She smiled, her eyes shining like gems. “Exactly.”

That was for you, Grandpa Charles. Hope you were watching and getting a laugh.

Tiffany turned, leaving me on my own – and that’s how I remained for the next ten minutes. Then twenty. Then half an hour. What was this all about?

Thankfully, of all the restaurants in which to be stuck waiting for someone, Lombardo’s Steakhouse ranked near the top, thanks to its truly sublime people watching. It was easy to pass the time counting the Botoxed foreheads or, for the truly cynical, playing Hollywood Hamlet with the tabloid celebrities sprinkled in the mix.

Rehab or not rehab? That is the question.

I guess that’s why I had been a little surprised that Dwayne Robinson would agree to meet me here, let alone be the one to actually choose the place.

Sure, he was as famous as they come in the world of sports. Or maybe infamous was a better word these days. But even way back when he was the toast of New York – make that America – he never would’ve eaten at Lombardo’s. That’s how bad his anxiety disorder was.

So maybe he’s cured now. Maybe that’s one of the hooks of this interview, that he’s “going public” in more ways than one.

Or maybe not.

As I glanced at my watch again, I wondered if perhaps nothing had changed about him and my flying halfway around the planet with barely a minute to spare was all for naught. Dwayne Robinson was now an hour late.

What’s the deal? Where the hell is he? What an asshole this guy is.

I rang Courtney, who called me right back after getting in touch with his agent. The agent was equally as baffled, especially since he had confirmed the interview with Dwayne earlier in the morning. Now he couldn’t reach him.

“I’m so sorry, Nick,” said Courtney.

“You and me both. Well, at least Robinson hasn’t lost anything over the years. He’s still a no-show. What a chump.”

After another fifteen minutes, I finally gave up waiting. Dwayne Robinson was officially MIA – just like when he was scheduled to pitch that seventh and deciding game of the World Series and flat-out disappeared.