While on holiday in Jamaica, I took a trip to Kingston for an overnight stay. When I was there, I went around Bob Marley's house and met his wife, Rita Marley and many of their children.
Rita Marley.
The house is now a museum for Bob Marley, but his family still lives there. After we had been shown around upstairs, we walked down a set of stairs to the front door. Opposite the door to a recording studio on the right was an open door, and we could see the Marley family in a large living room.
Next to Rita Marley on the settee was the barman from the hotel I was staying at back in Ocho Rios. He had told me he was visiting as he was friends with the family. When he saw me, he waved, and I waved back. Next to him was Rita Marley and she turned to him and asked who I was, he told her that I was on holiday and staying at the hotel he worked in. Rita turned to her daughter, who had a record in the UK top 40 charts and told her to bring me in to meet her. As she led me through the door and shut it behind me, the rest of the tour was left waiting and wondering what was happening.
Rita Marley then asked one of her sons to make me a cup of tea and asked me to sit down on the settee with her. Her son soon made me a cup of tea, and I sat with Rita and her daughter, chatting about my holiday, where I had been, where I was going and what I liked about Jamaica. She was charming, and we chatted for around 25 minutes. Worried that the coach might leave without me, I mentioned it to the barman from my hotel, and he told me not to worry as the coach driver was a friend and was waiting for him. After drinking my tea and finishing my chat with Rita Marley and all of her family, I got back on the coach with the barman from the hotel, and we were then asked by everyone else how we managed to get in to see Rita Marley. The barman explained who he was and that he had gone to school with Bob Marley's children and often visited Kingston to see them.
It was great to see Bob Marley's house, and it was made even better by Rita Marley inviting me to have a drink and meet her family. It was another unforgettable story.