The Adventures Of Bette Porter And Sissee Gardner Living Happily Ever After (Part 1, Chapter 1)
PART ONE: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Chapter 1

I pulled into the parking lot behind She Bar in West Los Angeles. It was high noon and hot as hell. It was always hot in August with smog so thick the air was brown.

I had an appointment with Kit Porter to do an interview for my Lunch With Sissee column in the Los Angeles Post. I was enthused because I really liked Bette’s older sister but also, besides the interview, I had another reason for wanting to see her vis-à-vis – a very personal reason.

Kit now ran two restaurants thanks to her friend Helena Peabody whose “mummy“ thought she was on her death bed from a Irukandji jellyfish bite and urged her daughter in a weak moment to use Peggy’s money to buy both businesses for Kit since Kit had lost the controlling interest in the Planet to an unsavory character who managed She Bar. “Buy her two….,“ Peggy had advised.

It did not take Helena long to do just that and then, as it turned out, Peggy was one of the few people to survive the Australian jellyfish bite and was soon off to other parts of the world. Helena meanwhile concentrated on her Los Angeles based publishing company and let Kit be on her own in the restaurant business.

Kit changed the Planet into just a coffee and exotic tea shop, adding a simple menu for breakfast and lunch that leaned toward healthy foods, using a lot of fruits, nuts and vegetables. She also created a lounge room with leather sofas and side chairs, as well as internet friendly desks. It was only open between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. but as before, it was a very popular spot.

She Bar, on the other hand, was more challenging. Yes, the weekends were good, on Friday and Saturday nights when there was a dj, dancing and strobe lights but it was pretty dead the rest of the week. Kit needed some publicity slanted toward good food and charming ambiance so I was hoping to do that for her.

I was delighted to see her as usual, as we hugged and air kissed. She led me to a prepared table for two. I noticed only sporadic customers in the main dining room proving Kit’s concern about there not being much traffic during the week. This was a Wednesday and the empty chairs told the story.