That was in June of 2003. Nathan, who is 11 now, blew a 9½-inch bubble at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 3049 S. Oakes Road. Impressive, sure, but it wasn't big enough to qualify for the national finals.

One evening, my phone rang. “You have a collect call from Bernard Madoff, an inmate at a federal prison,” a recording announced. And there he was.