KK

KK is a Zarqa boy. Zarqa boys are tough guys. The most famous things that came out of Zarqa are a guy named Abu Musab (who made some mess in Iraq) and an old fortress that actually never came out of the city: it still stands there and receives a brave, lost tourist now and then. KK is, however, a notable exception. Standing almost two meters tall with long, black hair he’s an impressive fellow.
First time I met him was in 2003. I was in town for a day or two to renew my Israeli visa; the easiest way is to leave the country and Jordan is conveniently situated just an uncomfortable border-crossing and some humiliation away. To make a long story short, a friend of friend of friend introduced me and KK, and he showed me around the ropes in Books@café. So, when I first came into La Calle this time around, it was nice to see the same dreadlocks stuffed under a Jamaican type hat behind the bar. Oh, and by the way: According to vicious rumors, KK is known to emphatically shake a leg or two when listening to Like a Virgin by Madonna.
No, he is not gay.
Instead, he’s rather something of a womanizer. Being the only (not just an expression here) sporting dreadlocks in Amman, KK seems to have an exotic appeal to most women, foreign and local alike. For sure it helps that he’s a bartender at a cool bar in Amman: La Calle, situated on Rainbow Street. The place is packed like a box of sardines on Thursdays and the only breathing room is the third floor terrace. There, on the other hand, you risk being accidently thrown over the railing just from the sheer density of the place, especially on warm spring nights. It was here he told me his life story (luckily on a chilly Monday evening). To Be Continued.