"I can have oodles of charm when I want to"

1922-2007

The excitement was palpable. Everyone in the offices wondered if it was a big hoax. Could it be true that he was going to do a signing, give a speech or even darken the door of one of our stores?

It was true. He showed up and was as ornery as he was charming. And a boy, just 24 years old from Texas, was responsible for the whole thing.

There are moments in life that I will never forget. On a spring evening in 2001 Kurt Vonnegut gave me one of those moments.