Status: In Time
To Caress My Day
Chapter 12: Tell Me About Yourself
Twigs slowly nodded, his words already touching her deeply. This man was creature of many talents and was living his dream, so he knew what he was talking about. Twigs truly wanted to follow her dreams of becoming a performer, so she hungrily took his advice to heart. She can only be the best that she could be, nothing more, nothing less.
“I’ll try my best to follow your advice the next time I perform.” Twigs promised, linking her hands together, nervously.
Seth nodded, before he thought of something that’s been tumbling around in his mind since he met her. “So, I don’t know much about you at all. Can you tell me some things about yourself? If you tell me about you, I might tell you about me.” Seth coaxed the young lady.
“Oh well, where should I even begin?” Twigs wondered aloud, tapping her chin in thought. She wasn’t about to pass on that offer. True, she can easily go home or use her phone to find out everything she can about him, but why do that when you can simply ask the star in person instead?
“At the beginning.” Seth requested, leaning his cheek against his hand as he leaned onto the bar counter, giving her his undivided attention.
“Okay, my name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, I was born in a quiet, rural, county called Gloucestershire, England which is four hours from London. Looking out my bedroom window I can remember seeing valleys and fields of sheep and cows, it was actually very beautiful. Anyway, I was born on January 16, 1988, so I’m only 24 years old. My parents weren’t together at the time of my upbringing but I had a stepfather growing up. I actually got to meet my dad when I was 18, he’s a jazz dancer.”
Seth nodded, “What race are you? I don’t want to take guesses in case you find it rude, some people do. I don’t want to offend you, but I can’t help but wonder if you’re cocktail mix of races.”
“I kind of am, actually. My father is Jamaican, and my mother is Spanish and English.”
Seth nodded. “So how did you learn to dance the way you do? I mean, did you learn to move like that during high school or something like that?”
“No, my mother was a dancer and a gymnast, so I started dancing pretty young. I’ve always wanted to learn ballet but my mother wouldn’t let me. Dancing had broken her heart and she didn’t want it to break her daughter’s heart too. One day, I went to the doctors because something was wrong with my ankle or knees, I don’t’ remember which, but the doctor recommended ballet. My mother and step father had to make sacrifices to get me ballet classes. I was 8 when I first started and around 10 or 11 I got to have more freedom to what genre I wanted to dance to.” Tahliah recalled, watching a slow smile spread across his face, he was clearly intrigued.
When did you get into music?” Seth pressed on, soaking all her information like a sponge. He wanted to know everything he could about his pixie before the night was up and he’d have to go back to his empty mansion alone.
“I started writing and making music when I was 16 in a youth club in Gloucestershire and decided that I wanted to get into music at 17. I moved out to live in London last year and went to a dance college there. My family have low income, so my mother had been saving up for me to go to this college for so long. I don’t remember when I realized that I didn’t want to go anymore. I just found myself going there less and less. So eventually I stopped going all together. I went Croyden College to study philosophy and sociology but got banned from two classes for asking too many questions.” Tahliah recalled, remembering the guilt she felt for wasting her mother’s money on schools that turned out to not be what she wanted to do in the end.
Seth burst into laughter before calming himself down to ask another question. “How did you get by without your parents there with you? Did you have a job at the time?”
“A job? I was working three to four jobs at the time and all they did was wear me down. I hardly had the time to do what my heart wanted me to do with it all being used up. I decided to work only twice a week so I can focus on my music. I would be in the studio 2-3 times a week learning everything I can from bottom to the top, perfecting it no matter how long it took me.”
“And now you’ve become a backup dancer, right?”
“Yes, among other things, but I’m still trying to focus on my music. I don’t want to be a backup dancer forever. I have dreams, you know.” Twigs gave him a wink before, realizing that she had blabbed on and on about her, but didn’t know a thing about him. She wanted to hear him ramble on and on about himself instead of babbling about her life.
“Can you tell me about you now, Mr. MacFarlane?” Twigs politely asked, hoping he’d tell her everything about him.
“You can call me Seth. I really would love it if you called me Seth.” Seth admitted, his eyes dropping to her deep red lips.
Twigs hesitated before taking the opportunity to look him over quickly. “Can you tell me about yourself...Seth?”
Seth held back a groan at the sound of her saying his name, before responding to her request. “My name is Seth Woodbury MacFarlane and I was born in Kent, Connecticut. I am the oldest and only boy. I have a younger sister, Rachel. My mother is Ann and my father is Ronald. What else is there to tell?”
Twigs giggled, making Seth heart melt. “What is your race? You’re not just some white guy, right?”
Seth chuckled, “No, I’m of Scottish, English and Irish descent.”
Twigs bit her lower lip, once again catching his gaze to her mouth. “Ok, when did you get into animating and such?”
“I watched a lot of cartoons when I was little. I was a pretty good artist at the age of two. I decided when I was 5 that I wanted to be an animator when I got older. In the meantime, I made flipbooks. At 9, I started to publish weekly comic strips in the local newspaper earning $5 a week. One of them upset the local priest, and started a little controversy in town.” Seth recalled, chuckling to himself as he recalled.
“What did you draw?” Twigs asked, tugging on his jacket, wanting to know.
“It was a communion thing. I’ve always found those interesting for some reason. I drew some guy kneeling at the altar that was taking his communion and he asked, ‘Can I have fries with that?’” Seth watched in delight as Twigs laughed.
“Oh my goodness, you’re so bad.”
“I know. So anyway I graduated from Kent high school in 91’ and headed to Rhode Island School of Designs where I went to College and got me a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.”
“Wow, did you go looking for work in the animation world?” Twigs asked, completely submerged in his story.
“Yeah kind of. My professor gave my thesis film to Hanna & Barbara, and they hired me. I worked on four different cartoons before I got one of my ideas to be shortly broadcasted. Eventually I created Family Guy and pitched that to FOX. I wanted to create something with an edgy humor that couldn’t be shown on cartoon network, so I was hoping FOX could give me a chance. They agreed for me to have an episode, and if I managed to impress them I could have my own show. It aired on January 31, 1999 and ended in 2002.” Twigs gasped with a look of confusion.
“I had no idea your show was canceled before. That must have been so hard for you.” Twigs mourned for him.
“Yeah it kind of was, but what can you do? Family guy was tossed to Adult Swim where it became popular again. In 2005, FOX wanted me back and just this year I received a $100million dollar contract. I am TV’s highest paid writer and producer!” Seth couldn’t help but bragged, wondering if he would see the familiar dollar signs flash in her eyes that he saw in Avery’s, but he saw nothing but sincere admiration.
“Your success is incredible. It’s like you were truly meant to do this, and fate made it happen. You must be so happy to be living your dream.” Twigs spoke kindly, a little envious that he made his dream come true with almost ease.
“I am, and you will too.” Seth promised, as scooted forward, their hands almost touching on the bar table.
“Oh yeah, how do you know?”
“I just do.” Seth said certainly while staring into her warm brown eyes.
“I’ll try my best to follow your advice the next time I perform.” Twigs promised, linking her hands together, nervously.
Seth nodded, before he thought of something that’s been tumbling around in his mind since he met her. “So, I don’t know much about you at all. Can you tell me some things about yourself? If you tell me about you, I might tell you about me.” Seth coaxed the young lady.
“Oh well, where should I even begin?” Twigs wondered aloud, tapping her chin in thought. She wasn’t about to pass on that offer. True, she can easily go home or use her phone to find out everything she can about him, but why do that when you can simply ask the star in person instead?
“At the beginning.” Seth requested, leaning his cheek against his hand as he leaned onto the bar counter, giving her his undivided attention.
“Okay, my name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, I was born in a quiet, rural, county called Gloucestershire, England which is four hours from London. Looking out my bedroom window I can remember seeing valleys and fields of sheep and cows, it was actually very beautiful. Anyway, I was born on January 16, 1988, so I’m only 24 years old. My parents weren’t together at the time of my upbringing but I had a stepfather growing up. I actually got to meet my dad when I was 18, he’s a jazz dancer.”
Seth nodded, “What race are you? I don’t want to take guesses in case you find it rude, some people do. I don’t want to offend you, but I can’t help but wonder if you’re cocktail mix of races.”
“I kind of am, actually. My father is Jamaican, and my mother is Spanish and English.”
Seth nodded. “So how did you learn to dance the way you do? I mean, did you learn to move like that during high school or something like that?”
“No, my mother was a dancer and a gymnast, so I started dancing pretty young. I’ve always wanted to learn ballet but my mother wouldn’t let me. Dancing had broken her heart and she didn’t want it to break her daughter’s heart too. One day, I went to the doctors because something was wrong with my ankle or knees, I don’t’ remember which, but the doctor recommended ballet. My mother and step father had to make sacrifices to get me ballet classes. I was 8 when I first started and around 10 or 11 I got to have more freedom to what genre I wanted to dance to.” Tahliah recalled, watching a slow smile spread across his face, he was clearly intrigued.
When did you get into music?” Seth pressed on, soaking all her information like a sponge. He wanted to know everything he could about his pixie before the night was up and he’d have to go back to his empty mansion alone.
“I started writing and making music when I was 16 in a youth club in Gloucestershire and decided that I wanted to get into music at 17. I moved out to live in London last year and went to a dance college there. My family have low income, so my mother had been saving up for me to go to this college for so long. I don’t remember when I realized that I didn’t want to go anymore. I just found myself going there less and less. So eventually I stopped going all together. I went Croyden College to study philosophy and sociology but got banned from two classes for asking too many questions.” Tahliah recalled, remembering the guilt she felt for wasting her mother’s money on schools that turned out to not be what she wanted to do in the end.
Seth burst into laughter before calming himself down to ask another question. “How did you get by without your parents there with you? Did you have a job at the time?”
“A job? I was working three to four jobs at the time and all they did was wear me down. I hardly had the time to do what my heart wanted me to do with it all being used up. I decided to work only twice a week so I can focus on my music. I would be in the studio 2-3 times a week learning everything I can from bottom to the top, perfecting it no matter how long it took me.”
“And now you’ve become a backup dancer, right?”
“Yes, among other things, but I’m still trying to focus on my music. I don’t want to be a backup dancer forever. I have dreams, you know.” Twigs gave him a wink before, realizing that she had blabbed on and on about her, but didn’t know a thing about him. She wanted to hear him ramble on and on about himself instead of babbling about her life.
“Can you tell me about you now, Mr. MacFarlane?” Twigs politely asked, hoping he’d tell her everything about him.
“You can call me Seth. I really would love it if you called me Seth.” Seth admitted, his eyes dropping to her deep red lips.
Twigs hesitated before taking the opportunity to look him over quickly. “Can you tell me about yourself...Seth?”
Seth held back a groan at the sound of her saying his name, before responding to her request. “My name is Seth Woodbury MacFarlane and I was born in Kent, Connecticut. I am the oldest and only boy. I have a younger sister, Rachel. My mother is Ann and my father is Ronald. What else is there to tell?”
Twigs giggled, making Seth heart melt. “What is your race? You’re not just some white guy, right?”
Seth chuckled, “No, I’m of Scottish, English and Irish descent.”
Twigs bit her lower lip, once again catching his gaze to her mouth. “Ok, when did you get into animating and such?”
“I watched a lot of cartoons when I was little. I was a pretty good artist at the age of two. I decided when I was 5 that I wanted to be an animator when I got older. In the meantime, I made flipbooks. At 9, I started to publish weekly comic strips in the local newspaper earning $5 a week. One of them upset the local priest, and started a little controversy in town.” Seth recalled, chuckling to himself as he recalled.
“What did you draw?” Twigs asked, tugging on his jacket, wanting to know.
“It was a communion thing. I’ve always found those interesting for some reason. I drew some guy kneeling at the altar that was taking his communion and he asked, ‘Can I have fries with that?’” Seth watched in delight as Twigs laughed.
“Oh my goodness, you’re so bad.”
“I know. So anyway I graduated from Kent high school in 91’ and headed to Rhode Island School of Designs where I went to College and got me a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.”
“Wow, did you go looking for work in the animation world?” Twigs asked, completely submerged in his story.
“Yeah kind of. My professor gave my thesis film to Hanna & Barbara, and they hired me. I worked on four different cartoons before I got one of my ideas to be shortly broadcasted. Eventually I created Family Guy and pitched that to FOX. I wanted to create something with an edgy humor that couldn’t be shown on cartoon network, so I was hoping FOX could give me a chance. They agreed for me to have an episode, and if I managed to impress them I could have my own show. It aired on January 31, 1999 and ended in 2002.” Twigs gasped with a look of confusion.
“I had no idea your show was canceled before. That must have been so hard for you.” Twigs mourned for him.
“Yeah it kind of was, but what can you do? Family guy was tossed to Adult Swim where it became popular again. In 2005, FOX wanted me back and just this year I received a $100million dollar contract. I am TV’s highest paid writer and producer!” Seth couldn’t help but bragged, wondering if he would see the familiar dollar signs flash in her eyes that he saw in Avery’s, but he saw nothing but sincere admiration.
“Your success is incredible. It’s like you were truly meant to do this, and fate made it happen. You must be so happy to be living your dream.” Twigs spoke kindly, a little envious that he made his dream come true with almost ease.
“I am, and you will too.” Seth promised, as scooted forward, their hands almost touching on the bar table.
“Oh yeah, how do you know?”
“I just do.” Seth said certainly while staring into her warm brown eyes.