My Dinner with Wally

When I lived in Greenwich Village, it was easy to spot celebrities. My favorite stars are those of literary fame. When seeing them it is okay to gaze upon them and even to lock eyes if possible, but that is all. I have had many “brushes with fame” as we used to call it. Sharing the ladies room with Sigourney Weaver at NoHo Star and admiring Sam Shepherd  after he purchased a large coffee at Joe: the Art of Coffee. No words, but only a quick moment of recognition.

But the person that I saw the most often was Wally Shawn. He claim to fame was the movie”My Dinner with Andre” and also many plays and books. The best sightings of him were at a small Village grocery store called Citarella. It could be winter or summer, in the vegetable section, or buying fruit, he would appear magically and then disappear as quickly. We always seemed to catch each other’s attention if only for a second.

Recently my best friend Sally, who used to live in the Village, and now lives in Cincinnati had the auspicious opportunity to hear Wally read. I asked her if she would say “hello” to him from me. She assured me that she was far too shy to do this. She did meet him and told him about our serendipitous meetings at Citarella across the broccoli and the pears. And back came this lovely message saying: “Linda, Wish you were here! Wallace Shawn.”

Wally,  have started your book and what has stuck in my head are the memories from your childhood: the two chimes of “right” and “wrong.”  Wally, I have those chimes as well. Morality is the love that we share and the burden that we carry.