“Come away with me.”  I turn around in my seat to see an average looking man leaned over, awaiting my response.  “Excuse me?” I retort, not catching on to his game.  “I just overheard you on the phone, mentioning how you have never hiked the Hollywood hills to see the Hollywood sign up close.  It’s a shame, as we are literally just 20 minutes from it now, wasting away in a meager little café.  So come away with me.  We don’t know each other, and that’s okay.  You want to see it, and I want to go exploring today, so lets go. Ill drive to the park site.”
In that moment, the still unnamed man walked away, to get his check, presumably so we could leave.  I’ve lived here for all 23 years of my life, somehow never being able to make it to go see it for myself.  I bet I am the only Los Angeles area native who has yet to see the sign for themselves.  Here I am, because I had nothing better to do on my day off than to come into work and sit here like a little puppy, and café Brioche is my momma.  It’s pathetic, I know.  “Are you coming? Or do I need to persuade you some more.”  The STILL unnamed man shouts over the quiet of the café, heads turning to him as if he just smacked someone.  He starts for his car outside, I turn to my friend Lauren behind the counter, she nods, as if saying, “go for it!”  So probably for the first time in my life, I throw caution to the wind, and follow a completer stranger to his car, to hopefully go somewhere that’s been knowing at me for the past 23 years.  “Coming!” I yell.
He stuck to his word.  We were taking a back road to avoid traffic, but we were still going.  “So, I never caught your name.”  I offered.  “Shawn, and you?” “Camila.” I replied.  “Nice to meet you Camila, looks like we’re here!”  Shawn exclaimed, as we pulled into a parking lot full of what seems to be tourists, as most were clad in “I heart LA” shirts, and fanny packs galore.  We get out, and on the trail we go.
“How much longer?” I complain to Shawn, as I’m not in proper hiking attire.  “Just ten more minutes until we get to the fence.” He explains.  Wait a minute. The fence?  “What do you mean the fence? I thought we were headed to the viewing area halfway up?”  I ask.  “Change of plans.” He states.  “Are you kidnapping me or something?” I half-joke.  “No, of course not.  Since you’ve never come here I’m going to get you a bit closer than what you signed up for.  We’re going to touch the sign.”  He offers, as nonchalantly as possible, when explaining plans to trespass like it’s not a crime or anything.  “What? Are you kidding? We could get arrested!”  I shout at him, as if it wasn’t obvious.  “Relax, I come up here every weekend. Never had a problem.  But if for some reason we get caught you can tell them I forced you or whatever.  Are you coming?” He asks of me for the second time today.  And for the second time today, I answer him, with “Coming!”
I don’t know what is with me, maybe it’s the strange events of today, or the exciting curiosity of branching out and doing new things with this kind stranger named Shawn, but my personality has done a complete 180 from when I woke up this morning.  We reach the fence, and Shawn offers me himself to boost me up over the daunting metal.  “You got this, just trust your body” He reassures me, and for the third time today, I surprise myself with my actions by hoisting myself up on his shoulders to eventually jump over the fence.  He soon follows over, with ease, might I add. 
“There it is.”  I state, not to Shawn in particular, but to say just out loud to remind myself I’m actually seeing it for the first time.  This is actually happening.  It’s all because of an oddly kind stranger I sort of met in the café.  Shawn offers to take my picture of me next to it, which I’m so grateful for, as my phone died on the way here.  “Just send it to yourself.  Now, ready to climb it, then head back to the café?”  He asks.  “Climb it? Are you trying to kill me?”  I retort.  “Camila, there are latters behind each of the letters.”  Oh.  I guess that makes sense.  Why not? I’m already breaking the law.   I make my way behind the “H”, to see he wasn’t kidding.  The latter is quite huge, as the letters are a lot bigger in person as you would maybe think.  “Camila, are you coming? I’m going to snap a picture of you when you get to the top.”  And for the last time that day, I answer him, with, “Coming!”