Monica Flores bounded out of the Barnes & Noble store on Stevens Creek
Boulevard, nearly collapsing with joy. She had waited 36 hours to have her
copy of "My Life" signed by former President Bill Clinton.
For Flores, it was worth the wait.
"It just feels so good," said Flores, of San Jose. "It was so fantastic."
More than 3,000 people from all over California lined up for a chance to meet
Clinton. But only the first 1,000 got their books signed.
For the two days leading up to the highly anticipated book signing Tuesday,
the parking lot at Barnes & Noble was filled with excitement, happiness,
frustration, anxiety and annoyance.
Angela Boyd, who drove six hours from her hometown of Los Angeles, was only
one of many who left in tears. "It was perfect," Boyd said. "He shook my hand
and even talked to me. It was worth every second of my wait."
But only one-third of the crowd left Barnes & Noble with a signed book and
handshake. Many left with nothing but a sour attitude and a sunburn.
"I'm pissed off," said Sammy Tsang of Oakland, who had waited in line more
than 18 hours. "They said they would give out 1,500 bracelets, but they only
gave out a 1,000."
"We are sunburned too. We didn't get anything because there was no
organization - it was horrible," said Julia Nita, a resident of Fremont. "It's
not fair because we were willing to follow the rules."
Although Clinton was not scheduled to arrive until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the
adventure started much earlier.
At 6 a.m. Monday, Ruben Mendez and his daughter were the first to arrive -
more than 36 hours early. "I knew a lot of people would be coming. I even
called Sunday night to see if people were here lining up already," said
Mendez, of San Jose. "The people working kind of laughed and said no, but I
just wanted the head start. "
Though Mendez and his daughter were first, the line quickly grew to include
thousands of people.
Fred and Ali Menbari, who are cousins from San Jose, arrived at 1 p.m. Monday.
"The day went by fast actually," Fred Menbari said. "We've been keeping
ourselves busy with dominos and the name game."
Menbari said some might think it's ridiculous to camp in a parking lot
overnight. But he thought it was worth it. "It's a manner of respect," he
said. "He's one of the best presidents ever."
Many of the people who waited long hours in line to meet Clinton said they did
it for the same reason.
"I think the world of him," said Denise Eliason, a resident of San Jose. "We
feel he deserves the strength from us after all the pain he's been through.
He's a very special man."
Steve and Lynda Cuckovseh drove two hours from their home in Sacramento.
"We actually drove to Berkeley because they told us that it was on a
first-come, first-served basis, but someone lied," Steve Cuckovseh said. "So
we were shut out at Berkeley, shut out at San Francisco - this is it."
Barnes & Noble's lack of organization infuriated many in line.
San Jose resident Maria Adorador could have gotten a wristband if not for the
two people who cut in front of her in line.
"Basically I would've gotten a signature with better crowd control," Adorador
said. "There was no control of the flow of traffic - not at all."
"When we first got here we started making a list," said Mendez, who was first
in line. "This lady down the line was number 23, but a little later, she
turned out to be number 47."
Many of the attendees were angry - and blamed Barnes & Nobles.
"I'd tell people not to shop here," Adorador said. "If I bought my book here I
would return it."
Some in the crowd said there was miscommunication long before the day of the
event between the bookstore and the visitors. Robert Aguirre of San Jose said
he called the store three weeks earlier so he could be clear on the rules for
the book signing.
"They told me there was no camping. They actually even told me that no one was
allowed on Barnes & Noble property before 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday," Aguirre said.
That's why Aguirre and his family did not show up until 9:30 a.m. on the day
of the event - and ended up with no wristband.
Many nearby coffee shops took advantage of the hoards of people, opening their
stores a few hours earlier to attract those waiting in line. Numerous food
vendors patrolled the lines, taking orders and displaying their tasty wares.
Another distraction appeared shortly before Clinton was to arrive. Four
Clinton protesters congregated in front of Barnes & Noble and held up signs,
despite heckling from many Clinton supporters.
As 8 p.m. neared, people became increasingly anxious.
Clinton emerged promptly at 8:15 p.m. from the second in a succession of four
green SUVs, escorted by U.S. Secret Service agents and local police. He looked
sharp in black-rimmed glasses, a sports jacket and a pink tie.
All the confusion, chaos and angst that had abounded in the morning and
afternoon melted away once he stepped into the store.
Seated in the children's section of the bookstore, Clinton was amiable as he
offered a friendly hello to each person, signing their books and giving them a
firm handshake.
"You are beautiful," Clinton said to one toddler after signing the child's
hat, even though the fliers said that he would sign nothing but books. Others
got a "god bless" from the former president, along with a "thank you" to every
compliment that came his way. And, when people would walk off without their
signed book, because they were still in awe of him, Clinton would gently
remind them to pick up their copies.
Some who braved it all to get their books signed described the experience as
almost transcendental.
Sunnyvale resident Nitin Matthew, 19, was in pure joy, saying that when he
shook Clinton's hand, he literally felt the chills running down his spine.
"I didn't know what to say when it was my turn, so I just said, 'I play tennis
just like you,'" he laughed. "It was a trip."
Megan and Sarah Kindsvatter, sisters from Cupertino, said they'd always
cherish the memory of meeting Clinton.
"We are never washing our hands again," they said.
Mosaic staff writers Carl Ponzio, Vikram Mahal, Sara Malik, Neeraj Berry and
Victoria Tang contributed to this report.