The Dreamer

Maddie rested her chin on her palm as she watched the pedestrians and cars passed by the glass window of the book store. It was a quiet Thursday evening and Hollywood was in its usual routine. The craziest dressed people were considered as normalcy instead of oddity. Over the last year, Maddie had grown more attached to this city than she ever thought she would. The people were nice though she wasn’t sure whether they were genuine or not but there had been enough life experience for her to handle that issue. She was living in a city where the movie magic happened. Everyone loved the movies here and for the first time in life, she didn’t felt like a geek or weirdo for her first love.

Though, there were better ways of spending the evening supervising a book store Maddie was glad of the job. She could finally take a break from the hectic day. She was no longer the coffee girl in the studios, her endless plea for a more technical job had finally came through when the boom operator had suddenly quit his job due to personal problems. And Kevin, being one of the nicest people Maddie had met recommended her to be the temporary worker to fill in the spot. Since there were no complains, Maddie was now the person in charge of carrying the microphone on sets and making sure the actors were in the correct spot so they wouldn’t be left out from the camera and she was learning more than she could ever imagined for the past few days.

The previous anxiousness about her decision faded into the back of her mind when the job presented itself to her. To her it was fate. It was a way the world was telling her to stay put in Hollywood. She was close to breaking down to her parents and let them know every little detail of what their daughter was really up to in a foreign country.

As she watched the view before her and waited for time to tick by slowly, her thoughts were restless. She got up from the squeaky chair by the counter, took the duster and went towards the shelves of books. She started dusting every one of the rows and hoped time would pass faster. She was on the third shelf when the soft tingling of the bell above the front door rang. A smile appeared on her previous bored face as she quickly appeared from the tall shelves to greet the customer.

The sight of the only other human being in the store, Maddie felt her muscles tensed. “Shia?!” her voice came out louder than she expected. The actor swiveled around from the counter to face her. His appearance was more unkempt than Maddie last seen him. His chiseled face was hidden under a bushier beard and moustache. His eyes were slightly bloodshot. His dark brown hair which peeked out from the same baseball cap she saw was pointing in all directions. His clothes were the only item which did justice for his usual charming appearance – a pair of grey denim jeans and a not-too-tight/baggy black t-shirt accompanied by a pair of Nike sneakers.

He smiled at the fact that she remembered his name and also she was smiling and not a frown on her face. “Hi,” he greeted her with a small wave with his right hand. “Madison,” he added. “It’s Madison, right?”

Even more shocked than he was, Maddie could only nod to answer the question. She didn’t expect to see him this soon. So far, all the celebrities whom she had seen in Tinseltown were all one-time-deals. This was the first time she had met the same celebrity twice and it wasn’t during work hours in the studio. Surprised but not speechless, she cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”

Shia glanced around the store and thought for a short moment. “What time do you get off work?”

Maddie stared at him in question. “Why?” she asked suspiciously.

Shia chuckled softly at her suspicions. “Don’t worry. I wanted to know because I was hoping… maybe you could explain some of the things on here,” Shia revealed the Tao of Pooh hidden from his back moments ago with a small smile.

“Oh…” Maddie narrowed her eyes as she felt her cheeks burned a bright maroon shade. Her grip tightened around the duster in her hand. “We can talk about the book here,” she suggested. Shia’s eyes darted around the store. “If that’s okay with you, of course,” she added.

Shia shrugged. “Where should I sit?” he asked. Maddie motioned towards the black leather couch which was positioned near the shelves. He didn’t protest and sat on it, a loud squishy sound echoed in the room suddenly and Maddie bit her lip from laughing aloud. It was something the customers never expected and they would blush madly when others turned to their direction.

In this case, Shia raised his arms defensively. “That’s not me! That’s just the couch!” he explained. Maddie’s smile widened as she went to the back of the counter and returned the duster. “Do you want anything to drink?” she asked.

“What do you have?”

Maddie went to the back of store and found an opened box of mineral water. She took two bottles and went back to Shia. He had taken his cap off to reveal a messy mop of dark brown hair. His focus was directed to his mobile phone where he was busy texting. Maddie summoned up the courage and put the bottles on the small brown coffee table and sat next to him.

Once, Shia was done, he pocketed the phone and in a swift motion, brushed his hair and put the cap back on. “Sorry about that,” he said. Maddie shook her head. “It’s okay you know. We don’t have to do this now. I mean… if you’re busy or you have somewhere to go, we can just talk about it some other time. Or… you can just research it on the internet.”

Shia smiled. “It’s alright. I’m absolutely free right now. Free as a bird,” he chuckled. “I did do some work on the internet but nothing came up as useful.”

Maddie watched him in fascination. Is this real? Is it really happening? Shia LaBeouf, the next big thing in Hollywood was asking for her input about a book she so dearly adored. “Erm…” she shifted on the couch creating a loud farting sound. She turned to Shia and knew he was trying hard not to laugh. She rolled her eyes and began laughing at the silliness. Shia joined her within seconds.

“You must have polished this couch a thousand times!” Shia commented as the laughter died down. Maddie nodded smugly. “There’s nothing much to do around here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Alright… let’s get back to the point,” he said, taking the book from the table and flipped through the pages of the red covered book. Maddie nodded and sat straight, recomposing herself.

“You ready?” he asked, after finding the page he was looking for which Maddie noticed was marked and some lines were underlined.

“Shoot.”

“Alright,” Shia grinned, glad that he was seeing a different side of her. “Okay. The whole business with the Uncarved Block. Where it’s all about simplicity in life and if we can lead that sort of life, nothing can really stop us.” Maddie nodded. “Is that all to it? Or is there more to the idea?” he asked.

Maddie didn’t even need a second to the question. She knew the answer. She had asked the questions herself when she read the book for the first time and doubted the idea but after more research into the philosophy, she had realized it was all that it was. “You basically summed up the basic idea of the Uncarved Block. Also known as P’u. It’s to perceive everything with a clear and unbiased mind. That’s why the Uncarved Block is used as an example. Just imagine a block of wood, untouched by anyone; it is what it is without being carved into any shape. If everyone can see it through this view, there wouldn’t be so much racism, sexism, etc. It also means be simple in one’s approach of life.”

Shia watched her intently with his hazel eyes. “That’s it?”

Maddie nodded. “Yup! That’s all to the Uncarved Block.”

“Okay…” he mumbled and flicked through the pages. “Can you remember this story?” he passed her the book and she read it through and nodded, returning it to Shia. She noticed there were some scribbled notes around the spaces of the pages and some circled paragraphs with question marks. “What about it?”

“Well, how can Pooh actually find his way home when all along he was thinking about the Pit? I mean I think I get it but in a logical sense, it doesn’t. So, what? When we get lost, we should just think of going back to where we were lost and we’ll find our way out?” Shia asked, the hint of confusion was evident in his voice.

Maddie smiled. “You’re over-thinking it, Shia. It’s basically whenever we get stuck with a problem or anything like that; we shouldn’t bog our minds with countless thoughts and what if’s. Instead, we need to clear our minds and listen to our instincts.”

“Ah… I see it now,” his previous relaxed features screwed into a thoughtful one. “Damn! You mean that’s all to it? Can’t the writer just say that?” he sighed and fished for a pen from his pockets and began scribbling on the page. Maddie chuckled. “I’m not saying I’m smart or anything like that. But when you read this book, just try to clear your head from everything. Don’t judge it. Discard everything that you know of the philosophy and everything else. Then, read it. You’ll get the meaning in a jiffy.”

Shia raised his eyebrow and closed the book. “Are you saying I’m not simple enough to understand this book?” his voice raised slightly.

Maddie shook her head immediately, afraid she had offended him. “No! No! No! That’s not what I meant. What I’m saying is-“

Shia chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m just kidding. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try doing that again and see what happens.” Maddie glared at him for the joke. “You scared me! I thought I said something wrong!”

Shia rolled his eyes. “Oh Madison. You’re just too easy of a target.” Maddie sighed. “Hey! How am I supposed to know! You’re a Hollywood actor! Soon to be the biggest thing. How do I know whether you’re a diva or you’re not?”

Shia laughed and clapped his hands. “You’re more amusing than I thought. And don’t worry. I’m not a diva. I’m just your average Joe.”

Maddie smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her neck. “Erm… is there anything else I can help you with?”

“For now. No. I’m going home and re-reading this again with your suggested method,” Shia replied matter-of-factly. His phone beeped loudly as he received a message. Shia looked at her apologetically and read the message. Maddie shrugged and took a bottle of the mineral water and gulped it down. Shia replied as fast as he could and returned the phone to his pocket.

“Well… er… I guess I should be off now,” he said, getting up. Maddie mimicked his action. “Yeah…”

“Thanks for helping me out with this!” he smiled, waving the book before her. “No sweat.” She watched him as he adjusted his cap and took out the earphones for his phone about to plug them on. “Erm…” He froze and turned his gaze to her. “I’m just wondering…” she began. “How did you find out about the book?”

Shia smiled. “A lady friend told me to read it.” Maddie nodded and wondered who it was but didn’t dare to ask.

“I’ll see you around,” he said.

“Yup.”

Shia waved and plugged on his earphones before leaving the shop, his head focused on the road ahead of him. Maddie watched curiously as she tidied up the table and went back to the counter and sat on the squeaky chair, waiting.

Eleven o’clock arrived after Maddie changed the CD’s in the player countless times and only helped 3 customers in total after Shia. She closed up the store and was about to run to the bus stop when a car honked as she turned the corner. She let out a shriek and swiveled around to see who the jackass was. A familiar maroon car stopped by the street, next to her. Kyle, a friend Maddie made since the first month she had moved to LA waved at her, a lopsided grin decorated his usual thin frame.

“Kyle! You scared the shit out of me!” Maddie yelled as she glared at him, her grip around her bag tightened. “How many times did I tell you not to do that?!”

Kyle pouted. “I’m sorry, Maddie. I just thought you needed a lift,” he said. Maddie crossed her arms and locked her eyes with his.

“How long are you going to stand there, Maddie? Just get in here,” he said. Maddie continued to glare at him before getting into the front passenger seat. She buckled the seatbelt and turned to the driver. “What do you want?”

Kyle only chuckled and drove the car into the street. “You haven’t eaten yet, right?” Maddie nodded and watched the road ahead of them. The night life in LA definitely lived up to its name. Not one street they passed by was quiet. Kyle parked in front of a fast food restaurant and they got out. The place was crowded by teenagers, adults and some lonely old folks. Maddie ordered her food and joined Kyle in a booth he had picked.

“So, what is this about?” she asked and took a sip from her cold soda.

“Just checking on how my favorite director is doing. I heard you’re a boom operator now,” Kyle said with a grin. Maddie studied him, intrigued at how he always knew what was going on in town. Kyle’s profession was journalist/paparazzi. The rigorous hours and running around gave him his lanky body, his short black hair was always in a mess. He had the most curious pair of blue eyes Maddie had seen and the stubble which he had always maintained in the same length.

Maddie smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! Thanks to Kevin.” Kyle chuckled. “It’s been great so far. My arms were sore for the first few days but now it’s alright.”

“I believe congratulations is in order,” he smiled and raised his paper cup filled with soda. Maddie raised hers and they toasted to the promotion. Maddie munched down her supper as she listened to Kyle telling her about all the latest rumors in Tinseltown.

“I heard Shia LaBeouf have been visiting that store of yours these couple of days,” Kyle said suddenly. Maddie nearly choked on her food as she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “How did you know that? I thought you’re following more juicy celebrities?”

Kyle shrugged. “I have ears, Maddie, remember?” he teased. “A colleague of mine is following Mr. I’m-the-biggest-thing-in-Hollywood and filled me in on it. What is a jerk like him doing in a bookstore anyway?”

Maddie held her tongue as the words poured out of Kyle. It was one of the few times she had heard him described a celebrity this way and even though she didn’t personally know Shia but her defense mode turned alert at those words. He was just a guy who was there to purchase a book, what was wrong with that?

Kyle waved his hand before her. “Hello? Earth to Maddie. Earth to Maddie.”

She sighed and swatted his hand away. “I heard you. He’s just there to buy a book that’s all,” she replied, pursing her lips. Kyle narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. “Sheez, Maddie. Calm down. I’m just asking.”

Maddie rolled her eyes and continued with her supper as her mind wondered on how did Shia earned such a nasty nickname from fellow paparazzi, totally zoned out to what Kyle was telling her.