the house.
Marco came back with the first aid kit and some hot tea. “Here. We can use the thermometer to check her temperature and there’s also a stethoscope and a BP cuff in here...” He put all the stuff next to Randy. “Think she’ll be able to drink this?”
“Tim went to get the TA so let’s wait until we see what he has to say first,” Randy answered.
I opened my eyes. “R...Rand...y?” I asked. My whole body was shaking terribly and my teeth were chattering. I felt numb from head to toe.
“Sshhhh...” Randy comforted me. “You just rest now. We got a TA coming to check you out.”
I barely squoze his hand. “Where’s Kev...?”
“I’m right here,” Kevin answered. He grabbed my other hand. “The rest of the guys are here around you too.”
I looked around and saw Mike Norell, Marco, Stoker, Kevin, and Randy all watching me. “Thank youuuu.....” my voice trailed off as I slipped into unconsciousness...
When I woke up I was in my hotel room. I blinked my eyes to focus and looked around the room. Oh, now I remember...it was all a dream. My week vacation was over. I took a shower and packed up. As I cleaned up my little mess from last night I shook my head in denial. I should have never had that second burrito...
I left my bags at the front desk to go have some breakfast before I’d go to the train station. I sat down at a small table near a window to soak in some last minute L.A. rays. After I ordered a fruit plate, I pulled out my portable CD player to listen to some music and reminisce about last night’s dream. I was served my food and was left alone to eat.
As I sipped some iced tea, I got a tap on my left shoulder. I turned around to see Randy Mantooth smiling down at me.
“I’m sorry to bother you but...can I sit down please?” Randy asked.
“Ah...sure.” I turned off the CD player and took off my headphones.
Randy sat down and leaned forward with his arms on the table. “Do you know who I am?”
“Of course,” I smiled. “You’re Randy Mantooth from the old TV show Emergency!, among other things.”
“I’ve been watching you since you came in here to eat,” he confessed. “You look very familiar to me, but I can’t place you at the moment. Tell me, have we ever met or worked together?”
Yeah, in my dreams... I giggled. “I’m sorry but is this a joke?” Randy’s determined look made me stop giggling. “Are you serious?”
“Yes I am. What’s your name?”
“My name is Connie.”
Randy’s eyes grew wide. “I remember you now! But...wait, you look like you haven’t aged since 1976.”
“What are you talking about? I was born in...” I stopped as the year 1976 brought back visions of my vivid dream last night. Oh my goodness, what’s happening here?
“You worked on an episode with me which, by the way, was never finished.” Randy sat back in his chair. I saw a hint of pain in his eyes. “You disappeared after the accident. Why did you leave us like that? Why did you leave ME like that?”
I was in awe! No, more like stunned. This didn’t occur. Why does he think it was me? I finally caught my voice. “Randy, you have the wrong person. I may look and have the same name as this woman you worked with but, I’m sorry, I’m not her. I’m twenty four years old and I was born in 1975. I was one in 1976!”
The pain on his face turned to sorrow. “Wow, I’m so sorry I bothered you. It’s just that you are a dead ringer for this woman. You’re like her twin.”
I reached across the table and put my hands on his. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Sure. After we pulled her out of the water she lost consciousness. When our TA came to check her out, he gave the ok to just put her to bed and keep her warm. On the drive back to her trailer I held her in my arms to keep her warm. I was really falling for her,” Randy paused as the memories of the woman flooded his mind. He smiled and continued, “All night the guys and I took turns watching her. Laurann, our female costumer, had the last watch. Kevin and I couldn’t sleep so we stayed up to talk. I confessed to him that I was in love with Connie...her eyes...” Randy looked up at me, put his hand on my chin and stared into my eyes.
“Yes,” I asked. “Is there something wrong?” My hands started to sweat from his gentle touch on my face.
“No. It’s just that you’re eyes are just like hers.” He pulled his hand back.
“Please continue the story,” I begged.
“So when it was morning, all of us got together to bring Connie her breakfast and to see how she was doing. When we all piled into her trailer we found Laurann asleep at the kitchen table and Connie’s bed empty,” Randy sighed. “No note or anything. We had no clue why she left. That day I had my first broken heart.” He stopped to think about what he just said.
I was stunned again. “So, what happened to the episode that you were filming? Did you redo it?” I was on the edge of my seat.
“We told Dennis, the director, what happened and we ended up doing another one. It was hard on all of us for a while. To this day we’ve never found Connie again. When I saw you and then found out your name, I thought you were her.” Randy faked a half smile but I could still see his pain.
“I’m so sorry...” I thought I saw Randy tear up and went into my backpack to get a tissue.
“I’ll leave you alone to eat now. I’m sorry if I bothered you.” Randy started to get up out of his chair.
“Wait! Sit awhile.” I grabbed his arm in terror. “I want to ask you some questions about this woman.”
“No, I really have to go. Thanks for listening.” Randy smiled and as he stood up to get his composure back, Kevin Tighe walked over to my table.
“Come on Randy, we really have to leave now if we’re going to make it to that meeting.” When Kevin looked at me his face turned white. “Oh my goodness! It can’t be...what...where, Connie, is that you?” He asked.
“Yes and no Kev. Come on, I’ll explain it on the way to the meeting.” Randy turned to Kevin and they both walked away.
***
The train was at full speed heading back to Chicago. My thoughts about what happened at breakfast made me wonder if I really did dream all of that last night. I searched through my backpack for another CD to listen to and gave myself a paper cut across my pinky finger on some papers.
“Ouch! Stupid shit...” I flinched at the pain and popped my finger into my mouth to suck on it. Wait...papers? I pulled out the papers and I just about had a heart attack. It was an official script from Emergency! The title...FAMILY RELATIONS.
“What the...” I put the papers down and dug through my bag for anything else. I pulled out the crew badge supposedly given to me by Kevin. THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! I looked into the bag one more time to see if I could find the one thing that would prove all of this right or wrong.
At the bottom of the backpack lay an old looking picture. Oh my! This was the picture that we had taken on my first day of filming at the station. In between the engine and the squad stood Mike Norell, Marco, Tim, Stoker, Kevin, Randy, and...me!!! This was it! This was my proof.
I looked up and stared out the train window. It really happened. As a smile slowly came across my face a tear of happiness slid down my cheek. I was a very happy woman.
THE END!