When Carrie Fisher passed away in 2016, my short essay about our chance encounter generated traction on social media and various web publications.
It was Halloween, 2009. I had just moved to NYC 6 weeks earlier, and was working as a pedicab driver. That night, I dressed as a cowboy, and spent my evening carrying inebriated "sexy angels" all around the village.
I was weaving though standstill traffic on 5th Ave near Washington Square Park, when Carrie Fisher stuck her head out from the backseat of her limo. It was just past 7:30pm, and she was already late for her half hour call at Wishful Drinking, her one woman show at Studio 54.
There was desperation on her face when she asked if I could help her get out of traffic. I said, "Ms. Fisher, you hailed the one pedicab driver in Manhattan who is also an actor, and knows exactly where you need to be right now."
For the next twenty minutes, Carrie and her assistant cheered me on as I hopped curbs, plowed through crowds, ran red lights, and drove on the wrong side of 14th street to get her to the theatre. The assistant attempted to do her makeup while Carrie chucked Halloween candy at people on the street. I lied to a cop when she tried to stop me and told her I had a medical emergency. Carrie even offered to make her assistant pedal for me. I told her I wasn't any good at makeup, so we stayed at our posts.
Once we had cleared the worst of the traffic, I pulled over at 8th and 23rd and hailed a yellow cab. She gave me a kiss, a hundred bucks, and shouted out the window, "I'll tell the whole audience tonight that Kendal's pedicab saved the show!"
I waved back, breathless and sweaty, thinking how tragic it was that no one else was there to witness "Ms. Fisher's Wild Ride." After which, I promptly vomited in a trash can in front of Dallas BBQ.
A few years later, I saw her again at a swanky cabaret venue. I reintroduced myself to her in line for the bathroom before the show, and reminded her of that Halloween night. She barely feigned recognition. "Oh yes, nice to see you again." I was gutted. How could she forget the time we had spent together?
At intermission, I saw her storming across the room toward me. "Oh my GOD I remember! I had no idea what the hell you were talking about before." She gave me a hug, thanked me again, and laughed that it seemed like I had moved up in the world.
Indeed I have.
Rest well, Ms. Fisher.