The photographer sitting nearby thought Eggers was on to me. He invited the audience to write haiku about Condoleeza Rice, President Bush's national security adviser. Eggers announces that a bus driven by a man named Duane will arrive at 10 p.m. and will shuttle fans to a secret destination. I was still waiting to see the real Dave Eggers, and the audience wasn't helping. Eggers says his teen-age brother joined the Coast Guard.
Eggers soon invites everyone outside.
Dave buys our drinks. I won't be meeting the real Dave Eggers, after all. Or maybe I already have.