By Sue Wunder

I am no good with celebrities， as shy in their presence as many of them are eager to guard their privacy in public. But Im shy in general； chance encounters with the famous simply bring into sharper focus the trait Ive borne and nurtured since childhood—when even the hour or two before holiday meals with a host of visiting relatives found me desperate to help my mother in the warmth and relative privacy of the kitchen.2 Anyone with more exotic credentials than aunts and uncles sent me fleeing into deeper recesses... partly because of my reclusive nature and partly because I sensed anothers need for privacy.3

I vividly recall the day I shopped with my mom in a local mall and found myself watching haplessly as Jay North （of 1960s TV Dennis the Menace fame） cruised by， waving from a convertible as part of a publicity tour.4 I ducked between cars in the parking lot as he passed； to my eye he looked wholly out of context， also wan and exhausted.5 I wanted to stay out of sight， perhaps to spare us both.

As a teen， I was invited to accompany a friend， Candice， and her family to the Rochester， N.Y.， airport to greet Robert Kennedy on the campaign trail.6 To my awe， Candice actually reached out to shake his hand， and connected. I watched from a safe distance， sensing a tired candidates strain behind that brilliant smile.

As the years passed， I began to outgrow some of that reticence7 and married a geologist whose field studies centered on the Connecticut River Valley. We befriended a colleague of his， who worked with the states Geological Survey.8 Mikes home was on the island of Marthas Vineyard， and he soon invited us out for a weekend. From that first visit with him and his wife， Mary Jane， we all became close and our summer visits to Tisbury became frequent.

A mecca9 for celebrities， many of whom our hosts knew and greeted on the streets， the Vineyard put me to the test. I managed to smile in passing Patricia Neal on the sidewalk and at Ethel Kennedy and two of her daughters at a function we attended.10 One day in a local store， Mary Jane greeted a young child， telling me later that he was the “Sweet Baby James” of the song.

It was not until a few years later that I faced my first inescapable encounter with a national icon. My husband and I boarded a ferry from Woods Hole， Mass.， to the Vineyard on a Sunday afternoon， when most tourists are going the other way. The vessel was all but deserted， but stepping aboard with us was an older man with a reporters notebook jutting from his pocket.11 Recognizing Walter Cronkite， I gave him a wide berth， and headed for the top deck with our dog to feed the sea gulls a loaf of bread I always brought for that purpose.12

Ten minutes later， as we cleaved across the choppy waters and the birds began swooping down to my outstretched arm，13 there came a deep familiar voice， just behind me： “Well， youve got their attention now！”

To my horror， he and my husband were settling into adjacent14 seats and beginning to engage in easy conversation. Spying the box of popcorn Mr. Cronkite was offering to share， my traitorous black Lab pulled me to them and， after being indulged with a handful， gave that famous face an encouraging lick.15 Another handful readily came his way， shattering my reserve.16

Soon all three of us were talking， Cronkite genuinely interested in our plans to adopt， Rob quizzing him on political intrigues，17 and I at least contributing something about my developing career in science writing.

My hometown in Indiana is not such a celebrity magnet， though almost all of us who lived here in the 1970s or 80s bumped into Bob Knight now and then.18 Once， my son and I found ourselves at a local driving range tee19 adjacent to the one that the celebrated Indiana University basketball coach occupied. Tim connected with the ball for a beautiful sailing drive to the far distance just as Mr. Knight was leaving.20 We all watched the ball grow smaller， and “The General” paused to greet us and acknowledge the coup—to Tims delight.21

Such encounters， ephemeral and unsolicited，22 I can handle. As for Walter Cronkite—the most trusted man in America in his day， and the soul of friendliness—I was charmed beyond caring about privacy. While Id never have intruded， he seemed to welcome company.

But I havent， in fact， changed all that much since I ducked between cars to avoid Jay North. Id do it again if another star of any age came my way. And the next time I visit the Vineyard， Im thinking of leaving my dog in Indiana.

1. brush： 短暫的歷險，不愉快的小接觸。

2. 但我一直都是個害羞的人；和名人的邂逅恰恰更尖銳地凸顯了我與生俱來的一個性格特點，這一特點從孩提時代起我就一直在培養(yǎng)著——在有一堆親戚參加的節(jié)日聚餐前的一個或兩個小時前，我就已經(jīng)絕望地躲進廚房溫暖而相對隱私的環(huán)境里給媽媽當(dāng)幫手了。

3. exotic： 外（國）來的；credentials： 證明書，證件，此處比喻“身份”；recess： 隱秘處，幽深處；reclusive： 隱居的，遁世的。

4. haplessly： 運氣不好地，不幸地；Jay North：杰伊·諾思，美國演員，電視劇代表作Dennis the Menace（多譯為《淘氣阿丹》）；convertible： 敞篷汽車。

5. duck： 躲避，躲閃；out of context： 格格不入的，形容不在狀態(tài)的；wan： 倦怠的。

6. Robert Kennedy： 羅伯特·肯尼迪（1925—1968），美國肯尼迪家族的成員，競選總統(tǒng)過程中遇刺身亡；campaign trail： 競選路線。

7. reticence： 沉默寡言。

8. befriend： 和……交朋友；Geological Survey： 地質(zhì)調(diào)查局。

9. mecca： （度假）圣地。

10. Patricia Neal： 帕特里夏·尼爾，美國女演員；Ethel Kennedy： 埃塞爾·肯尼迪，是羅伯特·肯尼迪的妻子；function： 重大聚會，宴會。

11. 船上差不多都空了，但是有一位上了年紀(jì)的男子和我們一起上了船，他的口袋里露出一個記者用的記事本。jut： 突出，伸出。

12. Walter Cronkite： 沃爾特·克朗凱特（1916—2009），美國著名的新聞記者和主持人；give sb./sth. a wide berth： 避開某人/某物；deck： 甲板；loaf： 一個（面包）。

13. cleave： 穿過；choppy： 波濤洶涌的；swoop： 飛撲，猛撲。

14. adjacent： 相鄰的。

15. 看到克朗凱特先生手里準(zhǔn)備分享的那桶爆米花，我的黑色拉布拉多獵犬立刻“叛變”，拖著我靠近他們，并在心滿意足地吃了一大把之后，給了這張著名的臉鼓勵性的一舔。indulge with： 使高興，讓……享受一下。

16. 他馬上又遞過來一把，這下我也不再矜持了。shatter： 使破碎；reserve： 矜持，拘謹(jǐn)。

17. quiz： 查問，盤問；intrigue： 陰謀，詭計。

18. bump into： 巧遇，碰見；Bob Knight： 鮑勃·奈特，美國著名籃球教練。

19. driving range tee：（高爾夫球）練習(xí)場發(fā)球區(qū)。

20. 就在奈特準(zhǔn)備離開的時候，蒂姆揮出漂亮的一桿，把球打得老遠。connect with： 擊中；drive：（對球的）猛擊。

21. “The General”： “將軍”，是鮑勃·奈特的綽號；coup： 一擊。

22. ephemeral： 短暫的；unsolicited：未經(jīng)請求的。