We’d like to thank James for sharing this story.
It was 2012. I was in Tucson, AZ traveling for work, and had to take the first flight out that morning. It was a normal day for me until I ran into Bill Murray.
When I arrived at the airport it was pretty much empty for 2 reasons. Very early in the morning and it’s Tucson, Arizona. Anyway, as I was going through security, there was a tall guy right behind me. I did not think much of it until I retrieved my bags. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I could not believe who it was. That’s right Bill frickin Murray.
So, I waited for Bill to get his bags and I introduced myself. We started to walk through the airport together talking about small stuff. Early morning flights, the weather, etc. then I noticed we kept walking the same direction; found out that Bill was on my flight. So we sat down at the gate and kept talking. He asked me about my Job and what I do and what I was doing in Tucson, AZ. This is when the story got weird.
I travel a lot and always have been told, when you are at the airport, always keep an eye on your bags and never let them out of your sight. Anyway, halfway through our conversation, Bill gets up and says, “Can you watch my bags? I have to go take a leak.” I said sure.
So Bill goes off, walks away, and I’m sitting in the airport holding Bill frickin Murray’s bags. Who lets a stranger watch their bags? I mean, Bill is not a stranger to me. But I am sure as hell a stranger to him. Aren’t I? Anyway, Bill returns and he sits back down and we keep talking like he was my best friend. We lost track of time and then we heard last call for boarding.
We almost missed our flight; we were the last 2 passengers to board the plane. It was very weird to walk onto a plane with Bill Murray. Everyone was looking at Bill and I. Due to the fact we boarded so late, there were no seats together on the plane, so that’s where I said bye to Bill Murray. But I walked away with a story to tell for a lifetime.