Fame

I don’t mean to brag, but I am something of a minor celebrity.“How minor?” you ask.Pretty darned minor! I’ll give you an example. Some years ago, I was in a Miami department store, buying socks, and when I went to pay for them, the salesperson recognized me. “I love your work!” he said. He seemed genuinely excited to be in my presence. I was of course flattered. I said “Thank you.”At that point another customer walked up. He wanted to buy some menswear item, which as I recall was underpants. The salesperson, pointing at me, said to him, “Do you know who this is?” The man looked at me and shook his head, indicating that he did not know who I was.“Tell him who you are!” the salesperson said to me. I truly did not want to, but the salesperson was insistent. So I said, “I’m a writer.”The man did not look impressed. He looked like a man who wanted to buy some underpants and leave. But the salesperson was not giving up on getting me the recognition he felt I deserved.“He’s being modest,” he…