My sister, Carrie, was coming to visit in September of 1982, and I was very eager to see her. We’re close, you see: she’s the best sister that could possibly be! Because of cheap transatlantic flights like the Laker planes to Gatwick airport people like me and my sister, practical “have-nots,” could actually have the ability to be what was later called “the poverty jet set.”
Anyway. Carrie had bright hazel eyes, pretty long light brown hair, a bouncy, tan body that had a healthy weight (she was around a size 8), and a wicked fun sense of humor. It was great that she could get away and come and visit me in the U.K.
I knew that she and my upstairs neighbors, Jackie and Tony and their friend, Jaxon, would probably have a great time. And yes, we all did when Carrie came to stay for a few weeks. The flat I lived in, a basement bedsitter, had a bathroom (with a bath) down the hallway, which I shared with another two tenants. Luckily, I love baths so I didn’t miss showering, really. And I am not a clean freak or germphobic so sharing bathrooms isn’t an issue.
But upstairs from me lived three other young women: Jackie, Tony, and Jaxon. Actually, Jaxon lived elsewhere but she came around so much you’d think she lived there, at Jackie’s. A little older than us and a mom as well, Jaxon acted kind of like our “mother hen.” Jackie was a very pretty girl who was also rather large, probably 225 pounds or so. She was dark haired, dark eyed, soft and round. Jackie knew that she was especially attractive to men from the Middle East, so she got in with a group that introduced her to really nice young gentleman from Egypt and such. They’d take her on dates to really nice places, and all she did was get pretty, laugh, smile, and be with them. Was Jackie “on the game?” as Alfie Maron asked me? No, I think not. . . I’m not 100% sure, but it seemed to me she, like all us single gals who were around, was looking for love.
Jackie was smart to know that the Middle East gents were turned on by women of generous proportions. . . it’s kind of like back when that look was popular over a hundred years ago, here in America. Long time ago, fat women were prized because they signified prosperity: if you had a beautiful big woman, it meant you had enough money to feed them and keep them idle. It made you look rich.
At the time, she was dating a wealthy young Egyptian man named Mustafah. Jackie was generous, kind, pretty, and enjoyed sitting around drinking endless cups of tea, snacking, and smoking various things. Her best friend, Tony, a tall, quiet, strange, horsey looking girl, lived upstairs and hung around a lot, too. I didn’t have a clue what these people did for a living, but knew I had somewhere to go if I felt lonely. Truth was, I got restless and wanted to write and make music, do other stuff after a while. I wondered why it didn’t bore them, just hanging out every day. Nice people, though. Oh well. . . I do hope they’re content with their current lot in life and are healthy & happy. Salud!
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