Halle Berry: My BFF for a Whole 15 Minutes

Back in 2009 I was pregnant with my first and only child. I was going to Cedar Sinai in Beverly Hills, to one of the best doctors around, Dr. Robert Katz. I knew Dr. Katz was accomplished, but I never knew he was as popular as I was about to discover.

On my last pre-baby visit to his office, which was just 4 days before I gave birth, I found myself face to face, in a full blown conversation with one of Hollywood’s most beautiful women, Halle Berry. I had no idea that in the past 10 months of visiting Dr. Katz that I shared anything in common with Halle, but clearly we did, and it started with Dr. Katz.

As my faint post-baby memory recalls, I was walking back and forth from the lab to the ultra sound room when I kept passing a woman holding a beautiful baby in the hallway. Now I did not recognize this woman, but for some odd reason, the baby looked very familiar. Where have I seen that child before? After the 3rd time down the hallway, it was starting to bug me. I finally dismissed it, thinking that cute little girl must look like a friend or acquaintances child.

I finally saw Dr. Katz for my final check-up, and was now heading out of my exam room when, yes, once again I was staring at the beautiful baby being held by the unknown woman. I smiled at the woman, still trying to figure out where in the heck I had seen this beautiful baby. I finally said to the woman, assuming it was her baby, “your little girl is extremely adorable.” The woman just stared and smiled and then I heard a voice from behind me say, “Thank you.” I slowly turned around to find my self face to face with Halle freakin’ Berry. As Halle smiled at me for praising her little girl, I was totally speechless, trying to digest the notion that I was standing in front of, yes, Halle Berry.

I still remember that she wore faded jeans fringed at the bottom, beige fitted t-shirt with black writing and flip-flops. Yep, I think I would be useful in identifying someone in a line up. Halle didn’t have on a whole lot of make-up, but my first impression was that she looked flawless.

I finally gathered myself, but before I could utter a single word, Halle asked me how many months I was. I slowly told her I was due any day. Her mouth dropped wide open with amazement, as she reached out, grabbed my shoulders, turning me around and saying, “no way, you don’t even look pregnant from the back.” I smiled with glee and excitement, because Halle even touched me, and then she gave me a grade A preggers compliment. Halle then asked me what I was going to name my daughter and I told her Klarke, at which she agreed was a great name. The ironic thing is that just two weeks earlier my brother texted me suggesting that I should name my unborn daughter, Nahla, the name of Halle’s daughter. Although I was set on Klarke, the text only reinforced the notion that our close encounter was destined.

Halle and I continued to talk about motherhood, children and late-in-life pregnancy. We talked as if we were long lost girlfriends catching up. I felt so comfortable with her as the conversation flowed so effortlessly, but then I had a moment, a star moment, as I turned to see that the entire office staff of about fifteen were actively and intensely listening to every word that came out of our mouths, or probably just Halle’s. I’m sure Halle didn’t think too much of it since, as a celebrity, she is used to people focusing on her every word, but I felt instantly uncomfortable and in an unwanted spotlight. I began to focus on each word that came out of my mouth, choosing them carefully. It was the weirdest feeling, one I didn’t like at all.

Dr. Katz finally came out of his office, approached us chatting away and said, “You two look like sisters,” which made my day. Halle just smiled as I followed suit, although I’m not sure how much she agreed with the comment, but I welcomed it with open arms.

Halle finally grabbed her year old daughter, Nahla, from what I now realized were her nanny’s arms, and told me it was so nice talking with me. She smiled and showered me with good wishes on the up coming birth of my baby. I thanked her and said goodbye to her and Dr. Katz who was still standing with us in the hallway.

As I turned to walk away, I wondered if I should return to ask Halle for her number; it only made sense since our daughters would be thirteen months apart, exactly. Besides, aren’t play dates the thing to do these days? But I quickly vetoed that idea, because I didn’t want to cross the line, or look like a crazed fan. Halle had enough stalkers and I sure didn’t want to be added to the list.

As I drove home that day, I cherished that exhilarating feeling from my 15-minute conversation with Halle Berry. People have tons of preconceptions about celebrities that are created from the daily media, but I have to say that Halle blew all mine away. Her pleasant demeanor and extreme thoughtfulness towards my unborn child and me were a received like a breath of fresh air. I don’t know why Halle was so nice to me that day in Dr. Katz office. Maybe she felt a commonality between us, two African-American, single mothers approaching our 40’s, or maybe just maybe, Halle Berry is a genuinely nice person.

The day my daughter Klarke was born, Dr. Katz casually asked me if I had known Halle before that day we chatted in his office, I told him no; I had only seen her on the big screen. He was shocked, saying it seemed as if we’d known each other for years. Not at all, but in that 15 minutes, you couldn’t convince me that Halle and I were undoubtedly BFF’s.


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