Searching for Bobby Fischer

My father was a chess player. One weekend we went to Santa Barbara for a tournament. There were 100 tables and players were seated according to their rankings. My father was at the very last table with his opponent. I was too embarassed to hang out in the losers camp so I wandered around toward the first row of tables. Bobby Fischer was about 12 years old and was sitting opposite a grown man at table number 4. I was smitten and spent the rest of the day lurking beside a big marble pillar quietly stalking my new love.

For years I told people Bobby and I were friends. In 2005 after being indicted by the US for playing chess in Yugoslavia and being arrested in Tokyo Bobby Fischer asked for and received a citizenship offer from Iceland. You know, Bobby, if you're reading this: It never would have worked out. I'm more of a desert girl myself...