Constant took me to the airport today. When they told me someone named Constant was going to be taking me to the airport, I imagined a Souther Belle. You could imagine my surprise when a tall African man walked in the room and introduced himself. “Matt, nice to meet you. My name is Constant.”

Constant is from Benine, a country close to Nigeria in western Africa. He was quite an amazing guy. He left Africa in 1984 and moved to Kiev in Ukraine to study global economics. He explained that in America, all races are familiar with one another. But in Ukraine, they don’t see black people very often. There were many students from around the world going to school with him in Kiev. Africa, Cuba, Latin America, and Arabic countries.

He explained that he and other Africans were were legendary, mythic people in Kiev. Some parents would send their children up to him and the child would rub his skin, then look at their finger to see if any color had rubbed off. What he told me next really shocked me, “They think that we are descendants of monkeys. The rumor is that when we come into the Ukraine, they cut off our tails at the airport and they keep them there until we go back to Africa.”

After he graduated from school in Kiev, he moved to Washington DC. He ended up in North Carolina after his wife was offered a job at the Duke Medical Center. They are both in IT now. He can speak French, English, Russian, and a few native African languages.

I told him my stories about being a white man in Harlem, New York. He started bubbling with laughter, rocking back and forth in his car seat. He explained how his son absolutely changed after his first Life Teen retreat in September. He’s a senior in high school.

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While I was waiting in line to get my ticket at the airport, I noticed a huge black guy standing on the other side of the room. His frame was so wide and strong, almost like he was a truck. In line in security, I asked him if he played ball.

He explained that he played for UNC, then went on to play for Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFL. It was fun talking to him. He played with Joe Hamilton when they both played for the Bucs. Joe played for Georgia Tech and was up for the Heisman Trophy at the same time I was on The Real World. I told Marcus about the Real World and all that. It was fun talking to someone who went through similar experiences of popularity and influence.

Even though this NFL dude was totally cool, I was trying not to look cool. I’m reading in a Tom Wolf book about a white college basketball player trying to feel accepted by the black athletes. So I just talked about what I was really thinking about. I talked about a tree I planted in my yard, and he smiled wide. I wasn’t the only one who cared about my trees.

It’s odd to see a 280 pound black man call himself a tree hugger. I asked him if he plays Madden, and then he explained he was a nerd, and her preferred quest games. He went on to describe that he went to school two hours early in elementary school. “I was such a nerd.”

He and I parted at the gate, and I spotted a young guy with a shaved head strumming his guitar, looking out the the window at the airplanes. I walked up and pulled out my harmonica and we jammed for a little song. I know nothing about playing the harmonica, but the people walking by were rather impressed by our improv.;

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Now I am on a plane back to Arizona. I am so tired…I’ve traveled to so many cities this year. I can’t believe I made it this far. This is a going to be a long flight. It’s a good thing that I have a 600-page book to keep my company.