‘Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart and nourish your soul.’ – Unknown
I recently attended a dinner Party hosted by Papa D and Mama P. Papa D is a man with a very big heart and he is also one of the two greatest chefs in the world, (the other being my mom of course). And Mama P, a petite woman with cool red hair, who is one of the two strongest women I know ( the other being – you know who). And no, Mom did not pay me to write this or threaten my life (which is more likely, to be honest lol). Anyways, the cab drops us (me and Mayana) in front of their beautiful home in a quiet close. From the doorstep, I could hear muted sounds of laughter and music but as soon as the door cracks open, the sound is instantly amplified and in no time, we are completely engulfed. I fall into Mama P’s warm embrace which lasted only a few seconds as she grabs my hand and pulls me in the direction of the living room saying, ‘come, let me introduce you to the others’. Mayana is familiar with their home and shoots off in the other direction to greet Papa D and introduce herself to the guests in the kitchen.
The dinner party couldn’t be any more amazing. It was a wave of vibrant personalities, all crashing together into light hearted banter, singing and dancing. We sometimes dived into conversations with deep meaning but that good vibe atmosphere was never lost. There was so much positive energy and some seriousssss soul food. Oh-my-gosh, the curry goat, the chickpeas, the salad, the fried chicken, the cabbage….Papa D’s menu was mouth watering. I arrived late so whilst I was having my first serving, others were on their seconds and thirds. One of the female guests had locs too which I was really glad to see as I’m usually the only one with locs most places I find myself these days. Oh plus, I do live in Dartford right now, and the chances of me walking past another female, or male for that matter with locs is as high as an alien invasion happening in the next five years. Okay maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I do know one other female who lives in Dartford with locs but sightings of people like ‘us’ are very rare round my ends. So it was always a pleasure to meet someone else with locs.
The female guest was really nice and her bubbly character made you fall in love with her almost instantaneously. Her locs were black in colour, slender in comparison to mine but about the same length. They fell effortlessly onto her shoulders then blended into her black ribbed dress which she wore over a pair of black jeans.
‘Hey, I’m wearing a black ribbed dress too!’ I whispered to my hair, smiling and raising my eye-brow.
‘Great. what are the odds?’ hair responded sarcastically. ‘Two black girls with locs wearing similar outfits. I’m guessing you think you’ve found your twin now right?’ I could feel the eyes rolling.
‘Maybe.’ I said playfully.
As we all sat round the table in the roomy kitchen, Papa D announced it was time for dessert. He provided two options to his guests. The classic madeira cake with custard or a slice of the millionaire’s brownie from Harrods which cost sixty quid. Well, need I say more? You can imagine which option we all went for. He called for the brownie to be taken out of the fridge and brought to him. The brownie was packaged in a plain white cardboard box. It had some writing scribbled on the top with a black marker pen. There was no indication its content was something as valuable or as delicately scrumptious as a millionaire’s brownie.
As we all waited to be served, the chattering continued. The female guest, I’ll call her Serena for the purpose of this blog, sat directly opposite me. I studied her locs in detail as she chatted and laughed away. Her locs were so neat and clean, I could not see a single lint in them. I wondered how she managed to keep them lint free. Mine was ridden with lint. I’m still trying to figure out how to get rid of those buggers. My locs are securely wrapped at night, I avoid contact with my precious chunky scarf when I go out. I swear I do EVERYTHING by the books but these lint just keep out smarting me. They just find a way in. Honestly, I don’t know how but I’m just done with them. They can reside in my hair, build colonies there if they so wish…er actually nah. That’s a very disturbing thought. I can’t let that happen! I’ve invested too much in my locs for these motherf-…
‘By the way, I love your locs.’
My train of thought derailed, I looked up and it was Serena. I smiled and responded. ‘I love yours too.’
After that random exchange of acknowledgements that only happens between two people who appreciate each other’s obviously amazing locs, we re-joined the group chatter. The brownie was D-licious! It was very rich and had a super silky texture. It tasted absolutely delightful and worth every penny. Praise for Papa D and the stunning Harrods brownie flew round the room like fireflies. As the night came to an end, it was time for goodbyes and swapping Instagram handles. I walked over to Serena.
‘So how long have you had your locs?’ I asked.
‘Oh… since 2017.’ She said.
‘No way! Me too!’ I blurted out excitedly.
We exchanged smiles, insta handles and told each other we’d keep in touch before she made her way out.
‘Loc Twin?’ I asked my hair.
‘Yeah, whatever. she got nothing on me.’
‘Ah-ahn, are you jealous?’
‘Please me? KMT. You wish!’
I had never met anyone else who started their loc journey the same time as me. I wondered what it would have been like if we found each other sooner? Would my loc journey have been more exciting? Would we have been like Tia and Tamera in Sister Sister? Inseparable? I dunno. It just felt really amazing to connect with someone else who started their locs the same time as I did. Mayana was fast asleep, snug and cosy amongst the cushions and throws on the sofa in the living room. I wished I didn’t have to disturb her sleep but it was time to leave. I lifted her, said my goodbyes to the rest of the house, then Mama P and Papa D. This was a night I would never forget. Some good memories and new friendships were made. New experiences too. Indulging in a luxury dessert like a true millionaire – Now that’s something I certainly won’t forget. LOL! 😊😋
PLEASE NOTE: The following event took place in a property that had the capacity to host a small number of guests. All guests were COVID negative and followed government guidelines for social distancing.
Image Credit: Askar Abayev