The Umbrella

He has his own theme song. He doesn't know it, but he does. I would guess about a dozen people have heard it and maybe a few could actually sing it. This week, I sang it so frequently to pass the time that my friend in Sebeka can now sing it.

What are we singing? Well, the "African Bob Theme Song" of course.

Here's a little background....

In 1996, Kel and I discovered chatrooms on the internet. Our favorite was WBS.net. It was a community of chat rooms and even allowed you to create your own personal chatrooms.

We would type on the two computers in my office side by side. This could go on for hours too. I believe in the beginning we were somewhat addicted because of the things we did to get online. (Sorry, can't share those things. That is restricted info, but just understand we can get into the most interesting situations in minutes. Sometimes, we asked what won't happen to us next.) Anyways, I don't think people had a clue that we were actually sitting next to each other. We knew who was PMing each other and had our own personal commentary going as we typed. It was during this process that we met people like DrSugi, SmuckyKing, AnalSprayer, and even African Bob aka Rob716. It is amazing what proceeded after just chatting with Rob716.

Bob/Rob was actually from Africa. He was working on his doctorate in chemistry in New York. He was a nice guy basically, just a little different....well, maybe a whole lot different. I think we chatted online and talked on the phone for over a year before we actually met. I told him clearly that I was not looking for a boyfriend, just a friend....no benefits. School and kids were my priority and I wanted no complications. Well, one weekend he came to see friends in Cleveland and asked to stay at my place. That was fine and dandy with me as long as Kel stayed too since my kids were at grandma's. If he acted up, I knew we could take him out if we needed to. After that one night, I learned all I needed to know about him. That was:

African Bob is cheap....He took me to dinner and I had to pay my own way.
African Bob can't drive....Kel can vouch for that. I swear he was trying to kill us.
African Bob is not a big meat eater...."Wow! There's enough meat in this whopper for a whole week."
African Bob lacks some common sense....Trivia answer was petroleum jelly. We held up a jar of Vaseline as a clue. He didn't get it.
African Bob is persistent....Many years later, he still showed up at Kel's house.

He wasn't my cup of tea so I chucked him. It was during this time that Kel came up with the theme song that we have been singing ever since. Too bad for Kel that he knew where she lived because he ran crying to her for years. Sorry Kel.

The other inside joke was about the umbrella. When he left my house, he left his umbrella. For years, he asked Kel for the umbrella back. I can only guess that the black and white umbrella was special to him or for some unknown reason he just wanted to talk to me again. Anyways, I kept it because it was a big umbrella. Who doesn't like a big umbrella even with a few holes? I still have it in my closet. Maybe someday I will pass it on to someone else. Until then, it continues to be a reminder of my quote:

No matter how big your umbrella is, sometimes you still get wet.

I heard that African Bob is now Dr. Bob making major dollars in Philly now. I wish him well and I hope that bank buys him some serious driving lessons. Hopefully, he will find someone who loves the qualities he offers. It sure wasn't me.

Kel and I still sing his theme song from time to time. It brings us much laughter and memories or one of the stories that begin with "that one time in Cleveland". So, thanks African Bob....for the memories.....

Un-na-na-na-na-na!
Un-na-na-na-na-na!

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.