
“Oh Lord,” he said, and he heard Janis Joplin in his mind. “Mercedes Benz.”
“Beg pardon?” asked his friend.
“Worked hard all my lifetime,” he said, “No help from my friends.”
“I know for a fact that you got more than a little help from your friends.”
“I know,” he said. “That’s how I got by.”
“You’re mixing your musical references.”
“Sometimes, when I try, I get what I need,” he conceded.
It was sunny, and yesterday his heart was filled with rain, but then someone smiled at him and really eased the pain.
“You know, in my most secure moments, I still can’t believe I’m sharing those moments with you,” he told her.
“Don’t stop believing,” she said with that smile.
“You make me feel so young,” he said. “Fairy tales can come true — it can happen to you! — if you’re young at heart.”
“Classic case of boy meets girl moving in the same direction,” she said. “I’m here to tell you I’m here to stay, every hour, every day.”
“Oh, baby, you know what I like,” he purred.
He put his arm around her and they walked away, waving to his friend.
“She loves you, and you know that can’t be bad,” his friend called. “You know, you should be glad.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” they called back.
