WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:27.960 Weird thing happened. Weird, weird, weird. Welcome to Bledsoe said, So, 2 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.719 we have a very very special, mythical, legendary guest tonight. 3 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.399 It's something that I can't believe that we are finally 4 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.920 in the midst of and experiencing tonight. But before we 5 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:43.200 get into that, I'm going to talk about something coming 6 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:45.719 up in May that you guys really need to consider. 7 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.560 We're going to be my dad, my sister, and my 8 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:54.079 wife and I will be at the Contact Modalities Expo 9 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.960 in Delavan, Wisconsin from May tewond to May fourth. It's 10 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.320 going to be an extraordinary conscious expo. There's gonna be 11 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:06.760 three rooms simultaneously hosting different panels and events. There's gonna 12 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:10.840 be guest speakers, all kinds of different things like crystal 13 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:15.480 bowl healing and breath work and meditation and all of 14 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:21.159 these kinds of extraordinary consciousness related subjects, all happening in 15 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:24.719 the same space, so to speak. My Dad's gonna be 16 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:28.040 a keynote speaker. There's gonna be a live panel, there's 17 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:31.879 gonna be a cocktail party on Saturday with a live DJ, 18 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.760 and everybody's just gonna be having fun, hanging out and 19 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:39.680 I will say on Friday, there's gonna be a SkyWatch, 20 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.480 so definitely don't want to miss that. Just check it 21 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:47.599 out at contact modalitiesxpo dot com. You can see your 22 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.879 ticket information and booking and see all the events that 23 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:52.519 we have there. I think there's gonna be like thirty 24 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:56.079 to forty different guests at this event, So check it out. 25 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:57.719 You definitely don't want to miss it. It's gonna be 26 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:00.200 a great time. I'm looking forward to it. I hope 27 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:05.719 to see you guys there. So onto tonight's episode, we 28 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.360 finally have caught the mythical white whale is what I 29 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:10.439 keep calling it because. 30 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:14.080 Because he's been harpoon. 31 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:18.719 He's been hardpooned. We have my my one of my 32 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:22.680 favorite people, Alex's dad. I wanted you to introduce them, 33 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:24.120 but you wanted me to introduce them, So I'm just 34 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:26.719 gonna introduce him as one of my favorite people because 35 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.080 he's your day. He's also one of my favorite people, yeah, 36 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.599 but also one of mine because we get along, we 37 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.680 hit it off, and you know, we're we're both g's 38 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:38.319 on the same wavelength. So I mean, tell me if 39 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:38.719 I'm wrong. 40 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:40.159 No, I'm b. 41 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.360 This is not much. We don't carry much in person, 42 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.439 but I do have a little something for you, just 43 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:52.639 a little. I promise you. It's not much. I wish 44 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:54.439 it could be more, but it is a little gift 45 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:57.800 for being on the show. Most of our stuff is online, 46 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:00.879 so maybe we'll have to send you something extra. But 47 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.280 maybe on some cold nights you can keep your head warm. 48 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:06.840 And you've got to save some stuff. I can get 49 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:11.639 them for Christmas. Yeah, something went all out on the sweatshirt. 50 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:16.319 I could have used some slippers, but that's okay. It'll 51 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:20.400 get warm. I gotta still bogging at summertime, and I'm 52 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:25.599 ready to go. I feel for Nick's Thank you, Ryan 53 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.680 and you guys are too nice. 54 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:31.439 You're the best. Dave with Sean. 55 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:35.199 Yeah, yeah, we've switched the situation here. We got Nick 56 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:36.479 on the on the equipment. 57 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:39.639 I'm feeling very strange. Actually, we have two guests in 58 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:40.960 the student feel very weird. 59 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:41.520 On this side of the room. 60 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:43.520 We had to let you, like, I know, I'm happy 61 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:45.080 about it, be able to talk to your dad. 62 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:45.840 I'm happy about it. 63 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:46.599 I thought it'd be cool. 64 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:47.240 This is Alex. 65 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:51.680 We have his years. I thought it was an intervention 66 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:56.080 it first showed up. But I's glad to know. It's 67 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:57.800 it's not that our child support. 68 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:02.719 Yeah, so let's start with the show. We've been doing 69 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:08.159 this three three going four years now, what is it like? 70 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:09.840 This is your first time in here, is your first 71 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:12.039 time in the studio. We talk a lot about it. 72 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:15.800 What are your thoughts on the show, on me doing 73 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:16.279 the show? 74 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.879 You have any thoughts there or anything which is off 75 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:20.720 a cliff Well. 76 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.600 I've always thought that was pretty cool. And uh, you know, 77 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:26.120 back in my day, we just got together and talked. 78 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.000 We didn't have the podcast, and the hell we didn't 79 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:31.920 have a radio. We sold it, you know, I sell Hey, 80 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.120 you're in it. But uh, nice, it's nice, and I'm 81 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.079 glad you found a good group of people. And I 82 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:40.560 think you know, and in the world we're living in 83 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:45.839 that certain people have a touch and you meet certain 84 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:50.480 people and they go out of your lives, and then 85 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:53.120 you meet people that seems to took around and it's 86 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:56.639 all you seem to all have the same and I'll 87 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:58.839 call it an orb. You all have the same light. 88 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:01.800 And and that's what I think. The group of people 89 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:07.360 that y'all attract to is people that are believers, want 90 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:13.680 in the Good Lord and are always an attraction for 91 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:17.040 people to need help. We all need help, and you 92 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:19.040 got to find the people that surround yourself with the 93 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:25.000 people that have different strengths that make you stronger. And 94 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:30.279 if you're going down, look who you're around. If you're 95 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:33.839 going up, stand up. And that's one thing I like 96 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:38.120 about it. And y'all's camaraderie and your closeness and your 97 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:42.240 friendship and your beliefs, and that's what I feel the 98 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.600 world needs more of. And I think we all have 99 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:48.240 a light. It's just how it shines and how it attracts. 100 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:49.879 That's great. 101 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:54.160 Yeah, you know, Beautifully said, Well, you know, I've been blessed. 102 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.120 I've never wanted a lot, but I've always got what 103 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.079 I needed. And I think people tend to want more 104 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:04.199 of what they want than what they need. Just pay 105 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:07.439 attention to what you need, you'll get what you want. 106 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:10.800 I've always lived like that. I've had months in my 107 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:13.439 business that I didn't know where it was coming from, 108 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.680 and I just fed five hundred people free. Because I've 109 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:19.720 done it. Even though bad times are here, I continue 110 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:23.439 to do it. And people said why, I said, because 111 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:27.040 it seemed like a few weeks later my phone will 112 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:30.959 ring and I just got a thousand people to feed. Yeah, 113 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:35.399 you know, you blessure yourself by blessing others. Yeah, and 114 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:38.480 that's what life is about. In my opinion, that's always 115 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:41.120 always lived. And I've lived a crazy life. I mean, 116 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:45.879 I lived it. You know, I'm sixty eight most in 117 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.519 a one hundred and ten year old body. 118 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:51.839 I want to touch on that real quick. So I 119 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:57.360 want to talk about parties. But that reminds me. You know, 120 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.720 it's not a joke. I remember, we'd never leave for 121 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.759 a hurricane. We know hurricanes coming, we know we're going 122 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.160 to lose power at the restaurant. There's no generators at 123 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:09.399 the restaurant. So before every storm, we would be giving 124 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:11.759 everything away. You would be giving everything away, you know, 125 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:13.839 me and Nick would help or whatever whatever needed to 126 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:15.560 be done, but you'd. 127 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:16.079 Give it all away. 128 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:18.920 The storm would come, you lose power, Everything that would 129 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.759 have gone bad is now somewhere feeding people who have 130 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:25.600 been misplaced from the storm. And you seem to just 131 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.199 turn around and bounce back, I mean, and get more 132 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:29.839 from that. 133 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.120 Well, you know, life's too short to worry about what's happening. 134 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.439 You just got to take care of those that need it. 135 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:38.759 And I had a great relationship with First Baptists, and 136 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.319 every Tuesday night they feed the homeless, no matter what 137 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:46.160 their situation is. Also, and you know, I've had times 138 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:50.199 where I emptied my freezer and the power w'd come 139 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:53.439 on as I'm doing it, and my meat will still 140 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.319 seemi frozen, but I'd already promised it and they had 141 00:07:56.360 --> 00:07:59.199 counted on it. And I've never followed an insurance claim 142 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:01.759 because they do just for those people. You know, you 143 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:06.040 got to fill out thirty six pages and submit and hug. 144 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:11.160 So I just you know, I never gave to get 145 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:14.959 a reward back, either financially or I always got mine 146 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.120 back spiritually if I know I'm helping the right things 147 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:20.040 and the right people. And I had great causes that 148 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:23.480 I did for for years, twenty thirty years, and I 149 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:25.519 would do them today if I was still in business. 150 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:29.079 Yeah, you know that's amazing. I resonate with what you said, 151 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:32.240 particularly the other night, Alex and I. I don't know 152 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.080 if you know this or how much you'll talk about this, 153 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.879 but we actually have three shows now, and so on Tuesdays, 154 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.600 Nick comes over, we record our third show and then 155 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.240 he leaves, and then we go and record our second show. 156 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.000 I know the timing is weird there, but and Alex 157 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.279 and I do one show without Nick, not for any 158 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:53.720 reason other things. It's just the way it works. 159 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:55.279 You know. I mean, if Nick don't show up after 160 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:57.039 the night, I might be in that chair and put 161 00:08:57.080 --> 00:08:59.279 my son back behind the camera. 162 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:01.720 So there's a show that we do this like a 163 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:03.559 And I know why we did it with that, because 164 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:04.120 you didn't. 165 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:04.480 Learn it here. 166 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:08.600 It's a departing gift. If you're honored. I'm honored, and 167 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.960 I'd be honored to be replaced by you, sir. 168 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.080 I don't work anymore and be a heck of a show. 169 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:16.000 I'm retired when I. 170 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:18.320 Start our own thing, don't worry. Yeah, that's good to 171 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.559 take off, absolutely. But I say that to say that, like, 172 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:23.559 there was a conversation we had the other night that 173 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.320 both of you guys weren't present for, and one thing 174 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:28.440 that Alex and I were talking about was about the 175 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:31.000 company you keep. You had just said that I can't 176 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.480 remember the exact words that you used, but you said, 177 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:36.360 when you're going down, look around, when you're coming up, 178 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.200 stand up, And we were just talking about that the 179 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.200 other night, and I think that's like one of the 180 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:43.240 most powerful things you can that you can live by. 181 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:47.840 It's like surrounding yourself with people who uplift you spiritually. 182 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:51.440 You uplift each other. Yeah, and that's how you grow. 183 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:55.639 I mean too many people. Especially if you start becoming 184 00:09:55.679 --> 00:09:58.080 successful or something, there's people there that want to bring 185 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:00.320 you down instead of lift you up and celebrates. And 186 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:03.200 especially if you got the right heart and mind, the 187 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:06.679 higher you get up, the higher you can give. You know, 188 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:09.519 I always measured my success each year is how much 189 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:12.600 I gave away, not how much I made. That didn't 190 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:14.720 care of what I made. It took care of itself. 191 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:17.720 And there was a lot of rough times. But you know, 192 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:22.679 I feel is the problem with our world. Everybody's just 193 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:24.679 stepping on top of each other to get where they 194 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:30.399 want to go and don't realize they're really going to hell. 195 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:34.840 I mean, shockingly, put I do agree. 196 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:37.600 And everything it really is. You're on your way to 197 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:40.799 hell and you're quick to get there. But just treat 198 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:43.639 everybody with kindness. And if you see somebody in need, 199 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.399 you're hard to tell you if it's true, because everybody 200 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:49.720 gets asked for everything. Nowadays, you can't drive past the 201 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:52.960 corner without a sign. And I've never been blessed by 202 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:56.759 so much, by God, by these cardboard signs, and they're 203 00:10:56.759 --> 00:10:59.240 making more money than are people that are working forty 204 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:03.279 hours a week in a few hours. So but there's 205 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:06.720 some that need it. But your heart to guide you. 206 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.639 If your heart guide, you give it. And if it's 207 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.799 not true, but your heart's satisfied. You know. I walked 208 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:19.519 out of a convenience mart about three weeks ago. It 209 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:23.639 was a cold evening, rainy, and uh homeless guy was 210 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.519 sitting by the trash cans smoking some you know, end 211 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.919 of cigarette butts out of the cigarette supposal. And when 212 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.759 I walk out, didn't that's where any money? Some He said, Man, 213 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:38.440 I'll pay you to take me to a hotel near 214 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:42.759 the bus station. This guy's gonna pay me to take 215 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:47.240 him to a hotel because he's leaving town homeless people. 216 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:49.519 I don't think like Wilmington because they all seen. This 217 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:51.799 is the third time at the same convenient mart I've 218 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:54.279 taken people. And I said, man, I'll give you a ride. 219 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:56.360 What the heck? I got nothing going on? And the 220 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.399 guy that spends the whole time thanking me because he 221 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:01.320 can't believe and he wants to pay keep your money. 222 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:03.440 Get on the bus get back to Asheville. They all 223 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:06.840 seem to come from Wilmington and spend time. I don't 224 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.879 think we treat him as well as other places because 225 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:11.840 they all seem to get on the bus and go 226 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:14.759 to Asheville. I took this one guy to the bus station. 227 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.480 He slept in the you know, it's like midnight when 228 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:22.120 I took him there. But it's amazing all the people 229 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:24.799 that's walked through there, and no one probably said yes, 230 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:29.879 or they might not even ask people. But that's I feel. 231 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:33.159 My orb is I track people and my heart tell 232 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.279 and I've had a bunch asked me and I said no. 233 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:42.200 But I think you shine a light if you truly 234 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:44.639 believe in what you do it and yourself. I think 235 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:48.440 you shine a light and people see that light. You know. 236 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.600 Lady in the Convenient Mark when Alex was a baby, 237 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.879 we pull up and I'm pumping my gas and this 238 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.799 little old lady comes up to me and I'm at 239 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:02.360 the time six seven, still close to that shrunk a 240 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:06.639 little bit, but I was four hundred pounds and you know, 241 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:08.440 there's a lot of people, and it wasn't I was 242 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.120 the only one out in the parking lot. You know, 243 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:14.360 there was cars filling up and people, small people, regular people. 244 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:17.240 But the lady came straight to me. She's been driving 245 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:21.279 around for eight hours trying to find her house. That 246 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:25.120 happened twice and at the same gas station, within months 247 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:29.159 of each other. All my stuff comes in twos or three's, 248 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:32.519 and it's always been thirty to sixty days apart. 249 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.559 What do you mean she's trying to find her house. 250 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:38.720 She had Alzheimer's in it. She's been driving around Wilmington 251 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.120 for eight hours, and she lived in Forest Hills, and 252 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:46.279 she was on College Road and where the publics is 253 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:48.600 now at that gas station right beside it. 254 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:49.960 Okay, quite a ways away then. 255 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.600 Oh yeah, been driving around the whole time trying to 256 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.919 find home. She left at noon. Wow, this was eight 257 00:13:57.960 --> 00:13:58.279 at night. 258 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.360 Jeez. I've heard quite a few stories from both of 259 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:04.919 you about things like this that have happened to you, 260 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:08.840 like probably as long as you can remember. I'd imagine 261 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:13.840 it's it's been with me all my life. 262 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.399 Yeah, I mean I moved out of the house at seventeen. 263 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:19.000 I was still in high school. You know, I lived 264 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:23.960 with a bunch of great people. But you know, to 265 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:26.440 be honest with you, they didn't have the same morals 266 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:29.480 that I grew up with. You know, I didn't have 267 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:33.080 a lot, but I had discipline and how told how 268 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:39.200 to treat people and respect people and stealing is not good. 269 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:42.440 And my friends had different philosophies on a lot of 270 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:45.600 that stuff. But they were fun and they were great hearts, 271 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:50.080 but they were just thieves, you know. And I got 272 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:53.639 dragged in. Only one out of eate ever got arrested. 273 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:56.799 Go to the police station. They interrogate me, and I 274 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.240 told them, I, you know, we think we're going to 275 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:01.519 go do something. I'd get out of the car and 276 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:05.279 hitchhike home. I didn't stick around. I knew they were 277 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.039 coming back home. I'd come back. Back. In those days, 278 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:13.080 there was little gas stations that had that little silk 279 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.200 dogs playing cards and all. I'd have one hundred and 280 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:18.039 fifty of them in my house. You know. They'd break 281 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:21.000 in the little storeage area and steal them and bring 282 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:23.320 them home and sell them. And what I had a job, 283 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:26.679 you know, I was working, and that just amazed me. 284 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:29.360 But we ended up. The fun ended when the cops 285 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:31.799 came to the house during Happy Days at eight o'clock 286 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:34.759 on a Monday. Back in those days and knocked on 287 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.879 the door and walked in and took us all downtown, 288 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:42.720 and I'm defending myself, and you know, we're all in 289 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.759 different rooms, and after about an hour and a half, 290 00:15:44.759 --> 00:15:47.919 the guy comes in and said, well, we're not We're 291 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.399 convinced you didn't have anything. We're convinced you didn't have 292 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:53.039 anything to do with the break in, but we were 293 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:57.120 not convinced that you're not. That you're guilty, not guilty, 294 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:01.679 So we're gonna let you go. But you got to 295 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:05.720 call your daddy. Yeah, that's what I said. Well, how 296 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:09.320 much time am I looking at if I don't call 297 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:11.960 my daddy? And they knew my family. We've been in 298 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.279 the parks recreation concessions business. We knew my family was 299 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:20.080 very well known. He said, David, call your daddy. That 300 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:22.799 was the hardest conversation I've ever made. Yeah, and still 301 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:25.720 has calling him to come get me. And you know, 302 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:27.679 he was cool as hell, a lot cooler than I 303 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.759 thought he would be. But the thing I remember most 304 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.320 is when the last thing the police offers. I wish 305 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:37.080 I remember his name, but I don't. And he said, David, 306 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:40.440 I know you love your friends and they love you obviously, 307 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.600 because no one said you had anything to do with this, 308 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:47.480 And I said, because I didn't. And he said, I 309 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:49.720 don't care how cool you think they are, but if 310 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:53.960 you hang around dogs, you're going to catch fleas. And 311 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:57.519 from that day forward, I moved in a different direction, 312 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:02.000 started following people that had something going for They had 313 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:06.240 family and business. They were headed that way. So I 314 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.359 jumped on the train, got in the basketball legs, started, 315 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.880 you know, changing my priorities of how I was having 316 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:17.960 fun to you know, get in direction. Yeah, you know, 317 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:20.680 I started my restaurant with five dollars in a bicycle 318 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:23.119 and the help of my parents. How old were you 319 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.279 I was twenty seven heading over? 320 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.279 Yeah, And how old were you when you said you 321 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:31.319 kind of started to change and like turn things around 322 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:33.519 when the cops came and you had to talk to 323 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:34.039 your daddy. 324 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:36.720 I was nineteen nineteen. 325 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:37.359 Wow. 326 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.200 Been out of the house for two years, went home, 327 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.799 regrouped for sixty days and never went back after that. 328 00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:47.640 And the job home, the job before you have them parties? 329 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:50.440 Didn't he drag you outside, make you look at the sign. 330 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:55.119 Well, every restaurant I worked at would eventually pulled me 331 00:17:55.160 --> 00:18:00.000 out front basically say you know, what does that science say? 332 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:03.920 And I'd say, and that's say when it's got your 333 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:08.640 name on it, we'll do it like that, okay. And 334 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.920 that wasn't you know. Long after that, I was gone 335 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:15.640 to another restaurant to run their show. Because I always 336 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.319 could figure out the easiest and the and the best 337 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:21.079 way and the cheapest way to give a quality product 338 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:23.480 at a fair price. You know, when I closed, I 339 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.359 was two three dollars cheaper on the same thing anybody 340 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.119 wanting to and use top quality. I just had a 341 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:32.759 small chest freezer. I didn't use much frozen food. We 342 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.839 used fresh butts, fresh chicken, you know, cut our old steak. 343 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:39.759 Did it all old school, but I bought cheap. 344 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:40.920 You know. 345 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:43.559 We didn't pay a lot for the building because nobody 346 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:45.759 can make it there. They said, no one can make 347 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:48.079 it there. And that's all I need to hear. Especially 348 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:51.279 the ones I worked for, said, you know that that 349 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.079 did is it's not going to make it. They'll never 350 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:55.839 make it. And I think that's what drove me to 351 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:59.079 make it, because I probably because I was very odd. 352 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.640 I get into something and get out get into something, 353 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:04.880 and I go full speed when I'm in it, but 354 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:06.039 eventually burn out. 355 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:06.599 And move on. 356 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.680 But that was all I needed to hear and whispers 357 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.960 of he ain't on me. Yeah, because I made one 358 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:17.839 hundred and thirty five bucks for three years and I 359 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.519 was probably giving away more than that. Yeah, you know, 360 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:25.480 working for different groups like child affacacy and clubs for kids. 361 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:26.279 You know. 362 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:29.480 But even after a while, you realize what people that 363 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.640 raise money, They raised money, but they spent so much 364 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:38.039 raising it. Yeah, but then I understand that the publicity 365 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:41.599 is what gets some more money. You want your name 366 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:45.279 to be. I never put my advertisement on because they 367 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:46.920 all say we're gonna put you on our T shirts, 368 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.799 and I said, put it on somebody that'll pay you. 369 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:53.440 I said, people will find me. I never advertised, never 370 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:56.519 ran a website. Then I asked you to take a 371 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:58.599 credit card for twenty two years. 372 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:02.079 Yeah, at the time of selling, when in twenty twenty, 373 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:05.960 twenty twenty one, it was like a legendary staple in 374 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:06.559 the community. 375 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:14.200 You don't really realize how but you are appreciated until 376 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:16.079 the end. Yeah. I mean I couldn't even tell the 377 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:19.160 meeting because we couldn't handle the business we already had 378 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.599 just because of the COVID and the relief checks and 379 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.960 the money my pricing because people started going back to 380 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:30.160 the best value for their money. You know, they quit 381 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:33.279 doing the forty dollars lunches they were looking because the 382 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:36.279 money just stopped flowing there for a while. But our 383 00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:43.400 business never busier during the COVID times. I mean, we 384 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:46.079 never closed a day for COVID. It took me twenty 385 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:50.119 four hours to realize COVID wasn't as bad as they're saying. 386 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:53.960 Because once they said, you know, everything's closing except Walmart 387 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:58.160 and the liquor stores, I figured life still good. I mean, 388 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:00.839 you know, it made no sense. Yeah, I guess they 389 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:04.319 just wanted to keep people drunk to go along with it. 390 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:06.480 I thought people were going to be dying. Ride down 391 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:08.599 the street, you'd see people falling out. The way they 392 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:10.880 made it, you're shutting countries down. 393 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:15.119 So what you were saying, though, is y'all knew you 394 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:19.440 were going to close for months, but for maybe a month, 395 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:24.200 but we didn't tell anybody until So when Parties closed, 396 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:27.839 we knew it was happening long long before, but we couldn't. 397 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:32.480 Parties wasn't built to handle the volume that was going 398 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:32.759 to come. 399 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:34.920 When we announced that it was going to be no more. 400 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:38.240 And I think what two weeks prior we announced, they 401 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:44.599 ran a little article in the newspaper and it was slammed. 402 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:48.519 I mean we'd what closed the doors? You and Nick 403 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:51.640 and Joyce would close the doors at noon because you 404 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:52.359 ran out of food. 405 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:56.079 Yeah. It was uh yeah, And it's hard to prepare 406 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.200 for because once I realized I was going to sell, 407 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:02.960 I knew it was already busy. I was going to 408 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:05.000 hire someone else. Probably didn't want to hire someone and 409 00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:07.319 then lay them off. I didn't want to do it 410 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.680 to them, and so we kept working with the same 411 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:13.759 small crew we had, and God bless them. Uh, they 412 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:16.519 hung in there. We got it done. And uh but 413 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.759 I never did the interview they wanted to do two 414 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:24.319 weeks before because I just didn't want. We couldn't take 415 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:27.720 care of what we had. Yeah, and I never advertised 416 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:31.759 because we always stayed busy. And how am I going 417 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:33.759 to try to lure you were into stand in line 418 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:37.119 and wait? You know, I didn't feel that was fair, 419 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:40.160 you know, to my customers, are to my staff, because 420 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:44.480 we always operated, we got a lot done. You know, 421 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:46.559 I walk in the restaurants see all these people running around, 422 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:48.839 and we probably did more day than they did and 423 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:53.160 only had two three people, but we worked. You know, 424 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.319 it's the difference. We took care of people, people were patient. 425 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:59.920 I had customers that clean their tables. I mean, I 426 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.279 had customers that would put an apron on, wash their 427 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:05.519 hands and come and help us at times when we 428 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:07.759 got busy. And this and and and those guys are 429 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:11.400 still some of my greatest friends and will always be. Wow. 430 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:13.200 You know, you just don't see that. 431 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:16.920 And these are lawyers and uh, guys that could go 432 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:17.640 anywhere for lunch. 433 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:20.480 Yeah, real estate, I mean guys that own most everything. 434 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.920 Yeah, but that's an apron and get behind the counter. 435 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:29.720 But that's who you attract and and what you look for. 436 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:33.599 People find each other, you know. And and it's all 437 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:38.319 different spectrums, especially my friendship group. With amount of success, 438 00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:41.200 A lot of my friends have had and and degrees 439 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:44.359 and but yet I'm just one of the guys with 440 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:47.640 them as they are with me. And money doesn't impress me. 441 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:54.960 Hearts impressed me. And I and my son and Nick. 442 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:00.160 That's one that's one thing they got from me is 443 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:03.319 my heart. And that's the best thing I ever could 444 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:06.440 leave anyone. Yeah, is a part of my heart because 445 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.279 I've always I've had that, I've had. I got my 446 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:12.720 mother's heart. We had eight children, and it'd be two 447 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:16.160 or three other kids eat at the house. 448 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:17.599 Wow. 449 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:20.599 So you mean when you were growing up. He's one 450 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:23.680 of eight, right, yep. And friends would always be coming 451 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.599 and going so well, not my friends. 452 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:28.480 They were scared of my daddy, my sister friends. 453 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.759 Yeah. So there'd be like ten to twelve kids eating 454 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:31.640 regularly at your house. 455 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:33.319 Yeah, and all girls. Like hell, I'd give up a 456 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:33.960 little bit for that. 457 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:38.039 I mean, hey, I mean, you know my wife was 458 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:40.799 my sister's friend. I mean, you know, I get it. 459 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:43.920 So I want to, uh, this reminds me just to 460 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:46.759 paint a little bit of a better picture of your 461 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:47.960 home life growing up. 462 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.119 I want you to tell the guys the. 463 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:53.720 The Christmas basketball gold story. 464 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:57.440 Well, we kind of rotated around for nice gifts, and 465 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:04.759 nice gifts were you know, good gifts. You know, we 466 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.799 didn't have what you know, I had a friend of 467 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:08.720 mine always got g I Joe's. I was at his 468 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.759 house at Christmas waking up. You know that was exciting 469 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:13.759 for me. You know, I got hard candy in a 470 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:16.519 stocking with lint on it, you know, and you know, 471 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:19.000 and my one pair of jeans for the year, my 472 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:22.319 one pair of tennis shoes, and then never so often 473 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.759 you'd get a good gift. And I in my rotation 474 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:29.400 before I had siblings leaving, because there was a big 475 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.920 gap from the eighth to the first. My parents were 476 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:36.240 to have six children. The seventh was accident and the 477 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:39.200 eighth was keep the seventh company. So my mother didn't 478 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:41.880 My mother didn't want anybody to grow up alone. Yeah, 479 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:44.880 she did it. She had seven brothers and sisters. My 480 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:46.640 daddy was an only child. Imagine that. 481 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:50.359 Yeah, that's gonna be like me and Jenny, but reversed. 482 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:51.200 She's an only child. 483 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:54.319 And my daddy never saw a paycheck. He got, you know, 484 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:57.799 for me a card and cigarettes a week and the 485 00:25:57.880 --> 00:26:01.400 fifth of Jack Daniels and that was his pay for 486 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:02.640 every paycheck. 487 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:03.279 Wow. 488 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:06.279 And he showed back home. Man, I'd gone out for 489 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.960 a pack of Luckys, and I had to keep that 490 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:12.000 sucker running in the opposite direction with these hoodlums, I mean, 491 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:14.000 we were wild. The only time you never heard of 492 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:17.480 sound was dinner time because if you won't eating, you 493 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:20.599 were losing weight. Yeah, and Mama could cook on a 494 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:22.880 two or three burner stove because nothing of the burners 495 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:27.680 always worked, but she could put a feast on. You know, 496 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:29.440 the first time I spend the night away from home, 497 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:33.160 it's I'm going for dinner too. You know, this guy's 498 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:34.759 an only child. I walk in there, I look on 499 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:38.720 the the stove and there's a pot that looks like 500 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:41.599 what we put butter in. I said, man, did you 501 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:44.519 tell your mama I'm coming for dinner? He said, yeah, 502 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:46.519 I told her you're staying over the night and eating dinner. 503 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.200 But this, I said, but I don't think she prepared 504 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:50.960 well enough. I gotta go. I went home to catch 505 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:53.519 by six o'clock dinner in the house. I didn't stay tonight. 506 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:55.319 That's funny. 507 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:59.640 But back to what you asked me, Well, so I 508 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:03.680 get My first best gift was I was twelve years 509 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.960 old and I used to fly model aeroplanes and I 510 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:11.839 had a Cox trainer and it flew on strings, had 511 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:13.799 a motor, and you went out and you circled and 512 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:17.000 you flew, and man, I could make that thing do 513 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:20.440 what it wasn't supposed to do. And I wanted a 514 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:25.279 remote control aeroplane forever, but just didn't have the means 515 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:28.000 to be able to get it. And I woke up 516 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:31.000 one morning and it was cold at Christmas in Wilmington, 517 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:33.720 and I opened up my box. It was a B 518 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:39.640 fifty two bomber oh cool remote control aeroplane, Cox motor 519 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:44.279 on that sucker came from the number one. What the 520 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:46.839 name was, I can't remember the name of the store, 521 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.759 but anyway, nice place. I mean, this was top of 522 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:52.160 the line and I got it. 523 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:52.440 Oat. 524 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:54.720 Come on today, let's get out of the park and fly. 525 00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:58.039 He said, son, it's too cold. He said. This ain't 526 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:01.279 like your little Cox trainer airplane where it's held together 527 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:03.839 by rubber bands. When you crash it, you just put 528 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:05.920 it back together. He said, it's too cold. If you, 529 00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:08.960 you know, go one way or the other. You crack 530 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:12.200 this plane up, plastic and cold. I mean, it's like 531 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:15.200 twenty five degrees. Tomorrow's gonna be forty. We'll go out 532 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:19.640 and fly it, okay, daddy, you know. So I put 533 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:21.880 it back under the tree and go upstairs. And I 534 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:24.519 knew that my daddy was but he gets up early 535 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:26.759 at Christmas with these youngins, and I knew he'd be 536 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:31.359 napping here soon. And he falls asleep and tiptoe down there, 537 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:33.400 go by the tree. I get my plane. I'm out 538 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:34.960 in the back door and I'm headed to the park. 539 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:37.960 I fired that thing up. Man, it sounds so sweet. 540 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:41.359 I take all perfect and I'm flying around doing loop 541 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:45.240 the loops, figure eights, and I'm top of the world. Yeah, 542 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:47.519 can't wait for some of my friends and wake up 543 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:52.680 and come down here look at this thing and start 544 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:54.160 sputtering a little bit. So I got to bring it 545 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:56.200 in for a landing. And I'm down to Hippie Park, 546 00:28:56.279 --> 00:29:01.359 I mean human cray No. I met h Wallace Park 547 00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:04.680 and it's not a level field. And I pulled that 548 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.319 thing down of that wing tip, and that thing broke 549 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:12.519 in half, the wing broken half. And cried and sniffle 550 00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:14.119 it up. I get my plane. I put it back 551 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:18.079 in the box. I get it back package, get home. 552 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:21.680 I put it under the tree. I go to my room. 553 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:24.680 I've been crying. Next morning, my Daddy wakes up. First thing, 554 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:26.960 he says, all right, boy, get your plane, let's go flying. 555 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:32.319 I said, Daddy, I'm okay. He says, son, you've been 556 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:34.960 bugging me. Let's get the plane and go for now. 557 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:37.200 I'm okay, Daddy. That's the first thing he said. 558 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:37.599 What'd you do? 559 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:43.880 Boy? Daddy went downstairs, pulled it out, opened it up 560 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:47.880 the broke wing. He said, damn son, least you won't 561 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:50.039 by yourself. I said, what do you mean, Daddy? 562 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:50.279 I was? 563 00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:51.960 He said, no, you didn't. You had your dumb ass, 564 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:58.880 would you. I said, think you did it first and only? 565 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:01.240 Flight first and flight. 566 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.640 Sixteen years old? 567 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:05.359 That's fun. 568 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:10.799 Christmas, wake up. My daddy put a six by six 569 00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:17.440 posts in the backyard backboard, rim net or basketball my gift. 570 00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:24.599 Wow backyard. The alley had a surface, so me and 571 00:30:24.680 --> 00:30:27.720 my brothers will all go start playing basketball. Then the 572 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:31.880 fight start. I grab my ball, run in and Daddy said, 573 00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:33.920 you know, so I got to learn how to play 574 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:37.599 and get along. I said, Daddy, it ain't you know 575 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:40.440 how it goes. So then we started another game and 576 00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:43.359 the fight was starting. And after about the fifth fight, 577 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:47.119 I'm sitting there arguing that my brother's got my ball 578 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:51.079 running away, and I hear when I turn around, look, 579 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:53.279 my daddy pulls the chainsaw out and cuts my damn 580 00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:59.000 gold on Christmas Day, said dad. End and dad, and 581 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:03.000 it never went back. Oh no, Christmas is not one 582 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:06.400 of my favorite times of the year with gifts. 583 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:08.720 And that it makes sense now and that and that 584 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:11.400 was your rotation. Yeah, four years. 585 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:12.559 Between rotation I was done. 586 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:12.759 Well. 587 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:14.960 My first one, I got a bike, but it was 588 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:17.119 used and I tore it up in about three weeks. 589 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:24.079 So wow. Christmas was never a I loved Christmas for 590 00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:28.000 the meaning, but I never took the gifts. I love 591 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:31.480 giving gifts anyway. You know, my kids asked me what 592 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:33.359 do you want? I don't know. I mean that's how 593 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:35.240 you end up with a sweatshirt when you say that 594 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:39.960 word that nothing for nothing for a drill cover. Yeah. 595 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:43.680 But my brother was a very wealthy feller and uh 596 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:47.960 poet year. I think this was back in the whenever 597 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:51.559 the Atlantic Olympics. He lived in Atlanta. Hell of a 598 00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:54.839 businessman back then. He was making hundreds of thousand dollars year. 599 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:57.799 Bought my mama Olympic pen. I said, man, you really 600 00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:01.680 broke the bank. And I always spend every time I 601 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:04.680 had on my mom at Christmas because my daddy couldn't 602 00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:06.519 afford to buy our jewelry at the time, and I'd 603 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:08.359 buy her whatever I could afford. 604 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:12.119 So Alex got you that hoodie for Christmas? Yes, and 605 00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:15.319 I'm sensing that it was not a great gift. 606 00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:19.119 No, I love thee I'm just messing with it. I 607 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:21.680 asked me all the time, what do you want? I said, 608 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:24.440 whatever you want to get? So if I I made 609 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:26.200 a point of my life, if I wanted, I already 610 00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:29.079 got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm hard to shop for. 611 00:32:29.279 --> 00:32:30.799 I got, you know, a tall. 612 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:31.920 Guy's sixteen shoe. 613 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:34.240 Yeah. You know, it's not like you're gonna go get 614 00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:35.960 me a pack of slippers. You know, you get me 615 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:38.880 a box that you got your shoes in for some 616 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:41.440 laces on them, to say happy birthday, daddy. 617 00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:43.359 But I just don't. 618 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:47.039 I never felt comfortable gidding. 619 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:48.680 I'm the same way. 620 00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:52.400 I'd rather leave it, or I would rather be the giver. Yeah, 621 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:56.279 I love giving. I don't like I feel uncomfortable. I 622 00:32:56.359 --> 00:32:59.880 feel like, you know, do I owe you something for that? 623 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:02.799 And actually they're trying to pay me back for what 624 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:04.920 I've given. But yeah, I don't do it for that. 625 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:06.319 I've never done anything to. 626 00:33:06.319 --> 00:33:09.160 Get I'm kind of the same way, like i'd rather 627 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:11.440 It's not that I don't want gifts or on a 628 00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:15.119 like gifts. It's just it's because of similar things, having 629 00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:18.880 three siblings and being in times of poverty, and you know, 630 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:21.079 sometimes gifts are shared between kids. 631 00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:23.880 It's just disappointing, and you don't want to feel the disappointment. 632 00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:27.359 You rather feel Wow, man, almost got that. I'd rather 633 00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:30.640 almost get it then get it, especially certain. 634 00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:32.519 Things, right, I completely understand. 635 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:37.480 Yeah, you know, and that's but Lord, people out there 636 00:33:37.519 --> 00:33:37.880 won't it. 637 00:33:39.160 --> 00:33:42.519 Yeah, around Christmas, Alex is always like dunking on Christmas 638 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:45.440 and he's always like, we're Thanksgiving, which, by the way, 639 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:50.880 wish on Thanksgiving is amazing. It's a city recognized holiday. 640 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:57.359 Yeah, yep, it was nineteen eighty six. We were proclamated 641 00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:02.880 the wish on they old Thanksgiving. Whatever you say, No, 642 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:04.039 that's funny acclamation. 643 00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:06.720 Yeah, I love it. It's real. 644 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:10.679 Mayor Ben Halterman one of my daddy's best friends. But 645 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:13.320 we had a community Thanksgiving. We'd put the tin up 646 00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:15.679 and have the pig cooking and do oysters in the 647 00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:19.280 morning hang town fry what they call it. First we 648 00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:22.320 started with a pig in the ground fish fry. 649 00:34:22.960 --> 00:34:23.119 You know. 650 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:27.760 It was a celebration. We'd have seventy five hundred people 651 00:34:27.880 --> 00:34:30.920 every Thanksgiving for what six to eight to ten hours. 652 00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:34.079 We started at eight in the morning, seventy five hundred. 653 00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:37.719 Seventy five to one hundred and fifty probably. 654 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:39.039 Oh there's still a lot though. 655 00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:42.519 Well, hell, we filled up, you know, quite a few ourselves, 656 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:47.360 especially when the grandchildren all started coming along. Yeah, but 657 00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:50.280 a Thanksgiving now, you know, there's average of fifty to 658 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:51.000 fifty three. 659 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:53.320 Can confirm I did go this year. 660 00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:55.320 Yeah, and this was one of our lightest year. 661 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:55.719 Is probab. 662 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:58.599 We had some people that weren't able to make it 663 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:04.960 through illness or distance. But uh, and I've never my 664 00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:08.960 oldest sister. I'm not gonna say, oh she is, she'll 665 00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:13.079 beat my ass. We call her the serge. God God 666 00:35:13.159 --> 00:35:15.800 gave my mother a daughter, then four boys, you know, 667 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:18.719 oh gosh, and my sister raised most of the boys. 668 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.119 You know, I'm a year basically a year and four 669 00:35:22.199 --> 00:35:25.880 months separated my brother. The first five were at the 670 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:30.599 first five were within uh seven years, so you know, 671 00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:33.840 it's a half years. It was pretty quick, you know. 672 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:38.280 And lived in a two bedroom house, so it was interesting. 673 00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:40.440 But we never went without. We didn't know we were 674 00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:45.440 poor unless you know, we all we thought we were rich, right, 675 00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:49.639 But man, we had some good times. Never a dull moment, 676 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:52.880 never a dull moment. But we all learned how to 677 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:57.639 treat people. My father was an unbelievable man. His ethics 678 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:03.000 is his uh morals. If he told you was gonna 679 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:04.960 do something, it was done. And that's how it was. 680 00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:07.800 I never had a contract in thirty six years of business, 681 00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:13.559 uh for catering. Wow, two thousand people, thousand people. If 682 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:15.199 I told you I'm gonna be there, I'll be there. 683 00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:18.519 I catered on my daddy's funeral. That after his funeral, 684 00:36:18.519 --> 00:36:20.840 I had to go to work. Wow. People said, man, 685 00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:24.360 I think these people would understand. I said, no, my 686 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:27.320 daddy would. Right. He said, there's nothing you can do 687 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:28.760 for me now. So the best thing you can do 688 00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:31.719 for me is live on and show them what a 689 00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:35.599 wishon's all about. That's the best way I could honor 690 00:36:35.719 --> 00:36:39.079 my daddy is by being morally right. That's true. 691 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:43.480 You guys are definitely a very unique family. First of all, 692 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:47.039 there's a ton of you. Yeah, I guess, being that 693 00:36:47.239 --> 00:36:49.519 you know you were with eight, not that you didn't 694 00:36:50.199 --> 00:36:52.800 figure there was eight of you, or you had eight siblings. 695 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:58.360 I had seven brothers. Yeah, so you and a couple 696 00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:02.159 of stragglers and dad a couple of stragglers. 697 00:37:02.280 --> 00:37:02.400 Oh. 698 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:04.760 Like, my sister would take people in all the time. 699 00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:06.519 Mother would become their mother. 700 00:37:06.679 --> 00:37:09.039 Also, like me, growing up, we always had I mean, 701 00:37:09.079 --> 00:37:10.559 we've had somebody on the show that lived with this 702 00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:12.599 grown up, and there's been lots of others. So you 703 00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:15.239 guys had eight in your family, and then all eight 704 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:18.159 of you throughout time have had your own kids. So 705 00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:21.079 there's what like twenty five first cousins yep, twenty five 706 00:37:21.159 --> 00:37:23.480 of my first cousins. Yeah, yeah, not to mention all 707 00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:25.920 their kids if they have kids now they have kids. 708 00:37:26.039 --> 00:37:28.639 Yeah, most of my cousins have kids because of the 709 00:37:28.760 --> 00:37:31.280 age difference in my uncle's Plus. 710 00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:35.599 Your parents probably had siblings, so your aunts and uncles 711 00:37:35.639 --> 00:37:37.320 that also have all their own kids. So, I mean 712 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:38.480 your family's massive. 713 00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:41.639 Used to be real close with my mother's family until 714 00:37:42.920 --> 00:37:45.920 the eighth was born and they disowned her. Basically, they 715 00:37:45.960 --> 00:37:49.960 said her mother when I was born, kind of left 716 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:53.800 contact with the family because my mother, my grandmother, would 717 00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:58.000 tell my mama that she's running her life. She'll never 718 00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:00.159 be able to get anything done because she's got all 719 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:04.119 these children. You're straddled at home. My mother never drove 720 00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:07.039 a day in her life. What my mother never drove, 721 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:12.480 my imagine can't get away from it now. When the 722 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:17.400 eighth was born. There's such a big gap. My sister 723 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:22.159 was already getting married and was having a baby the 724 00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:26.880 same age, basically as my youngest sister. Of course, the 725 00:38:26.960 --> 00:38:30.840 seventh and eighth. There was a big gap between the 726 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:34.519 sixth and seventh because the only one in six children, 727 00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:39.920 and obviously Diddy didn't know what causes it, and they 728 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:42.559 had another one, and the eighth one was born to 729 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:44.079 keep the seventh company. 730 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:46.239 Wow, where are you in the in the. 731 00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:49.480 I got the crab. I was number five man. 732 00:38:49.800 --> 00:38:52.639 Oh wow, I got from both ends, towards the bottom, 733 00:38:52.679 --> 00:38:53.800 but also towards the middle. 734 00:38:54.039 --> 00:38:56.679 You know, back when I could be in control. I 735 00:38:56.840 --> 00:39:01.719 was basically rated out on everything. Yeah yeah, and then 736 00:39:01.760 --> 00:39:04.039 if you hit my you ain't hit you younger, you know, 737 00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:08.159 come on, man, he just messed with me. So that's 738 00:39:08.199 --> 00:39:09.679 one of the reasons my daddy said, you know, if 739 00:39:09.679 --> 00:39:11.480 you don't want to live under my rules, go make 740 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:13.840 your own. That's when I packed up my MP bag 741 00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:15.960 and moved out at seventeen. 742 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:18.400 Wow, back then when it was just like a lot 743 00:39:18.480 --> 00:39:19.039 more normal. 744 00:39:20.280 --> 00:39:22.800 Not really, it was not. When you're in high school. 745 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:25.239 Most people waited at least till they got kicked out. 746 00:39:25.239 --> 00:39:28.559 When he quit school or I still I had a job, 747 00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:32.119 went to school. But uh I had a blast though. 748 00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:35.440 You grow up, but sometimes you don't make sure until 749 00:39:35.639 --> 00:39:38.880 later on. Yeah, you know, I wasn't gonna have children. 750 00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:42.960 I were going to get married after I turned I 751 00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:44.760 was thirty eight when I got married. I was forty 752 00:39:44.800 --> 00:39:49.159 two when I had Alex. Okay, life has a plan 753 00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:49.760 for everyone. 754 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:52.239 Was that four years buried and then having a kid. 755 00:39:52.400 --> 00:39:54.159 But if I had got married and had a kid 756 00:39:55.239 --> 00:39:58.239 earlier I had ever been around, if my life would 757 00:39:58.280 --> 00:39:59.920 have took the same path because I worked a lot, 758 00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:02.280 and if I went't mark and I played golf. 759 00:40:02.679 --> 00:40:04.559 Did you already have So you already had parties when 760 00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:06.760 he was born because you started in twenty seven. Okay, 761 00:40:06.880 --> 00:40:10.000 so you were born into it. Interesting, it's all I knew. 762 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:12.719 What was that like growing up around parties? It was awesome. 763 00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:17.880 Yeah, yeah, it's become It's like one of my goals, 764 00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:22.679 you know. Uh, like with fatherhood on the horizon, one 765 00:40:22.760 --> 00:40:25.559 of my goals is to provide a way for my 766 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:28.639 children to work. Because I think that that's something that 767 00:40:30.280 --> 00:40:33.719 has really kind of set me apart. Uh So I 768 00:40:33.800 --> 00:40:36.599 didn't I didn't think it was weird at the time 769 00:40:36.719 --> 00:40:40.599 were different, right, I just knew it was what it was. 770 00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:44.320 The interesting thing was is because of the hours, I 771 00:40:44.360 --> 00:40:47.039 could only work in the summertime. So we'd do our 772 00:40:47.079 --> 00:40:49.639 summertime thing and go to work and I'd we know, 773 00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:51.800 we'd go pick up bread for the day, and then 774 00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:55.199 we'd stop by mister Fisher's office and talk to him, 775 00:40:55.239 --> 00:40:57.039 and then we'd go into work and I'd work for 776 00:40:57.639 --> 00:41:02.159 you know, a couple hours. But my life was, Hey, Dad, 777 00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:04.079 I want this. He said, okay, how much is it? 778 00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:07.760 I said, you know, I can remember my first surfboard 779 00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:10.000 was two hundred dollars. I said, I want this surfboard. 780 00:41:10.360 --> 00:41:13.719 He said, all right, go to work. So and I 781 00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:15.719 don't think I was getting paid. I think it was 782 00:41:15.840 --> 00:41:17.920 just all tip money. I was wiping down That's all 783 00:41:17.960 --> 00:41:21.079 I could do. I mean, liven, I'm seven years old, 784 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:24.400 wiping down tables. And then people, would, you know, give 785 00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:25.239 me a couple bucks. 786 00:41:25.320 --> 00:41:26.400 That's absolutely great. 787 00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:28.239 And I worked all summer and I spent two hundred 788 00:41:28.280 --> 00:41:30.079 dollars on my first surfboard. 789 00:41:30.679 --> 00:41:33.000 But he was in the restaurant at four and five 790 00:41:33.199 --> 00:41:37.480 in the summertime with me cleaning tables. Yeah, and then 791 00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:41.239 he went into management. When his younger brother was able 792 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:44.559 to reach the table, Alex would instruct him how to 793 00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:49.079 clean the table, and then they would because my people 794 00:41:49.159 --> 00:41:52.000 tipped the kids well, yeah, they knew I wasn't paying them, 795 00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:56.840 and they tipped them well. And then Nick was told 796 00:41:56.920 --> 00:41:58.880 that Alex would take care of all the tips and 797 00:41:58.960 --> 00:42:00.920 he would get his percentage yet the end of the day. 798 00:42:01.440 --> 00:42:03.079 So he went in to manage it, and he was 799 00:42:03.119 --> 00:42:06.239 the next day with me a long time. And Alex, 800 00:42:06.360 --> 00:42:08.480 when he got driver's license, he got the hell out 801 00:42:08.519 --> 00:42:08.760 of there. 802 00:42:09.360 --> 00:42:12.599 He knew that job was not and he was at 803 00:42:12.639 --> 00:42:14.320 Ashley by the time he was you know, seventy. 804 00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:17.320 He left Meshley right right, Yeah, he left you and 805 00:42:17.360 --> 00:42:19.440 went there. Yeah. Yeah, I'll never forgive you. 806 00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:23.880 By the way, if it's not clear, Alex's younger brother's 807 00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:25.559 name is Nick. I don't know if you ever said 808 00:42:25.559 --> 00:42:28.000 that on the show. It's just kind of a thing. 809 00:42:28.320 --> 00:42:29.079 My favorite son. 810 00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:31.760 Wait, which which one? 811 00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:32.039 You know? 812 00:42:32.239 --> 00:42:36.119 I was gonna ask, is it Nixon's favorite? No way, dude, 813 00:42:36.159 --> 00:42:38.280 Nick carried that restaurant man, That's true. 814 00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:38.599 He did. 815 00:42:38.760 --> 00:42:39.719 He helped a lot, didn't he. 816 00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:43.480 Alex was always busy. Nick was always there. 817 00:42:44.599 --> 00:42:47.360 What was Alex busy doing uh. 818 00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:52.079 I guess running Ashley Furniture. You know, Courton Olivia. He was. 819 00:42:52.760 --> 00:42:54.320 I was about to say Court and to live Court 820 00:42:54.360 --> 00:42:55.159 and missus Ashley. 821 00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:58.320 I remember the first time I saw those group of 822 00:42:58.400 --> 00:43:01.920 kids together, and there's all great friends, which is great 823 00:43:01.960 --> 00:43:07.599 to see. But uh, Alex hung around a lot of 824 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:13.400 people that had a little different uh upbringing. Of course, 825 00:43:13.840 --> 00:43:16.760 you know, hell help everybody's granddad. You know, most people 826 00:43:16.840 --> 00:43:20.519 always thought I was their granddad. Yeah, you know, because 827 00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:23.079 the age is different. You know, by the time they 828 00:43:23.119 --> 00:43:26.320 got to school, I'm fifty and everybody in there, all 829 00:43:26.320 --> 00:43:27.679 the other parents are in their thirties. 830 00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:29.960 Same with my parents. You're you're only a few years 831 00:43:29.960 --> 00:43:30.639 older than my mom. 832 00:43:31.360 --> 00:43:33.360 And I said, one day you'll thank me because I 833 00:43:33.559 --> 00:43:36.440 was the meanest dad in his classes. 834 00:43:36.760 --> 00:43:39.440 Well my kid, Yeah, my friends are scared of him. 835 00:43:40.239 --> 00:43:43.559 But I was then end up all their being their favorites. 836 00:43:43.679 --> 00:43:46.280 Yeah, and they're all hanging around, yeah, you know, and 837 00:43:46.519 --> 00:43:50.360 and my friends still have a great relationship. Like my 838 00:43:50.519 --> 00:43:52.920 friends from middle school and high school. I now go 839 00:43:53.079 --> 00:43:55.519 hang out with my dad. I know they don't even 840 00:43:55.599 --> 00:43:57.920 they you know, I'm busy and they're going to hang 841 00:43:57.960 --> 00:43:58.519 out with my dad. 842 00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:01.400 It's cool. I'm glad, you know, I know one of 843 00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:03.599 your buddies is still going over there all the time. 844 00:44:03.840 --> 00:44:08.159 Yeah. Yeah, Wow, It's got a good group of friends 845 00:44:08.199 --> 00:44:09.800 and I all got the same type of hearts. 846 00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:13.719 You know, I've I've never really thought about this, but 847 00:44:13.800 --> 00:44:16.679 I've never met. Does Nick have any like other group 848 00:44:16.719 --> 00:44:20.159 of friends? No, he kind of I mean stuck with 849 00:44:20.199 --> 00:44:20.599 your crowd. 850 00:44:20.679 --> 00:44:20.880 Yeah. 851 00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:23.119 Nick was just I mean, growing up, Nick was my 852 00:44:23.199 --> 00:44:24.960 shadow and for a long time I didn't like that, 853 00:44:26.199 --> 00:44:27.639 Like it was like, go be your own person. And 854 00:44:27.719 --> 00:44:30.480 then somewhere in high school it kind of flipped and 855 00:44:30.599 --> 00:44:32.280 it was like, you know, if he's with me, I 856 00:44:32.360 --> 00:44:35.679 know where he is. And so then we like and 857 00:44:35.920 --> 00:44:38.239 and my friends were kind of pushed me. They're like, hey, man, 858 00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:41.440 you're being a jerk, and I'm like, and so they 859 00:44:41.880 --> 00:44:45.280 they talked me into it and they all adopted him, 860 00:44:45.320 --> 00:44:48.719 and yeah, now he's great friends with all my friend group. 861 00:44:48.760 --> 00:44:50.519 It's all very meshed together now. 862 00:44:50.639 --> 00:44:54.159 But yeah, Nicky, we love Nick. Nick. We were calling 863 00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:56.559 party at the bachelor party, did you know that party, Junior? 864 00:44:57.079 --> 00:44:59.719 And he was cooking for us. Nick was running the shit. 865 00:45:00.480 --> 00:45:03.800 Yeah, he came serious. He does he does very serious. 866 00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:06.440 We were all calling him Party Junior or just party, 867 00:45:06.519 --> 00:45:09.119 and you know he's he's really coming. 868 00:45:08.920 --> 00:45:11.159 To his own Yeah, and that was my fault that 869 00:45:11.280 --> 00:45:13.480 run him away. It was just he didn't have enough help. 870 00:45:13.519 --> 00:45:15.760 And and he's like his daddy. He's a worker, not 871 00:45:15.880 --> 00:45:19.719 a instructor. He took me twenty some years to become 872 00:45:19.760 --> 00:45:20.360 a delegator. 873 00:45:20.719 --> 00:45:22.880 Yeah I was, and now he's really good at it. 874 00:45:23.039 --> 00:45:30.519 I got I've got a professor delegator. But I worked 875 00:45:30.559 --> 00:45:34.880 myself to the boat. I mean it was the first 876 00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:37.559 twenty some years. I did everything I've witnessed anybody on 877 00:45:37.639 --> 00:45:40.480 the grill. I had to line out the door when 878 00:45:40.519 --> 00:45:42.960 I was cooking. People just wanted to come in. One 879 00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:45.360 food was great, but just to hear what I was 880 00:45:45.440 --> 00:45:47.639 going to say, because I'd get pissed off until I 881 00:45:47.719 --> 00:45:51.079 got too big. I'd holler at people, close the door, 882 00:45:51.199 --> 00:45:54.159 pick up your food. People would just come in to 883 00:45:54.239 --> 00:45:55.119 hear what I was going to say. 884 00:45:55.199 --> 00:45:57.119 That that's amazing. 885 00:45:57.239 --> 00:45:59.079 I tried to communicate with my mom. I was under 886 00:45:59.159 --> 00:46:02.480 the hood and it sounded like I was yelling, but 887 00:46:02.599 --> 00:46:03.039 I wasn't. 888 00:46:03.079 --> 00:46:06.280 You know, where'd the name parties come from? 889 00:46:07.679 --> 00:46:10.920 It became a nickname on my daddy's They used to 890 00:46:10.920 --> 00:46:14.719 call him Archie like Archie Bunker and my mama Edith. 891 00:46:14.920 --> 00:46:17.719 This was in the family. My sister in law and 892 00:46:17.880 --> 00:46:22.559 my brother in law started calling Edith and Archie, and 893 00:46:22.719 --> 00:46:26.840 so Archie became my daddy's name, uh pet name. And 894 00:46:28.760 --> 00:46:32.239 my oldest brother's wife was an artist, and she drew 895 00:46:32.360 --> 00:46:35.960 the logo with the pigs ass as the p P 896 00:46:36.239 --> 00:46:39.599 A R C H I is. So the reason she 897 00:46:39.760 --> 00:46:46.679 did that. Her youngest son couldn't say Archie, he said Parchie, 898 00:46:48.159 --> 00:46:51.480 and being a contrariy like Archie Bunker, was that she 899 00:46:51.639 --> 00:46:53.599 drew the pigs ass as the pea. And that's how 900 00:46:53.719 --> 00:46:57.239 Parchies became. Because when we first started, we were IPI 901 00:46:57.320 --> 00:47:01.480 parkin session. Yeah, and I work, and I had to 902 00:47:02.119 --> 00:47:04.559 help my daddy on the weekends and all we always 903 00:47:05.760 --> 00:47:07.280 because I was out of the house, so I'd go 904 00:47:07.480 --> 00:47:10.440 make a you know, I'd work all day. I'm talking 905 00:47:10.440 --> 00:47:14.079 with sixteen. We'd have tournaments and would sell hundreds of 906 00:47:14.159 --> 00:47:17.280 dozen a hot dog barbecue sandwiches at fifty cents a piece, 907 00:47:18.159 --> 00:47:21.039 and he'd give me twenty bucks. He thought he was 908 00:47:21.119 --> 00:47:24.400 ever paying me from what he used to make in 909 00:47:24.519 --> 00:47:28.199 this day doing the same thing right in the thirties, 910 00:47:28.360 --> 00:47:29.679 you know, in the forties. 911 00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:32.559 So I'll never forget it. Man, going to the parties. 912 00:47:32.920 --> 00:47:35.320 It was just like a legendary experience because you know, 913 00:47:35.400 --> 00:47:36.920 we were working together and we would ride and it 914 00:47:36.920 --> 00:47:39.480 would be like our special lunch. There was a while 915 00:47:39.559 --> 00:47:42.039 there we were doing it once a week and Nick 916 00:47:42.119 --> 00:47:43.360 never got to see it. But I'll just paint the 917 00:47:43.400 --> 00:47:46.480 picture like little things like this, like these little guys 918 00:47:46.559 --> 00:47:49.719 and these little guys, imagine that. But there's like probably 919 00:47:49.760 --> 00:47:52.480 one hundred of them, and it's just pigs. And that 920 00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:55.639 was he never big ones, small ones, And I never 921 00:47:55.679 --> 00:47:57.400 bought him. He never bought it. They just brought them 922 00:47:57.400 --> 00:48:00.880 to you guests or customers. 923 00:48:01.039 --> 00:48:04.760 Yeah, but bus customers, most of them are freewheks. Yeah, 924 00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:09.199 you know, I had I saw three generations grow up 925 00:48:09.239 --> 00:48:10.039 in that neighborhood. 926 00:48:10.320 --> 00:48:10.559 Yeah. 927 00:48:10.960 --> 00:48:13.320 You think there's not enough time, but it is. In 928 00:48:13.440 --> 00:48:18.119 that neighborhood. It was children and uh grandchildren, great grandchildren 929 00:48:18.440 --> 00:48:22.599 and the mother hadn't hit forty yet. Wow, yeah it was. 930 00:48:23.039 --> 00:48:26.639 But you know, we had a great time. I met 931 00:48:26.679 --> 00:48:30.440 a lot of great people, met a lot of probably 932 00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:34.719 only probably had five bad instances the whole time I 933 00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:37.199 was there. That's amazing, And people are always scared of 934 00:48:37.239 --> 00:48:39.239 that area. They said, where's your restaurant? Whole all good 935 00:48:39.239 --> 00:48:42.039 to that side of town. I said, well, I wouldn't 936 00:48:42.039 --> 00:48:45.239 at twelve o'clock going to buy some drugs or something, 937 00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:49.599 but you know, between eight and two it's very safe. 938 00:48:49.639 --> 00:48:51.719 And I go down at two in the morning, three 939 00:48:51.800 --> 00:48:54.800 in the morning, four in the morning. Because I'd cook barbecue, 940 00:48:54.800 --> 00:48:56.559 I had to put my pigs on the grill. I 941 00:48:56.639 --> 00:48:59.519 didn't even when I first opened. I parked on the 942 00:48:59.559 --> 00:49:02.880 side of this city street and had a special cooker 943 00:49:02.920 --> 00:49:07.079 built with a handle that was better than a lock. 944 00:49:07.440 --> 00:49:11.000 You couldn't figure how I'd be gone my cooker sitting 945 00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:14.639 on the street, barbecue smoke coming out of it, smelling great, 946 00:49:15.239 --> 00:49:17.920 and people walking by they could have they could have 947 00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:20.920 backed up and hooked onto my grill and drove it away. 948 00:49:21.599 --> 00:49:22.719 I didn't even have a lock on it. 949 00:49:22.960 --> 00:49:25.320 I think some of that so, like, obviously the joint's 950 00:49:25.360 --> 00:49:27.159 never been robbed or anything like that. It is it 951 00:49:27.280 --> 00:49:29.079 isn't in a kind of part of town that, at 952 00:49:29.159 --> 00:49:30.920 least for me moving into town, it's like, whoa, this 953 00:49:31.159 --> 00:49:35.320 this is a sketchy area. But like, I am willing 954 00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:37.719 to bet my life on it that because of the 955 00:49:37.960 --> 00:49:41.800 reputation you made for yourself in service to the community 956 00:49:41.880 --> 00:49:44.519 and being so good to people, you were like you 957 00:49:44.639 --> 00:49:45.480 were respectable. 958 00:49:45.599 --> 00:49:47.920 Disrespect it's respect for sure. 959 00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:52.159 It all is. I mean, I eventually get quite a 960 00:49:52.199 --> 00:49:55.480 few buildings around the other commercial buildings, and they'd messed 961 00:49:55.519 --> 00:49:57.639 with other buildings, but they never messed with mine. Yeah, 962 00:49:58.119 --> 00:50:00.679 it was a word on the street that you don't message. 963 00:50:00.679 --> 00:50:03.760 He's one of us. Played football with their daddy's over 964 00:50:03.840 --> 00:50:07.440 at the Eighth Street Center. You know, one of the 965 00:50:07.480 --> 00:50:09.559 few only white guys, the only white guys ever went 966 00:50:09.599 --> 00:50:14.039 in MVP Trophy for defensive Player. He is talent, you 967 00:50:14.119 --> 00:50:18.679 know everything. Giving three thousand people out there and uh, 968 00:50:19.880 --> 00:50:21.760 two teams going at it for the Turkey Bowl. We 969 00:50:21.800 --> 00:50:24.679 had a year long, you know, a football season during 970 00:50:24.760 --> 00:50:29.039 the fall and it at Thanksgiving Day, wow, and uh, 971 00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:31.400 I'd be partying on Castle Street after the bank went 972 00:50:31.440 --> 00:50:36.639 down there at the ah Street Center. And Pat Murphy 973 00:50:36.800 --> 00:50:39.960 was the guy's last thing. Great guy really cared about 974 00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:44.599 the youth. He kept a lot of people safe just 975 00:50:44.719 --> 00:50:47.840 through his organizations. He's in the Greater Wilmington Hall of 976 00:50:47.920 --> 00:50:51.719 Fame was inducted a few years ago. Cool, but you know, 977 00:50:51.800 --> 00:50:54.280 we our pro was always to get semi pro football 978 00:50:54.800 --> 00:50:57.840 because we had some athletes, and especially in those days 979 00:50:57.880 --> 00:51:02.159 in the eighties early eighties, I played with three Wilming 980 00:51:02.199 --> 00:51:02.880 to ten guys. 981 00:51:03.280 --> 00:51:07.039 You know, I want to tell a story about the 982 00:51:07.039 --> 00:51:12.800 neighborhood with parties. It was nineteen or twenty and Florence 983 00:51:13.079 --> 00:51:18.079 ripped through, Oh, Hurricane Florence, because eighteen was wasn't it 984 00:51:18.159 --> 00:51:21.159 might have been eighteen Yeah, yeah, So twenty eighteen Florence 985 00:51:21.280 --> 00:51:24.559 rips through devastating, devastating storm because it sat for so 986 00:51:24.719 --> 00:51:26.679 long and the wind was blowing the opposite direction that 987 00:51:26.760 --> 00:51:29.719 it normally does. And so I remember the story. It 988 00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:32.239 was moving so slow, and I came right over us, 989 00:51:32.760 --> 00:51:34.639 and you said, hop in the car. So me and 990 00:51:34.840 --> 00:51:38.079 Nick and Dad hopping the car. And we're driving down 991 00:51:38.119 --> 00:51:41.159 to the restaurant, and I mean the busiest four lane 992 00:51:41.239 --> 00:51:44.840 roads in Wilmington and where it's completely empty, and we're 993 00:51:45.679 --> 00:51:48.440 weaving through fallen trees and power lines and stuff like that. 994 00:51:48.559 --> 00:51:51.280 And we get to the restaurant and one of the 995 00:51:51.440 --> 00:51:56.199 original glass windows that's been there since the fifties, the 996 00:51:56.360 --> 00:52:02.239 fifties blown out right, water glass, wind blown, everything in 997 00:52:02.280 --> 00:52:02.840 the restaurant. 998 00:52:03.119 --> 00:52:04.360 There's it's it's flooded. 999 00:52:05.280 --> 00:52:07.400 We're like, oh my god, right, we pulled up just 1000 00:52:07.519 --> 00:52:08.079 in your truck. 1001 00:52:08.679 --> 00:52:09.239 Nothing, we're not. 1002 00:52:12.119 --> 00:52:14.320 So he said, all right, let's figure this out. I'm 1003 00:52:14.360 --> 00:52:16.719 sure it was a little more colorful than that. And 1004 00:52:17.840 --> 00:52:20.559 so me and Nick start walking up the street and 1005 00:52:21.440 --> 00:52:25.639 here's Henry, one of our best customers in there every day. 1006 00:52:25.920 --> 00:52:28.000 He said, Hey, what are y'all doing? We said, Henry, 1007 00:52:28.039 --> 00:52:29.440 the wind is blown out. He said, I got some 1008 00:52:29.480 --> 00:52:32.360 wood in the backyard. So we walked to Henry's backyard. 1009 00:52:33.679 --> 00:52:37.280 Perfect sheet of plywood, perfect size. Me and Nick drag 1010 00:52:37.440 --> 00:52:40.159 it back up the street, prop it up. Henry comes 1011 00:52:40.199 --> 00:52:42.440 with us. We got the right amount of hammers in 1012 00:52:42.480 --> 00:52:44.719 the back of Dad's truck and the right amount of screws, 1013 00:52:45.119 --> 00:52:47.320 and we hammered the board up in the eye of 1014 00:52:47.360 --> 00:52:50.639 the hurricane that we didn't should like it, just everything 1015 00:52:51.440 --> 00:52:54.719 was provided to us in the moment. That's one of 1016 00:52:54.800 --> 00:52:59.159 my favorite stories, just with you know, Pargy's placed in 1017 00:52:59.199 --> 00:53:01.360 the community, but also I think there's an element of 1018 00:53:02.840 --> 00:53:06.400 just kind of giving it up and letting things figure 1019 00:53:06.440 --> 00:53:07.039 themselves out. 1020 00:53:08.400 --> 00:53:11.119 It's the only hurricane I closed for a period of time. 1021 00:53:11.079 --> 00:53:14.639 For because every hurricane before that, you were on the 1022 00:53:14.960 --> 00:53:17.119 hurricane response crew, right. 1023 00:53:17.079 --> 00:53:19.679 For Rice Will Beach to see the fire in the 1024 00:53:19.760 --> 00:53:23.719 city of Wilmington, until they just didn't. I quit the 1025 00:53:23.880 --> 00:53:26.639 city of Wilmington, and they brought me in during a hurricane, 1026 00:53:26.719 --> 00:53:30.079 during the storm, and there was only ten people that 1027 00:53:30.119 --> 00:53:32.719 showed up. The need to eat, and I risked my 1028 00:53:32.880 --> 00:53:36.079 life to fulfill my obligation. And it was supposed to 1029 00:53:36.079 --> 00:53:39.400 be and the contract was written for two hundred people, 1030 00:53:39.880 --> 00:53:42.840 and they wanted the same price for twenty or thirty people. 1031 00:53:44.320 --> 00:53:47.519 And I actually even opened up the restaurant, turned had 1032 00:53:47.599 --> 00:53:54.000 fans blowing stuff out and generators on my refrigerators, and 1033 00:53:54.280 --> 00:53:57.440 I cooked for three days and fed fifty people. I 1034 00:53:57.519 --> 00:53:59.000 think I made three hundred dollars. 1035 00:53:59.480 --> 00:54:03.119 Wow, speaking of your refrigerator. I seem to remember you 1036 00:54:03.239 --> 00:54:06.880 guys both. Yes, yes, I have always told going back, 1037 00:54:06.920 --> 00:54:09.519 because I mean I've known you guys for I guess 1038 00:54:09.599 --> 00:54:11.000 like seven years now something like that. 1039 00:54:11.199 --> 00:54:14.119 So yeah, don't don't uh I want to tea that 1040 00:54:14.159 --> 00:54:15.360 he knew you know what he's talking about. 1041 00:54:15.880 --> 00:54:17.280 I don't want to. I don't want to spoil the 1042 00:54:17.360 --> 00:54:18.360 story by teeing it up. 1043 00:54:19.400 --> 00:54:20.239 Go ahead, said the. 1044 00:54:21.719 --> 00:54:23.679 On the side of the road with the baby choking. 1045 00:54:24.840 --> 00:54:32.599 Oh that was not long after, you know, one of 1046 00:54:32.639 --> 00:54:33.800 my employees I found. 1047 00:54:34.639 --> 00:54:36.360 But we can talk about that first if you want to. 1048 00:54:36.920 --> 00:54:40.480 Well, I think it goes in a in order, Okay, 1049 00:54:40.760 --> 00:54:43.400 to go with that, I had a kid working for 1050 00:54:43.559 --> 00:54:46.559 me and he was supposed to going back to night 1051 00:54:46.639 --> 00:54:51.639 school at k NO. That little mount, the one that 1052 00:54:51.800 --> 00:54:53.760 used to be up on the corner up there, up 1053 00:54:53.800 --> 00:54:56.719 towards Market, straight up towards the college. Actually across straight 1054 00:54:56.760 --> 00:55:03.480 from the college. Uh, I forget the but anyway. 1055 00:55:04.440 --> 00:55:08.800 Miller Mott, Miller Mott, that could have been it. There 1056 00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:10.039 is a Miller Mott out on Market. 1057 00:55:10.119 --> 00:55:12.840 I think I think this was actually on College Road 1058 00:55:13.679 --> 00:55:15.960 behind the Greek Church. There was a I'm not sure 1059 00:55:16.039 --> 00:55:19.519 that community. But anyway, his wife he went to UNC, 1060 00:55:20.559 --> 00:55:23.559 couldn't make it there, and he was a great with people, 1061 00:55:23.760 --> 00:55:29.360 great cook, loved what he did. His wife work at 1062 00:55:29.440 --> 00:55:32.840 PPD and she and we fed PPD and she was 1063 00:55:33.400 --> 00:55:36.159 she was embarrassed. She didn't like him being a grill 1064 00:55:36.239 --> 00:55:40.679 boy basically, and so he started back school to finish 1065 00:55:40.719 --> 00:55:43.880 his degree to go, in her opinion, to become a 1066 00:55:44.639 --> 00:55:50.000 real man, I guess and uh, christ was about to 1067 00:55:50.039 --> 00:55:52.719 comment is towards the middle of the end of November 1068 00:55:52.800 --> 00:55:57.960 and December. Man, it's wacky. We're just non stop for 1069 00:55:58.519 --> 00:56:01.000 because we closed for two weeks after Christmas. Wtch I 1070 00:56:01.079 --> 00:56:04.840 pay my guys bonus him out and uh what it 1071 00:56:04.960 --> 00:56:09.840 was close to that and he was graduation. His family 1072 00:56:09.960 --> 00:56:11.840 was coming to town. They were having a big party. 1073 00:56:11.880 --> 00:56:14.119 I was going to the party. We're all going to 1074 00:56:14.199 --> 00:56:20.480 celebrate getting his degree. And uh, instead of getting a degree, 1075 00:56:21.880 --> 00:56:25.559 he closed up, took the money bag and disappeared. 1076 00:56:26.280 --> 00:56:30.960 M I'm going So I closed the restaurant, took the 1077 00:56:31.039 --> 00:56:32.079 money bag from the restaurant. 1078 00:56:32.280 --> 00:56:35.760 Yeah, And then next day I hear about eleven o'clock 1079 00:56:35.800 --> 00:56:40.800 at night, his wife's calling me, have you seen him? Said, 1080 00:56:40.800 --> 00:56:42.320 I saw him when he left work, but that's the 1081 00:56:42.400 --> 00:56:46.199 last time I saw him. Well, I can't find him. Well, 1082 00:56:48.840 --> 00:56:51.559 look around. I'm sure there's nothing wrong. He's probably having 1083 00:56:51.599 --> 00:56:55.960 a beer or something somewhere. And time got away. Next morning, 1084 00:56:58.239 --> 00:57:00.760 there were to be no one seen, no one's heard 1085 00:57:00.800 --> 00:57:05.639 from him. Talked to his wife and she's very distrolled, 1086 00:57:05.840 --> 00:57:09.719 as she should be. His mother and father getting ready 1087 00:57:09.760 --> 00:57:14.480 to arrive for the graduation party. And uh, so I 1088 00:57:14.559 --> 00:57:17.760 asked her. I said, well, look at the credit cards. 1089 00:57:18.360 --> 00:57:21.400 She said, well, they're still in his parents' name, his 1090 00:57:21.480 --> 00:57:23.440 credit card. Let's to call them see if they can 1091 00:57:23.519 --> 00:57:26.679 track any gas purchases or anything like that. And so 1092 00:57:26.840 --> 00:57:32.440 for three days there was nothing, no purchases. So he 1093 00:57:32.639 --> 00:57:34.679 can't be traveling. You got to put gas in his car. 1094 00:57:34.760 --> 00:57:38.679 He had a jeep, older green jeep. And he lived 1095 00:57:39.480 --> 00:57:45.199 right down from actually in the same area where you 1096 00:57:45.320 --> 00:57:47.400 used to live, in those apartments that they built there 1097 00:57:47.440 --> 00:57:51.920 off seventh sixteenth Street and right down the road across 1098 00:57:52.000 --> 00:57:56.840 from back then it was a temple Baptist church activity center. 1099 00:57:57.519 --> 00:58:00.320 Across was a cut through where you could take before 1100 00:58:00.320 --> 00:58:02.599 we go drive and go into those woods where you lived. 1101 00:58:03.320 --> 00:58:08.159 And he lived in that set apartments up towards Conneby Trot. 1102 00:58:09.199 --> 00:58:11.239 And after the third day, you know, I'm calling the 1103 00:58:11.320 --> 00:58:13.800 phone company because he had one of my phones through 1104 00:58:13.840 --> 00:58:16.000 the company, and I would see if there's any pings 1105 00:58:16.039 --> 00:58:21.079 coming off, any transmitters, no communication. Wow. And it was 1106 00:58:21.679 --> 00:58:24.760 the last night it was cold as heck, and h 1107 00:58:27.360 --> 00:58:30.519 I started getting a feeling, you know that something's wrong, 1108 00:58:30.760 --> 00:58:34.039 something's really wrong here. Is he try to, you know, 1109 00:58:34.159 --> 00:58:36.719 commit suicide or something. That's what's going through my head 1110 00:58:37.199 --> 00:58:40.039 and h The next morning I get up, I called 1111 00:58:40.079 --> 00:58:42.880 for riseon first thing I did at five point thirty 1112 00:58:42.920 --> 00:58:47.199 in the morning. It was all tell them and I 1113 00:58:47.400 --> 00:58:50.599 called him and I said, has there been any communication 1114 00:58:50.760 --> 00:58:55.199 with this number? She looks, She said there was at 1115 00:58:55.239 --> 00:58:58.239 twelve thirty. That's about what I was thinking about this thing. 1116 00:58:58.960 --> 00:59:03.159 There was a ping off of that line. I said, 1117 00:59:03.239 --> 00:59:08.440 what location? What tower picked it up? And she said 1118 00:59:09.440 --> 00:59:14.239 the hospital tower. He lives here, all these woods here. 1119 00:59:14.440 --> 00:59:17.320 He's got a four wheel drive jeep. I had just 1120 00:59:17.559 --> 00:59:23.320 bought a four wheel drive truck a week before, never 1121 00:59:23.400 --> 00:59:27.119 owned one in my life. I give the truck. I 1122 00:59:27.239 --> 00:59:29.840 go to work. I tell my key guy, but she 1123 00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:33.039 was my key guy. So I told the guy I'm 1124 00:59:33.159 --> 00:59:36.239 working for us, and I said, uh, Floyd, I got 1125 00:59:36.480 --> 00:59:40.840 I think I know where our guy is. So I 1126 00:59:41.000 --> 00:59:45.239 drive down seventeenth sixteenth Street, take a right, take a 1127 00:59:45.320 --> 00:59:52.480 right of the trail, and I got just basketball goosebumps. 1128 00:59:52.559 --> 00:59:53.400 Yeah, goosebumps. 1129 00:59:53.840 --> 00:59:56.119 Because every time I went around a corner or something, 1130 00:59:56.119 --> 00:59:58.679 I do what I'm a fine and so that I 1131 00:59:58.719 --> 01:00:00.559 don't know where I'm at in the woods. It's along 1132 01:00:00.880 --> 01:00:04.800 It was three blocks long at one time, that block 1133 01:00:04.880 --> 01:00:08.519 where the where the movie theater now is and all that. 1134 01:00:08.920 --> 01:00:11.159 Okay, yeah, I know, yeah, the area. 1135 01:00:11.400 --> 01:00:12.920 So I get to about the middle where the movie 1136 01:00:12.960 --> 01:00:16.239 theaters park in the middle of the woods there, and 1137 01:00:18.119 --> 01:00:21.639 you go about fifteen to twenty yards you go straight 1138 01:00:22.480 --> 01:00:26.159 and left. Now, Maggie, if you're going straight, you're going 1139 01:00:26.239 --> 01:00:29.719 to run right into Independence at the end of the 1140 01:00:29.800 --> 01:00:33.440 road there, because that whole block runs into where Independence 1141 01:00:33.519 --> 01:00:36.000 comes down all the way through to Calenda Beech Road, 1142 01:00:36.079 --> 01:00:39.199 right so, and the food line is back in that 1143 01:00:39.320 --> 01:00:42.519 back corner on Calenda Beech Road, on that whole thing. 1144 01:00:43.599 --> 01:00:45.159 But I don't know where I'm at in those woods. 1145 01:00:45.199 --> 01:00:47.719 I've never been in there. So I get to a 1146 01:00:47.760 --> 01:00:51.639 point where I got to go left or straight, and 1147 01:00:51.800 --> 01:00:54.519 something says take a left, So I take a left. 1148 01:00:56.079 --> 01:01:00.679 Backed up in the woods, is g this is the 1149 01:01:00.760 --> 01:01:06.079 fourth day when he's been gone, Yeah, and I'm dying 1150 01:01:06.159 --> 01:01:10.679 one one I found him, Well, I found the truck 1151 01:01:11.679 --> 01:01:17.639 lives in it. I'm a quarter mile now, maybe a 1152 01:01:17.679 --> 01:01:19.679 half mile away from that truck. I don't want to 1153 01:01:19.679 --> 01:01:21.960 get near that truck. Yeah, I don't want to find 1154 01:01:22.000 --> 01:01:25.920 my little buddy after four days. But I knew he 1155 01:01:26.039 --> 01:01:30.920 was live at midnight, but I just didn't know what 1156 01:01:31.000 --> 01:01:33.400 to expect. I said, well, that's y'all's job. You need 1157 01:01:33.440 --> 01:01:36.760 to come down here and you come. No, You've got 1158 01:01:36.840 --> 01:01:40.599 to go see if he's in the car. And I'm crying. 1159 01:01:40.840 --> 01:01:41.800 What would anyone do? 1160 01:01:42.239 --> 01:01:45.559 You know, I'm just basically hysterical, trying to keep it together. 1161 01:01:46.000 --> 01:01:48.800 And I'm okay, okay, and I go in and I 1162 01:01:48.880 --> 01:01:50.840 get up close enough to where I see him in 1163 01:01:50.920 --> 01:01:54.000 the back seat, slumped over. He's here. Hurry up, come on. 1164 01:01:56.239 --> 01:01:58.360 We don't even know where you're at. I said, I'm 1165 01:01:58.400 --> 01:02:02.480 in the woods here off of sixteenth and seventeenth. And 1166 01:02:03.840 --> 01:02:04.760 the name of that street. 1167 01:02:04.880 --> 01:02:06.559 Uh no, the. 1168 01:02:08.599 --> 01:02:10.639 The street that runs beside the church you're in front of. 1169 01:02:10.639 --> 01:02:13.480 The now I'm not sure. 1170 01:02:14.880 --> 01:02:19.679 Yeah Anderson, Oh yeah, yeah, George Andrews, Yeah, I said, 1171 01:02:19.920 --> 01:02:20.239 this is. 1172 01:02:20.320 --> 01:02:23.119 Literally like where they built the apartments that you just 1173 01:02:23.480 --> 01:02:23.960 used to live. 1174 01:02:24.039 --> 01:02:26.519 This is all woods. This is where I picked up 1175 01:02:26.519 --> 01:02:29.719 on that, and which is crazy because that's a big 1176 01:02:30.039 --> 01:02:32.000 lot of woods. I mean, it very well could be 1177 01:02:32.320 --> 01:02:34.719 the exact spot that your apartment was. 1178 01:02:35.000 --> 01:02:37.599 Now the Little Father back to the left, where the 1179 01:02:37.639 --> 01:02:41.920 retention point is now based because once I after it's 1180 01:02:41.960 --> 01:02:44.840 all over. So anyway, I go up there and I said, yeah, 1181 01:02:44.880 --> 01:02:47.400 he's in the car. Then she says, is he alive? 1182 01:02:48.840 --> 01:02:52.280 I said, I don't know. You need to comment. And 1183 01:02:52.360 --> 01:02:55.440 I could start hearing the ambulances coming and the police 1184 01:02:55.559 --> 01:02:58.199 and all this because he's been under you know, a 1185 01:02:58.599 --> 01:03:03.559 missing person right, And uh, he said, where are you? 1186 01:03:03.639 --> 01:03:06.599 I said, I'm in the middle. I said, you see 1187 01:03:06.679 --> 01:03:10.559 my tire tracks come in and they said, well, we 1188 01:03:10.639 --> 01:03:12.599 can't get the ambulance in there because it's not fold 1189 01:03:12.639 --> 01:03:13.159 will drive. 1190 01:03:13.360 --> 01:03:14.079 Oh my gosh. 1191 01:03:14.199 --> 01:03:20.400 People they're on foot and they're bringing the gurney. But 1192 01:03:20.639 --> 01:03:25.199 is he alive? I don't know. He don't look good. 1193 01:03:27.199 --> 01:03:32.360 Check him, see if he's breathing, And are you kidding me? 1194 01:03:34.079 --> 01:03:40.800 I'm finding one of my best friends, my manager gone. 1195 01:03:41.639 --> 01:03:44.079 And I got to see if he's breathing, and I 1196 01:03:44.119 --> 01:03:45.679 don't know how to even do that, you know. I 1197 01:03:45.840 --> 01:03:48.079 open up the door and there he is, and he's 1198 01:03:48.760 --> 01:03:52.159 been bleeding. There's a pile of blood in the floorboard. 1199 01:03:52.800 --> 01:03:56.440 He's not conscious. His keys are laying in the pile 1200 01:03:56.480 --> 01:04:01.519 of blood. My bank bag which is right beside him, 1201 01:04:04.119 --> 01:04:07.639 and I put my hand on his you know, I'm 1202 01:04:07.679 --> 01:04:10.280 trying to see what I saw on the TV about 1203 01:04:10.400 --> 01:04:13.079 checking a pulse. And but finally I put my hand 1204 01:04:13.159 --> 01:04:15.360 up on front of his face and I feel a 1205 01:04:15.519 --> 01:04:19.920 faint breath, breath, And luckily that night it was cold, 1206 01:04:21.159 --> 01:04:24.159 because at the end, you'll realize he wouldn't have been 1207 01:04:24.199 --> 01:04:26.800 there if it wouldn't cold. Blood bled out. 1208 01:04:26.880 --> 01:04:27.760 Did he cut himself? 1209 01:04:28.239 --> 01:04:32.760 Yes? So the police finally get they made their way down. 1210 01:04:33.119 --> 01:04:37.800 Come to find out I was thirty feet away from 1211 01:04:37.840 --> 01:04:40.440 the food line parking lot. So they all circled around, 1212 01:04:40.480 --> 01:04:42.679 and they all brought the cop cards and the ambulances 1213 01:04:43.239 --> 01:04:47.920 in the backway. I was from here, not even a 1214 01:04:48.000 --> 01:04:51.039 block away from that food line, but you couldn't see 1215 01:04:51.039 --> 01:04:52.559 it because of the trees, and I didn't know where. 1216 01:04:52.599 --> 01:04:56.880 I'd never been in those woods. I was so distraught 1217 01:04:56.920 --> 01:04:58.480 and confused. I didn't know where I was. 1218 01:04:58.599 --> 01:05:01.119 You definitely weren't thinking straight. Anybody wouldn't have. 1219 01:05:01.360 --> 01:05:03.079 So the police show up, the amblet show up to 1220 01:05:03.119 --> 01:05:06.719 get him on a gurney. They take him off. I'm 1221 01:05:06.760 --> 01:05:11.000 going to follow the ambulance to the hospital. His wife's there, 1222 01:05:11.159 --> 01:05:14.639 his family's there, his mom and dad and brother, and 1223 01:05:15.440 --> 01:05:19.480 they're all there, and the police asked me to slow 1224 01:05:19.559 --> 01:05:21.719 down a little bit and then need ask me a 1225 01:05:21.760 --> 01:05:28.400 few questions. They could not understand how I figured and 1226 01:05:28.519 --> 01:05:32.079 found him. They've been looking for him and now they 1227 01:05:32.159 --> 01:05:36.920 think I got the sense done. Dumb, I will suspect 1228 01:05:37.079 --> 01:05:41.280 number one, Oh gosh. And I finally have to tell him. 1229 01:05:41.400 --> 01:05:44.199 I called Clay and I told him. I said, this lawyer, 1230 01:05:45.920 --> 01:05:48.400 you know, I said, My lawyer works for chicken. You 1231 01:05:48.480 --> 01:05:51.000 know my best. That man can eat a lot of chit. 1232 01:05:51.320 --> 01:05:51.719 Very true. 1233 01:05:51.800 --> 01:05:56.280 Yeah, somebody, you didn't have to defend me free. That's 1234 01:05:56.320 --> 01:05:59.679 how much chicken this sucker's eating. Little Feller took. 1235 01:06:00.159 --> 01:06:03.320 Right, great guy. So I'll talk about that in a second. 1236 01:06:03.400 --> 01:06:07.079 So anyway, I said, and if you want to arrest me, 1237 01:06:07.119 --> 01:06:08.320 you need to rest me now. But I'll get in 1238 01:06:08.400 --> 01:06:10.239 my car and go find out how my little buddy's doing. 1239 01:06:11.800 --> 01:06:14.760 All right, but we're gonna need to talk to you again, 1240 01:06:14.880 --> 01:06:18.400 I said, come on, brod, go to the hospital. So 1241 01:06:18.559 --> 01:06:25.679 go there, and uh, they got him back. They got 1242 01:06:25.760 --> 01:06:31.800 him stable. He was could have died anytime it was 1243 01:06:31.880 --> 01:06:35.920 warming up. If it had started bleeding again, he had 1244 01:06:36.000 --> 01:06:40.559 been dead. And his daddy comes out he hugs me 1245 01:06:40.639 --> 01:06:44.519 and thanks me, and he said, man, I don't know 1246 01:06:44.599 --> 01:06:47.400 what would even make someone do that. And I said, 1247 01:06:48.679 --> 01:06:51.920 your daughter in law, she just had so much pressure 1248 01:06:51.960 --> 01:06:56.280 on and he felt like such a failure. Had everybody 1249 01:06:56.320 --> 01:06:58.159 believe in he's graduate. He's been going to school for 1250 01:06:58.239 --> 01:07:00.880 two years and never went because when he disappeared, they 1251 01:07:00.880 --> 01:07:03.320 called him school. They had a record of him in 1252 01:07:03.360 --> 01:07:05.000 school since he started. 1253 01:07:04.679 --> 01:07:06.599 Ten years old. He was supposed to have the party 1254 01:07:06.639 --> 01:07:07.119 in right. 1255 01:07:08.559 --> 01:07:12.159 And U he would just he would rather kill himself 1256 01:07:12.400 --> 01:07:16.840 than disappoint her, right, And I told him that's terrible. Yeah, 1257 01:07:17.320 --> 01:07:22.559 and uh, I said, well, how did he try to 1258 01:07:22.639 --> 01:07:26.800 kill himself? And it used his key. His wrist was 1259 01:07:26.960 --> 01:07:30.679 cut with a jagged key, tried to saw his arm off, 1260 01:07:31.440 --> 01:07:35.719 his wrist off and that was sad. And now he 1261 01:07:35.840 --> 01:07:41.960 has four children divorced from her not long afterwards salt treatment. 1262 01:07:43.320 --> 01:07:46.320 His parents had the means to do anything, and he 1263 01:07:46.519 --> 01:07:50.320 took the advice and now has like I might even 1264 01:07:50.360 --> 01:07:53.920 have chick grandchildren now, wow, which is an unbelievable great kid. 1265 01:07:54.840 --> 01:07:58.119 And his daddy's I don't know, but it's been a 1266 01:07:58.239 --> 01:08:00.440 few years, but the first fifteen years always get a 1267 01:08:00.480 --> 01:08:03.480 Christmas card from his dad. That's amazing and that was 1268 01:08:03.519 --> 01:08:04.280 my favorite gift. 1269 01:08:05.599 --> 01:08:08.079 There's a few takeaways about this story. The first thing 1270 01:08:08.199 --> 01:08:11.280 is like, anybody else in the world would have been like, dude, 1271 01:08:11.360 --> 01:08:14.719 this a hole took my money back, screw you, and 1272 01:08:14.840 --> 01:08:18.800 that's it. But no, you're like, something's wrong here, something's 1273 01:08:18.920 --> 01:08:21.560 really wrong here. You like to were you even phased 1274 01:08:21.600 --> 01:08:22.760 by the fact that he took the money. 1275 01:08:23.279 --> 01:08:26.119 I didn't care about the money. Yeah. I've had other 1276 01:08:27.399 --> 01:08:31.119 people's work for me that had problems with their nose, 1277 01:08:31.840 --> 01:08:35.560 and U I just try to give them help and support. 1278 01:08:36.119 --> 01:08:39.279 You know, money can be replaced, but your life can't, 1279 01:08:39.800 --> 01:08:45.279 and and and your mental you know, money comes and goes. 1280 01:08:45.600 --> 01:08:48.920 I've never money, doesn't I don't live for. 1281 01:08:49.000 --> 01:08:52.479 Money, right, I'm just saying, you realize anybody else in 1282 01:08:52.520 --> 01:08:53.119 the world would. 1283 01:08:53.520 --> 01:08:55.720 They would have had probably took a warrant. 1284 01:08:55.439 --> 01:08:58.279 Out on it, right right for press charges. 1285 01:08:58.479 --> 01:09:01.359 Yeah, yeah, and U of the money was mincing. I 1286 01:09:01.399 --> 01:09:04.000 didn't care if he would have spent it to live on. Well, 1287 01:09:04.039 --> 01:09:06.199 he was for three days. He never used a card, 1288 01:09:06.279 --> 01:09:08.960 and he was never ate. Yeah. The only thing that 1289 01:09:09.039 --> 01:09:11.479 was in there was some alcohol. I guess it'd take 1290 01:09:11.560 --> 01:09:13.640 that to try to cut your wrist off with car keys. 1291 01:09:14.760 --> 01:09:16.920 But that was just a cry for help. But it 1292 01:09:16.960 --> 01:09:19.159 would have killed him if I wouldn't have found him. 1293 01:09:19.159 --> 01:09:22.560 The police sure weren't gonna find him because they back 1294 01:09:22.640 --> 01:09:25.279 then they you know, they were surprised I could find him. 1295 01:09:25.680 --> 01:09:28.960 That's kind of like, that's kind of some remote viewing 1296 01:09:29.000 --> 01:09:30.920 type stuff he did. 1297 01:09:31.319 --> 01:09:34.199 It's not the I wouldn't say that's the first time 1298 01:09:34.359 --> 01:09:36.880 something like that feeling has happened to you, and it 1299 01:09:36.960 --> 01:09:37.920 certainly wasn't the last. 1300 01:09:38.520 --> 01:09:45.640 No, a lot of situations I've always had. I don't 1301 01:09:45.680 --> 01:09:50.079 know what I've had, but but I call it a gift. 1302 01:09:51.119 --> 01:09:52.640 People with problems seek me out. 1303 01:09:54.279 --> 01:09:56.039 So what I would describe I was singing about this 1304 01:09:56.079 --> 01:09:57.920 a lot today because I knew this would come up, right, 1305 01:09:58.079 --> 01:10:05.439 And I think that you like, there's nothing inherently special, right, 1306 01:10:05.560 --> 01:10:10.319 but the special part is your choice knowledge of what's 1307 01:10:11.000 --> 01:10:13.800 knowledge of it or more like listening to it, right, 1308 01:10:14.199 --> 01:10:17.720 like you have adapted or let me say, you're more 1309 01:10:17.840 --> 01:10:20.600 in tune with that force that's guiding you. 1310 01:10:20.800 --> 01:10:21.920 But I think you're born with it. 1311 01:10:22.399 --> 01:10:23.000 Yeah, I think. 1312 01:10:23.079 --> 01:10:26.560 I don't think I do create it or manifesto it. 1313 01:10:27.359 --> 01:10:30.159 I think certain people and that's one thing with your 1314 01:10:30.199 --> 01:10:32.319 group of listeners and all it seems like because when 1315 01:10:32.359 --> 01:10:36.840 y'all get together, there's there's no drama. Everybody's got the 1316 01:10:36.920 --> 01:10:39.840 same heart, everybody's got the same purpose, and that's what 1317 01:10:40.479 --> 01:10:44.079 it's all about, is is to uplift each other, uplift 1318 01:10:44.119 --> 01:10:46.920 the glory of God. And there is signals and signs, 1319 01:10:46.960 --> 01:10:50.520 and there is angels. You know, I've told a lot 1320 01:10:50.560 --> 01:10:53.199 of people, I said, one day you realize I'm your angel, 1321 01:10:54.039 --> 01:10:57.560 and that's what I'm here for. And I attract a 1322 01:10:57.600 --> 01:11:01.399 lot of people with certain problems, it seems, and being 1323 01:11:01.439 --> 01:11:03.920 an idiot, I always seemed to have a way to 1324 01:11:04.000 --> 01:11:08.239 make them feel better or they feel worse, because I'm 1325 01:11:08.239 --> 01:11:09.800 gonna tell you like it is if I feel it. 1326 01:11:10.159 --> 01:11:11.920 That's why I brought this story up and wanted you 1327 01:11:11.960 --> 01:11:13.680 to tell it because I know, like ever since i've 1328 01:11:13.720 --> 01:11:16.279 known you, guys, for I guess it's been what is 1329 01:11:16.279 --> 01:11:19.760 it seven years right to twenty eighteen, so seven or eight. 1330 01:11:19.680 --> 01:11:19.920 I don't know. 1331 01:11:19.920 --> 01:11:21.720 I'm bad at math, but seven or eight years now 1332 01:11:21.760 --> 01:11:25.239 we've known each other, and that's something you've always told me. 1333 01:11:25.520 --> 01:11:27.520 And then you've told me as you're like my dad 1334 01:11:27.560 --> 01:11:31.520 has always told me son, I'm an angel, and. 1335 01:11:31.920 --> 01:11:34.680 I love that. I think certain people are. And Devil 1336 01:11:35.000 --> 01:11:38.800 the Devil's guy is workers also, you know it. 1337 01:11:39.079 --> 01:11:40.479 And I know what you mean when you say that. 1338 01:11:40.720 --> 01:11:42.000 You know I get it. 1339 01:11:42.399 --> 01:11:44.079 So that rolls itself into the story that. 1340 01:11:44.399 --> 01:11:48.319 Yeah. So just the next summer, I'm over at Great 1341 01:11:48.399 --> 01:11:52.079 Friends and feeding the basketball team, which I did a lot. 1342 01:11:52.520 --> 01:11:55.279 And it was like a Tuesday night and it was 1343 01:11:56.000 --> 01:11:59.000 we eight around five o'clock, So around six o'clock I 1344 01:11:59.199 --> 01:12:02.159 was packing up going home to come see my family. 1345 01:12:02.720 --> 01:12:06.640 And I normally go down when the area of town 1346 01:12:06.680 --> 01:12:09.640 I was in, I would normally go back down Market Street, 1347 01:12:09.880 --> 01:12:15.239 straight down to Princess Street in twelfth Street. And some 1348 01:12:15.479 --> 01:12:19.680 said just shoot out of there, go the back way, 1349 01:12:19.920 --> 01:12:22.760 go out on Riceville Avenue and just take Riceville now 1350 01:12:22.800 --> 01:12:25.159 all the way down to seventeenth and then get on 1351 01:12:25.239 --> 01:12:29.920 the Princess. So some I've been to this house. I 1352 01:12:30.000 --> 01:12:33.600 go about every week. Every other week I'm doing something 1353 01:12:33.640 --> 01:12:37.199 for the tea and because we were a family. But 1354 01:12:37.439 --> 01:12:40.720 for that only particular time I've ever left that location, 1355 01:12:40.960 --> 01:12:43.720 I went a back way. So I'm driving down Riceville 1356 01:12:43.720 --> 01:12:46.960 Avenue man just ready to get home. Put a whole 1357 01:12:47.000 --> 01:12:50.760 day in the whole afternoon inf catoring and great time. 1358 01:12:51.039 --> 01:12:55.079 And I get down to the stop light at Uh, 1359 01:12:56.439 --> 01:13:00.439 I'm just terrible with remembering names of the streets, the 1360 01:13:00.520 --> 01:13:03.720 one you cut in to go towards the college. That's true. 1361 01:13:04.279 --> 01:13:06.640 It you live off of that. It depends which where 1362 01:13:06.680 --> 01:13:07.239 you're coming from. 1363 01:13:07.359 --> 01:13:09.840 Well, if you come in from say IMPI park down, 1364 01:13:09.920 --> 01:13:12.039 you take a right on it and you go across 1365 01:13:12.319 --> 01:13:15.039 rights Ful Avenue and you go the back way around 1366 01:13:15.079 --> 01:13:17.640 to the college. McMillan, Yeah, I. 1367 01:13:17.720 --> 01:13:20.560 Used to live there right again. Yeah, happened right by 1368 01:13:20.600 --> 01:13:20.760 your e. 1369 01:13:21.279 --> 01:13:22.159 Yeah, that's true. 1370 01:13:22.279 --> 01:13:25.640 Yeah. It is kind of crazy, isn't it, because I'm 1371 01:13:25.680 --> 01:13:26.640 just putting that together. 1372 01:13:26.800 --> 01:13:31.479 Yeah, me too. Both of these things are around. Yeah, well, 1373 01:13:31.479 --> 01:13:33.279 i mean look at you know, I'm over here. 1374 01:13:33.680 --> 01:13:36.000 So you know where the dentist office or there was 1375 01:13:36.039 --> 01:13:38.439 a doctor's office right on the left. On the other 1376 01:13:38.760 --> 01:13:42.720 if you're I'm heading towards Wilmington downtown and at the light, 1377 01:13:42.800 --> 01:13:46.199 I'm sitting there and on the left there's an accountant 1378 01:13:46.520 --> 01:13:50.239 or there's a little commercial building there. Yeah, and uh, 1379 01:13:51.119 --> 01:13:54.359 I'm about the sixth car in line, because it's like 1380 01:13:55.119 --> 01:13:59.199 six thirty seven o'clock, pretty busy. Wish you not to 1381 01:13:59.279 --> 01:14:02.199 take the other route. And all of a sudden I 1382 01:14:02.319 --> 01:14:07.159 hear something. I hear screaming. I don't see anything. I'm 1383 01:14:07.199 --> 01:14:09.760 in my party's van with parties on the side of it, 1384 01:14:10.319 --> 01:14:13.119 you know, and I'm looking. I don't see anything. And 1385 01:14:13.159 --> 01:14:16.079 when I get to the light, I see a lady 1386 01:14:16.199 --> 01:14:21.760 holding a baby and blood is everywhere. She's hollering to 1387 01:14:21.920 --> 01:14:26.720 help me, help me. All these cars both sides already 1388 01:14:26.760 --> 01:14:29.880 passed her. I pull up about a half block away, 1389 01:14:29.920 --> 01:14:34.840 and I I said stop because I wasn't gonna stop, man. 1390 01:14:34.840 --> 01:14:38.119 I was ready to get home, see my family. I 1391 01:14:38.239 --> 01:14:41.359 pulled off a run back, got across the street. It's busy, 1392 01:14:42.600 --> 01:14:46.199 people are riding by. I could hear the baby gurgling, 1393 01:14:46.439 --> 01:14:51.239 a little bit blood coming out. I'm going wow, I said, 1394 01:14:51.239 --> 01:14:56.479 what happened? She said, he's eating up uh limon lemon 1395 01:14:56.520 --> 01:14:59.239 he drop or lemon head. And the kid was like 1396 01:14:59.760 --> 01:15:02.720 two three years old. Shouldn't have been eating a lemonhead. Yeah, 1397 01:15:02.880 --> 01:15:07.479 and it got trapped, but I knew. I could hear 1398 01:15:07.560 --> 01:15:11.399 some wheezing, so it's not totally blocked. Kate Fair Hospitals 1399 01:15:11.479 --> 01:15:17.079 right down the street. A taxi pulls up. She said, 1400 01:15:18.119 --> 01:15:21.079 I've called my husband. He's on the way. Can you 1401 01:15:21.159 --> 01:15:23.920 sit with mother? Two boys? There was two boys in 1402 01:15:23.960 --> 01:15:29.399 the car that were six and eight, maybe kid was 1403 01:15:29.520 --> 01:15:33.760 three or four. Mama gets into the taxi. I'll get 1404 01:15:33.800 --> 01:15:37.239 her in the taxi, I said, go, I go sit 1405 01:15:37.279 --> 01:15:41.359 in the car waiting on their dad show up. So 1406 01:15:41.439 --> 01:15:43.720 I'm sitting there waiting and talking to the kids and 1407 01:15:43.760 --> 01:15:46.520 finding out what happened. And you know, they're all cried 1408 01:15:46.600 --> 01:15:49.720 because you know, then the dad shows. It wasn't long afterwards. 1409 01:15:50.359 --> 01:15:56.000 She never called nine one one. She just panicked, totally panicked, 1410 01:15:57.239 --> 01:16:01.880 which I would too. I mean, blood, how the blood? 1411 01:16:02.000 --> 01:16:04.159 You know what? You's choking? I don't know how the 1412 01:16:04.239 --> 01:16:07.319 blood got there, But get them off to the hospital. 1413 01:16:07.359 --> 01:16:09.479 I'm sitting with the kids. The dad thanks me. They're 1414 01:16:09.520 --> 01:16:12.600 going to the hospital right there. And I'm sitting there 1415 01:16:12.640 --> 01:16:15.439 scratching my head. Man, this all happened in ten to 1416 01:16:15.520 --> 01:16:20.279 fifteen minutes. And I get in my van and I'm thinking, Wow, 1417 01:16:20.319 --> 01:16:23.079 I'm glad I stopped. Nobody else was going to stop. 1418 01:16:23.199 --> 01:16:26.359 Just hope the kid makes it. They don't know who 1419 01:16:26.439 --> 01:16:29.039 I am. There's a party's on the side of my 1420 01:16:29.159 --> 01:16:32.720 truck with a phone number, but I never got a 1421 01:16:32.760 --> 01:16:35.880 phone call from anybody, and I called to hospital the 1422 01:16:35.960 --> 01:16:39.199 next morning to see if the kid was fine, and 1423 01:16:39.680 --> 01:16:41.720 they wouldn't give me a lot of information because there 1424 01:16:41.800 --> 01:16:46.520 was no kin. But he was released, so I figured, good. 1425 01:16:46.800 --> 01:16:48.880 You know, they got it unclogged and I didn't have 1426 01:16:48.920 --> 01:16:53.640 to read about him being dead, and uh, life goes 1427 01:16:53.720 --> 01:16:57.159 on right. So a few years later, I opened up 1428 01:16:57.239 --> 01:17:01.359 another restaurant on Riceful Avenue. Great opportunity to come in 1429 01:17:01.520 --> 01:17:04.279 and flip it. Only like one place at a time. 1430 01:17:04.880 --> 01:17:08.279 So I opened up and I got I needed some 1431 01:17:08.439 --> 01:17:14.119 more refrigeration. I needed a walk in cooler and uh bud, 1432 01:17:14.199 --> 01:17:17.159 he said, Man, you got to call this guy, Dwayne. 1433 01:17:17.319 --> 01:17:21.279 Great guy. So I called Dwayne and Drayne come over 1434 01:17:21.319 --> 01:17:24.880 and we talked, and great guy. You know, man, I'll 1435 01:17:24.880 --> 01:17:26.479 get you a great deal. I can help you out. 1436 01:17:26.520 --> 01:17:28.840 I'll put it together for you. I said, man, that'd 1437 01:17:28.880 --> 01:17:30.279 be awesome if you could do all that. I mean, 1438 01:17:30.319 --> 01:17:32.880 guy was going out of his way for me to 1439 01:17:34.239 --> 01:17:39.680 pay twenty five to three grand for this cooler. I 1440 01:17:39.880 --> 01:17:43.159 was happy to have Dwayne on board. Dwayne comes in, 1441 01:17:43.319 --> 01:17:47.359 puts the cooler up, sets it up, gets it running free, 1442 01:17:47.479 --> 01:17:51.279 arms it up. I said, Dwayne, bring me the bill, 1443 01:17:51.920 --> 01:17:56.760 and he had a bill and five hundred dollars. I said, Dwayne, 1444 01:17:56.760 --> 01:17:57.880 I thought we said it was going to be like 1445 01:17:57.960 --> 01:18:02.359 thirty five hundred dollars. He said it was. But he said, 1446 01:18:02.399 --> 01:18:04.680 remember a few years ago when you stopped on the 1447 01:18:04.720 --> 01:18:10.760 side of the road to help that lady. That lady 1448 01:18:10.880 --> 01:18:17.279 was my sister, and that that kid was my nephew. Oh, 1449 01:18:18.000 --> 01:18:20.720 and I don't think anyone's ever told you thank you. 1450 01:18:21.399 --> 01:18:24.880 No one had, but I didn't think, you know, she 1451 01:18:24.960 --> 01:18:28.560 couldn't remember to call nine one one, And I said, well, 1452 01:18:29.760 --> 01:18:33.239 the first thing out of my mouth was not wow. 1453 01:18:33.319 --> 01:18:36.920 I said, how's the kid? Oh, he's great. By then, 1454 01:18:37.039 --> 01:18:39.720 you know, he's seven, eight, nine ten years old, doing 1455 01:18:39.840 --> 01:18:43.880 good and excelling in everything. And he said, I'm just 1456 01:18:43.960 --> 01:18:46.239 doing it what I got in it, because I appreciate 1457 01:18:46.319 --> 01:18:48.720 you taking the time. Because my sister in law said, 1458 01:18:49.159 --> 01:18:53.359 my sister said people were just nobody was paying attention. 1459 01:18:54.319 --> 01:18:56.840 She probably said fifty to one hundred cars passed by 1460 01:18:57.000 --> 01:19:01.680 for I stopped. I brought tears to my eyes right then. 1461 01:19:01.840 --> 01:19:05.159 And he says, this is my way of saying thank you. Wow. 1462 01:19:06.760 --> 01:19:09.159 You know, I wasn't worried about being thanked or rode 1463 01:19:09.239 --> 01:19:12.199 up about or anything. I didn't want that, But then 1464 01:19:12.239 --> 01:19:15.039 all of a sudden years later. 1465 01:19:15.199 --> 01:19:17.640 You're just always finding yourself in these positions where you 1466 01:19:18.800 --> 01:19:23.079 have the choice to help someone and then it comes 1467 01:19:23.159 --> 01:19:26.079 back to you. It's just like, how how can you 1468 01:19:26.119 --> 01:19:26.560 make that up? 1469 01:19:26.920 --> 01:19:29.520 It's crazy? And it's because I had to ask someone 1470 01:19:29.600 --> 01:19:32.359 who I should call because I've never had a walk. 1471 01:19:32.159 --> 01:19:35.479 In cooler, right, And that's that's even weirder. 1472 01:19:35.640 --> 01:19:37.880 But the crazy thing is after that, me and Dwayne 1473 01:19:38.439 --> 01:19:42.479 stayed friends until the end of his life. Wow, I 1474 01:19:42.560 --> 01:19:43.920 mean he and up. He'd come in to bring his 1475 01:19:44.000 --> 01:19:46.399 family in the restaurant and I, you know, I took 1476 01:19:46.479 --> 01:19:48.319 care of him as he took care of me, of 1477 01:19:48.760 --> 01:19:52.119 any repairs or anything like that, for the for the years. 1478 01:19:52.319 --> 01:19:53.640 Did you ever see the sister again? 1479 01:19:53.960 --> 01:20:00.920 Never have kid again since the I saw him, And 1480 01:20:01.000 --> 01:20:02.800 that's the guy that had I visited him in the 1481 01:20:03.239 --> 01:20:08.159 they had to go into the UH to get straighten 1482 01:20:08.239 --> 01:20:15.319 out in the in the UH record and UH it 1483 01:20:15.439 --> 01:20:21.720 did end well with me, unfortunately, but that's that's a 1484 01:20:21.760 --> 01:20:24.159 different story. But I still love him, just to say, 1485 01:20:24.479 --> 01:20:26.720 because it was my busiest time in the bonus time 1486 01:20:26.800 --> 01:20:28.600 and his bonus wasn't the same, but he missed two 1487 01:20:28.640 --> 01:20:37.520 months and couldn't understand. And uh, but it just makes 1488 01:20:37.560 --> 01:20:40.239 you appreciate what you do for, not what you get, 1489 01:20:40.800 --> 01:20:42.880 you know. But I don't care if I ever get anything. 1490 01:20:42.920 --> 01:20:44.560 If I do anything, I do it because it's the 1491 01:20:44.680 --> 01:20:47.920 right thing to do. And people get putting those positions. 1492 01:20:47.960 --> 01:20:50.279 You see it all the time on the news, you know. 1493 01:20:50.560 --> 01:20:52.840 Check that airplane that flipped upside down. Who was there 1494 01:20:52.920 --> 01:20:57.680 helping not running for their selves? Yeah, and that's all 1495 01:20:57.720 --> 01:20:59.680 I could see is I'd hope somebody be rushing in 1496 01:20:59.760 --> 01:21:03.920 for me, like stopping for that lady. And I wasn't 1497 01:21:03.920 --> 01:21:06.119 going to do it because I was tired, man, and 1498 01:21:06.279 --> 01:21:09.399 it's been a long day. But God wouldn't let me 1499 01:21:09.479 --> 01:21:09.920 get away. 1500 01:21:10.960 --> 01:21:13.239 So why do you think this stuff keeps happening to you? 1501 01:21:13.600 --> 01:21:16.439 I don't know. But the crazy thing is, I asked him. 1502 01:21:16.479 --> 01:21:21.000 I said, Then he said, you'd never guess what my 1503 01:21:21.439 --> 01:21:28.199 sister is. She's a trauma nurse. Wow, And the blood 1504 01:21:28.279 --> 01:21:29.920 came from I asked him. I said, why was there 1505 01:21:30.000 --> 01:21:36.000 so much blood? She was very well had a manicure, 1506 01:21:36.239 --> 01:21:39.000 very well groomed. She was trying to pull the candy 1507 01:21:39.000 --> 01:21:41.760 out of his mouth, which what she don't do cause 1508 01:21:41.840 --> 01:21:46.399 her nails were cutting his tonsils and his throat and 1509 01:21:46.560 --> 01:21:50.399 that's where the blood was coming from. But when it's yours, yeah, 1510 01:21:50.680 --> 01:21:58.039 you panted right, And that's when I went wow, because 1511 01:21:58.279 --> 01:22:03.560 when she just and it probably happened to me, I mean, 1512 01:22:03.600 --> 01:22:06.239 you're all it's different when it's yourself. I guess, I don't. 1513 01:22:06.239 --> 01:22:06.640 I don't know. 1514 01:22:07.199 --> 01:22:08.279 Yeah, I can only imagine. 1515 01:22:09.159 --> 01:22:12.600 I've just always panicked and always flew up right side down, 1516 01:22:12.680 --> 01:22:16.159 and luckily I got out of it because my lifetime 1517 01:22:16.199 --> 01:22:19.960 has been filled with blessings of survival, of times when 1518 01:22:20.039 --> 01:22:24.720 most people wouldn't survive. Ye, just partying and hanging out 1519 01:22:25.479 --> 01:22:27.800 because I mean I'd go to West Virginia a drop 1520 01:22:27.880 --> 01:22:30.000 of a hat to go to a witch hopping festival, 1521 01:22:30.119 --> 01:22:36.640 or o Philadelphia to watch Doctor j play basketball every 1522 01:22:36.720 --> 01:22:41.239 Thanksgiving and didn't have any money, but always got I 1523 01:22:41.359 --> 01:22:42.479 provided good times. 1524 01:22:42.960 --> 01:22:46.119 You're not from West Virginia, are you? I seem to 1525 01:22:46.159 --> 01:22:47.000 remember you telling. 1526 01:22:46.840 --> 01:22:50.640 Me how to roommate from there, okay, which which is uh, 1527 01:22:52.359 --> 01:22:56.359 one of my best friends until he gave his life 1528 01:22:56.439 --> 01:23:03.159 up because of wrong decisions, and uh, he was like 1529 01:23:03.239 --> 01:23:05.800 a brother to me and he had a special shotgun. 1530 01:23:05.880 --> 01:23:07.720 This is a story I'll say right quick before I 1531 01:23:08.319 --> 01:23:10.640 could talk for twenty six years and I get everything 1532 01:23:10.720 --> 01:23:15.079 in in my life. But he had his prize possession 1533 01:23:15.159 --> 01:23:18.279 with his grandfather's and Marty had a rough life from 1534 01:23:18.279 --> 01:23:20.800 West Virginia. The first time I went there, it was 1535 01:23:20.920 --> 01:23:24.760 like the movie. People had their glasses on and they 1536 01:23:24.840 --> 01:23:28.039 take their glasses off and their black face by the coal. 1537 01:23:28.720 --> 01:23:31.079 And this is like six because we always pulled in Rup. 1538 01:23:31.119 --> 01:23:32.800 We drove all night to get there for the wood 1539 01:23:32.840 --> 01:23:37.880 chopping festival and would pull in. It would be early 1540 01:23:37.920 --> 01:23:42.399 in the morning and these guys walking with their pale lunch, 1541 01:23:42.479 --> 01:23:46.279 pale black dirt everywhere. I mean, it was crazy. I 1542 01:23:46.439 --> 01:23:51.840 love the place. And we'd watch wood chopping and actually 1543 01:23:51.880 --> 01:23:55.039 I lost my thought. 1544 01:23:55.399 --> 01:23:59.199 Are you saying wood chopping? Yeah? Yeah, a festival saying witchhopping. 1545 01:23:59.319 --> 01:24:02.399 I thought he was saying shopping shopping Martin. 1546 01:24:02.640 --> 01:24:08.119 Uh. My buddy's uncle was a six time world champion. 1547 01:24:07.960 --> 01:24:10.560 Of chopping wood art and Colgert Wowa. 1548 01:24:11.640 --> 01:24:16.439 He was a mountain of a man. John Henry cut 1549 01:24:16.640 --> 01:24:19.319 up cut the logs in between this, you know, stand 1550 01:24:19.439 --> 01:24:21.760 up on the log and they'd shave in the mornings 1551 01:24:21.800 --> 01:24:26.399 with it all and uh he would what you shaved 1552 01:24:26.439 --> 01:24:29.319 with their axes before the competition. That's how sharp they are. 1553 01:24:29.520 --> 01:24:30.119 Oh cool. 1554 01:24:30.760 --> 01:24:34.079 And then if you're watching they're standing on the log 1555 01:24:34.199 --> 01:24:38.560 chopping in between their feet. There's a centimeter a quarter 1556 01:24:38.600 --> 01:24:42.079 of a meter of losing a toe or your foot 1557 01:24:42.880 --> 01:24:45.359 because it's going to cut it. Yeah, I mean, it 1558 01:24:45.520 --> 01:24:48.760 was just a great time. You know, people asked me 1559 01:24:48.800 --> 01:24:50.800 if I competed it in the twelve ounce curls of 1560 01:24:50.880 --> 01:24:54.840 Old Milwaukee, you know why. It didn't get any better 1561 01:24:54.880 --> 01:24:59.800 than this. But we had just how we arrived. Sometime 1562 01:25:00.159 --> 01:25:02.880 lucky we'd be an old Volkswagen with no brakes and 1563 01:25:02.960 --> 01:25:06.359 we'd have some of the some of the steepest uh 1564 01:25:07.880 --> 01:25:11.560 drops in America in the United States. In West Virginia. Yeah, 1565 01:25:11.840 --> 01:25:15.279 I mean they had them tractor trailer ramps there for 1566 01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:17.319 a reason to where they went down if they lost 1567 01:25:17.359 --> 01:25:19.920 their breaks. You know the shot on the right. We 1568 01:25:20.079 --> 01:25:26.520 hit that before. Oh yeah, oh in a Volkswagen. But 1569 01:25:26.760 --> 01:25:30.520 it wasn't It wasn't smooth on the Volkswagen suspension and 1570 01:25:30.680 --> 01:25:32.720 no back seat. There was a being back back there. 1571 01:25:34.760 --> 01:25:37.039 It would stop once for gas and we had milk 1572 01:25:37.119 --> 01:25:40.840 jugs for restrooms. Oh wow, man, we'd have two three 1573 01:25:40.920 --> 01:25:43.960 cases of beer in the truck and the Volkswagen or 1574 01:25:45.319 --> 01:25:49.199 it wasn't and then party all weekend and uh, chump 1575 01:25:49.199 --> 01:25:52.640 would carry on. But that that was one of my 1576 01:25:52.840 --> 01:25:55.600 uh you know, almost died a couple of times in 1577 01:25:56.000 --> 01:25:59.880 Philadelphia watching Doctor J play basketball. Uh the guy driving 1578 01:26:00.079 --> 01:26:03.000 truck was so drunk we'd run off the road. Wake up, 1579 01:26:03.600 --> 01:26:08.840 weren't you mugged? Never mugged? The police officer said, if 1580 01:26:08.880 --> 01:26:11.199 you want to live until to see the morning, we 1581 01:26:11.359 --> 01:26:15.600 suggest you get off this location that was in DC. 1582 01:26:17.000 --> 01:26:18.960 Someone hit you over the head with something that was 1583 01:26:19.000 --> 01:26:19.159 a my. 1584 01:26:19.159 --> 01:26:24.520 Whole birthday party's when I jumped on the bench and 1585 01:26:24.640 --> 01:26:28.760 the crack the it wasn't about four over my head 1586 01:26:29.159 --> 01:26:31.079 because I jumped on the end and it sprung up 1587 01:26:31.920 --> 01:26:37.079 and you and the board was face planning me and 1588 01:26:37.239 --> 01:26:39.279 the top of the board flew off and I was hit. 1589 01:26:39.359 --> 01:26:42.720 Some people. Oh no, nobody got close to me after 1590 01:26:42.840 --> 01:26:47.359 that because I was still moving around, never didn't face. 1591 01:26:47.439 --> 01:26:50.479 People thought I was waiting for me to die. That 1592 01:26:50.640 --> 01:26:54.199 sucker hit me, and I just kept on moving. One 1593 01:26:54.279 --> 01:26:56.920 thing we got is hardheaded. Alex got that. 1594 01:26:57.239 --> 01:27:00.840 Yeah, I know he definitely does. I could tell some story, malady, 1595 01:27:01.920 --> 01:27:04.000 something you would probably know the best out of all 1596 01:27:04.039 --> 01:27:04.279 of us. 1597 01:27:05.760 --> 01:27:09.840 But but it saw myur thing up and what, Lord 1598 01:27:09.880 --> 01:27:11.880 has been too long? My wife's think I've left her 1599 01:27:11.960 --> 01:27:14.840 and she's probably already packed my bags and give it 1600 01:27:14.880 --> 01:27:18.319 to charity. Because as long as I've been away from 1601 01:27:18.359 --> 01:27:19.239 home in a while. 1602 01:27:20.000 --> 01:27:22.439 Than probably the wedding night, which I wanted to ask 1603 01:27:22.520 --> 01:27:24.279 you about that, were you happy with the ceremony? I 1604 01:27:24.359 --> 01:27:25.159 haven't seen you since. 1605 01:27:25.199 --> 01:27:28.760 I thought the ceremony was beautiful considering how bad the 1606 01:27:28.840 --> 01:27:31.079 weather was. The weather was beautiful. 1607 01:27:31.159 --> 01:27:32.960 The poor sound guy got electrocuted, did. 1608 01:27:32.920 --> 01:27:33.239 You know that? 1609 01:27:33.439 --> 01:27:35.000 Oh yeah, that's how to scream it. 1610 01:27:35.319 --> 01:27:37.159 Yeah, but he lived. 1611 01:27:37.279 --> 01:27:40.479 And there were no chairs, yeah, oh there was on 1612 01:27:40.560 --> 01:27:42.760 the front road for them for the VIP. 1613 01:27:43.159 --> 01:27:47.039 It was. It was gusty and a beautiful, beautiful ceremony. 1614 01:27:47.880 --> 01:27:49.720 I was glad to have all you guys there and 1615 01:27:50.319 --> 01:27:51.520 it was a magical moment. 1616 01:27:51.720 --> 01:27:53.680 Yeah, it was for sure. That really got me that 1617 01:27:53.800 --> 01:27:56.439 night at the end when everybody was taken off and 1618 01:27:57.359 --> 01:27:59.359 we had all been uh in the cart and a 1619 01:27:59.399 --> 01:28:02.000 little bit, and you said something to me. You just 1620 01:28:02.000 --> 01:28:04.119 said something like, I'm glad that you guys go together, 1621 01:28:04.279 --> 01:28:07.000 and you know y'all are good for each other, and 1622 01:28:07.119 --> 01:28:11.319 y'all just y'all's friendship and thank you for guiding them 1623 01:28:11.359 --> 01:28:13.039 and all that stuff. And I was just like, wow, man, 1624 01:28:13.119 --> 01:28:15.760 this is just really surreal. You have the same heart, 1625 01:28:15.840 --> 01:28:17.479 I said, I feel like we goide each other. You 1626 01:28:17.520 --> 01:28:20.239 remember that? Ye? Do you remember that? The week that 1627 01:28:20.319 --> 01:28:22.119 I proposed to my wife, I came to parties and 1628 01:28:22.199 --> 01:28:24.119 we showed you the ring? Oh yeah, you do remember that. 1629 01:28:24.479 --> 01:28:28.159 I don't drink, so I do. I remember everything except 1630 01:28:28.199 --> 01:28:31.600 what by Alzheimer's is making me forget? Oh no, but 1631 01:28:31.720 --> 01:28:33.560 it comes and goes. I mean I lay down and 1632 01:28:33.840 --> 01:28:36.640 most times what I don't sleep is I remember. Yeah, 1633 01:28:37.359 --> 01:28:41.439 And it's always certain situations where I'm stressing about, I'll 1634 01:28:41.439 --> 01:28:46.479 always get reminded of what. And that's a special thing. 1635 01:28:47.159 --> 01:28:49.960 I mean, if I died tomorrow, I lived. I lived 1636 01:28:50.000 --> 01:28:52.319 a life of I mean, I really didn't grow up 1637 01:28:52.399 --> 01:28:55.439 till I was twenty nine years old. Yeah, I had children. 1638 01:28:56.520 --> 01:28:58.680 I told my wife I couldn't have children. Then we 1639 01:28:58.760 --> 01:29:01.680 get pregnant not long after, and I asked, you know, 1640 01:29:01.960 --> 01:29:05.319 whose is it? That's not a good quick Boys out 1641 01:29:05.359 --> 01:29:12.199 there listening, do not funning around. Don't ever say that 1642 01:29:12.920 --> 01:29:15.359 when your girl tells you she's pregnant, just go with 1643 01:29:15.520 --> 01:29:21.640 it and go holler somewhere else. But God knows when 1644 01:29:21.640 --> 01:29:24.760 you're ready for certain things. People stress of not having children. 1645 01:29:25.119 --> 01:29:29.119 I have friends that have spent thousands of thousands of 1646 01:29:29.279 --> 01:29:37.119 dollars to have children to then end up adopting and 1647 01:29:37.199 --> 01:29:45.720 then having children. Wow, under no artificial means distress. If 1648 01:29:45.760 --> 01:29:49.279 it's meant to be, it's meant to be for sure. 1649 01:29:49.680 --> 01:29:51.760 And if you even if it's meant to be, to 1650 01:29:51.880 --> 01:29:55.560 an adopt and take someone out of their misery of 1651 01:29:55.600 --> 01:29:59.279 where they're at and guided, God give them guidance. Man, 1652 01:29:59.600 --> 01:30:02.560 you got to give you can't. I told my boys 1653 01:30:02.560 --> 01:30:05.520 early on, I said, listen, we'll be friends after you're eighteen. 1654 01:30:05.800 --> 01:30:08.319 But right now I'm here, not here to be your friend. Yeah, 1655 01:30:08.439 --> 01:30:12.880 I'm here to guide you and lead you, and We're 1656 01:30:12.920 --> 01:30:15.000 going to become friends, I hope, because a lot of 1657 01:30:15.039 --> 01:30:18.319 times people don't become friends the whole grudges they keep, 1658 01:30:18.880 --> 01:30:21.720 no matter how horllered bad. My son hollered at me 1659 01:30:21.920 --> 01:30:24.600 or I hollered at him, we all love each other. 1660 01:30:24.920 --> 01:30:27.560 That's true. He absolutely said that too, And. 1661 01:30:27.680 --> 01:30:30.760 Then Alex when he got nineteen twenty thanked me, said, Dad, 1662 01:30:30.960 --> 01:30:33.600 you know, I thought you were the meanness, but I 1663 01:30:33.720 --> 01:30:35.439 really appreciate what you taught me. Yeah. 1664 01:30:35.640 --> 01:30:39.000 I hit that point too, not necessarily with my dad, 1665 01:30:39.039 --> 01:30:39.840 but with my grandfather. 1666 01:30:40.039 --> 01:30:40.239 Yeah. 1667 01:30:40.680 --> 01:30:43.199 Yeah, that's reflecting back. I'm like, man, he really was 1668 01:30:43.279 --> 01:30:44.720 just trying to show me some tough love. 1669 01:30:44.640 --> 01:30:49.079 And I gave my daddy hell, but it turns out 1670 01:30:49.119 --> 01:30:54.159 I'm just liking. And that's always the one you butt 1671 01:30:54.199 --> 01:30:57.600 heads with the most. Yep, and always never felt I 1672 01:30:57.800 --> 01:31:01.159 was good enough and good enough for my daddy. Year 1673 01:31:01.239 --> 01:31:04.479 older brother than I am was my dad's favorite, you know, 1674 01:31:05.039 --> 01:31:09.600 because he could do the woodworking and take the time, 1675 01:31:09.720 --> 01:31:13.800 and my patience was about as short as a firecracker. 1676 01:31:13.880 --> 01:31:15.319 Man, sounds like somebody I know. 1677 01:31:17.319 --> 01:31:19.039 You'd light it. I'm ready to go, and I want 1678 01:31:19.079 --> 01:31:20.319 to get it done and get it fit. 1679 01:31:21.079 --> 01:31:22.560 I'm just talking about one of these guys are here. 1680 01:31:23.359 --> 01:31:26.159 I mean one year, when I was seventeen, I got 1681 01:31:26.199 --> 01:31:29.560 a summer job with the with his parks and recreation apartment. 1682 01:31:30.159 --> 01:31:33.520 And I showed up to work and uh, the guy 1683 01:31:33.640 --> 01:31:38.479 looked at me and said, uh, can you drive? I said, 1684 01:31:38.479 --> 01:31:41.720 I can drive anything. Sir, he said, okay, gave me 1685 01:31:41.760 --> 01:31:44.800 two black guys and a tandem truck, a dump truck. 1686 01:31:45.600 --> 01:31:49.159 How didn't even have driver's license. My daddy wouldn't give 1687 01:31:49.159 --> 01:31:51.640 me my license. The only thing I passed in the 1688 01:31:52.880 --> 01:31:55.079 ninth grade. And if you do the math, I was 1689 01:31:55.079 --> 01:31:58.199 a little old for the ninth grade. I was past sixteen, 1690 01:31:59.399 --> 01:32:02.880 and I passed driver's head back then you took it 1691 01:32:02.920 --> 01:32:05.960 as a class. And I told my daddy I passed it, 1692 01:32:06.000 --> 01:32:08.079 I said. He said, it's about the time you pass something. 1693 01:32:08.960 --> 01:32:10.920 I said, well, you know, I don't have to get 1694 01:32:10.960 --> 01:32:15.399 a permit. I'm go get my license. He said, do 1695 01:32:15.479 --> 01:32:19.199 you got a car? I said no, Daddy. He said, 1696 01:32:19.239 --> 01:32:22.000 well you sure as hell I ain't driving mine. And 1697 01:32:22.079 --> 01:32:24.439 that was the end of the conversation. So I had 1698 01:32:24.479 --> 01:32:26.640 to wait till I was eighteen to go get my license. 1699 01:32:27.359 --> 01:32:29.079 And I was nineteen when I got him. Because it 1700 01:32:29.159 --> 01:32:31.359 seemed not to bother anybody with me driving around. I 1701 01:32:31.399 --> 01:32:34.399 had a motorcycle, a car, oh beat up crap with 1702 01:32:35.880 --> 01:32:38.439 dirt or something stuck over where the tag's supposed to 1703 01:32:38.520 --> 01:32:43.319 have the year on it. And uh so I get 1704 01:32:43.359 --> 01:32:46.159 a truck and to give us a list of things 1705 01:32:46.199 --> 01:32:49.399 to do in eight hours. I can do in about 1706 01:32:49.520 --> 01:32:53.920 thirty minutes with help and my guys, you know, they 1707 01:32:53.960 --> 01:32:56.039 were used to working all day at a slow pace. 1708 01:32:56.119 --> 01:32:58.479 I said, guys, here's what we're going to do. We're 1709 01:32:58.520 --> 01:33:02.560 going to work three hours, go to lunch, y'all, get 1710 01:33:02.600 --> 01:33:06.800 your wine. I can blow me up joint or something. Listen, 1711 01:33:07.279 --> 01:33:10.760 listen to my leads applet or somebody, and then we'll 1712 01:33:10.760 --> 01:33:14.479 go clock out at five. Man, you crazy. After the 1713 01:33:14.560 --> 01:33:18.079 first day, we worked the whole summer for three hours, 1714 01:33:18.640 --> 01:33:22.600 got paid for eight. We'd drive back at five o'clock. 1715 01:33:23.319 --> 01:33:25.359 And they never did ask me if they asked me 1716 01:33:25.359 --> 01:33:27.920 if I had license. I'd just said no, he didn't 1717 01:33:27.960 --> 01:33:32.479 ask me that question. But luckily I never just think 1718 01:33:32.520 --> 01:33:35.840 about I gotten a wreck. But back then things were 1719 01:33:35.840 --> 01:33:39.600 a little different with yeah. But still people assume you 1720 01:33:39.640 --> 01:33:42.479 can do something. They'll let you do anything. Hey, can 1721 01:33:42.560 --> 01:33:44.600 you fly a plane yet? Well, here you go, man, 1722 01:33:45.439 --> 01:33:49.640 I'm gonna check credentials now, yeah, show it to me. 1723 01:33:52.640 --> 01:33:58.640 But boys, that's been fun, it's been real. I probably 1724 01:33:58.720 --> 01:34:02.680 confused a lot of people. I get the rambling, and uh. 1725 01:34:04.199 --> 01:34:06.560 You're not gonna give us one embarrassing story of Alex 1726 01:34:06.720 --> 01:34:09.640 not one it's not a single one. 1727 01:34:10.520 --> 01:34:16.560 Oh lord man, it'd be hard just to find one. 1728 01:34:18.239 --> 01:34:19.199 I'm scared. 1729 01:34:19.279 --> 01:34:22.319 But there's something your children don't need to know. 1730 01:34:22.920 --> 01:34:23.159 Oh. 1731 01:34:24.840 --> 01:34:26.840 The most scariest thing in my life with Alex was 1732 01:34:27.159 --> 01:34:29.439 when I set him down and I jumped into swimming 1733 01:34:29.439 --> 01:34:31.800 pool to swim, and he was going to come to 1734 01:34:31.920 --> 01:34:34.960 me and jump in the pool with me, but he 1735 01:34:35.119 --> 01:34:37.520 was pouting or some shit. And I set him down 1736 01:34:37.560 --> 01:34:41.159 on the little wall and I'm swimming, and all of 1737 01:34:41.239 --> 01:34:45.119 a sudden, he jumps up and he's got magical feet 1738 01:34:45.239 --> 01:34:49.520 moving and he sat on a fire d hill and 1739 01:34:49.640 --> 01:34:52.640 that ship was in his diapers, tearing him a new one. 1740 01:34:53.520 --> 01:34:56.880 And I get up to the deep end. There's pull 1741 01:34:57.000 --> 01:35:00.199 myself out of order like Superman. I grab him ump 1742 01:35:00.239 --> 01:35:03.439 in the water in the deep end and we start 1743 01:35:03.520 --> 01:35:06.960 going down, and I started lifting him up like that 1744 01:35:07.119 --> 01:35:09.159 little kid in uh what's that movie? 1745 01:35:09.359 --> 01:35:09.479 Uh? 1746 01:35:12.800 --> 01:35:16.880 Linking Yeah, lin king Man, high Line Kingdon's ass, because 1747 01:35:16.880 --> 01:35:20.000 I was and I'm sucking in water by the gallon. 1748 01:35:20.760 --> 01:35:24.199 I'm swallowing it, dude, and I'm trying to climb up 1749 01:35:24.239 --> 01:35:27.560 the side and it's slippery and it's a you know, 1750 01:35:27.600 --> 01:35:30.000 it's a nine foot pool. I'm trying to get him 1751 01:35:30.039 --> 01:35:31.920 the side of it, hold him out of the water, 1752 01:35:32.159 --> 01:35:34.039 sucking water down. I get him on the side of 1753 01:35:34.039 --> 01:35:37.520 the pool, get the water out of my lungs, and man, 1754 01:35:37.680 --> 01:35:40.000 that was the last time I did that. But that 1755 01:35:40.479 --> 01:35:41.159 was embarrassing. 1756 01:35:42.039 --> 01:35:43.439 I love how I knew the movie. 1757 01:35:45.039 --> 01:35:46.920 I don't know how you knew the movie because I 1758 01:35:47.079 --> 01:35:47.960 was not going to get there. 1759 01:35:48.000 --> 01:35:50.079 It's just it's just a thing, a connection. 1760 01:35:50.560 --> 01:35:54.760 And that movie came out after I did it. First, 1761 01:35:55.279 --> 01:36:02.000 sall me some money, right, because I was underwater. My 1762 01:36:02.119 --> 01:36:03.479 wife would have killed my ass. 1763 01:36:05.399 --> 01:36:06.119 She knows about it. 1764 01:36:06.239 --> 01:36:06.399 Now. 1765 01:36:07.359 --> 01:36:10.159 Hey, hey, I got one. How about you enlighten the 1766 01:36:10.199 --> 01:36:14.520 audience and you share when you spoke your first words 1767 01:36:14.760 --> 01:36:18.079 to your newborn son. What were the first words that 1768 01:36:18.119 --> 01:36:19.760 you said to Alex when he came into this world? 1769 01:36:20.920 --> 01:36:27.560 Daddy can buy you some hat, son, and his head 1770 01:36:27.680 --> 01:36:32.079 was his. Mama's first words were, that's not my son. 1771 01:36:34.960 --> 01:36:38.560 And he's still attached at the chord that she wants 1772 01:36:38.640 --> 01:36:42.920 me to cut. After a five hour delivery two hours early, 1773 01:36:43.359 --> 01:36:45.079 two months early, two months early. 1774 01:36:45.079 --> 01:36:49.079 She and you asked her if it was yours, and 1775 01:36:49.159 --> 01:36:50.960 then she said, that's not my son. 1776 01:36:51.800 --> 01:36:54.159 No, no, no, I did I didn't say, asked her 1777 01:36:54.159 --> 01:36:55.319 at the end if it was mine. 1778 01:36:55.439 --> 01:36:57.319 Didn't you before when she was pregnant. 1779 01:36:57.399 --> 01:36:59.239 When she first told me she was pregnant, I was 1780 01:36:59.319 --> 01:36:59.840 just messing her. 1781 01:37:00.199 --> 01:37:01.199 Yeah, but I told her. 1782 01:37:01.239 --> 01:37:03.760 I couldn't have children. She was fine with that. She 1783 01:37:04.000 --> 01:37:06.199 really wasn't looking forward to that. We were both older, 1784 01:37:07.159 --> 01:37:11.159 and hell, I was an old man. Believe me, have 1785 01:37:11.319 --> 01:37:13.720 them youngs all. I can tell you you wear out. 1786 01:37:14.439 --> 01:37:18.800 Right, but uh, and then you're sixty something on a podcast. 1787 01:37:18.600 --> 01:37:21.680 And we go to the hospital to get some medicine. 1788 01:37:22.239 --> 01:37:24.920 She was fully dilated for six hours before we got there. 1789 01:37:25.359 --> 01:37:29.840 And I'm completing about my neck, and hell, she won't 1790 01:37:29.920 --> 01:37:33.039 be quiet so I can go to sleep. I gotta 1791 01:37:33.039 --> 01:37:35.960 go to work in the morning. Woman, and she's in 1792 01:37:36.039 --> 01:37:39.479 the hot tub vacuum inn. She's fully dilated. She's two 1793 01:37:39.560 --> 01:37:42.319 months early. A week before. I'm talking to my nephew. 1794 01:37:42.760 --> 01:37:44.439 This is He said, Man, it'd be cool if it 1795 01:37:44.479 --> 01:37:48.239 was born on my birthday. I said, justin your birthday's 1796 01:37:48.319 --> 01:37:52.960 two months before Alex's do date, but it. 1797 01:37:52.960 --> 01:37:53.600 Would be cool. 1798 01:37:53.640 --> 01:37:57.640 You're right. He was born on his birthday. Wow, two 1799 01:37:57.720 --> 01:38:06.680 months premature, amazingly strong, had some issues, but they didn't 1800 01:38:06.680 --> 01:38:08.720 think it would have to go the nick you unit, 1801 01:38:09.640 --> 01:38:11.239 and I go back to check on my wife that 1802 01:38:11.359 --> 01:38:15.800 had no medicines. During this four and a half hour 1803 01:38:16.000 --> 01:38:19.479 nivory that they used every tool to try to manually 1804 01:38:19.560 --> 01:38:24.720 bring someone out of the woo. They're getting ready to 1805 01:38:24.720 --> 01:38:27.039 do surgery because my wife was wearing out or just 1806 01:38:27.199 --> 01:38:30.319 worn out. I was worn out and I wasn't doing 1807 01:38:30.359 --> 01:38:33.039 nothing but holding her hand and count and getting hollered at. 1808 01:38:38.159 --> 01:38:41.479 And they took the little safety net at the end 1809 01:38:41.520 --> 01:38:43.920 of the table. They had it up against the winter, 1810 01:38:44.359 --> 01:38:46.920 and after the contractions, everybody would get up. We didn't 1811 01:38:46.920 --> 01:38:50.359 make no birthing classes. We went to the hospital and 1812 01:38:50.359 --> 01:38:55.600 geinst some medicines so she'd quit nagging me. We had 1813 01:38:55.640 --> 01:38:59.079 a baby that day and it took so long, and 1814 01:38:59.159 --> 01:39:03.359 we're sitting there and the nurses come in. When we 1815 01:39:03.399 --> 01:39:05.439 go to the hospital and get some maid they said, well, 1816 01:39:05.520 --> 01:39:07.319 we'll just check her out before the doctor gets here, 1817 01:39:08.000 --> 01:39:10.760 and they go, oh my god, she's fully dilated. They 1818 01:39:10.800 --> 01:39:12.000 all go run out of the room and leave me 1819 01:39:12.039 --> 01:39:13.479 there by myself and say, what the hell am I 1820 01:39:13.520 --> 01:39:17.920 supposed to do? You know, the doctor finally gets there, 1821 01:39:17.960 --> 01:39:20.039 when they take us over to get her ready. They said, 1822 01:39:20.039 --> 01:39:22.479 this thing't gonna take long. Four and a half hours 1823 01:39:22.560 --> 01:39:28.000 later he was born, and they first thing I didn't 1824 01:39:28.039 --> 01:39:29.640 know what they were going to be doing during the birth. 1825 01:39:31.560 --> 01:39:35.199 They take the little sledg that's out to where her 1826 01:39:35.600 --> 01:39:38.279 feet are stirruped, and there's a landing trade for your 1827 01:39:38.319 --> 01:39:40.439 baby if the doctor misses or something. I don't know 1828 01:39:40.520 --> 01:39:42.640 what it's even there for, because the first thing she 1829 01:39:42.720 --> 01:39:45.279 did was take it off the anybody that's had children 1830 01:39:45.319 --> 01:39:48.680 and been in the room with know so they took 1831 01:39:48.720 --> 01:39:51.880 that out of the way. Oh so then after an contraction, 1832 01:39:52.039 --> 01:39:54.399 they would all get up and leave the room and 1833 01:39:54.520 --> 01:39:58.279 leave me in there. I've always been pretty quick, so 1834 01:39:58.359 --> 01:40:00.239 I started to figuring out how long would it take 1835 01:40:00.319 --> 01:40:04.119 me to catch him if he popped out? Because he 1836 01:40:04.239 --> 01:40:07.720 came out. Now he's going to the floor. He's already 1837 01:40:07.760 --> 01:40:14.039 gonna have problems two months early. So I'm getting stressed. 1838 01:40:14.479 --> 01:40:17.920 When I get stressed, I get loud. So I started 1839 01:40:18.000 --> 01:40:23.000 hollering for the nurses. I said, listen, either put this 1840 01:40:23.279 --> 01:40:27.199 damn thing back on, or somebody sits at the catcher's 1841 01:40:27.239 --> 01:40:31.720 position when y'all go on break. Because after every ten 1842 01:40:31.800 --> 01:40:34.079 or fifty minute they're leave the room and leave me either, 1843 01:40:34.199 --> 01:40:37.600 And she's crying, wanting to go home. She's hurting. I mean, 1844 01:40:38.079 --> 01:40:42.640 this woman, it's like a superhero. She ain't got no medicine. 1845 01:40:44.560 --> 01:40:48.600 And the boy's head stuck at the end. I didn't 1846 01:40:48.600 --> 01:40:56.439 want to look at it. It was hideous. Jerry. So 1847 01:40:57.319 --> 01:41:07.479 after temps with Tom and plungers, my god, man, be 1848 01:41:07.680 --> 01:41:15.359 easy on that head, I said, Doc. She said, we're 1849 01:41:15.359 --> 01:41:16.920 gonna have to go do surge. We're gonna give one 1850 01:41:16.960 --> 01:41:20.319 more time. And I'm sitting in my chair with my 1851 01:41:20.399 --> 01:41:23.239 wife's hand and I'm looking at the doctor's face. I 1852 01:41:23.319 --> 01:41:26.199 can't look. I'm just watching the doctor's face. All of 1853 01:41:26.279 --> 01:41:35.319 a sudden, you hear Alex shoots out and lands on 1854 01:41:35.479 --> 01:41:40.079 her shoulder and chest, and I'm going, that's the craziest 1855 01:41:40.159 --> 01:41:43.119 shit I've ever seen. She told me you ain't gonna 1856 01:41:43.239 --> 01:41:47.640 just pop out that little fella, just pop the hell out. 1857 01:41:48.920 --> 01:41:55.039 And I'm going. And then she grabs the scissors and says, 1858 01:41:55.520 --> 01:41:59.119 cut the cord. I said, lady, I work with knives 1859 01:41:59.159 --> 01:42:03.520 every day. I mean, no no situation to be cutting 1860 01:42:03.600 --> 01:42:07.520 a cord. That little woman put my big hand and 1861 01:42:07.680 --> 01:42:10.640 threw them damn scissors in my hand and said, you're 1862 01:42:10.720 --> 01:42:13.720 cutting a cord. And I cut the cord. Thank god 1863 01:42:13.760 --> 01:42:15.119 I did, because I don't know if I could live 1864 01:42:15.199 --> 01:42:18.720 without it, but I could have done without it. There's 1865 01:42:18.720 --> 01:42:21.840 the craziest thing I've ever seen. They take Alex away. 1866 01:42:22.399 --> 01:42:25.119 My wife's laying there now they can give her a shot. 1867 01:42:26.000 --> 01:42:30.079 So I followed then with Alex, and they they're cleaning 1868 01:42:30.159 --> 01:42:33.239 him up. I'm the proud of stad in there. You know, man, 1869 01:42:33.800 --> 01:42:37.840 my little boy is little undersized, but he's breathing. He's 1870 01:42:37.920 --> 01:42:38.479 doing good. 1871 01:42:39.239 --> 01:42:43.640 That's two months early, three pounds and that tig for too. 1872 01:42:43.600 --> 01:42:47.119 Much premature wow, because I found out later he was 1873 01:42:47.159 --> 01:42:52.520 a horse. So I'm sitting there and watching him clean 1874 01:42:52.600 --> 01:42:55.159 him up. They're telling me how beautifully he is. I said, yeah, 1875 01:42:55.159 --> 01:42:58.279 it looks like it's daddy, don't it. And Uh, all 1876 01:42:58.319 --> 01:43:05.680 of a sudden, sir, you gotta leave. He starts redlining. 1877 01:43:07.520 --> 01:43:10.560 I said, well, I'll get check on my wife. And 1878 01:43:10.680 --> 01:43:13.840 my wife's in there like she's on the planet Mercury 1879 01:43:15.279 --> 01:43:18.039 and the doctor's putting the glove on all the way 1880 01:43:18.079 --> 01:43:23.119 up to her shoulder. And I thought to myself, this 1881 01:43:23.239 --> 01:43:30.279 can't be fun. I said, is everything okay? Yes? But 1882 01:43:31.520 --> 01:43:34.079 We've got some problems. Your wife's placina didn't come out. 1883 01:43:34.600 --> 01:43:38.560 I've got to go get it. Would you like to stay? Oh? 1884 01:43:38.840 --> 01:43:44.920 Hell no. So I walked back towards where Alex is 1885 01:43:47.840 --> 01:43:51.960 and I can hear a lot of movement, a lot 1886 01:43:52.039 --> 01:43:58.399 of panic. I dropped to my knees, and this in 1887 01:43:58.560 --> 01:44:04.239 between the the delivery rooms and to where they take 1888 01:44:04.239 --> 01:44:08.840 the babies into their little hall. And I go unconscious, 1889 01:44:08.920 --> 01:44:13.239 praying for four or five minutes, and all I can 1890 01:44:13.279 --> 01:44:17.399 hear is my wife hollering in my son's red line. 1891 01:44:18.560 --> 01:44:20.880 I think I'm gonna lose both my children, my wife 1892 01:44:20.960 --> 01:44:25.119 and my child at the same time. I don't know 1893 01:44:25.199 --> 01:44:30.800 how long I was out, and I came to I 1894 01:44:30.840 --> 01:44:34.800 looked around the corner. Alex was gone. I went across 1895 01:44:34.960 --> 01:44:40.239 the hall. My wife was gone. I turned into wrecket 1896 01:44:40.399 --> 01:44:44.520 Ralph in the hospital, No lie man. They were getting 1897 01:44:44.560 --> 01:44:47.840 security up from me because I was insistent on whearing. 1898 01:44:47.920 --> 01:44:50.159 The hell's my family in my mind they were in 1899 01:44:50.239 --> 01:44:56.520 the morgue. They finally got me to calm down. They 1900 01:44:56.560 --> 01:44:58.800 had Alex up in the neo natal clinic where the 1901 01:45:00.000 --> 01:45:03.279 where they put the prevy chair Nick you. My wife 1902 01:45:03.399 --> 01:45:05.119 was on the same floor but in a different room 1903 01:45:05.159 --> 01:45:08.920 and obviously not good shape because of her trauma and 1904 01:45:09.000 --> 01:45:13.279 the drug she was on. And uh, I went and 1905 01:45:13.359 --> 01:45:16.399 saw Alex. But after Alex was born, after that great 1906 01:45:16.680 --> 01:45:23.279 escape out of the uh of the vice, he looked 1907 01:45:23.359 --> 01:45:28.239 just like the conehead some Saturday Night Live, like an alien. 1908 01:45:28.680 --> 01:45:30.520 I mean it was a cone head. 1909 01:45:30.600 --> 01:45:31.439 I ain't lying to you. 1910 01:45:31.880 --> 01:45:35.800 He was maybe thirteen inches long. 1911 01:45:35.640 --> 01:45:37.039 And nine of it was head. 1912 01:45:38.279 --> 01:45:41.000 I'm looking at it. That sucking, I'm saying. The first 1913 01:45:41.079 --> 01:45:43.039 thing I said is, don't worry about you. Daddy can 1914 01:45:43.119 --> 01:45:48.159 afford to buy you some hat. And his mama looked 1915 01:45:48.159 --> 01:45:49.920 at him and said, oh my god, that's not mine. 1916 01:45:51.439 --> 01:45:54.439 He was an alien. He is, That's why it. And 1917 01:45:54.560 --> 01:45:57.520 there you go. There you have it. Buy his alien daddy. 1918 01:45:58.079 --> 01:45:59.399 Yeah, his daddy's an angel. 1919 01:46:00.760 --> 01:46:06.600 But uh, I changed his first little Primo diaper because 1920 01:46:06.680 --> 01:46:08.960 mama didn't seem for a day because she was just 1921 01:46:09.680 --> 01:46:13.800 not in good shape after that. Wow, and uh, but 1922 01:46:13.920 --> 01:46:15.880 you know you're sitting in this, you know, only going 1923 01:46:16.000 --> 01:46:19.119 certain times. He's hooked up to all these machines. And 1924 01:46:19.159 --> 01:46:22.279 I take him his little first toys and the people 1925 01:46:22.319 --> 01:46:25.159 had got him and we had got him, and I 1926 01:46:25.239 --> 01:46:28.680 mean I had eight inch toys that were bigger than him, 1927 01:46:29.000 --> 01:46:34.000 my little dolls sitting in the little chamber with him. 1928 01:46:34.039 --> 01:46:36.520 There's a picture of me in his hand. Oh wow. 1929 01:46:36.960 --> 01:46:40.079 Yeah, and his feet didn't go out of my hand. 1930 01:46:40.119 --> 01:46:44.560 I got big hands. But but anyway, being the curious 1931 01:46:44.600 --> 01:46:47.479 guy I am, there's other kids in there, and I 1932 01:46:47.600 --> 01:46:51.960 was already amazed that the one beside Alex was less 1933 01:46:52.039 --> 01:46:57.760 than a pound, looked like a squirrel. I said, oh 1934 01:46:57.920 --> 01:47:01.840 my god. And I went around the corner and it 1935 01:47:01.960 --> 01:47:04.399 was a pound and a half and two pounds. Alex 1936 01:47:04.600 --> 01:47:06.640 was a stud in there at two point nine by 1937 01:47:06.680 --> 01:47:10.319 the time he got cleaned up, and I'm you know, 1938 01:47:10.359 --> 01:47:12.399 I'm kind of walking around and I shouldn't have, but 1939 01:47:12.439 --> 01:47:14.279 I was kind of boasting my bull. We're gonna take 1940 01:47:14.319 --> 01:47:19.720 you own over here, but I started looking and boy, 1941 01:47:19.720 --> 01:47:23.119 they set me down and said, sir, you cannot leave 1942 01:47:23.159 --> 01:47:28.000 your area for private and confidential. And I understood that. 1943 01:47:28.079 --> 01:47:30.560 I respected. I didn't think of it. I should have, 1944 01:47:31.600 --> 01:47:33.399 but you know, some people don't want. 1945 01:47:33.479 --> 01:47:36.039 Right, Yeah, it does make sense. I wouldn't. I didn't 1946 01:47:36.039 --> 01:47:36.840 know that was the thing either, But. 1947 01:47:36.960 --> 01:47:39.279 All right, so if it ever happens to you, just 1948 01:47:39.399 --> 01:47:42.079 stay in your lane. Yeah, I learned the hard way. Yeah, 1949 01:47:42.720 --> 01:47:46.960 but man, but what they did and the care they gave. 1950 01:47:48.359 --> 01:47:51.399 There are special people that do that nick You work, 1951 01:47:51.920 --> 01:47:56.880 and Alex probably wouldn't have survived if luckily we were 1952 01:47:56.960 --> 01:48:01.000 the number two nick You on the East coast here. 1953 01:48:01.199 --> 01:48:05.600 Oh really, people go to Chapel Hill and if it's serious, 1954 01:48:05.680 --> 01:48:08.079 it's Chapel Hill. Can't take you that this was back 1955 01:48:08.119 --> 01:48:12.199 in those days. And what is he twenty twenty six now? 1956 01:48:12.760 --> 01:48:14.319 Yeah, I'll be twenty seven this year? 1957 01:48:15.479 --> 01:48:19.840 Wow? Wow? Wow the story and he started out with 1958 01:48:19.960 --> 01:48:21.520 a life from fight. 1959 01:48:22.560 --> 01:48:25.079 Yeah for sure he got that dog in him too. 1960 01:48:25.239 --> 01:48:26.199 Yep he still does. 1961 01:48:26.359 --> 01:48:27.640 Are he stilled out? Wow? 1962 01:48:27.720 --> 01:48:30.920 What this has been amazing? Man, We for for fort 1963 01:48:31.520 --> 01:48:34.000 this June will have been doing this show for four 1964 01:48:34.079 --> 01:48:38.239 years and from the jump we have talked about having 1965 01:48:38.279 --> 01:48:41.199 you on the show. And I think that we've talked 1966 01:48:41.199 --> 01:48:43.439 about it so much that I began to believe that 1967 01:48:43.520 --> 01:48:46.159 it would never happen. And then what was it two 1968 01:48:46.239 --> 01:48:50.239 days ago? Alex is like, guys, this is it. Got 1969 01:48:50.319 --> 01:48:53.319 him on the shot, got him, We got him. 1970 01:48:53.479 --> 01:48:55.279 He had a lot of stipulations and I hope I 1971 01:48:55.279 --> 01:48:58.880 don't bore anybody or no, no, this is awesome. Yeah, 1972 01:48:59.119 --> 01:49:02.600 but you know, I can only speak when I get comfortable. 1973 01:49:03.119 --> 01:49:06.439 And he called me, and I know that you guys 1974 01:49:06.560 --> 01:49:09.560 been wanting. I've been saying this, that and the other, 1975 01:49:09.600 --> 01:49:12.319 and I said, you know, finally I said, I'd hate 1976 01:49:12.359 --> 01:49:15.600 to die tomorrow and not it gave my son. And 1977 01:49:17.359 --> 01:49:21.000 people might hate it or people might like it, but 1978 01:49:21.600 --> 01:49:23.479 this is just a gift I gave for him and 1979 01:49:23.720 --> 01:49:27.119 to you and to Nick that if you call it 1980 01:49:27.239 --> 01:49:29.920 that I just called. We talk like this all the 1981 01:49:29.960 --> 01:49:30.439 time on my. 1982 01:49:30.439 --> 01:49:32.520 Front porch, for sure, but this is a gift to us. 1983 01:49:32.720 --> 01:49:35.279 But well, I appreciate that, and I hope someone can 1984 01:49:35.920 --> 01:49:38.960 feel something out of it, and hope you wake up. 1985 01:49:39.680 --> 01:49:41.399 It's amazing to help someone. The next day. 1986 01:49:41.560 --> 01:49:43.479 We have now had all three of our fathers on 1987 01:49:43.560 --> 01:49:46.119 the show as of tonight, and that's really cool. 1988 01:49:46.399 --> 01:49:47.920 Well, maybe one day we need to get the jam 1989 01:49:48.000 --> 01:49:50.920 bree together and have all three things. 1990 01:49:51.199 --> 01:49:55.039 I've been saying that for Yeah, we've really been talking 1991 01:49:55.079 --> 01:49:55.399 about that. 1992 01:49:55.720 --> 01:49:58.680 And the thing is, both of you have all three 1993 01:49:58.760 --> 01:50:02.399 of you parents are a little older than their norm 1994 01:50:02.560 --> 01:50:03.840 for a child of your age. 1995 01:50:05.119 --> 01:50:08.840 How old are you My dad is about to be 1996 01:50:09.319 --> 01:50:13.039 He's I think he's like fifty eight. So honestly he 1997 01:50:13.159 --> 01:50:16.439 had me when he was around around twenty ish. 1998 01:50:17.319 --> 01:50:18.880 So mine is a little older though. 1999 01:50:19.079 --> 01:50:20.840 I'm just talking about what they've lived through. 2000 01:50:21.159 --> 01:50:22.439 Yeah, absolutely, and. 2001 01:50:24.319 --> 01:50:30.840 Being anywhere towards sixty. Yeah, it was a different time. 2002 01:50:31.479 --> 01:50:37.520 These kids today have no idea of the luxuries. They 2003 01:50:37.600 --> 01:50:40.560 don't know what it is to not have a TV, 2004 01:50:41.079 --> 01:50:43.520 to not have a telephone, to not build to pick 2005 01:50:43.760 --> 01:50:45.840 and call anywhere you want to be in the world. 2006 01:50:47.359 --> 01:50:50.560 The communication, and but what has it all led to. 2007 01:50:52.000 --> 01:50:55.319 No one talks to each other. I have people that 2008 01:50:55.439 --> 01:50:59.520 text me, I'll just say, man, that's too many word responds, 2009 01:51:00.479 --> 01:51:03.720 I'm gonna call you. They don't answer me, and they 2010 01:51:03.800 --> 01:51:10.119 text me I'll call you later. And that's the problem 2011 01:51:10.159 --> 01:51:12.399 with the world. Man. You don't know how someone's feeling 2012 01:51:12.439 --> 01:51:15.560 unless you ask them. Don't text them. Everybody's gonna say 2013 01:51:15.560 --> 01:51:18.560 I'm good, and most people are gonna tell you they're 2014 01:51:18.600 --> 01:51:22.479 good if you ask them. But you're here, your ear 2015 01:51:23.199 --> 01:51:26.239 will hear the cry and the fear. 2016 01:51:26.800 --> 01:51:29.359 I knew it was coming. I knew it was coming 2017 01:51:30.680 --> 01:51:32.079 coming up. Yeah. 2018 01:51:32.680 --> 01:51:36.800 Yeah, And you think I didn't watch Batman? The Riddler 2019 01:51:37.520 --> 01:51:37.960 was by. 2020 01:51:38.000 --> 01:51:42.199 Hero Did you see him as the Riddler got the 2021 01:51:42.560 --> 01:51:45.039 later I'll show you later. Alex actually came one time 2022 01:51:45.079 --> 01:51:47.800 to the show dressed as the Riddler, and none of 2023 01:51:47.880 --> 01:51:50.800 us had any idea about it. It was a guest 2024 01:51:51.159 --> 01:51:53.199 it was on a different It was on a guest show, 2025 01:51:53.359 --> 01:51:55.079 I'll tell you, and it was a podcast that talks 2026 01:51:55.079 --> 01:51:59.239 about Batman. But anyway, show, shut up, shut out bat 2027 01:51:59.279 --> 01:52:01.359 Force time. Yeah, shout out back for it. Tom another 2028 01:52:01.399 --> 01:52:04.600 great father. I think, Yes, Yes, this has been amazing. 2029 01:52:04.680 --> 01:52:08.760 Thank you you're the man. Any thoughts, any last No, 2030 01:52:08.880 --> 01:52:09.920 I'm good, Thank you for coming on. 2031 01:52:10.079 --> 01:52:12.680 But for people to listen to the show, tell your friends. 2032 01:52:13.760 --> 01:52:20.960 This is a show about good guidance and belief. Without belief, 2033 01:52:21.880 --> 01:52:25.039 there's no reason to carry on tomorrow. And that's what's 2034 01:52:25.079 --> 01:52:28.039 wrong with our society today, is because people are losing 2035 01:52:28.239 --> 01:52:34.119 losing their beliefs and they're without a belief. Man, you 2036 01:52:34.199 --> 01:52:37.840 gotta believe in something, and there is a higher power. 2037 01:52:38.560 --> 01:52:42.760 We're all being guided by the same light. But some 2038 01:52:42.920 --> 01:52:48.159 people's lights are dark, some people's lights are bright. You 2039 01:52:48.239 --> 01:52:51.159 always find your way out when there's a light, you 2040 01:52:51.279 --> 01:52:55.000 always find your way in when there's not. It's like 2041 01:52:55.079 --> 01:52:58.479 being outside and inside, you know, and you gotta look 2042 01:52:58.560 --> 01:53:01.760 for the light. It's not always what it looks like 2043 01:53:02.840 --> 01:53:05.800 or seems. And people are putting your life for a 2044 01:53:05.880 --> 01:53:11.319 reason to help or be helped. It's always been my philosophy. 2045 01:53:11.640 --> 01:53:15.279 And people that always seem to attract need help, but 2046 01:53:15.479 --> 01:53:19.359 have the heart to help right, and they help me 2047 01:53:19.439 --> 01:53:22.079 in a way. We all have needs from each other, 2048 01:53:22.159 --> 01:53:24.800 we all have strengths. Like I said earlier, but you know, 2049 01:53:24.880 --> 01:53:27.239 I love your group. I love what you're doing. I 2050 01:53:27.319 --> 01:53:32.359 love your message. You're not commercializing the hell out of it. 2051 01:53:33.000 --> 01:53:35.720 You're just saying what your daddy believed in and sees. 2052 01:53:37.880 --> 01:53:40.119 And the world needs to wake up. You know, there 2053 01:53:40.199 --> 01:53:44.720 is people that has the power of foresight and the 2054 01:53:44.800 --> 01:53:49.359 message and how to translate the message. Everybody gets a message, 2055 01:53:49.840 --> 01:53:52.720 not everybody can tell the message, or say the message, 2056 01:53:54.119 --> 01:53:57.279 or learn from the lists a message, you know. So 2057 01:53:57.359 --> 01:53:59.760 I thank you guys for taking the time out having 2058 01:53:59.800 --> 01:54:04.319 a man on and rambling. We'll do it again. Yes, 2059 01:54:05.439 --> 01:54:08.199 we'll get three old goats on and go from there. 2060 01:54:08.199 --> 01:54:13.079 You want to plug your socials, well. 2061 01:54:15.039 --> 01:54:18.000 I am on ao L. I'm the last member, so 2062 01:54:18.159 --> 01:54:20.720 I wouldn't be hard to find. So just look it 2063 01:54:20.840 --> 01:54:23.720 up AOL. There's not a lot of us left. I 2064 01:54:23.840 --> 01:54:26.840 don't like change, man. I never changed it. Decord in 2065 01:54:26.880 --> 01:54:29.359 my wrist. I just added. But I never took anything 2066 01:54:29.439 --> 01:54:32.800 off to replace with something new. I never changed working equipment. 2067 01:54:33.840 --> 01:54:35.039 I changed it when it broke. 2068 01:54:35.159 --> 01:54:37.720 Who does that sound like a lot of people I know? 2069 01:54:37.960 --> 01:54:41.520 But yeah, somebody we have over the chair over there. 2070 01:54:42.039 --> 01:54:44.039 You didn't pull off from there. It's not a bad thing. 2071 01:54:44.439 --> 01:54:46.840 It's not a bad thing. It's just funny to see, 2072 01:54:47.560 --> 01:54:47.720 you know. 2073 01:54:48.079 --> 01:54:51.720 So they're gonna keep your prices cheaper for your customer. 2074 01:54:52.640 --> 01:54:54.399 I mean, first time I went to the dentist, you know, 2075 01:54:54.560 --> 01:54:58.119 it was like forty bucks. That was how fault. Now 2076 01:54:58.199 --> 01:55:00.760 it's to forty. They got all these machines. I can 2077 01:55:00.840 --> 01:55:03.199 look in and I don't want to. I don't have 2078 01:55:03.319 --> 01:55:05.920 to look at you work. I trust you're working in there. 2079 01:55:06.319 --> 01:55:08.600 I don't need to watch TV and see your hands 2080 01:55:08.640 --> 01:55:12.159 in my mouth cutting it open or whatever. Hell. I 2081 01:55:12.239 --> 01:55:15.479 went to them denist's office and the guy said, well, 2082 01:55:15.560 --> 01:55:17.960 you got two cavities, one on each side. I can 2083 01:55:18.079 --> 01:55:20.800 do one today, You're going to have to come back 2084 01:55:20.880 --> 01:55:24.680 for the other. I said, what do you mean, I'm here, 2085 01:55:25.439 --> 01:55:29.640 do them both. I ain't paying for another visit. I'll 2086 01:55:29.680 --> 01:55:32.520 pay for the extra, but not another office visit and 2087 01:55:32.680 --> 01:55:35.720 a cavity. He said, well, I can only numb one 2088 01:55:35.760 --> 01:55:38.319 side of your mouth at a time. I said, that 2089 01:55:38.520 --> 01:55:41.319 sounds like a plan to me. Numb the worst side, 2090 01:55:42.119 --> 01:55:47.000 freestyle the other side. He said, Man, you're like John Wayne, 2091 01:55:47.119 --> 01:55:50.119 let's get it all. And I'm sitting over there and 2092 01:55:50.439 --> 01:55:52.960 it took everything I had and I slapped that man 2093 01:55:53.479 --> 01:55:56.720 when he started drilling on my unnovacine side of my mouth. 2094 01:55:58.000 --> 01:56:00.439 But I spit it out and I'll walk on with 2095 01:56:00.560 --> 01:56:06.319 it and didn't go back. But you know, I'm different. 2096 01:56:07.760 --> 01:56:09.479 I live with a lot of pain because that's all 2097 01:56:09.520 --> 01:56:14.800 I've dealt with. So get on with it all, right, you. 2098 01:56:18.760 --> 01:56:19.840 Know, say bye guys. 2099 01:56:19.920 --> 01:56:26.159 Hey we're out, Bye guys. What up? 2100 01:56:26.199 --> 01:56:26.640 Bmies. 2101 01:56:26.920 --> 01:56:29.000 If you like the show and want more, check out 2102 01:56:29.079 --> 01:56:31.279 Patreon dot com slash bledso said so. 2103 01:56:31.720 --> 01:56:34.560 This will get you exclusive weekly bonus shows and access 2104 01:56:34.680 --> 01:56:37.640 to our discord community with hundreds of open minded people 2105 01:56:37.880 --> 01:56:38.279 just like you. 2106 01:56:38.880 --> 01:56:41.479 If you want to represent the show, go to bledsosaids 2107 01:56:41.680 --> 01:56:44.840 dot com for merch we have t shirts, hats, hoodies 2108 01:56:44.960 --> 01:56:45.279 and more. 2109 01:56:45.600 --> 01:56:48.520 For all future updates, follow us on Instagram at Bledsoe 2110 01:56:48.560 --> 01:56:50.720 said so, same time next week.