This song takes me back to 1994. Back when pay phones were still on every block in NY, I was attending Fordham Prep High School. We had some of the baddest school parties in the area, and on this particular night, we were honored by having DJ and S on the wheels of steel.
I wore these new John Starks edition Adidas, Karl Kani jeans and a Boston Bruins jersey, feeling incredibly confident and ready to chat up the ladies. I meant this exquisite young lady named Ashanti....the prettiest young lady I'd ever seen.
We didn't leave each other's sight after the first dance. I locked her number down, and just when we'd gotten up close and personal, I heard the DJ make an announcement.
"James Brown. Your mother's waiting for you at the front. Don't make me call you out again."
Well, luckily my name's not James Brown, but let me give you a little background. I was a part of the Early Admissions Program for Fordham Prep, which meant a lot of us freshman took classes the summer prior to prep for the fall (since we were a year or so younger than the average freshman because of skipping a grade).
That jump meant there'd be growing pains for most of us athletically academically and socially. I'm still thankful I went through it, though.
Anyway, the DJ called another name, "Michael Thomas, come to the front. Your father's here."
I looked at the time. It was five minutes till the time my father was supposed to show up, and he was the picture of punctuality, so I got ready to scatter. I locked eyes with Ashanti, in a sweet dizzy from her perfume, and said, "I wish I didn't have to leave you, but I'll call you tomorrow." I got a kiss, split our embrace and cut to the darkness in the back to grab my jacket. I took a side exit and hooked back to the front to hear the DJ say, "Blaine Martin, your ride's at the front."
I was a little disappointed. All that trouble, and he didn't bother to specify that one of my parent's was showing up to embarrass me?
Well, I saw Ashanti a few times afterward, but we fell out of touch a month or so later. Still, I had a great time.