Bananas and Spielberg


As I was getting slightly drunk with wine at a social gathering, a friend told me he desperately needed my help. One of the performers in the dance routine scheduled for that evening didn't show up, and he needed me to fill in. There was no time to rehearse. Several minutes later, I found myself on stage, dressed up in a banana suit, trying to follow the movements of the other dancers. I stumbled around the stage, cursing my luck. But after the grand finale, the audience burst into thunderous applause. Later, still slightly tipsy, I wandered along the waterfront until I happened upon Steven Spielberg, who was relaxing with my dad and uncle on the cluttered patio of a condo. They invited me to catch a movie with them.