Day XCVI

Jive Mofo...not!

     Back home he wouldn’t give me the time of day, but over there…well, he acted as if he was my long lost brother. In one of the clubs we met a guy named Chino Santos who knew Tito Puente. Either they went to school or served in the Navy together, I really don’t remember. The guys were from an air base in Virginia, and they came to Clark to serve a TDY, short for temporary duty, of about three or four months, then they went back. They had done the trip at least twice when I met them. At the club Chino asked them to say hello to Puente the next time they were in the city. Back home they went straight to the Palladium told Tito, and he sent Chino a few things.

     When the war was over, (WWII), Chino Stayed in the PI, married, had a couple of beautiful daughters, and formed his band. I remember him being called the father of salsa over there.

     Anyway, as I was telling the guys in the day room about Chino, and my trips to Manila, Kunt says,

     “Ya jive mofo!”

     “Well man, it’s the truth, why should I lie!”

     “When you off again?” he asked.

     “I’m off right now ya toikey, I’m off fo New Years!”

     “Me too!”  he said.

     “So what ya dooning, man!”

     “Nathan!”

     “So why don’t we go to Manila, an see ya pal Chino!”

I guess he thought I was jiving, so  I said:

    “Cool, man, lets doodit!”

    He couldn’t back down, so he says,

    “When do we leave?”

    “Pack ya Awol, man, we go tada aihmans club, gits us a 40 pounda a I.W. Harper, an we don gone, yo!”