WEBVTT - Heavyweight Short: Jesse & Tori

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<v Speaker 1>Stevie Lane. Hello, it's fair to say that you know

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<v Speaker 1>me as something of a storyteller.

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<v Speaker 2>I would say that's fair.

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<v Speaker 1>No, I spin yarns. But you know, I have to

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<v Speaker 1>say sometimes I get a little tired of it.

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<v Speaker 2>What gets tired? Is it just your mouth?

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes this storyteller longs to be a story listener. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I understand you have a story for me to listen to.

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<v Speaker 2>I do you just have to open up those years?

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<v Speaker 1>I shut my big fat yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we're going to give your mouth a rest.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's have you wait?

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<v Speaker 3>Short Jesse and Tory right after the break, Hello, Hello,

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<v Speaker 3>Our story today begins with a man, a man named

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse James.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, this is he.

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<v Speaker 3>Right off the bat, Jesse James and I have something

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<v Speaker 3>in common.

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<v Speaker 2>I appreciate this is he.

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<v Speaker 3>But every time I say it, like to my friends,

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<v Speaker 3>like this is she, they're always like, you're an asshole?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, which you know.

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<v Speaker 3>I hope you don't think I'm calling you an asshole.

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<v Speaker 4>No, of course not. But I am an attorney, so

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<v Speaker 4>I am, in fact an asshole.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse, not in fact an asshole? Is here to tell

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<v Speaker 3>me the story of his first love. He was in

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<v Speaker 3>middle school twenty two years ago in West Virginia. As

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<v Speaker 3>a kid, Jesse had a big personality, was always kind

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<v Speaker 3>of the class clown. But in sixth grade he was

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<v Speaker 3>going through a hard time.

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<v Speaker 4>My dad he had got deployed in Afghanistan in the

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<v Speaker 4>wake of nine to eleven, and my best friend Keith

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<v Speaker 4>had moved away. I was kind of looking for stuff

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<v Speaker 4>to grab onto. I was kind of rootless, didn't have

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<v Speaker 4>any real close friends.

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<v Speaker 3>Then one December day, a new girl showed up in

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<v Speaker 3>his science class.

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<v Speaker 4>She had a particular smile that was really great. It

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<v Speaker 4>was more like a smirk, like she knew something that

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<v Speaker 4>you didn't.

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<v Speaker 3>Her name was Torri. She was from Ohio, Tall, with long,

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<v Speaker 3>dark hair. Jesse had a crush immediately, so to get

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<v Speaker 3>her attention, he devised an elaborate plan. Since his best

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<v Speaker 3>friend Keith had just moved away.

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<v Speaker 4>I declare that I need a new best friend, so

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<v Speaker 4>I hold a contest. I ask for written applications.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, but not really.

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<v Speaker 4>No, I did. I'll set up a contest. I'll rig

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<v Speaker 4>it so she wins, and we'll right off into the sunset. Wow,

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<v Speaker 4>are you impressed with the brilliance of this plan?

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<v Speaker 2>Brilliance wasn't necessarily the word I would have chosen.

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<v Speaker 4>But uh, I think there may have been a talent portion.

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<v Speaker 4>Now I'm certain there was a talent portion. There's no

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<v Speaker 4>way there wouldn't have been.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse made a questionnaire, Tory took one home and filled

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<v Speaker 3>it out. Jesse says she really aced one particular question.

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<v Speaker 4>If I was hanging off the side of a cliff

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<v Speaker 4>with one hand, you know, slipping, what would you do?

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<v Speaker 2>Wow? High stakes?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, And I remember that she wrote nothing. It was

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<v Speaker 4>like she saw through the ridiculousness of it and it

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<v Speaker 4>was like a wink.

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<v Speaker 2>Hmm.

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<v Speaker 4>So it's like you can do better than that.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse's plan worked. He and Tory became best friends for

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<v Speaker 3>the next few years. They sat together every day at

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<v Speaker 3>lunch and on the bus ride home after school from

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<v Speaker 3>their separate houses. They call each other up on the

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<v Speaker 3>phone and watch movies like Misery and Sixteen Candles all

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<v Speaker 3>night long. Jesse would show off for Tory, play piano,

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<v Speaker 3>entertain her with his impression of Sean Connery. Tory didn't

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<v Speaker 3>even know who Sean Connery was, but she laughed anyway.

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<v Speaker 2>Jesse was in love.

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<v Speaker 3>On the day of Tory's thirteenth birthday, Jesse decided to

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<v Speaker 3>make his big move. They were going to the movies

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<v Speaker 3>to celebrate.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you remember the movie? Oh?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I could never forget. It was The Day after Tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 4>There's bad movies, but it's bad in a special way.

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<v Speaker 4>But whatever. I wasn't even watching the movie half the time.

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<v Speaker 4>I was more looking at Tory, thinking about what do

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<v Speaker 4>I need to do to be able to put my

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<v Speaker 4>arm around her. I did the old classic yawn, but.

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<v Speaker 3>To a surprise, Tory shrugged me off, and I thought, hmm,

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<v Speaker 3>maybe I've miss read some of this.

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<v Speaker 2>Jesse was confused.

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<v Speaker 3>He'd been trying to show Toy in many small ways

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<v Speaker 3>how he felt about her, and she seemed to like him,

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<v Speaker 3>but she kept shooting him down. Jesse recalls one day

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<v Speaker 3>in school when he saw Tory carrying a big bouquet

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<v Speaker 3>of balloons, balloons from some other admirer. He thought of

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<v Speaker 3>all the other guys who might actually be putting their

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<v Speaker 3>arms around her at the movies. He was jealous, wounded,

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<v Speaker 3>and afraid of being hurt, so he pulled away. No

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<v Speaker 3>more watching movies over the phone, no more sitting on

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<v Speaker 3>the bus together. Jesse began treating Tory like any other

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<v Speaker 3>girl in his science class. To fill the Tory sized

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<v Speaker 3>hole in his life, Jesse, now in eighth grade, threw

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<v Speaker 3>himself into the school musical. He was playing the lead

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<v Speaker 3>in the music Man, and rehearsals were a welcome distraction

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<v Speaker 3>from Tory with a capital T and that rhymed with

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<v Speaker 3>B and that stood for broken hearted. On the night

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<v Speaker 3>of the show, everything went great and Jesse was riding

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<v Speaker 3>high until he came out to take his bow from

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<v Speaker 3>center stage. Jesse saw Tory sitting smack in the middle

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<v Speaker 3>of the front row, beaming at him, and then she

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<v Speaker 3>held something up for him and all the school to see.

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<v Speaker 4>She had made a sign on a large piece of

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<v Speaker 4>poster paper, and it said, Jesse, will you go out

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<v Speaker 4>with me?

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<v Speaker 3>In the romantic comedy version of his life, this would

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<v Speaker 3>be the moment when Jesse would leap from the stage

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<v Speaker 3>and swoop Tory into his arms. But instead, I was

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<v Speaker 3>so embarrassed, Jesse froze. It was everything he'd wanted, but

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<v Speaker 3>all he felt was fear. Everyone in the art auditorium

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<v Speaker 3>was looking at him expectantly, and he had no idea

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<v Speaker 3>what to say. He was just thirteen years old, an

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<v Speaker 3>age when even a kiss on the cheek from.

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<v Speaker 2>Your aunt might make you blush?

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<v Speaker 3>Was he really supposed to profess his love for Tory

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<v Speaker 3>for all his friends, family, and classmates to see. The

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<v Speaker 3>applause died down and the lights came up. The audience

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<v Speaker 3>filed out, and the rest of the cast went backstage.

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<v Speaker 3>In Jesse's memory, it felt like he and Tory were

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<v Speaker 3>the last two people left in the auditorium, all alone.

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<v Speaker 3>Tory was still holding the sign, Jesse, will you go

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<v Speaker 3>out with me? But Jesse couldn't even meet her gaze.

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<v Speaker 2>He walked off stage and left.

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<v Speaker 4>I couldn't face my fear. I can be honest with

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<v Speaker 4>myself about how I fell the I very very very

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<v Speaker 4>much loved her. I didn't even understand the full shit scope.

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<v Speaker 3>After the music man, Jesse and Tory didn't talk about

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<v Speaker 3>the sign.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, through the end of middle.

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<v Speaker 3>School then high school, they didn't talk at all. They

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<v Speaker 3>were in separate classes and avoided each other in the

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<v Speaker 3>halls until four years later, at the end of senior year.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse recalls it was right around graduation. Tory's younger sister

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<v Speaker 3>was a friend of a friend of Jesse's, and so

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<v Speaker 3>one day, by chance, he found himself hanging out with

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<v Speaker 3>a bunch of people at Tory's house. He walked by

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<v Speaker 3>Tory's room and, seeing her, stopped in the doorway to

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<v Speaker 3>say hi. They began chatting casually, and Jesse sat down

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<v Speaker 3>on the carpet. It was bizarre, after years of no

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<v Speaker 3>contact to suddenly find himself right outside her bedroom. They

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<v Speaker 3>weren't talking about anything serious, but to Jesse it felt sacred.

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<v Speaker 3>It suddenly hit him he was still in love with Tory.

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<v Speaker 4>It didn't really make any sense to me. Why because

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<v Speaker 4>it's over and you shouldn't still feel anything like that,

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<v Speaker 4>But I did.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse resolved to tell Tory how he felt, to finally

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<v Speaker 3>rectify the mistake he made in ignoring her. After the

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<v Speaker 3>music man and with high school coming to a close,

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<v Speaker 3>it was now or never. The night of graduation, he

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<v Speaker 3>went over to her house, but before he even got

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<v Speaker 3>to the front steps, he saw Tory and her boyfriend

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<v Speaker 3>at the time standing outside on the lawn yelling in

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<v Speaker 3>the middle of a big fight. There was no opening.

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<v Speaker 3>For the second time. Jesse said nothing and left. It's

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<v Speaker 3>not unusual for your first love to make an impact,

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<v Speaker 3>but for Jesse, his first love left a crater. It's

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<v Speaker 3>been twenty years since The Music Man. Jesse's dated other people,

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<v Speaker 3>was even engaged for a while, but he's never stopped

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<v Speaker 3>thinking about Tory.

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<v Speaker 4>I tried to convince myself that kids think that they're

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<v Speaker 4>in love all the time, it's no big deal, But

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<v Speaker 4>subsequently I never felt the same.

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<v Speaker 3>Jesse has a scar in his palm that Tory gave

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<v Speaker 3>him with her fingernail by accident. He looks at it sometimes,

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<v Speaker 3>grateful to have proof. He says that he and Tory

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<v Speaker 3>were ever close.

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<v Speaker 4>In twenty nineteen, I was in West Virginia talking to

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<v Speaker 4>my best friend over a can of cors Light or two,

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<v Speaker 4>and I had narrowed down exactly one regret, only one.

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<v Speaker 4>If you could go back in time and change one thing,

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<v Speaker 4>I knew what it was, don't freeze. After the music

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<v Speaker 4>Man performance, tell Tory, I felt, yes, just tell her something.

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<v Speaker 5>He was so dear to me.

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<v Speaker 3>He was.

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<v Speaker 5>My best friend.

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<v Speaker 3>This is Tory, she's an artist now living out West.

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<v Speaker 3>I call her to ask how she felt about Jesse.

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<v Speaker 5>But he meant more to me than that. Also, he

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<v Speaker 5>was really my first love.

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<v Speaker 3>And so Tory remembers all the same moments of their

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<v Speaker 3>relationship that Jesse does science class, the long late night

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<v Speaker 3>phone calls, the balloons, which, as it turns out, were

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<v Speaker 3>not from some middle school casanova, but from her dad,

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<v Speaker 3>and of course she remembers going to see the day

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<v Speaker 3>after tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 5>For the record, I did not hate it.

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<v Speaker 3>Tory says that when Jesse put his arm around her,

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<v Speaker 3>she might have shruckd him off, but secretly she was thrilled.

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<v Speaker 5>In my mind, it was like I was going to

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<v Speaker 5>have more chances somehow, like he had made a move,

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<v Speaker 5>and I confirmed that he liked me, and then we

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<v Speaker 5>could go forward from here.

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<v Speaker 3>It never occurred to Tory that she was sending Jesse

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<v Speaker 3>mixed signals until it was too late.

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<v Speaker 5>I had been too reserved with my feelings. I had

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<v Speaker 5>held them too close, and I lost him. And I

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<v Speaker 5>felt like, if only I could show him the extent

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<v Speaker 5>of my feelings, he would come right back. And I

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<v Speaker 5>think to myself, this needs a grand gesture.

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<v Speaker 2>And so Tory made a sign.

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<v Speaker 5>It was all caps in black sharpie on a white

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<v Speaker 5>poster board. You know, I had to catch attention.

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<v Speaker 3>Which it did from everyone, it seemed, except the person

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<v Speaker 3>she wanted it to.

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<v Speaker 5>Other students. All my classmates see me and Jesse won't

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<v Speaker 5>look at me. I thought, wow, I fucked up. And

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<v Speaker 5>from that day Jesse and I did not speak.

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<v Speaker 3>Tory moved on, She made other friends, dated other people,

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<v Speaker 3>like her boyfriend. Senior year, Tory remembers the argument they

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<v Speaker 3>were having on her front lawn the night of graduation,

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<v Speaker 3>and who.

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<v Speaker 5>Shows up with Jesse And he's standing there on the driveway.

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<v Speaker 5>I don't know what he wanted to say. After graduation,

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<v Speaker 5>I move all over the United States and I get married.

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<v Speaker 4>It is devastating I find out that she was married.

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<v Speaker 3>Why is it because on some level you still had hope.

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<v Speaker 4>It was even more complicated than that. It was that

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<v Speaker 4>I didn't feel like I was good enough for her,

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<v Speaker 4>but this guy definitely wasn't.

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<v Speaker 3>Over the years, Jesse and Tory would occasionally exchange messages

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<v Speaker 3>on social media. They talk about jobs and moves and relationships.

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<v Speaker 3>Two old friends catching up. Jesse tried not to think

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<v Speaker 3>about what might have been. Are you confident that if

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<v Speaker 3>you had had the chance that night, graduation night to

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<v Speaker 3>talk with her things would have been different?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes?

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<v Speaker 3>Timing is everything. When Tory was ready to declare her

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<v Speaker 3>love for Jesse, Jesse felt ambushed. When Jesse was ready

0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:45.120
<v Speaker 3>to be honest with Tory. She had moved on. It's

0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:47.880
<v Speaker 3>like Tory and Jesse have been playing a decades long

0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:55.800
<v Speaker 3>game of phone tag. Last December, Jesse and Tory were

0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.960
<v Speaker 3>both home in West Virginia at the same time. By

0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.960
<v Speaker 3>this point, they were in in their early thirties. Tory

0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:06.320
<v Speaker 3>was divorced and Jesse's engagement had ended. Jesse suggested they

0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:10.240
<v Speaker 3>meet up. They spent the whole evening together, Jesse playing

0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.040
<v Speaker 3>songs for Toy on his guitar, making her laugh the

0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:16.280
<v Speaker 3>way he used to. There was a feeling of expectation

0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:20.240
<v Speaker 3>in the air, a subtext to everything said, and yet

0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.920
<v Speaker 3>still the whole night, Jesse couldn't bring himself to confess

0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:28.400
<v Speaker 3>his feelings, never mention the music man. When it got late,

0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:42.040
<v Speaker 3>Tory went home. Once again, they'd missed their moment. This

0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:44.960
<v Speaker 3>is the point in a normal heavyweight story where I'd

0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:48.080
<v Speaker 3>step in to create that moment. I'd get Tory and

0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:51.720
<v Speaker 3>Jesse together and awkwardly nudge them into a conversation twenty

0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:55.000
<v Speaker 3>years overdue. They'd say the things they didn't have the

0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:57.760
<v Speaker 3>words for when they were kids, and I'd say something

0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.880
<v Speaker 3>stupid like, Jesse, can you do your Sean Connery impression

0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:04.360
<v Speaker 3>for us. But in this story I don't have to

0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:08.000
<v Speaker 3>do any of that because at midnight that night back

0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:12.040
<v Speaker 3>in December, after Torri got home her cellphone, rang.

0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:18.200
<v Speaker 4>I told her everything that I had meant to for

0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.160
<v Speaker 4>the past twenty two.

0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.520
<v Speaker 2>Years, which was what.

0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.800
<v Speaker 4>That was really shitty of me to do what I

0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:31.080
<v Speaker 4>did to you in eighth grade. I apologize for that.

0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:38.360
<v Speaker 4>I don't know if this is obvious, but I love you.

0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:49.720
<v Speaker 5>It was one of the best moments of my life

0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.800
<v Speaker 5>to catch you up to speed for what's happening now.

0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:59.080
<v Speaker 5>We are getting married in December this year. It will

0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.720
<v Speaker 5>be our twentieth anniversary of when we met.

0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:07.280
<v Speaker 3>Oh my god, is there something that's almost frustrating that

0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:08.560
<v Speaker 3>it had to take this long.

0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:13.720
<v Speaker 5>Yes, we had many conversations about why did we why

0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:17.440
<v Speaker 5>did we play this game? And I think we both

0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.520
<v Speaker 5>had a lot of growing to do. And I think

0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:22.480
<v Speaker 5>if we hit stay together, I think we would have

0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:26.359
<v Speaker 5>had a whirlwind relationship. It would have been crazy highs

0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.480
<v Speaker 5>and lows. Maybe, but I don't think we could have

0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:31.639
<v Speaker 5>stood the test of time. This is our time.

0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.560
<v Speaker 3>The wedding data set, but there's not yet been an

0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.199
<v Speaker 3>official proposal Tori says she's going to make Jesse a

0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.639
<v Speaker 3>sign on white poster board with big black letters written

0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.480
<v Speaker 3>in black sharpie that says Jesse, will you marry me?

0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:59.560
<v Speaker 3>And this time Jesse won't freeze. This time He's going

0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:05.160
<v Speaker 3>to tell her Yes, Jesse, can you do your Sean

0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:06.800
<v Speaker 3>Connery impression for us?

0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.040
<v Speaker 4>Well, let's clear it up.

0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:11.679
<v Speaker 2>Much rain at the moment.

0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:13.760
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, she's quite lovely.

0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:16.320
<v Speaker 2>Did you eat anything for breakfast?

0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:17.399
<v Speaker 5>French toast?

0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.399
<v Speaker 3>This Heavyweight short was produced by Moheemy mcgouger and me

0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:45.159
<v Speaker 3>Stevie Lane, along with Jonathan Goldstein. Our senior producer is

0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:48.919
<v Speaker 3>Khalila Holt. Production help from Domiana Marqutti. Special thanks to

0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.800
<v Speaker 3>Emily Condon, Alex Bloomberg, and Sonya Desani. Bobby Lord mixed

0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.639
<v Speaker 3>the episode with original music by Christine Fellows, John K.

0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.080
<v Speaker 2>Sampson, Ben Elleman and Bobby Lord.

0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.240
<v Speaker 3>Additional music credits can be found on our website gimlipmedia

0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.560
<v Speaker 3>dot com slash Heavyweight, Follow us on Twitter at Heavyweight

0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.720
<v Speaker 3>or email us at Heavyweight at gimlipmedia dot com.

0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.639
<v Speaker 2>We'll be back with a new episode next week.

0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:24.800
<v Speaker 3>This Heavyweight short was produced by Mohemy mcgowker and Me Jonathan,

0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:29.800
<v Speaker 3>oh my god,