Fractured Thoughts

The Night I Danced With the Fonz

Back in the 90′s my daughter was attending college in Powell, Wyoming, the town where I went to college.  She played volleyball and I tried to make most of her tournaments.  My most memorable tournament ended with my dancing with Henry Winkler, The Fonz, at a local supper club in Cody, Wyoming.

I planned to stay with my daughter in her dorm since all the motels were full.  They won the tournament and planned a huge after party.  Declining to go with her and her team mates I decided to drive to Cody and find somewhere to eat.  I had lived in Cody years ago, but hadn’t been back for ten years.  Driving towards South Fork I stopped at Cassie’s Supper Club.  It was packed and a long line stretched to the door with customers waiting to be seated.  Just as I decided to leave and find somewhere else to eat a couple of older cowboys sitting at a table motioned me over and invited me to join them for dinner.  I declined, but they insisted they had room so I found myself surrounded by jovial, local cowboys that wanted to know what I was doing out by myself.  We ordered and they kept me laughing with tales of ranching and finding out I used to live in Cody they caught me up to date on local news and changes.

The band was playing in the adjoining room and  I found myself enjoying the meal and the company.  Excusing myself to find the ladies room I walked through the bar area and passed a man that smiled and said hello He seemed kind of familar.  Back to the table I found the man that said hello talking to my new friends.  Taking my seat the cowboys introduced me to Henry Winkler…The Fonz!  I could hardly speak.  Fonzi had been with my new friends part of the day touring the Sunlight Basin area looking for possible real estate investments.  My new  friends got a kick out of seeing my surprise and confusion.  Two other men were with Fonzi.  They stayed in the background and weren’t introduced.  Maybe they were his body guards.  Anyway, before the evening was over I found myself slow dancing with the Fonz.  He was such  a gentleman.  He asked me questions about my family and shared his love for the Cody area and fishing.  The whole evening was surreal.  Before I knew it the club was closing and people were leaving.  I hadn’t intended to stay out so late.  I had 25 miles to drive back to the campus so I said goodbye to my new friends and thanked them for a great time.  The Fonz gave me a hug and wished me a safe trip home.  I floated out of the club!

It was close to 3 am when I got back to the dorm.  My daughter met me at the door firing questions at me.  “Where have you been?  I’ve been so worried.”  I couldn’t help smiling and started telling her about dancing with Fonzi.  She looked at me like she thought I’d been drinking.  I didn’t drink at the time and I had a flash back to all the time my teens had missed curfew with far fetched tales about why they were late.  It took me a while to convince her that I really had been having dinner (and a dance) with Henry Winkler.  It took forever to go to sleep and I think I must have been giggling like a school girl.

The next morning my daughter and her team mates quizzed me about Fonzi.  Was he really that cute?  Was he tall?  Was he friendly?  Yes to all, well, maybe not the tall part.  Actually, he’s quite short.  I’m 5’2 and even though he had on tall boots (so did I)  he was not that much taller then me when we were dancing.  I told them it was a wonderful evening and that I would keep the shirt I was wearing forever…never washing it since his hands had rested on my shirt while we danced.  Did I ask for his autograph or a picture?  No.  It just seemed like too much of a groupie thing for a woman my age.  Did I want to?   Yes!!!  But no regrets.  I still have the memories and the shirt.