Last week the world virtually came to a standstill as the news of the sadden death of Whitney Houston trickled through all the corners of the earth. I need not add to the many voices that have said she was the sweetest melodious voice that ever graced the music industry at least during the last quarter century. But I must say she was such a great singer who even touched “dictators” like Saddam Hussein (I will always love you was his re-election theme song in 2002) as well as nationalists like Nelson Mandela. I did not know Whitney personally but I was so fortunate to attend her concerts live and not only did I enjoy her music and voice but succeeded in another area, with a blonde American belle. That was in the early 1980s but due to my frailty in age (don’t say senile mind) I can’t remember where the concert was held. I do remember though that I had gone to America to fulfil my late dad’s wish to take a message to his old Vietnam comrade. My dad met Lieutenant Smith Owen during his time in service in Vietnam and my dad promised to give him a cow horn before any of them could be put out of action by enemy fire but by the time Saigon fell the American had not gotten the horn but dad promised to take it to him in the US if God granted him good health. Unfortunately, he met his creator before delivering it and he asked me to do it on his behalf.By coincidence, Smith lived in the same state as Whitney (New Jersey). Although I don’t remember if that’s where she performed or not but talk was making rounds on streets about her show. The concert started with little hope of ‘luck’ if you get the drift but largely due to my fear of the new environment and it was the first time I had seen a huge crowd of George Bush’s cousins.But trust American girls. They are not the “come-get-me” African girls, no way they will go out of their way to make the first move and dare you be shy! Girls will literally take your breathe away.Past midnight, at the peak of the performance in the company of Smith Junior, who was equally drunk like the girls next to us, he pokes them with “hey you drunk (expletive)? ” Gosh Americans have got a language that is not sweet to African ears.“What the (blip) do you want from us?” tipsy, the girls shot back in the same currency and with my innocence I thought they were insulting each other but to my total surprise, it was a normal chat and we ended up hooking with the girls. This is the moment I went almost “nuts” because I never paid attention to Whitney’s beautiful voice again as Julie Madock my new American catch took control thereafter.“Hey, you are not American; you don’t even come from the Caribbean, where do you come from?” Julie asked me after realizing my accent was so foreign. “I come from Africa, east Africa to be precise. Ever been there?” I said to her total amazement. She had never been to Africa and she was curious to come with me on my return but it never happened.She was so excited about this African man and I found out she had some superstition about African men which played in my favour.Need I tell you what happened thereafter? Hint: it was blissful time until…
