An Unforgettable Meeting

I couldn’t believe I was looking into his eyes, and he was looking right back at me! My heart skipped a beat, I wanted to capture this moment forever, but being all in a fluster, I couldn’t think straight.

Excitedly, I said, “Oh my God! I’m your biggest fan! I think I’ve watched every single thing you’ve ever been in!”

“Oh yeh?” he replied amusingly, “what am I airing on right now?”

“Hey! No fair! I haven’t been home all day, I haven’t a clue what’s on telly!” I laughed.

“Please, please may I have my picture taken with you, it’s just in my bag, I promise I won’t be a minute”

“Well if you’re quick,” he checked his watch, “I’m supposed to be doing a behind the scenes tour.”

In an excited rush to get my camera, I hollered over my shoulder at him as I ran along the makeshift walkway “I’ll be right back, please don’t go away.”

As the sound of the walkway vibrated beneath my running feet, I could hear his voice fade in the distance, “DON’T RUN, Don’t Run, don’t run”. I giggled as I tried to slow down but still determined to get to the volunteers marquee about a hundred feet away at the end of the path and I dug through all the vollie bags till I finally found mine then searched frantically for my camera, panicking the whole while thinking he may have stopped waiting.

After a few minutes, I found my silver coloured camera, the type that used rolls of film in the years before digital cameras became popular, I dashed back as safely as I could, without running this time, panic rising as the crowd that I had been in had vanished along with the celebrity they had been surrounding. As I approached the larger media tent that had been assembled on the grounds of the Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, relief flooded through me as I realised he had only taken a few steps and was now standing at the entry way to the media tent.

“I have it! I have my camera!” I said to him excitedly, hoping he hadn’t changed his mind.

With a smirk, he replied, “Glad to see you got back in one piece!”

With that, he put his arm around me as we smiled for the camera. My smile couldn’t be any bigger that day. To participate in the Olympics, if not as an athlete, then as a volunteer was at the top of my lifetime bucket list. Only one thing that could improve this goal was to meet one of my favourite celebrities of all time, and this was the day!!

I’ll never forget the day I had my photo taken with Ernie Dingo at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

© – Carol Nemes 12/9/15