I slammed my bedroom door and crashed onto my bed. I
allowed the tears to stream down my face. What I’d
give to have a completely different family…a family
who cares. I forced myself up to get a tissue. As I
dabbed at my eyes, I stared at my closet door, filled
with pictures of Jimmy Fallon. ‘If he only knew how
much he means to me,’ I think; ‘He helps me wake up
every morning. I wish I could tell him that. Maybe I
can.’
I hurried over to my desk, grabbing a pen and a piece
of paper. I began to write him a letter. I wrote so
intensely, pouring out my heart and soul that I didn’t
even notice the tears that had fallen onto the paper.
Once I’d finished, I searched through the drawers
looking for a stamp. I carefully wrote the return
address, adding the usual loops and hearts to my
name--- Adoline Brighton.
I put on my coat and quietly slipped out the front
door, being careful not to wake my step-dad, sleeping
in the recliner in the living room. I walked out to
the end of the driveway and slid my letter in the
mailbox. I paused for a moment and took it out.
‘Please let him get this,’ I whispered as I held the
envelope close to my heart. I then replaced the
letter in the box and trudged back down the snow
covered dirt path.
[3 weeks later…Sunday afternoon]
I don’t know what I was expecting…but Jimmy still
hadn’t replied. I sat at the kitchen table eating a
bowl of chicken noodle soup and flipping through the
new Teen People. It was my 15th birthday, and I
hadn’t received one present yet. I wasn’t surprised.
It was very rare that I did get a gift. I didn’t have
the richest of families. We could barely afford to
pay the bills. If my grandfather hadn’t left us his
mountain house in his will, we would probably be out
on the streets.
I cringed when I heard the front door open, expecting
my cousin, who also happens to be my next door
neighbor, to walk in. Instead, it was my best friend
Kaitlyn.
"Kate! What are you doing here?" I announced, rather
rudely.
"Nice to see you, too," she replied. She plopped down
into the chair across from me; "So, what’s up?"
"Nothing…I’m just eating and reading."
"Ah, the ol’ ER?" she giggled.
"Um, I guess…ANYway, what brings you to this lovely
area? You live down in the city. Wait, Kate, how did
you get here?"
"My brother dropped me off."
"Nice."
"Why the long face, munchkin?"
"Kate, it’s my birthday. My parents haven’t noticed,
so I was kind of hoping that you would."
"Oh my gosh, I knew I’d forgotten something." My
heart sank. Even my best friend hadn’t remembered my
birthday. I knew my life was just a compilation of
low points, but this certainly held a record.
"Thanks," I muttered as I got up and put my bowl in
the sink.
"Oh, don’t look so down. Who knows…maybe you’ll get a
surprise!"
"Kate, look where you are. You’re in Brighton
territory, now. Surprises don’t exist, here…and
neither do birthdays."
"Okay, okay. I was trying to do this in a clever way,
but that plan failed, so I’m just gonna be out with
it."
"What?" I said as I sat down on the couch and turned
on the TV. I nearly shrieked when I saw that SNL was
on Comedy Central. I was so happy that my family made
sure we had one luxury---Cable. It was the Lucy Liu
episode, and Weekend Update was just coming on.
"Perfect timing," Kate smiled.
"What have you been smoking?" She was acting
incredibly weird.
"Nothing. Hugs not drugs. Now, happy birthday, Ads."
Ads: I’d never liked that nickname. She set a white
envelope on my lap.
"What’s this?"
"Just open it, will ya?"
"Fine." I ripped off one end of the envelope and
reached in. "A brochure? Gee, thanks. I’ve always
wanted one."
"Just look inside!"
I opened up the folded paper and discovered a plane
ticket. I could have died right then and there when I
read the words "New York City".
"Oh my…Kate, this isn’t what I think it is, right?"
"No, it is. We’re going to New York, Ads! And you’re
going to meet Jimmy, I promise!"
"Kate, I can’t believe this. You’re so awesome!" We
jumped up and down, hugging and screaming. "This is
going to rock! I can’t believe it!"
"C’mon, let’s go pack your stuff!" Kate seized my
hand, and we ran into my bedroom.
"What should I bring?"
"Warm clothing. We’re going to be there for 4 days.
And, if you want to meet Jimmy, you’re going to have
to wait outside in the cold for a while…so, bring a
jacket…or two."
"Eeek! Jimmy!" I was so happy that I couldn’t even
think. I just started hurling clothes into my bag.
Then, it hit me. What if my parents said ‘no’?
"Kate, we haven’t asked my parents, yet."
"Just relax. I’ll get my parents to convince yours.
It’s a piece of cake."
"Are you sure?"
She made me laugh with her impression of Alan Cumming
from his SNL monologue. "Sure I’m sure."
[The next Thursday in the car on the way to the
Airport]
"I can’t believe my parents agreed, Kate. They never
let me do anything!"
"Why are you thinking about your parents? In like
four days, you’re going to be talking to Jimmy
Fallon!"
"Eeek! I’m so excited! Jeez, what am I going to say
to him?"
"Oh Jimmy, you’re so de sexy! I want to make love to
you all night long!" I gave her a ‘You’re insane’
look, and we suddenly burst out in unison, "If I were
15, I’d SO have sex with you!"
"Thanks, Kate. You don’t know how much this means to
me."
"Oh, I think I do, considering that you’ve said that
to me like 12 times since we got in the car…and about
50 times before that."
"Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little
graciousness."
"Key word: little."
"Shut up!"
"Yay! We’re here!" We’d arrived at the airport.
Who’d have thought that an airport could bring so much
joy?
[On the plane]
"Wanna play BS?" asked Kate.
"Nah, I’m just gonna listen to some music."
"Ugh, fine! Be that way," she joked.
"Maybe I will. And MAYBE I WILL!" That got us a
couple of looks from fellow passengers.
"ANYway, what are you listening to?"
"Snowball. Best punk parody ever."
"Ah, you little Jimmy fan you," she giggled, "It’s
absolutely hilarious when he screams."
v
"Oh, yes!" I handed her the headphones and rewound
the song. She immediately started laughing. That’s
what I like most about Kate---her laughter. It’s so
contagious. She can always make me smile, no matter
how depressed I was feeling. Kate’s like my own,
local, tangible Jimmy Fallon. Every time I tell her
that, she laughs and says, "Awesome! Just don’t get
creepy about it."
"What else did you bring along?"
"Uh, lots of Blink 182, Linkin Park, Sarah McLachlan,
lots of No Doubt, and…um…Now That’s What I Call Music!
Volume 6."
"Oh, lemme borrow something Blink. I have to hear
Mark. He’s the best."
"No way! Tom’s the best!"
"Tom is ugly. Mark and Travis are the cute ones."
"Dude, I’m not into Tom because of his looks. I just
think he’s hilarious. So, in the end, Jimmy is better
than all of them!"
"Huh? Okay, my turn: Ads, are you high?"
"Only on Jimmy. He’s my drug of choice."
"You’re retahded."
"You’re…retahded-ah."
"You’re retahded infinity squared!"
"Damn, you’re good."
[New York City]
As we approached the airport, I kept my face plastered
against the window. The view was amazing. ‘Jimmy is
somewhere in that city, right now,’ I thought. I
heard the "buckle your seatbelts" announcement and
knew that we were about to land. ‘As soon as those
wheels hit the ground, my life will change.’
Kate, her parents, and I took a rental car from the
airport to our hotel. Kate and I ooo-ed and awed at
the giant buildings that scraped the sky. Soon,
everything slowed down and I realized that we were in
a traffic jam. I normally would have been upset,
because I’m not the most patient of people. However,
I realized that we were in a traffic jam right outside
of 30 Rockefeller Plaza…NBC studios…studio
8h…SNL…Jimmy Fallon.
"KATE! Look! It’s the Rainbow Room!" I tugged on
her hooded sweatshirt.
"What? Oh, yay! SNL! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Wait, oh my God…Ads, look!" I couldn’t believe my
eyes. It must have been fate, because at that moment,
Jimmy Fallon walked out of the lobby and onto 49th.
My heart immediately stopped. I was within 50 feet of
my hero. I snapped out of my daydream and realized
that Kate had rolled down the window.
"What are you doing? Oh no…"
She stuck her head out of the car and screamed,
"ADOLINE LOVES JIMMY FALLON!" I immediately took hold
of her and yanked her back into the car.
"Are you nuts?" We both watched Jimmy’s reaction. He
stopped in his tracks, then turned every which way,
searching for the origin of the voice. He then
shrugged, smiled, and continued on his way.
"Holy…"
"Kate, remind me to shove your head in the toilet when
we get to the hotel, will you?"
"I’ll try to remember that."
"Try hard."
[Friday]
"Off we go," announced Mr. Reed, Kate’s dad. We were
all set and ready to explore the Big Apple in our
rented Ford Taurus. It was 7:30 in the morning. I
still had the previous day’s Jimmy event on the brain.
I really hoped that Kate wouldn’t tell him that she
was the "Adoline loves Jimmy Fallon" perpetrator.
"Are you excited? Let’s see. First, we’re off to
Radio-City Music Hall. Then, we jet over to
Rockefeller Center for an NBC Studios tour, yay.
Then, we eat lunch. Then, we’re off to Central Park.
Then, we shoot over to the Statue of Liberty, via
ferry. And, finally, Times Square. This is gonna be
a blast!"
"Feel my hand, Kate. I’m shaking."
"Wow, you are. Eeek, this is going to be oodles of
fun!"
"Not as much fun as seeing Jimmy!"
"But close! When we take the NBC tour, you’ll see
Jimmy in action!" My heart skipped a beat.
"I’m gonna have a coronary, Kate."
"Please don’t. It’s no fun dragging a corpse around
all day. And, I’m pretty sure that most restaurants
don’t have a menu for the deceased."
"Don’t be ridic."
"Oh, I’m so sor, I apol."
"Whatevs."
[On the NBC Studios Tour]
"This, ladies and gentlemen, is Studio 8h, home of the
famous late-night, sketch comedy show, Saturday Night
Live. As you can see, the cast is rehearsing right
now. Oh look, Chris Kattan was kind enough to wave at
us." Everyone waved back. I carefully studied every
square inch of the visible part of the studio, looking
for Jimmy.
"Kate, Jimmy’s not here. Jimmy’s not here!"
"Calm down," she whispered. I’d just lost all hope,
when I saw a thin, brown-haired guy, of about 5’11"
run onto the set.
"Jimmy!" I exclaimed. Kate clamped her hand over my
mouth. Everyone on the tour turned to look at me,
then to the studio.
"Ah, it seems that Jimmy Fallon has just entered."
Chris pointed at us, and Jimmy turned to look. He
waved his left hand wildly, grinning the whole time.
I was experiencing such euphoria, that I couldn’t move
any of my limbs. Finally, I forced my hand into the
"rock on" sign. I nearly lost it when Jimmy returned
the gesture.
"Ads! Ads, he’s looking right at you! Ads? Snap out
of it!" Kate roughly shook me.
"What? Kate…Jimmy…look…me…happy."
"Okay, Cave Girl, I think you need some fresh air."
By the time we were eating lunch, I’d partially
returned to Earth. I stared at my Boca Burger and
fries. Jimmy Fallon and I had communicated. Whoa.
"I’ve never seen anyone so fascinated by food. Oh,
what wonders the scientists at UCLA could do with you,
Adoline."
"Dude…"
"What’s mine say? Sweet."
"Kate…"
"That’s my name. Please, wear it out. I never liked
it. I’ve always wanted a trendy name, like…Rembrant.
Then, I could have the nickname ‘Remy’. What do you
think?"
"What? Oh, yeah, that’s great. Remy Reed. It has a
nice ring to it."
"Ugh, no way. I’d have to change my last name, too.
Dad, can I change my name to Rembrant Louvre?"
"Um, sure. Whatever you want, honey," Mr. Reed
answered, only half-paying attention.
"Rembrant Louvre? Kate, that sounds like a toothpaste
museum."
"Well, I don’t care what you think, Ads. If I’m going
to be an actress, I have to have a dramatic name. An
interesting and unique appellation is a must have in
Hollywood these days."
"You’re scaring me. Please remove your self from my
personal area."
"Invis-o-sphere!"
"Har har."
[Saturday morning, 4:48]
I was wide-awake. Even though I wouldn’t be meeting
Jimmy for another 24 hours, I was still too excited to
sleep. So many thoughts raced through my head. What
was I going to wear? What was I going to say? Should
I really give him the gift I made? Would he think
it’s stupid? I’d gotten this sketch that I’d done of
him printed onto a t-shirt. Kate had assured me that
he’d love it, but I was leery. I’d wanted to be
original, and a t-shirt just didn’t seem so causal.
"Kate?"
"Hmmm?" she answered quite groggily.
"I’m not going to give him the t-shirt." She shot up
in her bed.
"Are you crazy? Ads, you have to give him the shirt!
You worked so hard on it! He’ll love it!"
"That’s what you say. Kate, I’m sure he’s received
many shirts before. I just wish I’d come up with
something more unique…and funky."
"What? Like a pair of black underwear with the
drawing on it? Now THAT would be funky."
"No, that would be creepy. See, if I’d gotten him a
lava-lamp or something…"
"Ads, unless his doorways are adorned with
multi-colored crystal beads, a lava-lamp is so out of
the question." I laughed. She was right. "Adoline,
just give him the shirt."
"Okay, okay. I will."
"Now shut up, and go to sleep."
"Aye, Cap’n."
[Saturday afternoon]
To pass the time, we’d gone to a movie, ate pizza, and
shopped around the city. I grew more anxious with
each passing moment. Finally, 8:00 p.m. rolled around
and Kate’s parents suggested that we head over to the
studios. I was ready…yet I wasn’t ready. I still
hadn’t prepared a Jimmy speech. I didn’t want to
start babbling incoherently. Not only would that be
embarrassing to me, but annoying to Jimmy, as well. I
got into the car, wearing leggings, jeans, a long
sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, and a jacket.
"Where’s your husky?" Kate joked.
"He’s in the shop for repairs. Oh, Kate, I’m so
excited. If I start spazzing around Jimmy, please
slap me."
"Okay, I’ll try to remember that."
"Wait…you never reminded me to do the toilet thing."
"Mea culpa. Gum? Got to keep our breath smelling
minty-fresh." She handed me a piece of Wrigley’s
Spearmint. I was so nervous that even gum made me
nauseous.
"Kate, I’m gonna ralf."
"Make sure to aim out the window."
"Dude, what if I hurl on Jimmy?" Kate laughed at my
remark.
"Well, um…you’d certainly make an impression…or should
I say "mark", on him. He’d remember you forever.
Someday, he’ll be on Letterman, and he’ll say, ‘I
remember the time when this fan chick threw up on me.
It was really gross.’"
"Oh God…thanks for the words of comfort."
"Anytime. But don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of
napkins."
"Thank you?"
"A-You’re wel-come!"
"That was a horrible Nick Burns impression. Please,
don’t ever do that again."
When we arrived at Rockefeller Center, there were only
about 10 or 15 people waiting. I was a little
relieved. It would have been terrible if a huge crowd
had already formed. I probably would have freaked and
asked to go home.
"Jackpot!" Kate shouted. We got out of the car,
grabbing our necessities: my gift for Jimmy, a copy of
the October 2001 issue of Teen People for him to sign,
two sharpies, notebooks, chap-stick, a camera, and
napkins. As we approached the designated "Meet the
SNL Cast" area, I felt my body go into a cold sweat.
"Kate, I can’t do this."
"That’s bull-crap, now c’mon. Let’s go." She had to
drag me the rest of the way.
I didn’t talk to any of the other people there. I
just stood frozen, in the same spot, nodding my head
at whatever Kate was saying to me. I couldn’t think,
I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t speak.
"Ads, it’s 12:59," Kate finally declared.
"Oh my God…this is nuts. I want to go home."
"No way."
"Yes way."
"No. And that’s my final answer." I had to laugh at
that last line. By this time, there seemed to be
about a hundred people there. Okay, not really, but
there were a lot.
"I’m getting claustrophobic."
"Too bad. Now, shut up, and think about what you’re
going to say to Jimmy."
"Me: ‘Hey, Jimmy. You’re awesome. And now, if you’ll
excuse me, I have to puke.’ Jimmy: ‘Get away from
me.’"
"I adore your optimism. Ads, that’s not gonna happen
unless you keep freaking about this. Now,
Throwing-up-on-Jimmy-Demon, I command you to exit this
girl’s body!" She rested her hand on my head, closed
her eyes, and "exorcised" the fiend.
"Please, stop. You’re frightening me."
"Ah, then my work here is done."
[Sunday morning, 1:36]
I was more than antsy. Suddenly, everyone became
animated and started rushing towards the elevator. I
couldn’t tell who’d come down. Finally, I saw Will
Ferrell emerge from the crowd. The next victim was
Maya Rudolph…then Rachel Dratch, Chris Kattan, Tracy
Morgan, Horatio Sanz, Jeff Richards, Darrell Hammond,
and Amy Poehler. I patiently waited, making sure to
get all of their autographs. I also made sure not to
take up too much of their time. I said a quick,
"You’re awesome", took a picture, and moved on to the
next person.
Next, Ana Gasteyer, Dean Edwards, Seth Meyers, Tina
Fey, and Lorne Michaels came down. It was too
difficult to approach them, so I stood at the back of
the horde, with Kate at my side. As she and I were
studying the cast member’s handwriting, an even bigger
commotion started up. My heart leaped when someone
shouted, "Jimmy!"
"Kate, this is it! This is it!"
"Eeek, Ads! Hurry! Run up there!"
"No! I-…I can’t. I’ll just stay back here."
"Ads, you’ll get pushed out of the way. You have to
be aggressive!"
"No. I’m staying right here."
"Fine, well, while you do that, I’m going to go talk
to Seth…he’s so hot."
"No! You can’t leave me here!" It was too late.
She’d already wandered off somewhere in the jumble of
people. I was all alone. How on Earth was I going to
work up the nerve to talk to Jimmy? My grip on the
shirt tightened. I panicked and thought, ‘I have to
get out of here, now.’ I headed for the exit, but
felt a hand take hold of my shoulder.
"Oh no you don’t, Missy." Kate forced me into the
swarm of fans surrounding Jimmy. I allowed everyone
around me to go ahead. I wasn’t ready to meet him,
and I probably never would be. Suddenly, Kate pushed
me, and I collided with Jimmy, nearly knocking him
over.
"Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" I cried out. "My friend,
she just…" I looked up at him. My mouth dropped open.
He finished the autograph that he was in the middle
of, and turned his attention to me.
"Hi, I’m Jimmy Fallon. Who might you be?"
"A…Ad…Adoline…Adoline Brighton." Jimmy looked a
little surprised by my name.
"Adoline? It’s nice to meet you." He shook my hand.
"Adoline…Why do I know that name?"
"Because," Kate intervened; "I shouted it out of a car
yesterday. Adoline loves Jimmy Fallon."
"That was you?" he laughed. "Wow, that’s awesome.
But…I know your name from somewhere else."
"Really?" How could he possibly know-… Then it hit
me. He’d gotten my letter. I started
hyperventilating.
"Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah. I’m fine," I wheezed. "Can…can you sign
this?" I handed him the magazine and a sharpie.
"Sure! To A-…"
"Call her Ads," Kate mentioned.
"No prob. To Ads, Love Jimmy…" he trailed off and
finished his signature. Kate asked Jimmy to take a
picture with me and he immediately agreed. I couldn’t
really say anything. I was in a state of pure shock,
confusion, and bliss.
"Hey, are you the rock on girl?" Holy… He’d
remembered me from the day before.
"Yeah…I am. Sorry ‘bout that. Um, Jimmy? I have
something for you."
"Aw, really?" He closed his eyes and jumped up and
down. I handed him the t-shirt.
"I wasn’t sure what size you wear…and I know the
drawing’s stupid. If you don’t want it-…"
He cut me off, "I love it! Thank you so much!" He
hugged me and I nearly passed out. Then he held the
shirt at arm’s length and looked at it intently.
"This is awesome."
"Not as awesome as you." That was such a cheesy line.
"You’re my hero."
"Really?"
"She’s in love with you," Kate exclaimed. I smacked
her with the magazine.
"Aw, I love you, too," Jimmy smiled. Eeek! Jimmy
said that he loves me. No he doesn’t, but oh well.
"Thank you so much for the autograph and the picture,
Jimmy Fallon." I said "Jimmy Fallon" as if he didn’t
know who he was.
"Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for the t-shirt! I’ll
make sure to wear it as soon as I can!" He gave me
one last hug, then moved onto the next girl.
I stood in that spot for a good 10 minutes, smiling.
Kate laughed at my behavior.
"Somebody’s a happy camper."
"Oh, happy doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m
feeling right now."
"C’mon, let’s go." We walked out onto the sidewalk,
giggling uncontrollably. Just then, I heard Jimmy’s
voice shout, "Adoline! Wait up!"
"Oh my gosh…"
"Adoline? Hey."
"H-hi, Jimmy…Fallon…Jimmy."
"Um, I figured out where I know your name from."
"You did?"
"Yeah." He reached into his bag and pulled out an
envelope. I didn’t even have to look at it to know
that it was my letter. "I got this a few days ago.
They don’t give us mail anymore, but I was bored…so I
started rummaging through the mail bin…and I found
this."
"My letter…" I whispered. A lump formed in my throat.
"Your letter…it was simply amazing…and heartbreaking.
I’ve never gotten anything of this sort before. I’m
really glad you sent this, Adoline. Thank you so
much."
"No…no, Jimmy. Thank you. You’ve saved my
life…twice. I owe you so much. When I told you that
you are my hero, I meant it from the bottom of my
heart. And being able to meet you has just been a
dream come true." I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
Though I tried to hold them back, they fell. Jimmy
hugged me.
"You don’t know how much it means to me, knowing that
I can be there for someone."
Everything after that was a blur. I don’t remember
saying "Goodbye" to Jimmy…or even leaving New York
City. I framed the picture of us and hung it on my
wall, right next to my bed. I look at it every night
before I go to sleep, each time thanking God for the
chance to escape from the hell that is known as "home"
just for one moment.
