WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:17.160 I was a truck driver in April of two thousand and five driving a dedicated 2 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:23.359 run from Mira Loma, California, to Northern California, delivering frozen food to 3 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:30.199 Walmart stores. I was traveling east on Interstate eighty up and over Donner's Summit 4 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:35.479 and into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Close to the Nevada border. There's two 5 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:40.280 lanes going east and two lanes going west, with a four foot concrete center 6 00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:46.119 divider in the middle that separates the two lanes. I was traveling east in 7 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:50.799 the far right lane when I noticed, about one hundred yards ahead and approaching 8 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:56.159 fast, something brown in the middle of the road. As I got closer, 9 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:00.280 I saw that it was hairy and standing on top of the center divider. 10 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:06.040 When I was only twenty five yards away, it stepped off the center 11 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:10.400 divider and in two strides was standing on the shoulder of the road. When 12 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:14.359 I passed it, I thought it was a dude in a monkey suit at 13 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:19.799 first, but there's no good argument in my head that it wasn't. First, 14 00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:22.680 it was too tall and way too big to be a guy in a 15 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:26.680 monkey suit. The way it moved and looked was pure power. It was 16 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:33.040 definitely proportionate to its size and weight. Have you ever watched a video of 17 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:37.599 a silver back guerrilla run across its enclosure? Well, I wouldn't want to 18 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:41.319 be standing in front of that big bastard. It would be like standing in 19 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:45.599 front of my truck. Neither way, You'll be in a world of hurt. 20 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:49.760 That's how powerful this thing looked. When I passed it, I got 21 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.959 a better look at it. I only saw the right side profile and outer 22 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:59.879 shoulders and back of the shoulders. Its skin was black, and the hair 23 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:04.159 was long off the shoulders and a little thin in the back, and it 24 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:07.599 had reddish brown hair. It was so tall that I could see it for 25 00:02:07.639 --> 00:02:13.360 a brief second from my driver's seat looking out across the passenger side window. 26 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:19.400 I didn't see its face or even notice its head. I used to tell 27 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:23.560 anyone who would listen that I had seen a bigfoot, but the reaction from 28 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:28.240 people deterred me from that after a while. It would be like cutting a 29 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:32.439 big fart during a job interview. People think you're crazy, so I don't 30 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:38.159 tell anyone anymore. Y'all ever seen the movie Step Brothers. It's kind of 31 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:42.319 a corny, cheesy movie, but they do that in the movie and it 32 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.240 is so so funny. Anyway, back to the story, I'm not even 33 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.639 sure if what I saw was a real bigfoot. Hell, it really could 34 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:53.560 have been a dude in a monkey suit. I was once asked, do 35 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:58.120 you wish you could have seen it up close? And my answer was hell, 36 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:02.039 no, I was safe in the care of my freightliner. My driver 37 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:07.560 mentor told me that you're going to see some weird, scary things on the 38 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:12.719 road, and he was right. Thanks for your channeling the hours of entertainment 39 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.680 when I binge listened to Dixie Cryptid oh Man, thanks for binge listening. 40 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:23.080 Truck drivers, I've said it before, that's who's in my mind when I'm 41 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:29.759 recording these I can see them driving down these highways and roads and delivering their 42 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.800 freight at night and there's just nothing to do, and all the lights are 43 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:38.199 shining in their face from the dash, and all they're left with is their 44 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:42.159 thoughts. And it's really good to listen to some things that will entertain you 45 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:46.039 and make the time go by. By the way, on the spriaker app, 46 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.520 I have found several good podcasts. I'm gonna give you a couple of 47 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.439 names of them, y'all can write them down or bookmark. I don't know, 48 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.520 just try to remember what I'm saying. But I like true crime podcasts. 49 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:00.759 And there's a podcast my wife and I've been listening to that's really good. 50 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:06.319 It's called now, can't you remember the name of it? Campfire true 51 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:10.680 Crime. I think it is. If you go to the spreaker app, 52 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:15.560 if you download the Spreaker s p r e a k k e R s 53 00:04:15.720 --> 00:04:24.079 p r e a k e R Spreaker app from the Place store or your 54 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:30.399 Apple store and look up Campfire true Crime or true crime Campfire. It's one 55 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:32.720 of it's one of the others. It's one of the other, but uh, 56 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:38.720 it's really good. It's two women who narrate crime episodes and they're funny 57 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:43.199 and they give this funny commentary and they find the weirdest things. There's another 58 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:48.439 one called Morbidology. The woman who it's a true crime podcast and the woman 59 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:54.680 who does it is she's got a strange accent, like she has an Irish 60 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.800 accent, but she's tried to correct it. Maybe she hasn't, and I'm 61 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:03.160 just never heard this accent before, but it's really pretty. She has a 62 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:10.000 beautiful voice, and her recordings are flawless. They're not like mine where I 63 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:14.839 go off on these tangents like this and from a Bigfoot story talking about true 64 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:19.240 crime podcasts squirrel, But it's anyway. I want to let y'all know that 65 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:23.839 it just popped in my mind. Go to Spreaker, check out some of 66 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:28.399 their true crime podcasts, and I think you'll be happy. It's great listening, 67 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:31.439 especially for the truck drivers. You guys would love this stuff. It's 68 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:39.600 some of the most odd true crime stuff I've ever heard. And there's I'll 69 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:42.399 tell you. I have some other ones I listen to, and I'll tell 70 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:46.160 you some more as time goes on. But this writer of this email, 71 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:47.680 his name is Tony. He said, you can use my name. I 72 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:51.639 don't give a damn what people think now and then this is the very first 73 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:56.040 sentence he says, So here's my story. So Tony, thanks for sending 74 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:59.920 this email. That's a cool story. I love these drive by It's kind 75 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:05.120 of like a drive by a bigfoot story. Appreciate you, buddy. All 76 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:09.600 right, here's a Bigfoot story you guys are gonna love. It's not very 77 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.759 long, but it's really good. The writer says, I'm a retired Navy 78 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:18.480 chief and I have visited over one hundred countries, and I've circumnavigated the world 79 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:24.279 three times, twice by sea and once by air. Oh man, that's 80 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:28.800 awesome. In nineteen eighty three, I had just moved back to the outer 81 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:33.480 Banks of North Carolina. I was stationed at Little Creek, Virginia. In 82 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:38.160 July, my brother in law asked my family if we wanted to go on 83 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:43.639 a fishing vacation in Canada for a week. I took ten days leave and 84 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:47.279 my wife and two children, Ben and Cindy, all piled into my nineteen 85 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:53.920 seventy three Vega GT pulling my fourteen foot aluminum boat and motor, and we 86 00:06:54.040 --> 00:07:01.519 drove to I can't pronounce this name, Senatorayate terre Quebec, Canada. Correct 87 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:05.839 me in the comments. I know you will. The last three hundred miles 88 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:10.319 of the trip was on a gravel road and the car I was driving didn't 89 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:15.800 have air conditioning. It made for a long, hard drive. When we 90 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.439 got there, we rented two cabins for four adults and five children and we 91 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:25.360 settled in and began our fishing holiday. Fishing the lakes was great, and 92 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:30.199 we were having a great time. On the third day, my brother in 93 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.360 law asked if I'd like to go sturgeon fishing on the river that fed the 94 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:39.000 lake. Any type of fishing is just my game, so I said, 95 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:43.639 heck, yeah, let's go for this excursion. We rented a twenty five 96 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:47.600 foot boat with a wide beam because the water was so swift. We took 97 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:51.680 my nephews Stevie and Mike, and we left my son behind because he was 98 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:58.279 too young. We got on the river about twenty one hundred hours and man 99 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:01.399 was that water moving. It was so fast that we had to use two 100 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:05.600 anchors to hold the boat. I was in the stern and my brother in 101 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:09.439 law Tom was in the bow, and all night long we could hear fish 102 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:15.839 breaking water all around us. The fish were strong and the challenge was great. 103 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:20.600 I had just broken a deep sea rod with a thirty pound test line 104 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.600 on it. I changed tackle and immediately hooked him to a monster. And 105 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:30.560 after a battle, I landed an eighteen pound sturgeon. And if you've ever 106 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:35.879 caught a large sturgeon, you know how they fight. From that point and 107 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:41.000 for an hour, the fish stopped biting. I was leaning back and relaxing 108 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.960 while the others fished. I had pulled in my line so one of my 109 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.679 nephews could have a better chance of catching a fish. Now, when a 110 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.759 fish jumps, there are two different sounds, one when he breaks the water 111 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:58.840 and one when he re enters the water. I realized that someone was throwing 112 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.919 large rocks at the boat because it was just the sound of a rock entering 113 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:07.639 the water with a KerPlunk. I said as much to my brother in law, 114 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:11.639 and he said he noticed it too, but he wasn't positive, so 115 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:16.039 he didn't say anything. And then he said, hand me my rifle, 116 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:20.120 hoping it was a prankster. It would scare him away. And my nephew 117 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:24.080 Mike said, in a terrified voice, we don't have a rifle, Uncle 118 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:28.759 ben Well. I had brought a large sick Sell flashlight with us, so 119 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.000 standing up in the bow, I held the flashlight up in the air and 120 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:39.600 I swept the bank a large head with the glowing eyes duck behind the bushes. 121 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.879 We immediately pulled up the anchors and lines and got the hell out of 122 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:48.080 there. And while we traveled back to the dock, my brother in law, 123 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:52.799 who had been there numerous times, remembered an incident that apparently came to 124 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:58.159 mine after seeing this creature. A few years back, he and some of 125 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:03.559 his friends had found a mature male black bear dead near their cabins. Its 126 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:09.720 legs were in weird positions, like they had been broken or dislocated, and 127 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:13.440 what was more terrifying was that its head had been twisted one hundred and eighty 128 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:20.039 degrees and rested on its back, its neck broken and its head hanging free. 129 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.440 Well, the story heightened the fear that we were going through at that 130 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:26.600 moment, and I told him to get us back to the dock as fast 131 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:31.720 as he could. The following day, we went back to the place where 132 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:37.240 the encounter occurred, and the bushes that duck behind were seven feet high. 133 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:41.399 That sent a chill down my spine. We never knew what it was, 134 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:48.720 but whatever it was, it was over seven feet tall. The next day, 135 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:52.000 my engine blew in the Vega, so all nine of us climbed into 136 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:58.399 my brother in laws nineteen sixty four, reconditioned to Chevy and paula two door, 137 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:03.080 and we drove to their home in New Jersey. That in itself was 138 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:07.080 a great adventure. Well, cam that just about does it. Maybe I'll 139 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:11.159 tell you about my next bigfoot encounter that we may have had at our home 140 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:15.840 in North Carolina. You can use this and all the names if you wish. 141 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.120 Thanks for all you do, Ben Well, Ben, thank you for 142 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:22.559 the story. That's a great that's a scary story that reminds me of a 143 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.799 that reminds me of a documentary. I think I saw it on I don't 144 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:33.600 maybe the History Channel anyway. I think they were in Alaska. These guys 145 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:37.799 were fishing off the bank in Alaska, and this huge grizzly bear was standing 146 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:41.480 in the water. I may have told this before, and not normally I 147 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:45.879 would say if I have stopped me, but you can't stop me because I'm 148 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:48.159 recording it, so you got to listen to it. These guys were fishing 149 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:52.879 and they saw this huge grizzly bear, uh, just kind of wandering around 150 00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:56.759 on the bank, maybe looking for some scraps to eat. I don't know, 151 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:01.360 but they were watching the grizzly bear. Suddenly the grizzly bear lifts up 152 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:07.480 on its hind legs and turns behind it, and then it runs like hell 153 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:11.759 away down the bank and back up into the woods. And about then they 154 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:18.080 say they saw a bigfoot walk out and stand on the bank, and they 155 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:22.320 watched it for several minutes. Anyway, I don't remember the rest of the 156 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:28.000 story, but what I know is the grizzly bear is the apex predator in 157 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:33.960 grizzly bear country, and this grizzly bear ran like crazy when this bigfoot walked 158 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:37.320 out on the bank, or he knew it was coming and he tailed it 159 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.679 out of there, because I guess he knew he was in danger. Anyway, 160 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:45.480 the story about the bear with its head twisted back and dead and its 161 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:50.200 legs broken reminded me of that story. So if Bigfoot is real and they're 162 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:54.759 that bad, bears are scared of them. That's my take on it. 163 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:58.840 Everything is afraid of these things. So anyway, Ben, thanks for the 164 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.799 story. Hope I didn't mess it up there with that last little anecdote, 165 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:07.080 but it just came to mind, and you know me, if I think 166 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:09.720 about it, I say it. You just got to deal with it. 167 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:15.879 All right, Let's go to another story. All right. This is a 168 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:22.279 story I got in my email inbox probably a year or two ago. I've 169 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.480 kind of held it. I don't know why I've held it, but Anyway, 170 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:28.679 I came across it again and I want to share it with you, 171 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:31.679 guys. I do not know if it's true, but it's a good story 172 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:35.360 and the writer is a very good writer. And here's what he writes. 173 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:41.679 My name is Robert, and I'm a thirty seven year old homeless man living 174 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:46.200 on the streets of skid Row near the Arch District in Los Angeles. At 175 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.639 thirty seven, I may still be a young man, but looking at me, 176 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.759 you would think I was closer to sixty. My hair is prematurely gray, 177 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.639 and my skin is weathered and wrinkled from years of drug and alcohol abuse 178 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:05.200 and from the rigors of living on the streets for the last seven years. 179 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:09.399 This, however, was not always the case. I was once a promising 180 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:16.559 young executive working for a prominent advertising firm and had just bought a new townhouse 181 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:20.159 on the West Side, and I was engaged to be married to the girl 182 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:24.679 of my dreams. This was ten years ago, and in some ways it 183 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.919 seems like just yesterday, and others it seems more like a lifetime ago. 184 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:35.120 It was my twenty seventh birthday, and I had much to celebrate. I 185 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:39.200 was heading an ad campaign for a new client, which launched earlier in the 186 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:46.200 week and by all indications, was a huge success. Escrow had closed on 187 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:50.360 my new townhouse. It wasn't exactly new, but it was new to me 188 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:54.679 and I was set to move in the next week. Tanya, my fiancee, 189 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:58.720 had the next two weeks off for spring break, and this worked out 190 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:03.480 per because she was eager to start moving our belongings from our apartment to our 191 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:11.960 new townhouse. Tanya was working on her PhD in psychology at UCLA and still 192 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:18.200 had two semesters left before graduating, and Tanya had arranged a surprise birthday party 193 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.399 for me. She pretended to forget that it was my birthday and told me 194 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:26.080 that we had to attend her friend's art show at a loft in the Arch 195 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:31.399 district. My friend Phil accidentally let the cat out of the bag one day 196 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.360 while we were at lunch. He told me to tell Tanya that he couldn't 197 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:37.639 make it to the party because he had to go out of town on business. 198 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:43.480 Apparently he didn't know it was supposed to be a surprise party and he 199 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.399 felt bad about it, but I told him not to worry. I already 200 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:52.080 suspected something was up when Tanya never mentioned anything about my birthday. She wasn't 201 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:58.039 the type of person to forget those things. I assured Phil that I would 202 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:03.879 act totally surprised when the time came On the night of my twenty seventh birthday, 203 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:07.960 both Tanya and I were running late because most of our clothes had already 204 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:14.440 been packed in boxes and preparation for the move. Tanya seemed a bit frantic, 205 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:18.360 saying that we had to be there by seven thirty. So I played 206 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:22.159 the part of the ignorant boyfriend and I asked Tanya, why don't we have 207 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.799 to be there by seven thirty, and all she said was hurry up and 208 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:30.879 get ready. By seven point fifteen, we were dressed and in the car. 209 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:34.840 Luckily, traffic was light that evening, and it took us about fifteen 210 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:40.799 minutes to drive from the West Side to the Arch district. Apparently there was 211 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:45.200 some type of event going on in Little Tokyo, which resulted in congested traffic 212 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:52.720 and made it nearly impossible to find parking in the adjacent Arch district. All 213 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.639 the parking structures were full and there wasn't a single spot available on the street. 214 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:02.279 And I could see that Tanya was getting anxious as we kept driving around 215 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:04.759 the block. I told her that I could drop her off and I would 216 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:10.079 find parking a little further south and walk back to the Arch District to meet 217 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.960 her. She insisted on staying with me, and saying that it was a 218 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.319 little rough down that way and that I would need her protection. Well. 219 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:22.839 We both laughed a bit as we proceeded to drive south of the Arch District. 220 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:26.240 This actually was a pretty rough part of town, made up of mostly 221 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:33.039 old warehouses. There were plenty of homeless people in the area. We finally 222 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.599 found our parking spot near an old rundown building next to a liquor store. 223 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:42.960 I felt fairly safe parking there because there were plenty of nice cars parked around 224 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:48.319 us. They were all doing the same as us, parking in the area 225 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:52.640 and walking back to Little Tokyo or to the Art District. As soon as 226 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:56.519 we got out of the car, we were struck by the overpowering smell of 227 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.920 urine. We were half a block away away from a homeless encampment, and 228 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:07.680 there were a few intimidating people in the area. A light rain started to 229 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.400 fall, so I looked in the back seat and luckily my niece left her 230 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:15.519 Dora the Explorer umbrella from the last time I drove her to school, and 231 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:21.279 we both shared the space under it as we walked north toward the Arch District. 232 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.440 As we walked past the liquor store, a homeless man standing on the 233 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:30.319 sidewalk was staring directly at us. I was thinking of stopping to give the 234 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:33.000 man a couple of bucks, but Tanya pulled my arm to keep me walking. 235 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:37.319 She said that normally I would stop and help someone in need, but 236 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:42.359 there's something about that man that's making me feel uneasy. Because we're already late 237 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:47.920 too. We picked up our pace a bit as I glanced behind us, 238 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.720 and the man by the liquor store was walking toward us, and when he 239 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:56.039 saw me look back, I heard him yell something. His pace quickened, 240 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:02.160 so we started walking faster. He began yelling and began running. I told 241 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:06.000 Tanya to run, and as we headed down the street, I looked back 242 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:10.440 again and the man was still chasing us. I yelled at Tanya to make 243 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:12.640 a turn at the next alley because I knew it led to a much busier 244 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:18.880 street and we would be much safer around the other people. But halfway down 245 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:22.119 the alley, Tanya tripped and fell to her knees, and I stopped to 246 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:26.400 help her back up, and as I looked back, the man had turned 247 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:30.279 the corner and was at the mouth of the alley. We made a sprint 248 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.160 toward the end of the alley, but Tanya was limping, and I told 249 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:37.400 Tanya to keep going and not look back. I gave her just a small 250 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:41.640 push to get her going, and if she could make it to the end 251 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:45.559 of the alley and out into the street, she would be safe. I 252 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:49.000 picked up a bottle from the ground and turned to confront the man, and 253 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:53.279 as I did, I heard the sickening sound of breaks screeching, followed by 254 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:57.160 a dull thud, and as I looked up the alley, I could only 255 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.599 see the side of a red sedan stopped on the street at the end of 256 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:06.400 the alley, and I screamed out Tanya's name, and a moment later I 257 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:10.920 heard my own voice echoed strangely in the alley, and I dropped the bottle 258 00:20:10.920 --> 00:20:14.119 and ran to the end of the alley, and there lying on the pavement 259 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:18.359 was Tanya. I quickly ran to her and cradled her in my arms, 260 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:26.319 but it was no use Tanya was gone. That moment marked the turning point 261 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.559 in my life. I was never quite the same person after that. I 262 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:34.839 soon turned to alcohol to fill the void left in my life, but that 263 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:40.160 didn't help. I began using drugs and that seemed to help me forget, 264 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:45.839 but only temporarily. I began missing more and more days of work, until 265 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:49.000 eventually they had to let me go, and with no source of income, 266 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:55.319 I soon lost my townhouse. Without Tanya to share the townhouse with me, 267 00:20:55.400 --> 00:21:00.359 it didn't seem to matter much anyway. I stayed with friends here there, 268 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:04.079 but being constantly drunk or high, I soon wore out my welcome and I 269 00:21:04.119 --> 00:21:08.920 lived in my car for a time until it was repossessed. The next thing 270 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.440 you know, I'm living out on the street. I don't know why I 271 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:18.119 chose this area to live, perhaps being close to the place where Tanya died 272 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:22.400 it seemed fitting. The first few years of living on the street was difficult, 273 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:26.799 and in the beginning I tried to maintain some sense of self dignity. 274 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:33.519 I would bathe regularly at the Union Rescue Mission, and I washed my clothes 275 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:37.000 once a week at the laundromat, and I tried to stay at a motel 276 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.079 whenever I could. But after a while, though, it just seemed easier 277 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:45.759 to let myself go. There is a sort of freedom when you're no longer 278 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:52.119 concerned with cleanliness or personal hygiene. The only thing that concerned me was getting 279 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:56.839 high. I applied for disability a couple of years ago, and each month 280 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:00.079 the government sends me a check. The checks are mail to the liquor store, 281 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:03.759 where the owner is kind enough to receive the checks and cash them for 282 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:10.279 me. Between the disability checks and occasionally panhandling, I have enough to keep 283 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:15.799 myself drunk or high most of the time. Yesterday was my thirty seventh birthday, 284 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:22.319 exactly ten years to the day that my life changed forever, and somehow 285 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:26.880 I relived the worst day of my life, not just metaphorically, but I 286 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:30.839 actually relived it. And when I woke up, I knew it was the 287 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:34.279 tenth anniversary of that tragic day, and I will never be able to forget 288 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:40.960 it because it will always fall on my birthday. On this particular birthday, 289 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:45.000 I wanted so hard to forget, so I started drinking for the moment I 290 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:48.480 woke I drank all morning until around noon, and then I fell asleep on 291 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:53.880 a bus bench. I slept all day until I was awakened by light rainfall. 292 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:59.759 This is just perfect, I thought to myself, What an appropriate way 293 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:03.799 to cap off my birthday. I picked up my bottle of vodka to take 294 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:08.119 a swig when I saw the bottle was empty. Damn, I really need 295 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:11.720 a drink, I thought. I started walking to the liquor store when I 296 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:18.079 noticed a girl who looked exactly like Tanya. Wait a minute, that is 297 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:22.119 Tanya and she's walking with me, I thought, I mean twenty seven year 298 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:26.640 old me. She was walking with twenty seven year old me. A couple 299 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:30.480 were walking down the street right past me under an umbrella, and I was 300 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:34.799 in shock and all I could do was stare at them. I don't know 301 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:40.720 how, but somehow it was ten years ago. It was witnessing the events 302 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:45.960 of my twenty seventh birthday. This was my chance. If I could alter 303 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:49.200 the course of events over the next few minutes, I could get a second 304 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:53.160 chance at life that was taken away from me. And I called out to 305 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:59.720 them, but they started walking away faster. I didn't have much time. 306 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:03.799 I started running and yelling out for them to come back, and when they 307 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:07.200 saw me running, they started to run, and I kept desperately trying to 308 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:11.480 call them back. When they turned into an alley. Oh no, I 309 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:15.920 thought, it's happening all over again. And I ran down to the entrance 310 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:19.599 of the alley and I stopped. I didn't want them to see me running 311 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:23.440 after them, but it was too late. And I heard that sickening sound 312 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:29.519 of break screeching in that awful dull thud, and I yelled out Tanya's name, 313 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:34.000 but I already knew what had happened. The next thing I knew, 314 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:38.440 I woke up on the bus bench. It was the morning after my thirty 315 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:44.680 seventh birthday. Was that all a bad dream? It seemed so real? 316 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.599 I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and as I looked down at 317 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:52.000 the bench I was sleeping, one lying next to an empty bottle of vodka 318 00:24:52.039 --> 00:25:00.319 was a Dora the Explorer umbrella? Was it a bizarre coincidence? Is it 319 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:03.279 also odd that this is the first time in many years that I don't have 320 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:08.279 the urge to drink or get high, none at all. In fact, 321 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:12.799 I have decided that I'm going to clean myself up, buy some fresh clothes, 322 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:18.200 and get a haircut. I know the mission has some resources to help 323 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:22.799 find jobs for people willing to work. Maybe I'm getting a second chance after 324 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:30.720 all. Wasn't that last story good? I think it's fiction. I think 325 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.279 it is, but it may not be. And it's a you know, 326 00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:41.079 I'm a believer in the Bible and in Jesus, and maybe sometimes God uses 327 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:45.599 these kind of experiences to wake someone up or to get them to accept what 328 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:49.359 has happened in their life and accept the suffering that goes along with being a 329 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:52.680 believer. Anyway, I just thought it was a great story. It was 330 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:59.720 written really well, and if it's true, I hope this guy's life has 331 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:03.039 taking a better turn. And if it's fiction, to the writer, you 332 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:07.119 have a great imagination and you should keep writing. I really appreciate it. 333 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:11.759 Anyway, thank you all for listening to this podcast. It wasn't as long 334 00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:15.519 as some of the others, but you know, that last story, there 335 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:18.319 was no need to do another one. That was just It's kind of a 336 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:25.440 moving little story. I don't know. Maybe I'm a little emotional after reading 337 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:26.640 that, but I thought it was good. Okay, I'm going to end 338 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:37.799 this podcast now. Thanks for listening. We'll see you guys on the next one.