The one thing I hated more than takeoffs were landings. After two settling vodka tonics each, Roger and I fell asleep somewhere over the Atlantic. There were three audible tones and the captain’s voice came over the intercom. “Good evening, Queen and crew! Current time is 6:12 PM. Temperature in Los Angeles is 67 degrees. For those of you still in merrie England, that’s 19 Celsius. We will be landing at Los Angeles International Airport momentarily. Please leave your seatbelts fastened as we land. You will be escorted through the terminal upon arrival. It has a been a pleasure being your pilot!” Dough, our pilot came over the intercom and said to us.

 “Mary! Mary, we’re here! Oh, we’re here!” Freddie reached over and lightly shook Mary’s shoulders. She had been asleep for the past three hours of the flight.

 “Huh? Wha…I…oh…” she yawned deeply. “We’re here? Are we landing? Oh! Look at that, we’re getting’ ready to land.” she sleepily slurred as Freddie moved her hair from her face.

 “We’re here, darling. He leaned over to kiss her and wake her up, cramming some of the trash from the flight into the plastic bag around him. Roger and I had been awake for the past six hours of the trip. Brian and Chrissie had rotated their seats around to face us much earlier in the flight. They managed to calm us down somewhat but Roger and I were far from being perfectly content. They flipped their seats around upon getting the announcement to fasten their seatbelts.

 I was glued to the window, looking over Roger as we descended, losing altitude quickly. “Roger, look at those trees!” I exclaimed, noticing the palm tress that dotted the landscape of the LAX grounds. We hadn’t yet made contact with the runway and I was already becoming very excited and a little giddy over California. I was also getting fired up because I knew we were this much closer to checking in to the hotel. We were this much closer to a hot shower, plush spa robes, and room service. And when I say room service, I’m talkin’ about two different kinds…the kind Roger gives and the kind the hotel gives.

 “Oh my god, Brian! What do you want to do when we land!? Should we rent a car!? Do we check in? Do you have any interviews? We should we eat!? Should we take a relaxing bath!?” Chrissie went on with wild eyes as she looked to Brian. He smiled at her, almost just as excited.

 “Let’s get landed, get our stuff, get to the hotel and then let’s make a dinner reservation! You and me! Oh my Chrissie….we haven’t had a lovely dinner to ourselves since the baby was born!” Brian said, planning out their entire evening.  Chrissie’s eyes grew wide.

 “Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes! Oh, Brian it all sounds so lovely! We can get all dressed up! My god, we can have a night out in Los Angeles!” Chrissie practically squealed in her excitement. Oh, those party animals. The wheels of the plane touched down onto the runway in a screeching rubber against concrete noise. You could feel the plane slow down, and the excitement in all of us speed up. Even Veronica, who had hardly said anything on the flight was looking out her window all the while talking to John.

 “Hey! Hey, Lydia! Freddie and I are going out for drinks once we check in and get changed. What are you and Roger do…” Mary thought about the words that were about to come out of her mouth. “You know what, never mind…John! Do you and Veronica want to join Freddie and I for drinks?”

 “I think Veronica wants to crash but I’ll go with you.” he told Mary.

 “Excellent!” Mary said excitedly, patting John on the arm.

 “Lyd, Lydia…look!” Roger grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him, pointing toward the breathtaking Los Angeles skyline. I gasped as he slipped his arm around my shoulders. I’d never seen a city like this. It towered toward the sky and the endless string of traffic on the Los Angeles freeways could be seen as we approached our landing.  I was speechless as the engine noise roared to stop the plane. Roger laughed and smiled that priceless smile at me. “Whaddaya think? I shook my head.

 “It’s…oh my god, Rog…” I leaned over against him because I truly didn’t have the words and it distracted me from our landing. On some level, I think Roger knew that and it was his way of saying ‘I got you’ without actually saying it. Our plane had slowed to a creep along the runway.

 “We are approaching terminal 4173. You may unfasten your seatbelts.” The pilot came over the intercom. I couldn’t get my seatbelt off fast enough. One of the stewardesses unlatched the top hatches over our seats. I nearly knocked Freddie over as we stood up at nearly the same time to begin unloading the overhead storage.

 “Well, I’d say I’m sorry, devil in a blue dress but I’ve always looked for an excuse to do this.” Freddie said, turning around and pulling the slim straps of my dress out only for them to slap against my back. I squeaked and looked over my shoulder at him, pulling my white, wide brimmed, Los Angeles ready hat from the overhead.

 “Just look at you, dear! Still to this day like something right out of a magazine!” Freddie’s huge grin lightened me right up as I pulled my red Louis Vuitton and Roger’s carry-on from the overhead. Jesus, I hadn’t a clue how I crammed all this stuff up here. I must have been quite pissed to get everything to fit. I handed over one of Roger’s two carry-ons and pulled mine out as Brian, John and Freddie repeated the same actions. Chrissie and Brian were the first ones down the aisle toward the front of the plane, followed by John and Veronica, Roger and I, then Freddie and Mary to bring up the rear. It tickled me how Freddie and Mary were talking away about how they were going to spend their evening with John. Hell, John was the type who just showed up with the crowd and did whatever was planned. He wouldn’t mind the least bit that Mary and Freddie would have the next several hours of his life mapped out.

 I gasped, as did Chrissie as we made our way to the front of the plane and stepped into the terminal.  There it was greeting us all: THANK YOU FOR FLYING DELTA AIR, the sign read at the end of the long enclosed hallway at the door. Brian was the first to push it open and the world behind it was utterly fabulous. This airport was a hundred times busier and more bustling than Heathrow. Stewardesses, stewards, pilots, passengers, everywhere; people going this way and that with their rolling luggage and rushing here and there. My god I was more excited than I had originally anticipated.

 “Does he know where he’s going!? How does he know where to go!? Did someone tell him where to go?” Freddie yelled toward Brian. I took hold of Roger’s arm after he had slipped his glasses on so he could actually read the signs at a distance. I’m not going to lie, Roger and I looked like we had been yanked straight out of Hollywood…no that I was…superly familiar with Hollywood.

 “Relax! He knows where to go!” Roger turned around and snapped at Freddie.

 “How does he know where to go!? Did someone tell him? That sign back there…”

 “FRED!” And Mary roped him in yet again. “Please, it’s Brian. Are you really gonna’ question him? God!” Mary rolled her eyes and tried her best to take in everything around her. The bright lights, the perfectly cleaned tile, the shopes around the airport selling everything from last minute necessities to a quick bite to eat. I squeezed Roger’s arm a little tighter as we made a turn to a pebbled linoleum where I could see security and what appeared to be customs. “You have my passport, yeah?” I asked of Roger.  I could see the faint outline of what appeared to be cars outside. Three men, whom I could only assume were the American reps greeted Brian immediately.

 “Me! I bet they want to talk to me!” Freddie said, rushing past Roger and I to greet the three men.

 “Do you know who they are?” I asked of Roger.

 “One is the Elektra Records representative, I think the other two are from the hotel.” He told me as we watched Freddie fabulously introduce himself, Mary looming behind Roger and I. We couldn’t much hear the instructions being given to Freddie and Brian.

 “Should you go introduce yourself? Thank them for the hospitality?” I asked of Roger.

 “Yeah, yeah. I’ll go say hello.” I gave him a nod as he went to do exactly that. I adjusted my hat slightly and turned to Mary.

 “Let's go through customs while they talk? Appears Chrissie and Veronica are doing such.” I asked of her, putting my bag to the floor for a moment and tugging at my dress.

 “Yeah, let’s do. They may be a few minutes there.” I picked up my bag and Mary and I made our way to the customs counter.

 “Hello! Welcome to Los Angeles. May I see your passport?” One of the agents greeted Mary as she handed her passport over. She beamed all over and I think she and I both were continually tickled by these American accents.

 “Oh hello there and thank you!” she responded as the agent stamped her passport and handed it back to Mary. He proceeded to do the same with my passport. I thanked the agent who pointed Mary and myself to the security checkpoint where Chrissie and Veronica had already received their instructions. Our boys were still speaking with the record rep and the men from the hotel. Freddie was pointing in Veronica’s direction and then mine and Mary’s. “God only knows what he could possibly be saying right now. Hi, do you need me to open my luggage?” Mary asked the security woman at the desk.

 She smiled at Mary. “No, that won’t be necessary, just open your carry-on there. Same for you, miss. Just your carry-on.” The woman looked to me and I did as she instructed me. “Oh my what a most lovely hat! Matches those white shoes of yours!” the security woman complimented me.

 “Thank you.” I told her, giving her my best smile I could give her after having been on a plane for twelve hours.

 “Your luggage hasn’t yet been brought from the baggage claim. There are four cars awaiting you through these automatic doors to my immediate right. Ms. Austin, you are in the front car, there should be a chauffer there to get you situated. Mrs. Taylor, you’re in the fourth car.” The woman explained.

 “Wh…why did are there four cars for us?” I asked of the security woman.

 “I’m not sure. The hotel sent them. I guess they didn’t want you to be crammed in a limo like a bunch of sardines after your lengthy flight.” She explained. Mary and I exchanged glances.

 “Cramming into spaces like sardines is our specialty. My god, eight of us once fit onto a tour bus together and Veronica over there was pregnant. The shit that went down on that bus. To this day we can’t figure out how the glitter got embedded into the carpet!” I mortified myself. Hell, I didn’t know this American woman and here I was letting her know that we did some crazy shit on a tour bus!? I had that fox in the headlights look on my face.  She laughed at me, easing my fears.

 “I’m sure you could tell some stories. Enjoy your time in California, ladies!” the woman told us kindly. I was truly glad she wasn’t horrified by my comments as Mary and I picked up our bags and headed to the doors. The Elektra representative and men from the hotel shook hands with the boys and headed for the automatic doors where stood.

 “Hey, have you noticed how quiet Veronica has…” Chrissie hurrying over to us interrupted Mary’s sentence.

 “I can’t wait! I’m so very excited! Did you see the cars outside!? Brian and I are to be in the second one when the luggage arrives! Come on! Come on let’s go outside and wait! Veronica’s already out there!” She tugged on Mary’s arm and of course we followed her through the automatic doors, being immediately hit by the Los Angeles down draft blowing through the covered port of lanes with incoming and outgoing taxis, shuttles, and cars dropping off and picking up passengers. My breath was a bit taken away by all this, having to put a hand on my head to ensure my hat didn’t go blowing off backward through the automatic doors. It was as if the entire world were right here under this covered port. After inhaling the LA air deeply and looking around with that awestruck look on my face, I could think of a no better way to break in my United States welcome than lighting a cigarette.

 “You alright? Why aren’t you going out for drinks with Fred and I tonight?” Mary asked, putting a hand to Veronica’s shoulder.

 “Huh? Oh, yeah…yeah I’m fine.” Veronica smiled and shook her head. “I’m just exhausted. I really need to get some sleep. I know it’s barely 7:30 but I’m going to crash early tonight.” She unveiled her big plans to Mary.

 “I understand.” She rubbed Veronica’s back. “It’s just…It’s L.A.! Can you believe it’s L.A!?” Mary giggled like a schoolgirl, causing Veronica to smile her big, sincere smile.

 “I know, I know…I’m missing the big L.A. evening.” Veronica nodded her head.

 “Don’t worry! You’ll make up for it tomorrow!” Mary smiled. Freddie arrived outside first in the grandest of accolades of course.

 “Boys and girls! I’m ready for sin city!” he announced, throwing his hands out. Mary sighed.

 “Fred, that’s Las Vegas…Las Vegas is sin city…Los Angeles is the city of angels! I researched this!” Mary said, putting her head in her hand.

 “Oh…” he began. “Never mind, darlings! I’m ready to be the devil among the angels. Pluck a few wings! Break a few halos!” He leaned over and kissed Mary’s cheek. A chauffer had already opened the back door of the car for Chrissie.

 “Mrs. May? Is that you? Your luggage just arrived. Care to take a look and make certain it’s all here?” he asked, wheeling a cart before her as Brian came up behind her.

 “Oh! An American has never called me Mrs. May before!” she glowed all over, taking a look at the luggage. “Yes, yes this is everything. Thank you.” The chauffer proceeded to open the back door of the care for her. 

 “Hey, I haven’t given you your L.A. kiss yet.” Brian said, sliding across the black, leather bound seats and sliding an arm around Chrissie. She smiled and put a hand on his cheek, pressing her lips into his.

 “We’re in L.A., Brian!” she gushed, resting her nose on his before he kissed her again. It only took a few moments to load the rest of us up, as our luggage arrived quickly. These Americans were certainly timely and prompt. And just like that we were off, leaving the airport arrival and departure port for the relentless mercy and thrill of Los Angeles traffic. Next stop, 900 West Olympic Boulevard…or so the brochure said as I recall….the ultra luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel.