Best Fishes

A high school classmate contacted me on Facebook this week and asked, "Remember me?" She's married, so she gave me her maiden name which sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure.

I found my memorabilia box with yearbooks in it and flipped open 1979. A large photo dropped from inside the front cover. I picked it up and Steve Martin smiled in a white suit with a fish sticking out of his jacket just above the top button. The autograph reads, "Best Fishes, Steve Martin." It was an insert from one of his albums. Remember that? That was awesome!

I saw Steve Martin once playing poker in the Mirage poker room in Las Vegas. He was on a break during the filming of Sgt. Bilko. He was in a seven card stud game. There was a list a mile long to join Steve's game. He wore a red baseball cap with his head tilted forward so the brim gave him privacy. No one was bothering him.

When I finished playing, I racked my chips and headed to the poker room cashier. As I walked by his table, his head tilted and the brim of his cap rose to reveal his face. He looked straight at my eyes. His face was deadpan. He showed no emotion. Maybe it was his poker face. I knew of him as a comedian, so his blank faced stare was extra creepy. I felt like he was daring me to annoy him. I left him alone and continued on to the cashier.

In one of those wish-I'd-thought-of-it-at-the-time moments, I wish I'd smiled and said, "Cheer up. It's a game!" and continued walking without intruding.

Best Fishes Steve.

I found my classmate's picture. I remember her being in some of my classes, but we weren't in the same social groups. It makes me wonder what I did to be memorable to her.