Chilone ✦ Travolta

An Unauthorized Autobiography

The Legend

Every love story has a beginning. This one has a beginning, a middle, and a man who is completely unaware. Told from her side, because nobody else is.

  1. 1

    The First Viewing

    I put Grease in on a Tuesday. Nobody warns you. I was not looking for love and I found it anyway, in a leather jacket, in a gymnasium.

  2. 2

    The Hand Jive Era

    Twelve hours a day in the bedroom mirror. The neighbors still bring it up. I consider that a form of fan mail.

  3. 3

    The White Suit Policy

    I started wearing white to everything. Weddings included. I was not the bride. I have never once cared about that.

  4. 4

    The Diner Incident

    I attempted the twist at a diner, lost a shoe, and refused to leave until the song ended. Twice. I left with one shoe and a reputation.

  5. 5

    The Name Change (Unofficial)

    I began signing birthday cards 'Chilone Travolta.' The DMV declined. I treat that as a temporary setback, not a no.

  6. 6

    The Shrine Gets Built

    At some point the posters moved from the wall to a shelf, and then from the shelf to an altar. It happened gradually. Everyone does this.

  7. 7

    Present Day

    Still waiting. Still dancing. The white suit is dry-cleaned and hanging where I can see it, in case he finally calls.

“Some call it obsession. I call it long-distance commitment.”

The Faces Behind the Feeling

Not a biography of him — just the evidence that started this. Small, on purpose.

TV promo photo of a young man in a denim jacket smiling on a classroom set
1975. A kid in a denim jacket. I would have brought him a sandwich.
TV still of a young man at a classroom desk in a denim jacket, holding a pen
Same classroom, different day. Still hasn't noticed me.
Vintage album cover portrait of a young man in a blue sweater
1976. I own this. Obviously.
Studio headshot of a young man in a plaid shirt leaning forward and smiling
I have studied this portrait more than my own driver's license.
Black-and-white press portrait of a man in a pinstripe suit and tie
Black and white, so I could pretend it was a wedding photo.
Promotional still of a man in a black leather motorcycle jacket smiling under a blue sky
The leather jacket. The smile. Game over.
Promotional photo from Grease of a man with slicked-back hair smiling against a blue sky
1978. The year my type was set in stone.
Still from Saturday Night Fever: a man dancing on an illuminated floor with one arm raised
The pose. The floor. The reason I'm like this.
Back to Her ✦