Pieler (Cape Town, South Africa)

I met Albert and Andrea at Buena Vista at the Tygervalley Waterfront in Bellville. Sophia and I had already had a mojito and a cocktail each when they showed up and sat down. So we were all smiles and Sophia’s cheeks were already red.

Albert and Andrea were celebrating their one month anniversary of their wedding. And I was in awe of the commitment. The last time I had hung out with Andrea was the week that Jasmin and I’s engagement was cancelled – but we traveled to Gordon’s Bay and Gordon’s Beach Lodge together to have her world famous cosmopolitans. We drank our sorrows away. Andrea also at the time had just broken up with a longtime boyfried who was also in attendance. So it was a strange situation – drinks with the ex’s – to drown our sorrows.

Now she was married. And she told us that Albert had proposed two weeks after meeting her.

Andrea was the reason for my “Jackson Gordon” column from another angle. The last name of “Gordon” came from her father who had opened up a Bed and Breakfast Hotel in Gordon’s Bay. Gordon’s Bay is one of my four epicenters of creativity:

1) Exeter, England
2) Gordon’s Bay, South Africa
3) Hollywood Road, Hong Kong

“Let me tell you how honored I am that you used my father’s name for your column,” Andrea was quick to say.

“Well, that column got me fired and I think eventually shut down the magazine.” And I laughed and we toasted on that.

“Well if you are going to do something might as well do it right.” And she smiled.

But tonight was the night I was meeting her new husband who was the producer and lead writer for one of the biggest soapies on South African television. He was also a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and had just won a South African award which was equal to the Oscars in the United States for lighting.

He and I both agreed it is more important to be a big name in the credits than to be a big name in front of the camera.

“But unfortunately, my boss was in court today because of me.” He admitted.

“What happened?”

“I wrote an episode where one of the main characters could not afford hospital care but needed a necessary surgery in a Private Hospital. The Private Hospital would not admit him. So we killed him off. It caused an uproar.”

“But you wrote the truth,” I said.

“But sometimes people don’t want the truth. And somebody has opened a charge against us in court saying we are misconstruing the facts.”

“Oh god.” I took another drink. “Are you worried?”

“Fuck no. I wrote an episode today about somebody intentionally infecting people with AIDS in that Private Hospital. I can’t wait until that hits the airwaves.”

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