A couple of weeks later, I walking with my friends Cynthia and Kim, enjoying the cool breeze of the summer evening. As we approached my house, something seemed out of place. My brow furrowed in confusion as I spotted Prince's car parked along the curb.
Fixing my face, I turned to my friends. "Bye, girl," I said to Cynthia and Kim, turning on my heel and walking up the concrete steps to the door.
"Call me later," Cynthia said, and I nodded.
To my surprise, there was Prince, seated on the couch, accompanied by my dad. "Hey," Prince greeted me softly, standing up as I entered the room. "I hope it's okay that I stopped by."
Though taken aback by his presence, I composed myself, trying not to show the confusion on my face. "No, it's fine," I replied politely. "What are you doing here?"
Prince glanced at my dad and then back at me. "I had your address, but not your number," he chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile along with him, shaking my head in amusement.
My dad, perhaps unwittingly, made things a bit awkward by excusing himself. "Well," he cleared his throat, looking between us, "I'll leave you two to it," he said, patting Prince on the shoulder before heading out of the room.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, I looked at Prince expectantly. "So..." I trailed off.
He nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to come listen to some records with me and my friends tonight," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "You can bring some of yours too. It'll be fun."
I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. On one hand, I was excited by the prospect of spending more time with Prince and his friends, but I was sensitive about my music-- what if they didn't like my records?
I hesitated for a moment, torn between the excitement of spending more time with Prince and the fear of judgment regarding my musical tastes. Eventually, I mustered the courage to accept his invitation. "Sure, that sounds like fun," I nodded.
"Cool," he grinned. "We're gonna get some grub at Mickey D's first," he says, his eyes flickering up to me. "My treat, as a thank-you for the records," he added with a smile.
After a moment to think about it, I nodded. "Yeah. Gimme a second," I said, breezing past him.
Hurrying to down the hall and up the split level to my room, I picked out the records I wanted to bring with me– of course Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin that I just bought, but also Adventures in Paradise by Minnie Riperton and So in Love, a single by Curtis Mayfield.
I threw on a jacket and came back to the living room, clutching the records. "Okay, I'm ready."
Prince grinned, standing up and taking the records from me. "Let's go," he said, leading the way out of the house.
As we walked towards his car, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation building within me. It was like every time I was with Prince, I was on the verge of something amazing happening. He was already making a name for himself around Minneapolis, and being in his proximity felt like a big deal.
We got into his car, and he turned up the radio, blasting a song by Sly and the Family Stone. I grinned, feeling the rhythm of the music coursing through me once again.
Driving through the familiar streets of Minneapolis with Prince by my side, I felt like I was rediscovering the city through his perspective, experiencing it in a whole new and thrilling way.
When we arrived at McDonald's, Prince bought us each a burger and fries before we hopped back in the car and headed to his friend's house.
