[Coltyn's Scrapbook] To Live, To Laugh, To Love

[Coltyn]

JESSIE PAVELKA From Builder to Baker to...Candlestick Maker?

[Coltyn]

Winter 2012, Jessie Pavelka is sitting in a cafe in Oostende, Belgium. He has just finished drinking what will probably be the first of many coffees - he takes it black, no sugar - and he is now looking at me from across the table with a smile that not only lights up his handsome face, but the room we are sitting in, which is no small feat, seeing that it is already bathed from end to end in the ample rays of the morning sun. At this point, our waiter stops dead in his tracks, refills Jessie's cup, smiles an equally impressive smile, and then - rather hesitantly - moves on. I can't help but wonder if the blond-haired, blue-grey-eyed, well-built Pavelka even notices the attention he is garnering from not only the staff, but the patrons around us. All eyes are on him. Oprah Winfrey: First of all, Jessie, I just want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I know you're a very busy man these days. Jessie Pavelka: Uh...you're Oprah Winfrey. How could I say no to the Big O? [Pretends to be on his cell phone.] "Oprah?" [Pauses.] "I don't know." [Pauses a bit longer.] "I'm gonna have to think about it." [Pauses longer still.] "I'll have my people call your people." [Laughs.] Winfrey: Hmm, that's an interesting point you bring up. Do you have 'people' who would be willing to call my people? Pavelka: To be honest...no. [Laughs.] No peeps. [Takes a sip of coffee.] But I sounded pretty believable when I said it...right? [Grins.] Winfrey: That you did, which swiftly brings us to the very heart of why we are sitting here today. Pavelka: Oh? Really? That soon? My bad. Winfrey: Not at all. We have a lot of ground to cover, so, it's a good thing. Pavelka: Oh? [His eyes light up.] Ok. Well. Let's get this party started. [He relaxes now as he casually rests his rather impressive looking left arm on the back of the seat next to him.] Winfrey: Recently, you were asked to appear on a roleplaying forum called Mizahar. I would imagine that this would require a bit of acting on your part. Pavelka: A fantasy roleplaying forum. [He corrects me.] I don't know if 'asked' if really the right word, more like plucked and placed, but, go on... Winfrey: Well, wait, what do you mean by that? Weren't you invited to participate? Pavelka: Not so much, but that's something my lawyer is looking into as we speak. However, for now, I'm willing to play nice in the sandbox. Winfrey: Ah, I see. So, speaking of playing nice, talk to me about your character. Is he a good guy? Bad guy? A little bit of both? Pavelka: Well, from what I understand, Coltyn Baker is a rather complex individual. [He looks out the window now, his eyes narrowing as if in deep thought.] Winfrey: How so? Pavelka: He's...well...where do I begin? [Pauses.] He has issues, as we all do, however, his run a bit deeper than most. He has these relationships that seem to haunt his every waking and sleeping hour. Some are from his past and some have only just begun. [He pauses now and looks around the room as if he has lost something.] Uh, shouldn't we wait for Ms. DeGeneres? Winfrey: Ellen is always late. I'm sure she'll be here soon enough. Now, please, continue. Pavelka: Well...how about we keep the subject matter light, until she gets here? I wouldn't want her to miss any of the juicy parts. [He flashes his brilliant smile.] Winfrey: Okay. Sure. So, then...uh...does your character have any nicknames? Pavelka: Several. His friends call him Colt. His younger brother, Antho, calls him Nytloc or Nyt for short, which is just Coltyn backwards or backwards and halved. Oh, and, his father, Tahn, calls him Tyn-Tyn, which, I guess, sounds charming on the surface, but a little bit silly, awkward even. Winfrey: How so? Pavelka: I don't know. [Shrugs.] It just does. Winfrey: And The Beautiful Baker Boy doesn't? Pavelka: Oh...right. I almost forgot about that one. [He chuckles and then shifts in his seat, leaning in closer so he can whisper something to me.] I think we'll save that one for later. [Winks.] Winfrey: Ok. Have it your way. So, how old is Coltyn? Does he have your build and smashing good looks? Pavelka: [Chuckles.] Smashing, huh? [He pauses to take a sip of coffee.] He's a few years younger, which is a good thing. I guess it means I can still pass for 25, even though I'll be 30 in September. As for his build, it's spot on: same height, same weight, same body type, same everything. Winfrey: Ah, so that should make it a bit easier to take on the role. It's not like you have horns or blue skin or whatever it is the other exotic fantasy races have in the world of Mizahar. Pavelka: Exactly. He's human. I'm human. It's all good. Although, now that you say the word exotic...does that mean I'm boring? Waiter: Not at all. [He gushes as he refills Jessie's cup, clearly paying too much attention to our somewhat private conversation.] Winfrey: Uh, why don't we take a break? You can go stretch your legs, while I give Ellen a call. Pavelka: Sure thing. [He turns to the waiter now as he stands.] Restroom? Waiter: Right this way, sir. [He gushes before dashing off.] Pavelka: [Whispers.] If I don't make it back, be sure to tell Ms. DeGeneres I'm sorry I missed her. [Winks.] Winfrey: It's the least I can do. [I reply with a smile as I dial Ellen, hoping that she'll be here by the time we start up the next round of questions.]

[Coltyn]

About twenty minutes pass before Jessie returns to the table and, as he does, I can see that he is beaming from ear to ear. There's also a swagger in his step that wasn't there before. As he takes his place across from me, letting a very satisfying sigh slip from his lips, we continue with our interview. Winfrey: Everything...ok? Pavelka: Couldn't be better. [Grins.] Remind me to leave the waiter a little something extra. Winfrey: Uh, ok. So, shall we continue? Pavelka: Sure thing. [Grins.] Winfrey: So, tell me, how does Coltyn see himself? Physically, I mean. Is he confident in his appearance, as you clearly are, or does he long to be someone or something different? And, how do others see him? Do they respond, say, as our waiter has, in a positive manner or are there those who write Coltyn off as just a pretty face? Pavelka: He is confident, but only because his brother taught him to be at a very early age. I wouldn't say he's cocky or conceited, but he's certainly comfortable in his skin. That being said, he's always working to perfect what he has. I think his outlook is pretty positive when it comes to his body. He's of the mindset that we're only given one chance, one body, so he better make the most of it before time runs out. As for how others respond to him, well...[Ponders.] I think for the most part, people take a liking to him well before they really get to know him. They like what they see. Although, yeah, you're probably right, people do sometimes write him off and, I would imagine, they treat him badly because they're simply jealous. Winfrey: Jealous of...? Pavelka: His good looks, his fit body, his winning smile, his ability to roll out of bed and look like a million mizas. [Laughs.] Winfrey: Mizas? Pavelka: Bucks. Well, ok, not really bucks, but coins. Anyway, yeah, he's got it all and it seems to come quite naturally to him. Although, trust me, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point. [Flexes.] Winfrey: You seem to be pretty proud of your smile. You've flashed it several times now. How about Coltyn? What's he proud of? Pavelka: His arse. Winfrey: Really? Pavelka: Yep. See, here's the thing, Coltyn seems to have a fetish for leather. Unforgiving, rather revealing, skin-tight leather. So, he needs to keep certain aspects of his body looking good at all times. His arse is his greatest asset and, boy, does he work it hard, just as his brother once did. [Pauses.] Wow. That didn't come out right at all. [Howls with laughter.] Winfrey: [I end up giggling like a school girl.] Ok. Well. That certainly puts an unforgetable image in my mind. Pavelka: Hey. You asked. [Grins.] Winfrey: That I did. Pavelka: Oh, were you able to reach Ms. DeGeneres? Winfrey: No. But this may be a good time to give her another try. It will give us both a moment to regrope. [I pause.] Regroup! I meant to say regroup! Really! [I snicker at my Freudian slip.] Pavelka: [Snickers.] Regrope! [Laughs.] I love it! [Howls.]