Sweatin’ it
I used to work for my father at his dentist office in Beverly Hills during the summers. Dad had a number of celebrity clients — Mae West, Richard Kline, Tracy Scoggins, Jack Klugman, etc. But the encounter I remember most vividly involves exercise guru Richard Simmons. One of my main tasks was to fetch lunch for the office staff from the deli next door. One day as I headed back to the elevator with our food – hot pastrami on rye with mustard and fries for Dad, a burger and fries for me and a packet of M&Ms for dessert — in popped Richard Simmons wearing his signature striped shorts and tank top. Smelling the food, he glanced over and proceeded to lecture me on how horrible all that food was for my body and how I needed to eat better. Knowing we were headed to the same place, I took as long as I could to get out of the elevator and snuck in the back door hoping he wouldn’t see me. I managed to avoid him the entire time he was getting his teeth cleaned, but I’m sure he got a glimpse of Dad eating his pastrami sandwich.
Kerianne M. Tupac
M.P.A. ’95, M.F.A. ’96