Mork and Mindy's Kids: Part I

Dacheux and I are walking up Hollywood Boulevard.

We both have canvas bags.

We also have coffee in our hands.

"We could be aliens," I say.

"Yes," she agrees. "We could be."

A car makes a right onto the 101.

A homeless man passes on our left.

The coffee is still in our hands.

"We're like Mork and Mindy's kids because we used to live in Colorado."

"Yes."

"And everyone thinks we're brother and sister."

"Mmmm."

Coffee drips on my thumb.

D gets money from an ATM.

"I wonder what it would be like," I say.

"What?" she asks.

"Mork and Mindy's Kids, our TV show."

"Oh," D says. "It'd be good."

We walk past vegetable bins. They have big tomatoes. Big everything.

"Aren't those the tomatoes Alan likes?"

"I already got some."

"What do you need?"

"Bok choy," she says, inspecting a bag.

I walk over to a group of street musicians. I listen. I hum.

D joins in as we walk down the alley.

“That would make a great theme song for Mork and Mindy’s Kids.”

“Yeah,” D agrees.

“Want to record it when we get back to my place?”

"Okay," D says.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I do."

We walk up Franklin. We talk about the beautiful weather. We look at tall palm trees in a line.

"Oh," D says. "Look at this plant!"

D lifts a long-stemmed flower hanging from a vine.

"This would be a great microphone!"

"Yeah,” I laugh. “Wish we had a camera."

We take turns singing into the plant without taking a picture. It fills me with nostalgia. That’s how I know it is magic.

Cam ZI to MCU 'FLOWER'

text scrolls: Friendship and loss in one afternoon is enough to make a flower wilt. It hangs above them. It is a shower. It is Ralph Macchio. It is pine needles on a forest floor. It is make believe. It is alien. It is Mork. It is Mindy. It is life. It is Cancer. It is best friends in Hollywood and how their voices echo.