There we were, Roberto and I, cruising down the road, having just left the vicinity of Beverly Hills, just around the corner from Rodeo Drive.

He was nom-noming on a Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon Cupcake which was hugging a scoop of Captain Crunch Ice Cream while I was navigating through the congested thoroughfare.

Previous to that, we had gathered information at The Groundlings, an acting school and theater group in Hollywood where Roberto plans to engage himself.

So, as I said, there we were, heading home, driving down Santa Monica Blvd., just chatting, enjoying our conversation and the view, when I over-enthusiastically exclaimed,

“Wow! This area is very impressive! So pretty! I could see myself, living here, walking down these streets, enjoying an LA kind of life.”

“Me too,” Roberto chimed in. “We’re in WeHo,” he stated.

“WeHo?” I questioned.

“West Hollywood,” he answered.

I felt I should have known this, being a native of California, but, alas, that shortcut word bypassed my vocabulary list.

“Yeah,” Roberto continued, “this is a great area. Did you notice it’s a gay community?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you didn’t notice all the rainbow flags?”

Well, what do you know. The rainbow flags are pretty much everywhere. And then I noticed all the men walking around, going about their daily business, doing whatever it is they needed to do, just like what Roberto and I were doing. Getting done what needed to be done.

I later learned we were in what is referred to as Boys Town, a gay community in West Hollywood.

“Oh. My. Gosh.” I say to him. “This place would be perfect for you.”

“Oh, that’d be great!” Roberto sounded cheery. “I would love this. Living here and working here, while honing my acting skills. Oh look,” he pointed. “See the billboards?”

And I did.

Billboards. Advertisements with model-perfect men advertising products that anyone would want, yet, obviously meant for the boys in this town.

We passed trendy restaurants, healthy health food stores, quaint coffee shops, books-nooks, upscale gay bars, and very appealing residential areas.

“I love this place,” Roberto confirmed.

“Make it a goal,” I told him. “Make it a possibility.

Secretly, I was aligning my thoughts, helping to make this happen for Roberto. A future in the making. Because, well, if it happens for him, then it happens for me.