May 30, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

Three of us were walking down Avenue A just before nine on a Saturday night because Jeremy and I had both realized our caffeine addictions had kicked in and we really had to stop at alt.coffee - Avenue A was out of the way, since we'd come from the First Avenue L stop and were going to Luna Lounge, but coffee was necessary.

In front of Brownies there was a band loading in. Average guys with their guitars, one brown-jacketed fellow with a guitar case in each hand.

There was also a little boy running almost-wild, escaping from his parental units to dash here and there about the sidewalk. He was knee-high and giddy, and when he saw the guy with the guitars, he ran over to him and waved his little boy hands all over the guitar cases. Only for a moment, but with a look of pure bliss on his face.

I giggled for half a block before turning to Jeremy and Chris. "Did you see that?" I asked. But they hadn't. I told them what the boy had done, and I giggled more. "He had 'future rock star' stamped all over his forehead."