I met somebody famous once - well, not famous when I met her - she was just about six hours from becoming famous. She was a small woman, almost a girl, and a year younger than I. She was shy, and had been standing in the front window of a luncheonette, pretending to read magazines, hoping to see someone she knew. As it happened, I was walking along the street with several people - one of whom was a friend of hers, and she came running out of the store to join us. A singer, she was about to perform before a very large audience, on her own, for the first time.
That evening she sang, one performer among many. Her voice was exquisitely beautiful - breath-stopping, concert-stopping. After that one set, she was known - famous - and for good. I was stunned by what she could do, and I just got up and left after her performance. I sat in the town square until about 5AM, until the next bus came, and boarded it and went home. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but I didn't want to be just part of the audience.
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