My Name is Quin. Quin DuBois,

Sadly, I don't look like Vivian Leigh, however, I felt like her character thanks to the kindness of strangers.

I was even semi-caressed by a swarthy man in a white shirt today.... that's later down the page, scroll ahead if you feel the need.

Life has been, well, harsh.ish lately.

I've listened hard, to see what the universe was saying aside from, "Please enjoy this while we connect your call" and Pachelbel's Canon plays on my nerve while I sit on hold.

Things moved... slowly.

'Just now' was the Universe's modus operandi. I sweltered, worried, filled out forms, packed, re-packed, moaned and bemoaned my fate.

Things....changed. R wrote, "Hey, I'll come pick you up, take your stuff from the Bronx to Brooklyn."

Whoa. We'd never met. And she's driving from 90 minutes away, to take my stuff that far? This is on top of handing over miles she never uses to top off my Delta miles. R, thanks. Just.. thanks.

GW sends emails, making me laugh. Miss Sof and Loo remind me, your time is coming. K says, "Hiatus, keep saying, hiatus." WeatherGuy talks as if September is no big time away, the Jarhead is in touch again after a technical fubar and I get emails that I smile over.

I get a call from an ad I'd answered some time ago, "We love your resume, can you come in for an interview?"

Boom. Script supervising job in September, small indie, but, they are going for the internet serial thing, so, long term is ahead. They also want me to work with them on casting, based on my four years in the position in theater.

Okay. Okay, I'm feeling better.

I had found a way to do the apartment thing, if this one in mid-town didn't work out. It is a great place, but, it was at the top of my budget. My son stepped in, and told me not to worry. The SlumLord worries about his Mom. Let's be honest, he wanted a place to stay when he comes here.

Another call, out of the blue.... would I like to come interview as an assistant to a film producer on Monday? He, too, loves my resume. Well, I did use a pretty font and everything.... Oh! And, can I travel if it works out on the job?

Ummm, yes?

My mother calls... she is lonely. Would I mind terribly if she took the terrier?

This, ah, this was hard. I've been thinking lately, however, that it's not fair to the terrier... I'm out looking for work, and she's been here, alone. Her little face is not happy when I get back, and she's developing bad habits, like dumping trash cans, and burying her dog bones in my clothes.

My mother isn't a good parent to me, however, she adores the terrier. I'm thinking this may be a good thing all the way around. When I go to New Orleans, the terrier will stay behind.

I can't talk about this right now.

I managed to get everything into the alloted suitcases last night, a miracle in itself... and R arrives. We get along wonderfully, talking at, through, and around each other, setting guidelines on some areas.... I simply refuse to listen to her discuss how her friend got his nip... well, I refused. boundaries in place, we're off.

She has a GPS that she's set to have an Australian accent. It's very precise, "Turn left in 100 yards."

We stop at Dunkin' Donuts, and it goes mad.

"Reverse your direction, and turn left. Reverse your direction, and turn left. REVERSE YOUR BLOODY DIRECTION AND TURN FUCKING LEFT!!!'

I was impressed.

Fueled by caffeine and sugar, we headed out... and arrived in Brooklyn awhile later, our voices almost worn out.

I rang C, who said she wasn't home, but, was on her way.

"Oh, well, J is here," I said, naming her landlord, who was also my first landlord in the city. "He can let me in if that's okay." There was a moment of silence.

"Ummm, no. No, I'd rather you wait for me."

I was more than surprised. C and I go way back, I mean, she's my sister, and we walk in and out of each other's homes.

R and I settled in to wait, after R took 47 minutes to parallel park.

While I waited, I started to chat with J, who is a nice, nice man.

"Where have you been living since you left here?" he asked. "We've missed seeing you around."

I filled him in, ending up with my current state of no apartment.

His nice Sicilian face filled with shock. "The BRONX??? You are off Fordham, in the BRONX???? No, no, I can't have that." With a question to his wife who was leaving, a fast phone call, and a comment on said phone call of "... I have a deposit, (winks at me) and you don't need to worry about checking, she's good people.", I found myself the tenant of his son, who owns a house on Staten Island, a place where J had just finished refurbishing the basement into a nice one bedroom apartment.

New bathroom, new flooring, new kitchen, new air conditioning. No credit check thing of 60 times the rent amount. No huge deposit (he wanted $100... I gave him $200) and, it's in a house. In a nice neighborhood. With a fenced yard.

How much? $725. Everything included.

On top of that, J told my new landlord (who is having me mail the check when I get to Utah) that he can pick up all my stuff from Brooklyn and move it to my new place. "She doesn't need to have to worry about that stuff, and you've got that big car."

I cried.

CB (no, not Caj), my landlord, spoke to me... would I mind, on rare occasions, to play nanny? No, but, the kids have to call me Miss Quin, I'm old fashioned. "Sure, but, what do I have to call you?" he asked, laughing.

"Hmmm. Well, I'd say M'am, but, that wasn't one of my more lucrative careers, so, just Quin is fine."

He laughed, this big laugh, and said, "We'll get along fine."

I'm a hop skip and a jump from the Ferry. A new place, that the landlord is moving my things into, and... I'm set.

I was, well, thrilled isn't the word. C arrived, and I filled her in. I went in to use the loo, and she told R that she had no idea why she told me I couldn't go into the house. She said she'd hung up her phone, looked to her friend who was driving, and said, "I have to apologise when I see Quin, I don't know why I told her 'no'..."

The Universe...

The Aussie told us how to get home, along the way, I saw the Statue of Liberty from a new angle, and a great sight... two nuns, in full habit, roller skating.

Once here, we stopped for my last Gyros. R is a veggie, and she went across the street to find something to eat there. The vendor and I have chatted over the last months, and I told him I'd miss his food.

He's from Egypt, and has only been here as long as I have, here in the city. He is one of those beautiful young men, classic faced, always pleasant to me. He's studying art, and rents the cart, making a decent salary. He said he's had his wallet stolen, but, he carries on, because the cart pays for his college tuition.

He told me he'd miss my smile. I laughed, and replied that he had a great line. "No, you have a lovely smile, you put your whole self into it. It makes people feel... good." He made up a huge container of gyros and rice and threw in a pita and a drink.

"$5."

I gave him $1o from my limited stash.

We bartered over the tip. He ended up keeping $2, refused the rest. Before I walked away, he gave me a huge hug, than another one.

"Lady, I will miss seeing you. Thank you for always being nice."

R and I wandered up the street, found a park, where she was flirted with (we think) by some drunk speaking some odd language and ate our food.

She bought cigarettes, drove me to the house, and was gone.

Thanks, R... thanks again.

One more thing happened, the normal shuttle that runs to my house... just added a new run, allowing me to get from the airport home...so, no one has to come to Vegas and pick me up...

Good day for the Trojan horse.

I now have to Google Staten Island, and see where the hell I'm moving. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, I had a great day, and... in a few weeks...I'll be coming home.