“Johnny is that you?” Depp asked. “What are you doing here?

Johnny smiled. “Just wanted to see how a movie was made. Nice to see you again.”

“Mr. Depp, we are ready for the shot now,” a man said. “Quiet on the set!”

Depp waved to Johnny as the crew got ready to shoot the scene. Sam just shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” Johnny said. “I told you I knew Johnny and that he….

“Knows you,” Sam glowered at Johnny as he finished the sentence.

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The next couple of months it was Steve Jobs, Bono, Madonna and David Letterman. Johnny knew all of them and they all knew Johnny. As for Sam he went further and further into debt–$2500, $3000, $5,000, $7500-until the only thing he had left was the bar. Then, he hit upon an idea. Agassi, Depp, Bono-these might have been famous people but it was possible that they could know Johnny. The odds were high, but it was still possible. He needed to come up with someone that would be impossible for Johnny to know and for that person to know Johnny. Then he hit upon it: Pope Benedict XVI. There was no way that the Pope could know Johnny.

He sold his bar, bought two airline tickets to Rome and raised the wager to $18,000.00. Johnny pleaded with him to reconsider, but Sam was adamant. It was all for naught now.

They flew to Rome and from there went to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. There was a large crowd on hand, like there was on most days, but today was special because the Pope was expected to address the crowd. Unlike all the other times when someone knew Johnny, this time Sam had one simple ground rule: they had to be together with an arm around each other.

“Now listen I am not going to believe you unless I see you walk out on the balcony with your arm around Pope Benedict,” Sam said.

“Please, for the last time. I’m telling you I know the Pope and that he knows me,” Johnny pleaded. “Please reconsider.”

“Just go!” Sam said.

Johnny disappeared into the crowd and Sam waited. About thirty minutes later, the crowd began to applaud when the Pope walked out on the balcony-with his arm around Johnny.

That was the last thing Sam remembered before he fainted. When he came to, a few minutes later, Johnny was standing over him.

“Buddy, Buddy are you okay?” Johnny asked as he knelt down over the Sam.

Sam took a few deep breaths and sat up. A few people had crowded around him as did a security guard and a Vatican official. Johnny waved both the guard and official off. “He’s okay now folks. Just had a little too much excitement for one day.”

Johnny helped Sam to his feet. “Why didn’t you believe me? I told you that I knew the Pope and that he knew me.”

“That’s not it,” Sam said. “It was the guy standing next to me, who turned and asked me, ‘who’s that guy up there with Johnny?’”