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“Jodie Foster is playing blackjack
in pit three. That's your section, Pam."
I was a Las Vegas casino
cocktail server for over ten years. Yes, it was
the best of times and the worst of
times, if you know what I mean.
Months and months of boredom followed by a few
exciting days of, well,
excitement.
One of the exciting parts was when
a celebrity sat in your section. In my
time, I served several – from Ed McMahon to
Julia Roberts. There are a few
stories to tell, but one involves an actress that I
personally knew, Jodie
Foster. Why did I feel as if I knew her? Well, because we
were close to
the same age, and we grew up together. I mean, she was on TV, and I
watched
TV. What more could two people have in common?
I really felt
as if I knew Jodie. From The Bad News Bears to Nell, I knew her. So when
I got to the service bar that night, and someone said, "Pam, Jodie Foster is in pit
three," I was totally calm. After all, we were old friends, Jodie and
me.
So why did I start to have strange thoughts as I approached the
actress?
Was it the bodyguards who sat around her? Did they make me start
thinking
like an obsessed fan? Why did I have this almost uncontrollable urge
to
say, "John Hinkley sent me?" Just think. My easy little cocktail bunny life could
end that very night if I grabbed Jodi's arm and said something about John Hinkley.
Sure, those bodyguards were large and mean looking, but I could be front-page news in the
Inquirer if I just said, "John Hinkley
would like to buy you a drink." Or something
like that.
And people I worked with for years would be interviewed, "I
never knew she
was obsessed with Jodie Foster," they'd say. And others would ask,
"Who
is John Hinkley anyway?" A few others would add, "I always knew Pam had
a
screw loose." And the next thing you know, I'd be out of a job, and
someone
else would be working my pit!
My mind tends to work quickly
under pressure. Like a well-oiled machine, I
knew what I had to do. I approached Ms.
Foster, all five feet of her, and
trying to get her attention, I said the sharpest
thing I could think of. I
said "Good evening. Would you care for a drink?" And not
even looking up,
she leaned over to a bodyguard and whispered something to him. He
looked at me and said, "No."
So much for our lifelong friendship.
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