By John Hertz: This year’s Down Under Fan Fund delegate Bill Wright arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, August 17th, at 8 a.m.

His flight was scheduled to arrive at 8:30. Fortunately I was there waiting at 7:45. An electronic notice board said the flight was coming in early and was on time.

I had brought a book. A breakfast bar served Peet’s coffee.

The notice board said the flight had arrived. Various people emerged.

An hour passed.

A guard said clearing Customs could take a while.

Many pages later I asked another guard. He said it could take three hours.

At 11 a.m. another guard said I should ask at Customs. Two floors up a nice man looked up Bill Wright, who had been cleared at 8:31.

Bill didn’t need me; he had just been traveling to and from Thailand. It was just a gesture. I’d thought of it at 3:30 a.m. after dancing till midnight and then the Bread Pudding Club.

His domestic flight left for San Jose from Terminal 1 in two-and-a-half hours. I walked over from Terminal 4. It was a nice sunny day. At Terminal 1, I learned that the only paging system would require him, if he heard it, to come back throuugh the crowd and down the escalator to pick up the call. So I went home.

But I can tell you he arrived. And last night the DUFF Intelligence Service told me he was safely asleep at Spike’s house.