Waiting for Prine to come out and get the mail

From the lovely Nancy McGuire Roche, who’s always full of surprises.

”In 1979, I lived on Belmont Boulevard and John Prine lived in the house next door. I had already worn out about 3 copies of his first album by then. I knew exactly when the mail would come, and I knew John would come right out to get it. One day I was out on the front porch and my neighbor in the other apartment, Mimi Silberman, came out and sat down on the steps too. What are you doing out here, she asked. Waiting for Prine to come out and get the mail, I said. I do it every day. He's the most beautiful man I ever laid eyes on. She agreed. She was doing the same thing. So every day we came out before the mail came and smoked a cigarette and waited for Prine to get the mail. That's how we got to be best friends. Later, John's boys and my daughter would go to school together. I once told Fiona that story and she thought it was funny, but she agreed. He was the most beautiful man."

If you need me, I'll be on the porch, "waiting for Prine to come out and get the mail."