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Speaker 1: Buggle up and hold on tight. We got it, Paul

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Speaker 1: you here It is the Strawberry letter, Thank you nephew.

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Speaker 1: Subject should I love him or leave him? Dear Stephen Shirley.

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Speaker 1: I met an older guy and I was attracted to him,

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Speaker 1: but played hard to get. He begged me for a

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Speaker 1: first date, and I eventually agreed to go out with him.

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Speaker 1: He asked me to pick him up, and I didn't

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Speaker 1: think much about it since his house was on the

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Speaker 1: way to the restaurant. When I got to the house,

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Speaker 1: he came out, and so did a much older lady.

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Speaker 1: He got in my car and told me that was

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Speaker 1: his mother. That was his mom, and that he lived

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Speaker 1: with her. At this point, I had an opportunity to

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Speaker 1: tell him that I was not interested, but I went

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Speaker 1: out to dinner with him anyway. At dinner, he told

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Speaker 1: me that he's a convicted felon, but that was years

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Speaker 1: ago and he's got a great job and a new

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Speaker 1: life now. I kept seeing this man and eventually went

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Speaker 1: to his home, well his mom's house, and saw how

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Speaker 1: filthy his room was. And I also noticed that his

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Speaker 1: mom's yard was unkept and there was trash lying around

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Speaker 1: the driveway and porch. There were these were red flags,

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Speaker 1: and I told him he should do better at helping

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Speaker 1: his mom out around the house. Then I invited him

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Speaker 1: to my house to meet my two children. I know

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Speaker 1: he talks really hood and street, but I thought he

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Speaker 1: would do better when he met my children, he did not,

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Speaker 1: and my kids asked him why he was talking like

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Speaker 1: a rapper. He kept commenting on how nice I kept

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Speaker 1: my house, and after the visit, his conversations turned to

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Speaker 1: us making a commitment. He suggested moving in with me

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Speaker 1: so we could be closer and he could help me

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Speaker 1: out around the house. I was excited at first because

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Speaker 1: I really liked this man, but then I thought I

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Speaker 1: was being naive and he could just be using me.

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Speaker 1: Although he has some character flaws. Could I work on

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Speaker 1: this fixer upper and be happy? Or should I leave

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Speaker 1: this man at his mama's house? Please advise, run, run,

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Speaker 1: run as far away from this man as you possibly can.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you got to leave this man alone, please.

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Speaker 1: I mean, when you see red flags, don't ignore them.

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Speaker 1: That's what red flags are for. Okay, let's go through him.

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Speaker 1: He lives with his mom, all right. The yard is nasty,

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Speaker 1: his room is nasty. He has no car, he doesn't

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Speaker 1: know how to be a good role model in front

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Speaker 1: of your children. And if he's got such a nice job,

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Speaker 1: in a great job and all this stuff like you

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Speaker 1: see in the letter, why doesn't he save his money

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Speaker 1: and get an apartment. There was no discussion about that

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Speaker 1: in this letter. And you know it wasn't until after

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Speaker 1: he saw your place, after he came over there, that

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Speaker 1: he started, you know, like kind of pressuring you to

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Speaker 1: move in and to be committed. He said he would

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Speaker 1: help you around the house. Oh really, you would help her,

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Speaker 1: but you're not. He'll help you, but he's not gonna

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Speaker 1: help his own mom around the house. He could at

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Speaker 1: least clean up the yard. And what about his room.

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Speaker 1: Come on, I don't get this. I say, don't let

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Speaker 1: him uh in your house? Uh in this kind of

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Speaker 1: a way. Don't let him move in? Please, this is

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Speaker 1: not how you want to live. You have two kids

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Speaker 1: to think about. I think if he was and you

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Speaker 1: didn't mention you know, what he was incarcerated for or

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Speaker 1: anything like that, You just said he's out. That was

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Speaker 1: years ago, and he has a great job in a

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Speaker 1: new life now. But it just doesn't look like it

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Speaker 1: or seem like it. You know, yeah, he could be

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Speaker 1: using you, but I say no, it's too soon to

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Speaker 1: move in. Don't let him do it. Steve, I'm I'm confused.

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Speaker 1: I really am huh about Why Why is she writing us? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: What is the purpose of this letter? I don't even

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Speaker 1: know why? Why are we Why are we talking to

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Speaker 1: her about? Who? Who are we talking about? Everything in

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Speaker 1: this letter screams what? Yeah, I mean the whole damn Lena,

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Speaker 1: let's start. Stephen Shirley. I met an older guy. I

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Speaker 1: circled that I was attracting him, but I played hard

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Speaker 1: to get. He begged me for a first date. I

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Speaker 1: eventually agreed to go out with him. He asked me

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Speaker 1: to pick him up. I circled that everything I circle

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Speaker 1: is screaming what. I ain't think much about it since

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Speaker 1: his house was on the way to the restaurant. When

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Speaker 1: I got to the house and he came out, and

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Speaker 1: so did a much older lady, I circled that, who

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Speaker 1: is this old ass lady? He got in my car

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Speaker 1: and told me that this was his mom and he

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Speaker 1: lived with her. I circled that, let's go back, older guy,

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Speaker 1: you had to pick him up, he's this old lady

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Speaker 1: stay there, and you found out his mama. At this

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Speaker 1: point I had an opportu tunity to tell him I

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Speaker 1: was not interested, but I went out to dinner with

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Speaker 1: him anyway. I circled that. The question I'm begging everybody

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Speaker 1: to ask yourself is why is you at dinner with

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Speaker 1: this old ass man to stay at the house with

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Speaker 1: his mama that you had to pick up. That's all

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Speaker 1: I'm ask At dinner, he told me he was a

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Speaker 1: convicted felon. This whole letter is going to hell. But

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Speaker 1: I kept seeing the man why. Eventually I went to

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Speaker 1: his house where his mom's house. So I circled that

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Speaker 1: because it took you two visits to get it. The

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Speaker 1: first time you pulled up. Next time you went to

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Speaker 1: the damn house and found out it wasn't mama's house.

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Speaker 1: Stretch yelled on in blue plates, leaning up against the

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Speaker 1: wall on the fireplace and had that big wooden spoon

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Speaker 1: and fox set hanging on the damn wall, that picture

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Speaker 1: of the white Jesus, mar Luther King and John F. Kennedy.

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Speaker 1: And I noticed that his mom's yard was unkept and

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Speaker 1: it was trashla and around. I circled that czy he

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Speaker 1: don't give a damn by his mama. Trash laying around

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Speaker 1: the driveway and the porch that's where he eats. These

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Speaker 1: were all red flags, And I told him he should

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Speaker 1: do better helping out his mom around the house. You

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Speaker 1: know what Judge Lynn told her told me one time

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Speaker 1: on the show What Steve. She said, women should stop

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Speaker 1: collecting red flags. Ye, women should stop collecting red flags time.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna let you use that on Ready for Love

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Speaker 1: this year. Women should stop collecting red flags. I told

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Speaker 1: him he should do better helping his mom out around

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Speaker 1: the house. Then I invited him to my house to

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Speaker 1: meet my two children. I circled this, why is he

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Speaker 1: meeting your damn kids? Exactly what redeeming quality has he exhibited?

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Speaker 1: Where you think it's time for him to meet your

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Speaker 1: damn kids? Now he talks real hood in street. I

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Speaker 1: circled that he stay at home with his mama. Is

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Speaker 1: mama old? You had to pick him up? He lived

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Speaker 1: with his mama. You went out to dinner anyway here

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Speaker 1: convicted felling. You went to his mama's house. His room

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Speaker 1: is filtered, it's translating around the driveway in the porch.

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Speaker 1: I invited him your house to meet the two kids,

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Speaker 1: and he talked real hood in street. This whole letter

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Speaker 1: is just going to hell. But I thought he would

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Speaker 1: do better when he met my children. He did not,

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Speaker 1: And your kids asked him why was he talking like

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Speaker 1: a rapper? You know why, because your kids know his

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Speaker 1: whole ass should be talking better than one of their

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Speaker 1: damn piers. Your kids know that, but you don't. So

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Speaker 1: I circled that. He kept commenting on how nice I

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Speaker 1: kept my house. Hell yeah, hell yeah, you just described

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Speaker 1: in Mamma's house. And after the visit, his conversations turned

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Speaker 1: to us making a commitment, a commitment to what he suggested,

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Speaker 1: moving in with me so he could be closer and

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Speaker 1: he could help out round the house. He don't help

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Speaker 1: out round the house. He don't help out round the house.

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Speaker 1: He don't help out in his filthy ass room. He

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Speaker 1: don't help out with nothing on the poach, He don't

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Speaker 1: help out with nothing but the driveway. Where do he

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Speaker 1: clean up at? So he fitdn't help you. Well, I

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Speaker 1: was excited at first because I really liked this man.

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Speaker 1: What is it you like? You ain't saying nothing in

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Speaker 1: the letter? You like your whole letter? Is you just

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Speaker 1: disappointed you on this man. Then you sound really like him.

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Speaker 1: You like what you must not. You ain't never handle

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Speaker 1: man before, you never had a good man before. Because

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Speaker 1: if this is what you like, I show what hate

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Speaker 1: to see the one you got rid of, the one

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Speaker 1: you had them two kids by lady, you need to

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Speaker 1: up your up your game. I really like this man,

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Speaker 1: But then I'd have thought I was being you naive

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Speaker 1: and he could be using me. Although he had some

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Speaker 1: character flaws, character flaws. He old his hell That ain't

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Speaker 1: a character flaw. He ain't got a car. That ain't

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Speaker 1: a character flaw. He stayed with him mama. That ain't

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Speaker 1: a character flaw. He's a convicted felon. That ain't a

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Speaker 1: character flaw. His room is filtered. That ain't a character flaw.

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Speaker 1: It's chanced on the driveway in the porch. That ain't

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Speaker 1: a character flaw. He wants to move in with you

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Speaker 1: so he can help out around the house. Here, damn

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Speaker 1: lie Run all right, Steve got run. Post You're coming

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Speaker 1: some Today's Strawberry Letter on the Instagram at Steve Harvey

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Speaker 1: fm dot com, and check out the Strawberry Letter podcast

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Speaker 1: on demand. You're listening to this Dave Harvey Morning Show,