23. A Father Strongly Devoted to a "Green" Lifestyle

Obama was having a rally in a giant arena. I ended up in a seat right near him at the podium because the regular seats were filled. Obama was standing before the cameras and gesturing with his arms. I could not concentrate on what he was saying because I was awed by his presence. During a break, he came up to me as if I worked for him.

I need you to draft a letter for me, he said.

Sure, I said. Anything I can do...

It's to the board of a local nonprofit, he continued. I was glad. That's the kind of thing I do at my real job. He gave me a brief description about what it should say, then went back to the podium.

I got to work at once. I had a pen but I didn't have a piece of paper. All I could find near me was a hamburger bun. I started to write out the letter on the hamburger bun while Obama gave his speech, but with every few strokes the pen would break through the outer surface of the bread into the soft middle. I was getting nowhere and didn't know what to do.