Hey Mr. DJ......

It was Freshman Year. Ogden Hall. The Alphas were having their Ms. A-Phi pageant for Homecoming. Since some of my big brothers* were Alphas I had to show my face in the place. Roomie and I sat on the lower level of Ogden - she interested in the pageant, me interested in the pageantry of it all. Was this gonna be like School Daze, complete with a Supreme-esque performance?




Eh, not so much. But there was a DJ. In between performances and any other break, he was jammin', playing all the songs I longed to hear from home. It was like a Kid Capri mixtape, all the way down in Virginia. I hadn't heard current "home" music in almost 6 weeks (Virginia was like 2 months behind in music at the time and I had just sent a letter to my best friend asking her to please make a tape from the radio and send it to me...hahahahaha). Hearing this DJ spin made me miss home just a lil bit. And like a fiend I wanted more. So during one of the countless intermissions, I walked down the aisle and up to the DJ booth - which was really just a table set up in front of the stage.

"So you selling mix tapes in the back?" I asked with a hand on hip. Real talk, I wasn't this "sassy" in NY (and least not at the time...hahaha). However, there was this expectation of who I was supposed to be because everyone knew I was from New York City. So sometimes, when addressing strangers I became this "New York Chick".

"Uh, in the back of what?" he chuckled.

"Oh, umm in the back of Ogden or something like that?" Okay so the chuckle made me lose a bit of that bravado.

"No, not today. "

"Well, you need to make me a tape because you are playing allll the songs I miss from home."

"Hold that thought."

He returned to spinning and I stood there to the side like a dumb ass. If I walked away, I wasn't going to walk all the way back down to the front to resume the conversation, thus never getting my damn tape. And so I waited. But promised myself, I wasn't going to stand up there more than 5 minutes or else I'll look like a groupie.

"Where are you from?"

"New York. Harlem." with hand back on hip like "Duh, you can't tell?"

Okay, here's the deal. I'll make you a tape if you make me a birthday cake."

"Ummm, I stay in Winona [freshwomen honor's dorm and yes I had to throw in the honor's part....hahahaha]. How about I buy you an apple pie from Burger King and stick a candle in it??"

"Ha! Give me your number, I'll call you this week to drop off the tape."

He dropped of the tape that Friday. It was his birthday and we went to see Jason's Lyric, and had dinner at Applebee's. Okay, I fell for the okie doke. Don't judge me, I was 18. hahahahahaa
But this is how I started dating a DJ. I was 18, a freshman. He was in his 20s, a Hampton grad.

It was cool dating a DJ. I would get into parties for free. I wouldn't have to ride the cheese bus to the parties or I at least didn't have to ride the cheese bus back to campus. ;) I had mix tapes galore, and Roomie basically had a single on weekends. It was cool dating someone older. He had a car (something that NAYVER was a factor in New York. A dude with 4 tokens in his pocket - 2 for you, 2 for him- was alright with me..hahahaa). He also had a been there done that perspective on my inexperienced life that I was fascinated by. I just couldn't get enough.

I remember when I finally had to tell my mother about DJ. It was around Christmas time and he kept asking me what did I want for Christmas. Wow, really?? Well crap, that meant I needed to buy him a gift, and it needed to go on my credit card since I was a college student (aka "broke as a joke"). So I called my mom one day at work (it was toll-free to call her at work and she wouldn't flip out about her daughter dating a grown ass man at work in front of her secretary). I told her I needed to buy a Christmas gift for a "boy" (lie) and that I needed to use the credit card so she could just deduct whatever I spent on him from whatever she was going to spend on me (lie). She was cool about it. Wow, really?? To say I was shocked was an understatement. Okay, so I did fib a lil and shaved about 3 years off his age enough to make him a recent graduate. For the life of me I can't remember what I gave him for Christmas. But I remember I got a pair of Timberlands (because I refused to purchase or wear snow boots), a few pairs of jeans from the Gap, and a teddy from Victoria's Secret. (damn, I'm blushing now as I typed that...just like I did when I opened the box all those years ago).

Ah, but everyone loves the DJ. He is in fact the life of the party. The same charm and humor I fell for, and the opportunity to not eat the goobety goo served in the Cafeteria was intriguing to many other fellow female Pirates. After a chick tried to run me over as I crossed the main street on campus, I was done. (never confirmed but damn if I didn't see her smirk as I ran out of her way). Honestly, it was never meant to last. I was 19, and had no clue what I wanted in life or in love. Shit, I'm just figuring that out now. He and I remained friendly for years to come. Thanks to social networking, we reconnected a few years ago - caught up on each other's lives. Those hand delivered mixtapes turned into mix cds shipped to my mailbox. I haven't spoken to him in a while but every time I hear Mary Jane by Rick James I think of him. It was the nickname he gave me. Don't judge me. I was 18. hahahahahahaa



*big brothers/sisters - not actually siblings related to you. a Hampton tradition where upperclassmen adopt freshman, take you under their wing and take you to the mall and Wal-mart when you needed to go. I had one big sister (wish I could find her now) and a ton of big brothers....hahahahaa