A Hollywood Box of Puppies

Marigold Lee was a 16 year old teen who fled from her home in Los Angeles. Her mother had just died. Her father took up with another woman who called Marigold fat and disliked her. One night she took a chair and threw it at Marigold and so Marigold realized for her safety she must leave. She packed a few belongings in a suitcase and left with some money. She took the bus to Hollywood and checked in at a hotel called the Hollywood Premier. It was a sad, dilapidated place that had shed its former glory. The paint was pink and peeling. After one night, the hotel kicked her out for not having enough money. Marigold slept in a doorway and was cold even though she had a jacket. 

When she awoke the next morning she heard soft whining and saw a cardboard box next to her with the sounds.  She got up and looked in the box. There were five light yellow puppies squirming in the box. Marigold was hungry, but she had to help the puppies.

She used her phone to call the Hollywood Humane Society and told them about the puppies. They told her to watch them until they could pick them up. Finally Josh arrived and said, “Where do you live, honey?” She wanted to be a tough girl, but she cried and said “I don’t know, don’t you see I have these puppies here?”

She saw the cages at the shelter were clean and bright, with large pictures of animals on the walls. They knew she was homeless so they got blankets and a pillow and let her sleep in the hall near the cat cages. The next morning Josh came upon her and  said, “Tonight you can stay with me, I have room in my living room.”

She stayed there for several months. Josh was an odd sort. He wasn’t into girls. He stayed in his room and read quite a bit. She felt a strange sense of calm with him, like she was in good hands. There was always a smile on his face and quiet joy.

She eventually got a job as a waitress at a burger place called the Pit Stop. She got good tips and so she could pay Josh for the use of the room. She also helped out at the animal shelter cleaning cages and looking after the animals.

One day she decided to get dressed up and bought a black evening gown and some makeup. She dressed in the gown and sat on the couch pretending to be a movie star. Josh came in and said, “Wow, you look fabulous! You should be a movie star. Hollywood is right around here.  You could audition.” They checked out the process and they found a place where they did casting calls named Uncut Casting Services. She booked an appointment for the extras tryout. She and Josh created her look.

When she went there, there was a crowd of people. So many and it was so disorganized. When she was called, she came up and felt nervous. They said, “Relax.” She found herself enjoying her audition. At the end of it, Josh took her home saying, “I’m sure you did great!”

The next day, she was working in the animal shelter and a woman came up who wanted to adopt a dog. She was of slight frame and had a hat and sunglasses on. She looked familiar and had on a very nice sleek black outfit with slim pants and a sparkly top. She wanted to see a small yellow dog and Marigold showed her the puppies. When the woman left, Marigold followed her surreptitiously. She was going to the bus with the dog and her fancy purse. Marigold thought, “What if she is Lucy Liu?”  She became excited because that was her idol. She kept her eye on the woman on the bus. When the Lucy Liu woman left the bus, it was in West LA. Marigold left the bus also. 

Now she was lost. She called Josh to take her home.  “What’s going on?” asked Josh.  She said, “I’ll tell you when I get home.” While she was waiting, she cast her eyes around where she was and noticed a shabby figure in one of the doorways. Upon closer inspection, it was a girl crying that was bleeding from her wrists. Marigold knew that she was probably a cutter. She went up to the girl and said, “Hi”. The girl looked at her wordlessly in tears. Marigold’s heart was filled and decided she needed to take her in. She could help Josh with the housework and cooking. She made a call. “Josh, I have something to tell you …”

©Copyright 2023 by Cecile Bianco

Featured image: by Ilona Krijgsman from Pixabay