The Seeds Of A Daisy: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book One (Women's Fiction) Read Free Page B

class cabin was packed and I recognized numerous celebrities. I wondered if they were leaving LA because of the riots or if it was a coincidence that they all had flights back East that particular day. I settled into my seat next to the window and Mom pulled out her book. She always read a book during takeoff—her version of my Xanax. Her face seemed more relaxed and I felt relieved that she looked like my mother again.
    I noticed the title of the book she was reading:
You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again
. I asked Mom what the story was about. She told me it was an autobiography written by Julia Phillips, about a woman who bullies her way up the ladder in Hollywood.
    Years later, I read the book. My mother should have said that she bullied and
screwed
her way up the ladder. She went on to tell me that this woman, Julia Phillips, had received the Oscar at age twenty-nine for
The Sting—
which I knew was one of my mother’s favorite movies, along with
Out of Africa
. Robert Redford had starred in both pictures.
    So, of course, Mom turned this book into a life lesson. She looked into my eyes and said, “Remember, Lily,
star
is a four-letter word. If you are blessed to be working as an actor in this industry, that’s what you are—a working actor, do you understand?” I nodded very seriously.
    A few minutes later, Mom grabbed my arm. She whispered, “Lily, look who’s sitting over there!” I craned my neck and looked a few rows ahead of us. In the aisle seat was a man. I couldn’t see his face, but my mother’s vicelike grip was a pretty good indication that he must be someone important.
    When I noticed the man turn sideways, I nearly jumped out of my seat. It was Robert Redford! He was alone, with no one next to him in the windowseat. His tray table was down and his attaché case open. It looked as if he had pictures taped to the inside of the case. Mom had a better view, and she said they were probably photos of his kids. She was beside herself: Imagine reading about Redford in Julia Phillips’s autobiography, only to have Redford materialize so magically at that very moment.
    It was at this point that my mother started acting very weird. The stewardess came along and asked Mr. Redford if he wanted a cocktail. He ordered a Bloody Mary. When the stewardess came over to us, I ordered a Coke and Mom ordered a Bloody Mary. I had never seen my mother drink anything but white wine. But here she was with this big old red drink with a celery stalk, of all things, stuck in the middle of it. She put her book down and continued to watch the back of Redford’s head.
    Once in a while he turned his face, and she was blessed to see his profile. I remember thinking that good things
can
come out of bad situations. The stewardess asked us to put our tray tables down so she could place a tablecloth on them and set the silver.
    When the stewardess asked Redford what he wanted to eat, he said, “Steak—and make it bloody, please.” Then she came over to us, and I ordered a cheeseburger and fries.
    “Steak, bloody please,” Mom said.
    “Whaaaat? Mom, you don’t eat red meat!” I was shocked.
    “Shhh. Lily, today is a special occasion.”
    When Redford ordered another bloody Mary—you guessed it, Daisy Lockwood got the same. Redford reclined his seat back to take a nap. So of course Mom leaned her chair back and went to sleep. I remember thinking,
my poor mother, seeing Robert Redford is making her coo coo!
    When we landed in New York, we got out and lost track of Redford in the terminal. We were met by a driver, who was holding up a sign,
D & L Lockwood
. We followed him to the car and got into the back seat.
    The driver asked us about our trip and about the riots in LA. While the grownups were speaking, I drifted between consciousness and sleep.
    Mom asked Jacques, the driver, if she could use his car phone. Already she knew the driver’s name and was talking with him about his family in Haiti, including his