WANNA DANCE?

I Should Have Danced With Her

A previously published story, but revised almost to a fault

by author

When I was halfway through writing school, the program promised us a famous visitor:

The journalist, memoirist, and novelist Joyce Maynard.

Unfairly, everyone said one thing about her (as if that’s all there was to say):

“She used to be J.D. Salinger’s girlfriend!”

“Who’s that?” I said.

I loved writing more than I loved reading back then.

“J.D. SALINGER!” shouted the person I was talking to. We’ll call him “Julian,” what else?

Julian screamed, “The Catcher in the Rye guy!”

“Baseball?”

After much laughter, Julian said, “NO! It’s a famous book. I can’t believe you don’t know The Catcher in the Rye. Hey, EVERYONE, he doesn’t know The Catcher in the Rye! HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

I hate when people do that. They discover something surprising about you, surprising and disappointing to them, then they go nuts.

Stop it, people.

I can not know anything I want. I’m an American.