When his novel “Catch-22” was all the rage, Joseph Heller visited my college. I was obsessed, too awed to speak up. I followed behind the clinging crowd as he walked to his car, sure he’d never know I was his most devoted fan. His car was so far the walkers gradually thinned. I caught up, and we were alone when we reached his car. We exchanged comments, then I told him I had a crush on him and he reminded me of my father. “It sounds like the beginning of a very healthy relationship,” he said, smiling, then drove away.
Nancy Bulger is a writer, teacher, and entrepreneur in Salem, Massachusetts.