The King and I: The day MJ called me

To say that I met Michael Jackson would be an understatement because mine was no ordinary meeting. I had a showdown with the King of Pop. I said a few nasty things. And he held nothing back.

My bizarre story dates back to the year 2005, November 12 to be precise.

Still new to Dubai, I was shopping at the Ibn Battuta mall with my wife and daughters that evening when a surreal spectacle caught our attention.

Just outside Magrudy’s book store at the mall’s Egyptian court, we saw a young woman chasing an abaya-clad figure, hurling expletives as she ran.

The fleeting figure couldn’t go far, losing balance and tripping over, as I arrived on the scene.

It was 7.15pm.

“Catch him, catch him, there’s a man inside that abaya,” the woman shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at the cornered figure.

“A man? Are you sure?” I asked.

“Absolutely. And he was in the women’s toilet... he was applying make-up and he tried to sneak away when I saw him. And when I made an attempt to stop him, he attacked me… don’t let him go, please…. I will call the police..”

The young woman, later identified as a Tunisian teacher, was hysterical.

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