The 80s

I Guess We'll Make Love Under The Cherry Moon

October 1985

"Tell me how you got involved in Under The Cherry Moon?"

"Long story" I giggled and poured myself another cup of green tea. "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead!" She click her pen, ready to take notes. I leaned back into the patio chair, reminiscing.

"Ok...My 20th birthday was just a couple of months ago, August 16th. I celebrated it with a group of friends, who are also my dancers, at Club 20-20 in Century City." I started.

Someone at my party told me that Prince just arrived. I figured since it was my birthday, and I hadn't seen him in a while I was going to ask him to dance with me, as a present to me.

It was like the parting of the Red Sea. We were all having a great time but I think my friends were amazed when I walked over to Prince's table and I politely said to his bodyguards that I wanted to ask Prince for a dance.

I had to go through them first because there were several of them blocking the front of his table. I could see Prince thought the crack of his security guard fort and he was sitting down. Finally his bodyguards parted and let me enter.

His eyes were pretty wide when he first saw me and so were mine because he had just cut his hair short around this time and he had on this bright all pink suit with the heels to match. He damn near blinded me. Anyway I told Prince that it was my birthday. He said he knew that. I said to him, "Since you didn't get me anything for my birthday the least you could do is dance with me." He laughed and nodded his head yes. Then he grabbed my hand and damn near dislocated my shoulder pulling me to the floor. We tore up the dance floor to Erotic City never the less. The entire club was gawking at us.

To back up a bit, my friend David Bowie, astounded all of us with his Michael Jackson moves. Homeboy had them down. The last time I saw him was when we performed Modern Love at Live Aid in July.

I caught my friend Nekai, trying to take pictures of us as we danced. Prince's bodyguards stepped in front of her and stopped her dead in her tracks. I was so disappointed because she wasn't quick enough.

Prince walked me back to my table. He said that I had an open invitation to join him at his table and he kissed me on my temple. I quietly agreed to meet him there in a few minutes. After all it was my birthday! Friends and guests gathered around me. After they sang Happy Birthday, they started asking me a million questions about Prince. How I knew him and stuff.  I was like "Yeah, we're extremely good friends" They were all so surprised that I had just casually walked over to him and asked him if he would dance with me but it's not like he was a stranger anyways. Nekai kept saying how disappointed she was because they wouldn't let her take a picture of Prince.

My stylist Naomi was so mad at herself because she had not made it to my birthday party. She had a job doing a Versace Fashion Show, so she had to leave for the weekend. She was a huge Prince fan. After blowing out my candles and opening my gifts. I excused myself and went to Prince's table to join him. I met up with the crew again. We had our little reunion last time I saw them all together was on when I performed with them at a Purple Rain show in 84'. We talked, laughed, ordered drinks, the usual. When our drinks arrived, he offered me a taste of his drink.

I had a virgin pomegranate daiquiri and he had a virgin Pina' Colada. His usual. I said, "No thank you, but can I have your cherry?" Prince gave me this wide-eyed, shocked expression. He took it as a sexual innuendo, as usual. I said it wasn't my intention and we started cracking up. Prince has always liked innuendos and double meanings, he's really big on word play.

As this exciting evening progressed, Prince asked me to join him in his limo. He wanted to take me for a ride like we used to do. So he took my hand and we left the club together. When I walked up to the long, white stretch limo, I stopped in my tracks. I wanted to make a mental note of this magical moment. The glow on the moonlight bounced off the limo's frame.