Last lines of chapter 14:

The possibility of ever calling the role-playing drama queen would depend entirely on Dolores. I'm not sure what "Miss Manners" would advise, but I think she would agree, as the injured party, physically and otherwise, it is not my place to be the first to call. At least not today.

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The next few calls resulted mostly in replies that ran the gamut from positively negative to astoundingly depressing:

"We're not taking new clients at this time."
"That's not the genre we're looking for."
"Call back when it's finished."
"Are you available tomorrow morning?"

Those last words came from Charles W. Anderson, III. He said them after we had discussed the weather, sports, traffic congestion, the film industry and global warming. I made the comment, "If people are so concerned about global warming, they should open a window." He laughed and that's when he suggested we meet.

Before hanging up, he said, "May I call you Russ?"

I said, "I wish you would."

"Good. You may call me Charles."

What a relief! Working with one Charley is all I can handle.

I imagined Charles W. Anderson, III showing up for his first day of kindergarten. He alights from a Cadillac, wearing a new suit and tie. He informs his school chums to call him Charles, or be prepared to suffer the consequences.

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Charles' phone exchange is in my zip code, making his office close to my apartment. I pulled up in front of 1604 Decker Lane, at a quarter to nine, with my thirteen pages of script and a pair of cheap binoculars. I wanted to be within spying distance of his address, 1608.

It wasn't a commercial property. It was his residence. Charles works out of his home! There's no shame in that. Some very nice people work out of their home or apartment.

By parking where I did, I'd hope to get a handle on the possible future owner of a good chunk of my writing time. The Hubble telescope couldn't have penetrated those magnificent trees or the high wooden fence surrounding his estate, which must have cost two to three times that of his neighbors. I wonder what that story entails.