5/24 10:29 pm

Just past the Y on the miracle mile west of San Rafael, was a small burger shop. A mom and pop with a few booths and a couple of new arcade machines. My wife and I would sometimes take our son there. They had great burgers and fries. Matt and I would play the space invaders. He would have one control and I the other. It is rather difficult, but great fun.

One of the times we were there and on the invaders waiting for burgers, turning around to look at Gina, I saw Lucas and Ronstadt. He and I had seen each other before. He was building his complex just north of San Rafael and I was working with other carpenters trimming out the main house. Linda wore no make-up and very few knew his face. There were no entourages, no chauffeurs or fancy clothes.

Their eyes watched as my son and I played together. It had been the same with my youngest brother. The pinball machines in Broad Ripple lite up his eyes as he played one button and I the other.

They stared as Matt and I played. He seemed to be a man of few words. Their privacy was respected, there were no words spoken. It seemed they wanted to be a part of the world that had lead them on their journey, but somehow the world wanted to change them. He was just a man and she was just a woman. Maybe they wanted to play space invaders with each other.

He told his stories through movies and she told hers’ through songs. The things they had thought of in the middle of the wee hours of the night, I do not know. But it seemed to me, at that moment and point in time and place, in that little restaurant they just wanted to be like us, again.