It was sweltering in July down on Telegraph Ave. I used to ride my huge waterski skateboard up and down and help the street vendors out by making lunch runs for them or watching their stands while they were away. I had been telling them about a poster I had seen at the Paramount Theater in Oakland announcing her perfomance on July 28th. "Have you seen her yet?" I would ask them all excitedly. "She'll be out here cheking out the Telepath, you can bet on that." Nobody paid any attention, but I knew she wouldn't let me down.
The concert date came and went and I never did come up with the $25 necessary to go. I did hang around in front of the theater just in case, but to no avail. A few days later, just when I had given up, there she was walking down the Ave. Nobody seemed to know who she was except me. Not wanting to invade her privacy too much, I decided to give her a necklace from the stand I was working and just leave her alone. I went up and handed it to her saying nothing more than "thank you" and began to walk away. She would know what I meant. But she stopped me and gave me a big hug and held my hand, insisting on a conversation. So we spoke for a good five minutes, and I told her about my game and showed her one of the Ski-skates I had made. You should have seen her jaw drop. To think that I had impressed one so great that she had captured the hearts of millions. She began writing down names on a notebook she produced from her purse. "This is my Agent and this is my Production Manager. Go to the show tomorrow night in San Jose. There'll be two tickets waiting for you at the box office. Go to the stage entrance and talk to these guys, I want to stay in touch with you."
I went to the show and it was incredible. For an encore, she played "Purple Rain" on a bellows organ, the kind with the pedals and the stops. I talked to the guys, but they were pretty busy. Her Production Manager was shocked that she had referred me directly to him. I guess that must really mean something. Anyway, when the time comes for me to track her down, I've got a sure fire way to make sure she remembers me... just show her one of my skateboards.
