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Speaker 1: Jackie, I have some good news. Well, it seems like

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Speaker 1: there's some interest in turning the Heavyweight podcast into a

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Speaker 1: TV show. So I was just calling to see who

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Speaker 1: maybe you know who you want to play, Jackie. I

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Speaker 1: was thinking, you know, maybe Rita Marino.

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Speaker 2: Don John No one's gonna watch your show.

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Speaker 3: Baby, what did you say? You wait?

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Speaker 1: I'm confused on two counts. A that you would say

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Speaker 1: something so cruel and that b you would punctuate it

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Speaker 1: with babe. You know a lot of people believe in

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Speaker 1: this project. Why would you laugh at that?

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Speaker 3: A lot of people believe in this project From Gimblet Media.

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Speaker 1: I'm Jonathan Goldstein and this is Heavyweight Today's episode Brandon

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Speaker 1: right after the break.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll just roll in there and see what's going on.

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Speaker 1: This is Brandon. He's thirty three years old and wearing

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Speaker 1: a suit and string tie. His wife, Megan is in

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Speaker 1: a sun dress, and together they're about to enter the

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Speaker 1: new Palestine High School prom. Megan is the school's our teacher,

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Speaker 1: but tonight she's chaperoning with Brandon as her date. She

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Speaker 1: introduces him to the other teachers. At a certain point,

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Speaker 1: they're interrupted by the announcement of prom King and queens.

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Speaker 4: Students.

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Speaker 1: While Megan congratulates her students and makes small talk with

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Speaker 1: her colleagues, Brandon wanders off and observes the kids. Some

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Speaker 1: are dancing, some are lined up for the photo booth.

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Speaker 1: There are kids talking to teachers and others gossiping among themselves.

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Speaker 1: But then Brandon's gaze lands on another subset, those aimless

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Speaker 1: kids wandering along the margins alone. They remind Brandon of

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Speaker 1: himself when he was a teenager and his own prom.

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Speaker 1: Brandon thinks about his prom a lot, and the improbable

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Speaker 1: path that led him to it, which began when he

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Speaker 1: was just a little kid.

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Speaker 2: Through middle school and junior high I had a lot

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Speaker 2: of bullying problems. That was kind of an easy target.

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Speaker 1: There were a number of things that made him one.

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Speaker 2: First, I'm like still a big guy now, but I was.

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Speaker 2: I was at my biggest in high school, heaviest.

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Speaker 1: Second, Brandon tried too hard to fit in. Like the

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Speaker 1: time he shaved a Nike swoosh into the back of

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Speaker 1: his head.

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Speaker 2: I just thought, like sports, that's that's cool.

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Speaker 1: So it made your head look like a running shoe exactly.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I sat in front of this kid named Cyril,

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Speaker 2: and he said it looked like a hockey stick, and

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Speaker 2: that was enough that everyone was like, that's a hockey stick.

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Speaker 2: That is not a Nike swoosh.

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Speaker 1: Finally, Brandon was a Coda, a child of deaf adults.

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Speaker 1: His family attended a deaf church and spends a lot

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Speaker 1: of time in the deaf community. He says he was

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Speaker 1: brought up with different social norms.

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Speaker 2: Like volume, Like volume is not a concern around deaf

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Speaker 2: people and in a deaf environment, and then of course

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Speaker 2: it is around hearing people.

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Speaker 1: So what is that mean?

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Speaker 2: Like any examples, Yeah, like school, where it's like time

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Speaker 2: to be quiet. I was just constantly talking to myself

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Speaker 2: or just vocalizing my thoughts, you know.

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Speaker 1: Then in middle school, Brandon's parents divorced. There was less

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Speaker 1: space for him, less attention paid to him. He drew inward.

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Speaker 2: I think I wanted to put off a harder like

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Speaker 2: you can't hurt me exterior than I really had on

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Speaker 2: the inside. So wearing hot topic clothes, spiky things, black clothes,

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Speaker 2: and trying to just like keep your hoodie on and

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Speaker 2: get through the day.

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Speaker 1: And for the most part, Brandon succeeded in going unnoticed

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Speaker 1: until the spring of his senior year, Brandon was sitting

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Speaker 1: at the back of a classroom during a free period,

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Speaker 1: eavesdropping on a conversation from across the room. Some classmates

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Speaker 1: were talking about a prom, and among the group was

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Speaker 1: a girl named Ali. She was going on about what

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Speaker 1: a great night it was going to be, how excited

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Speaker 1: she was.

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Speaker 2: She had like long blonde hair with highlights, big features,

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Speaker 2: like big eyes, She had a big smile. M. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: Like when she smiled, she looked really happy. And I

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Speaker 2: think she kind of pulled me into the conversation by

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Speaker 2: directing some of those questions at me, like are you

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Speaker 2: going to prom? Who are you going to prom with?

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Speaker 1: Brandon had no intention of going. He hadn't a girlfriend

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Speaker 1: or any prospects for a date, and he was confused

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Speaker 1: about why Ali was talking to him. Brandon says they'd

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Speaker 1: barely ever spoken. They were from totally different social worlds.

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Speaker 1: Ali was in student government. She was popular and beautiful.

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Speaker 2: She was just really well put together, clean, and you, M, no,

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Speaker 2: that's not a word I'd use to describe myself in

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Speaker 2: high school. I mean, like I would like smell my

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Speaker 2: clothes before I put them on in the morning, you know,

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Speaker 2: like I got dressed from the floor, okay, in my bedroom.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and yet Ali kept throwing questions at him. Why

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Speaker 1: wasn't he going. If he did go, who would he take?

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Speaker 1: Brandon answered in monosyllables, hoping she turned back to her

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Speaker 1: friends and leave him alone, but instead she rose from

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Speaker 1: her seat and began striding towards him.

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Speaker 2: Inside, I was like, uh, like inflamed, do you know

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Speaker 2: what I mean? Like my heart my heart rate was rising.

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Speaker 1: With each question. Ali moved closer and closer until she

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Speaker 1: was sitting at the desk in front of him, facing him.

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Speaker 1: Then she did something that still flummixes Brandon fifteen years later.

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Speaker 2: She just kind of outright said, take me to prom, Like,

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Speaker 2: go to prom, take me, Let's go together. I immediately

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Speaker 2: had questions, questions like why, why me? What's going on?

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Speaker 2: I guess I was skeptical, this is some kind of trick.

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Speaker 5: Hmm.

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Speaker 2: You know, why would you be asking me this other

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Speaker 2: than to setting me up for a punchline or something

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Speaker 2: like that. But no punchline really came, so I just agreed.

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Speaker 1: On the big night, Brandon met up with Ali and

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Speaker 1: her friends for a pre dance dinner at her friend

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Speaker 1: Jen's house. He was in the fancier part of town.

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Speaker 1: Brandon showed up wearing his rented suit with a corsage

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Speaker 1: and a bright blue necktie that matched Ali's stress. Before

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Speaker 1: leaving to the dance, everyone lined up for a group picture.

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Speaker 1: Did you like just feel like saying why the heck

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Speaker 1: am I here right? What happened? Was this a mistake?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, I would have loved an answer to that question,

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Speaker 2: but I would never have thought, couldn't fathom saying it.

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Speaker 1: You know, do you still have that prom photo that

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Speaker 1: you guys took?

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Speaker 2: No? To be honest, I'm not even sure I ever

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Speaker 2: got it, so I don't think I ever even saw

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Speaker 2: that picture.

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Speaker 3: Hmm.

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Speaker 1: What do you think you would see in that photo?

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Speaker 2: I mean, just imagining it makes me laugh.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, why?

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Speaker 2: It would be a line of like beautiful high schoolers,

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Speaker 2: you know, and like me. There just feels like if

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Speaker 2: your eyes set on me for a little too long,

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Speaker 2: that maybe you'd be able to see that I didn't

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Speaker 2: fit in.

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Speaker 1: Aliander friends look like the girls in those movies about prom,

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Speaker 1: and those girls always had guys who gave them the

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Speaker 1: time of their lives. For Brandon, a sense of duty

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Speaker 1: kicked in.

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Speaker 2: It felt like a huge responsibility. It was like, this

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Speaker 2: is going to be a big deal in Alley's life forever,

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Speaker 2: and I have a big responsibility as her date to

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Speaker 2: make sure that I live up to this position.

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Speaker 3: Hmm.

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Speaker 2: I was really really nervous.

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Speaker 1: Did did you guys? Did did you and Nally slow dance?

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Speaker 1: I'd pretty feel like I feel like when I asked

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Speaker 1: these questions, I feel like Hannibal Lecter, like I'm asking

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Speaker 1: these questions from a straight jacket in a cell. Did

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Speaker 1: you slow dance? Did you slow dance?

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Speaker 2: I do remember slow dancing because I remember thinking, like,

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Speaker 2: it's funny that in TV shows and in movies, this

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Speaker 2: is such a big deal, but it's just standing like

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Speaker 2: you're kind of just like stepping slightly. Yeah, Like that's

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Speaker 2: not hard. Like I was in like a hip hop

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Speaker 2: dance crew and youth group. You know that was hard?

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Speaker 1: Wait, you were in a sorry repeat that you were

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Speaker 1: in a hip hop dance youth group.

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Speaker 2: What? Yeah? So the church I went to was just

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Speaker 2: like through a lot of performances and hip hop dance

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Speaker 2: that happened.

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Speaker 1: Did you ever at any point break out any of

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Speaker 1: your Christian youth group hip hop move on the dance floor?

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Speaker 1: Do you do anything like on the floor, like where

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Speaker 1: you spin on your back, or you didn't. You didn't

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Speaker 1: want to ruin the rental. You learned to get your deposit.

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Speaker 1: At the prom, Brandon pop for the Lord and locked

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Speaker 1: for the Lord. He made Allie's friend laugh. And it

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Speaker 1: was right there on the dance floor, the place one

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Speaker 1: might expect a high school boy to feel the most

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Speaker 1: self conscious, that Brandon felt most at ease. He was

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Speaker 1: a part of the group, of a group.

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Speaker 2: That kind of felt like a resolution of what all

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Speaker 2: of Greade school was like for me. You know, I

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Speaker 2: never felt safe enough to bring my true self into

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Speaker 2: that space. But like, dancing around at prom with your

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Speaker 2: peers is like one of the most vulnerable things you

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Speaker 2: can do, and it came out on the other end

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Speaker 2: of it, okay.

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Speaker 1: At the end of the prom, Ali and all her

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Speaker 1: friends headed to one of their classmates' houses for the

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Speaker 1: after party, but having never been to a house party,

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Speaker 1: Brandon decided not to go. Do you remember saying goodbye

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Speaker 1: to Ali?

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Speaker 2: No?

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Speaker 1: And then what happened after that? Do you recall speaking

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Speaker 1: with her singer in school after that night?

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Speaker 2: I had to have because we both went back to school,

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Speaker 2: But I don't have any specific memories of talking to

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Speaker 2: her again.

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Speaker 1: PROM is supposed to stay with you for the rest

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Speaker 1: of your life, and for Brandon it has but eclipsing

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Speaker 1: the dancing, the music. The last night out with his

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Speaker 1: peers is a lingering question.

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Speaker 2: Which was, like, why me out of all the people

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Speaker 2: that you could be going with. Maybe it was one

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Speaker 2: of those situations where all of these people out there

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Speaker 2: are thinking, well, Ali's taken, She's totally going to problem

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Speaker 2: with somebody already, I'll have to ask somebody else, you know,

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Speaker 2: and then leaves her without a PROM date. If that

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Speaker 2: was what was going on. Maybe maybe she just had

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Speaker 2: a breakup. Maybe I was part of a charity case.

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Speaker 1: So you want to ask her why why did she

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Speaker 1: pick you?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, I want to know that. Yeah. Without her,

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't have gone to PROM. It would have just

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Speaker 2: been another thing on my list of things I regret

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Speaker 2: from high school, you know, But it's not on that list.

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Speaker 2: It's on the shorter list of things that I feel. Okay, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'd like to thank her.

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Speaker 1: I'm just nervous, which is why Brandon has reached out

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Speaker 1: to me. If you get nervous, I mean, I can

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Speaker 1: always jump in sure, I've just assumed I'm going to

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Speaker 1: be coming along to chaperone. After the break, I chaperone

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Speaker 1: Brandon back to high school. Before Brandon can ask Ali

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Speaker 1: the question that's been on his mind since senior year,

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Speaker 1: we first need to track her down. Her last name

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Speaker 1: is Schmartz Schmutz. I'm just making that Brandon's part of

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Speaker 1: a Facebook group for his high school graduating class, and

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Speaker 1: Ali's a member of the group as well. Does that

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Speaker 1: mean that you can have a better chance of messaging

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Speaker 1: or through that group?

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Speaker 2: I mean, like, if I were going to use the group,

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Speaker 2: it would be making a post for my whole graduating classes.

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Speaker 1: Might as well go big, like say, hey, I'm just

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Speaker 1: going to put this out there to everybody.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're not Ali, please don't read this.

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Speaker 1: But Ali, I just want to say, Hey, hit me up.

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Speaker 1: Here are my digits. Everybody else, just lose this number.

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Speaker 1: Maybe Facebook friend her.

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Speaker 2: I could do that. Yeah, I'd have to change my

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Speaker 2: name on Facebook. My name hasn't been my real name

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Speaker 2: for a long time.

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Speaker 1: What's the name that you operate under?

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Speaker 2: Oak Tree?

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Speaker 1: Just oak Tree, just oak Tree. I can't even find

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Speaker 1: you as brand. I'd have to look up oak Tree.

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Speaker 2: That's right. I was kind of playing with what kinds

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Speaker 2: of words it lets me have as a name?

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Speaker 1: Can you change your name from oak Tree to Brandon?

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Speaker 2: Probably a good idea.

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Speaker 1: Then you don't have to start with a whole rigmarole

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Speaker 1: about how like my name's not really oak Tree. This

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Speaker 1: is Brandon, by the way, you remember from high school.

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Speaker 1: And so the mighty oak Tree sheds his leaves and

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Speaker 1: his name, and the Mighty Brandon sends Ali a friend request.

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Speaker 1: A week later, Brandon texts with an update. Ali has

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Speaker 1: accepted his friendship. Now he just needs to send her

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Speaker 1: a message. Okay, so you've crafted something already.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, would you could you read it? Sure? Yeah? Hi Ali?

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Speaker 1: Good?

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Speaker 2: So far?

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Speaker 1: Casual?

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Speaker 2: Okay? Cool?

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Speaker 1: Go ahead?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Hi Ali. Maybe you'll remember me. We were prom

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Speaker 2: dates our senior.

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Speaker 1: As Brandon reads me a draft, I focus my Keen

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Speaker 1: podcast producer's ear.

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Speaker 2: By my recollection. It was your idea for us to

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Speaker 2: go to prom together.

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Speaker 1: Now let me pause, sorry, let me hit pause there. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: like the way that you're underlining your idea, you're not

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Speaker 1: actually underlining that, though I did italicize it. It was

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Speaker 1: your idea for us to go to prom.

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Speaker 2: Together.

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Speaker 1: Is that what you're saying.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it sounds accusatory out loud. Yeah, so me.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe we'll do italicize that part. Okay, keep going.

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Speaker 1: Brandon tells Ali that he still thinks about their prom.

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Speaker 1: He says he wants to talk to her about it.

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Speaker 1: Would you be up for that? Okay, Okay, let's take

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Speaker 1: a look at this here. Okay, so maybe I'll remember.

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Speaker 1: As Brandon and I pour over the message, a worry

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Speaker 1: suddenly pops into my head. I wonder if there's a

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Speaker 1: way to work in the fact that you're married, you know.

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Speaker 2: How about just I'm married? But I'll just start with it. Hey, listen,

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Speaker 2: I'm taking speaking.

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Speaker 1: As a married man. Me and my wife are wondering.

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Speaker 1: That is my wife and I. We were wondering the

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Speaker 1: other night after making love.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, to be doing good work, and I hope you're well.

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Speaker 2: All the best.

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Speaker 1: Once we've crafted the perfect message, Brandon readies himself to

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Speaker 1: hits end.

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Speaker 2: Should I go ahead and do it?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, let's do it. Go ahead, HiT's end.

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Speaker 2: Enter, it's sent.

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Speaker 1: Congratulations, thank you. A week later, Alli writes back, she's

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00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:22,760
Speaker 1: willing to talk.

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00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,840
Speaker 2: So that's good. It's a positive response.

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Speaker 1: I look at you. You're you're You're giddy, You're giddy

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Speaker 1: with expectation.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Can you tell to keep wiping my face and

291
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Speaker 2: touching my eyes?

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Speaker 1: Would it be fun to do it on a video call? Sure? Sure?

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Do you still have the suit that you wore to

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Speaker 1: your prom I'll be like, I never took it off.

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Speaker 1: Any things that you want me to bring up, just

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00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:03,120
Speaker 1: kind of like conversationally, words or any upcoming projects that

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Speaker 1: you want to promote or.

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Speaker 2: No, keep it organic whatever.

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Speaker 1: Cool cool, I can keep it organic cool.

301
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:20,199
Speaker 6: Yeah.

302
00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,280
Speaker 1: Hello, Hello, I'm getting a little bit of static on

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Speaker 1: your end.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Hello better.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. On the day of the video call with Ali

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00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,960
Speaker 1: Brandon and I get on early and wait.

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Speaker 2: It feels like I'm getting back into the psyche of

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Speaker 2: my high school self. Like I'm hi, Hi, Allie, Hi,

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Speaker 2: how are you good?

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Speaker 1: Allie smiles a big smile full of big white teeth.

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Speaker 1: She's wearing a blue pattern blouse that matches the blue

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Speaker 1: of her nails.

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Speaker 2: I'll just tell you what I've seen on your profile.

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Speaker 2: You live in Carmel and you have a baby.

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Speaker 4: I have two daughters, a three year old and a

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Speaker 4: two year old.

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Speaker 2: Awesome, they're right here on my.

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Speaker 1: Wall, Brandon and Alley catch up.

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Speaker 4: The Midwest is just such a nice place to raise

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Speaker 4: a feet. It's recruiting, but there's like a sales element.

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Speaker 4: And then of course the grandparents are here.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I figured that was part of it, just a family.

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Speaker 2: It's a huge reason there.

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Speaker 4: They're always willing to.

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Speaker 1: Brandon's question hasn't gotten any easier to ask since high school.

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Speaker 1: In fact, it's gotten harder. After a pause of a

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Speaker 1: few minutes or even a few days, one can feign casualness,

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Speaker 1: by the way, why'd you choose me? But to ask

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Speaker 1: after fifteen years, there's no way to buy the way

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Speaker 1: your way through it. But eventually, so.

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Speaker 2: Can I ask you some questions?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely?

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Speaker 2: I guess first, like, what are your memories of me

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Speaker 2: in high school?

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Speaker 4: Yeah? So, I was trying to think of this. Did

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Speaker 4: we ever have any classes together?

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Speaker 2: Probably not?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, So we met senior year, right.

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Speaker 1: I think so doesn't remember much, but one thing she

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Speaker 1: does remember is that day in the back of the

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Speaker 1: classroom we.

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Speaker 4: Were talking about prom, you know, as seniors do, and

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Speaker 4: I think you had you were like not into going

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Speaker 4: to prom right, and You're like, no, I'm not gonna go.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I remember, like you had to really spell it out.

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Speaker 2: You were like, are you going to prom? They're not okay?

348
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Speaker 2: Like if you were, would you be going with someone? No? Okay?

349
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Speaker 2: And then eventually you were like you and me can

350
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Speaker 2: go to prom? Like why don't we go to prom?

351
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Speaker 2: You know?

352
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Speaker 1: And then Brandon asks this question sort of.

353
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Speaker 2: Like at any point did you consider having having someone

354
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Speaker 2: else as a date?

355
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Speaker 4: Well, I would have been totally comfortable going by myself.

356
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Speaker 4: So I don't have any memories of thinking like I'm

357
00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:49,840
Speaker 4: gonna ask Brandon and then if that doesn't work, I'm

358
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:51,840
Speaker 4: gonna ask so and so they're just kind of like

359
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:52,679
Speaker 4: I'm asked Brandon.

360
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Speaker 2: That is surprising, I guess because I thought like that.

361
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,719
Speaker 2: It was like spur of the moment. Your friends were

362
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Speaker 2: hearing this for the first time too.

363
00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,679
Speaker 4: No, no, I was very obsessed with my friends, so

364
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,119
Speaker 4: I'm sure that I ran it by them. So you

365
00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:09,280
Speaker 4: passed the friend test.

366
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,520
Speaker 1: Brandon grows quiet. It wasn't a prank. It wasn't pity.

367
00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,560
Speaker 1: Ali planned to ask him. What's more, she wasn't going

368
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Speaker 1: to take no for an answer.

369
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Speaker 4: I do remember, like you did say no. I remember

370
00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,040
Speaker 4: you saying no, and I'm like, oh, yeah, but give

371
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Speaker 4: him a day. I'm gonna make him go. He's gonna

372
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Speaker 4: go with me. But yeah, you were just surprised by

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Speaker 4: the fact that I asked you.

374
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Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, definitely hmm.

375
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,399
Speaker 1: Alie pauses trying to find the right words.

376
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Speaker 4: You made me laugh a lot, and I remember that

377
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,320
Speaker 4: you were just, you know, fun to be around and goofy,

378
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,600
Speaker 4: and you smiled at me a lot. I remember that,

379
00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:01,680
Speaker 4: you know, like I liked being around you, and if

380
00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,440
Speaker 4: I made a joke, you would laugh at it, you know, maybe.

381
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:12,760
Speaker 2: Feel like I was funny, which is a great quality.

382
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:14,520
Speaker 4: You got me a corsage.

383
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Speaker 2: I remember that.

384
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:17,320
Speaker 4: I remember not expecting you to get me a corsage.

385
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:20,399
Speaker 4: I'm thinking that was really nice. I do remember that.

386
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,359
Speaker 4: Isn't that silly? But like, I don't remember a lot,

387
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:23,200
Speaker 4: but I remember that.

388
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Speaker 1: So you know, I'm going to be a little blunt

389
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:33,359
Speaker 1: here because sure, was there anything else to it? Like

390
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,400
Speaker 1: what was there an element of something romantic?

391
00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:42,280
Speaker 4: So we probably flirted, right, But I don't know. I mean,

392
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:47,359
Speaker 4: friendship is really just the main feeling that I can recall.

393
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,760
Speaker 4: I'm not saying that there wasn't you know. I mean,

394
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Speaker 4: I don't know. You're a teenager, You're feeling all kinds

395
00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,960
Speaker 4: of things. I'm sure there were moments where I was like, oh,

396
00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,280
Speaker 4: is this you know, was this turning into this?

397
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,920
Speaker 2: Yeah? That?

398
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:05,280
Speaker 6: Uh.

399
00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,200
Speaker 2: I think that I would have found that really hard

400
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,320
Speaker 2: to believe as a kid, you know, that would have

401
00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 2: gone against the narrative of school and what people thought

402
00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:16,720
Speaker 2: of me that I had.

403
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,680
Speaker 4: I don't know. I guess to some extent, I knew

404
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:25,880
Speaker 4: that we were I want to be honest, I knew

405
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,520
Speaker 4: that there was some people were surprised by the fact

406
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,840
Speaker 4: that we were going together, right. I do remember one

407
00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,639
Speaker 4: time when I told some dude in my physics class

408
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,320
Speaker 4: I can't remember, that was going with Brandon and they're like, wait,

409
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,720
Speaker 4: what And I was like yeah, and they're like that's weird,

410
00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:43,080
Speaker 4: and I'm like, you're weird.

411
00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:45,280
Speaker 6: Well.

412
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,760
Speaker 1: Brandon remembers himself as a misfit. Allie remembers someone who

413
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:50,480
Speaker 1: was different than a lot of the other guys in

414
00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:54,119
Speaker 1: high school. Brandon made rye jokes, he was sweet and

415
00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:58,400
Speaker 1: self deprecating. She remembers things that Brandon doesn't. She says

416
00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,040
Speaker 1: there was one time Brandon did a whole monologue about

417
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,199
Speaker 1: how he found it hard to drive because of his

418
00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,159
Speaker 1: fear of hitting birds. In other words, Allie asked him

419
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,320
Speaker 1: to prom for the one reason Brandon never considered. She

420
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:11,520
Speaker 1: just wanted to go with him.

421
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,080
Speaker 2: Did you have a good time? Eproum? Because I really

422
00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,359
Speaker 2: wanted that for you. I spent a lot of time thinking, like,

423
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:20,720
Speaker 2: that's my role on the date. Here I go.

424
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,240
Speaker 1: You know, yeah, Allie grows thoughtful.

425
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:28,480
Speaker 4: I guess I didn't even think that, because I mean,

426
00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,439
Speaker 4: I talked you into it, right, so then here you

427
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,639
Speaker 4: are kind of not stuck, but like, yeah, feeling like

428
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,520
Speaker 4: you wanted to make it special for me because I

429
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,000
Speaker 4: was the one that was all about it. Yeah, I

430
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,919
Speaker 4: guess I never even thought about that. I just think, Brandon,

431
00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,320
Speaker 4: You're You're just so much more thoughtful, you know, I

432
00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,400
Speaker 4: just thoughtful about the whole experience. And I do want

433
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,320
Speaker 4: to thank you because that's so nice that you were

434
00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,640
Speaker 4: thinking it was your duty to try to make sure

435
00:23:57,680 --> 00:23:58,879
Speaker 4: I had the problem I wanted to have.

436
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:05,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, I honestly didn't even expect to be thanked from

437
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,760
Speaker 2: you for anything. I feel like I have to thank

438
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,520
Speaker 2: you because there's something really simple and superficial about this,

439
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,359
Speaker 2: but it felt really real that I finished high school

440
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,560
Speaker 2: as a person who went to prom. I got to go.

441
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,639
Speaker 2: I got to have a fun time and forget the

442
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 2: misfit feelings I was having.

443
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,000
Speaker 5: That's awesome. That's so awesome to hear you say that.

444
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:35,960
Speaker 5: That's really nice.

445
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,679
Speaker 2: My life started to really just like blossom and grow.

446
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,240
Speaker 2: I guess from like the moment high school was over.

447
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,720
Speaker 2: And I guess I can't say for certain what that

448
00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:52,679
Speaker 2: part of my life would have looked like had I

449
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,720
Speaker 2: not had the problem experience, but I can't say it

450
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:56,720
Speaker 2: was totally irrelevant.

451
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 1: Was it out of that and kind of like into

452
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,000
Speaker 1: that period that you ended up meeting your wife Meghan?

453
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was like that phase of life when Meghan

454
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,919
Speaker 2: I met her.

455
00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 1: Dress is so cute.

456
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:11,800
Speaker 2: She looks beautiful.

457
00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:15,600
Speaker 1: This is Megan Brandon's wife looking at a photo a

458
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:16,800
Speaker 1: valley from prom night.

459
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:17,920
Speaker 6: She looks amazing.

460
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,280
Speaker 1: She looks great. After getting off the video call, Ali

461
00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:24,480
Speaker 1: sent the group photo from prom, Megan studies it while

462
00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:25,600
Speaker 1: seated beside Brandon.

463
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,199
Speaker 6: It's also like, so cute to see you flanked by

464
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 6: these Like I mean, I'm sorry, they're in high school,

465
00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:31,760
Speaker 6: so I don't really feel like should be calling them

466
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:33,440
Speaker 6: hot babes, but you know what I mean, Like from

467
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,879
Speaker 6: the high school perspective, you.

468
00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:40,600
Speaker 1: Lucky looking man. But as Brandon looks at the photo,

469
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,359
Speaker 1: I imagine it isn't his day to the other kids

470
00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,040
Speaker 1: that he's focused on so much as he's focused on

471
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,360
Speaker 1: the big guy in the middle and all the baggage

472
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 1: that guy was carrying.

473
00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:51,680
Speaker 2: There's a lot of weird stuff about like my weight

474
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:56,399
Speaker 2: and growing up, like dieting, and like my mom like

475
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,320
Speaker 2: putting me on a scale and it was like, you're

476
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:04,560
Speaker 2: over this line. You know, you're unattractive, and what does

477
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:05,960
Speaker 2: it make you to feel?

478
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,120
Speaker 1: Like Megan to hear that, it.

479
00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:09,280
Speaker 6: Makes me feel very protective.

480
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:09,879
Speaker 2: For sure.

481
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,520
Speaker 4: I think if we don't, we.

482
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,560
Speaker 6: Really really get into squabbles. But if ever we do,

483
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,080
Speaker 6: what really disarms me is like thinking about that like

484
00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:26,480
Speaker 6: little like young Brandon, I feel like that happened not

485
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:27,679
Speaker 6: even that long ago. Do you remember we were like

486
00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,119
Speaker 6: standing at the kitchen and I started crying, and I

487
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:32,120
Speaker 6: was just like I had been so resentful and mad

488
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:33,919
Speaker 6: at you for a minute, and then I just like

489
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,400
Speaker 6: was imagining you being like a little kid and having

490
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,760
Speaker 6: other like adults in his life not really tend to

491
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,880
Speaker 6: like the difficulties of that as well as.

492
00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:41,520
Speaker 1: They should have.

493
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:46,360
Speaker 6: I think about him just having to like navigate those

494
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:47,560
Speaker 6: insecurities alone.

495
00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,399
Speaker 1: But Brandon no longer has to navigate them alone. A

496
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,679
Speaker 1: few weeks ago, before chaperoning the prom with Megan, Brandon

497
00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,960
Speaker 1: went to the tailor. He wanted to wear his weddings

498
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:01,720
Speaker 1: and needed her to let it out.

499
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,480
Speaker 2: She was like down on her knees, like looking at it,

500
00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,200
Speaker 2: pulling the pants in different ways, and then said, okay,

501
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,160
Speaker 2: go ahead and open the pants up so I can

502
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:15,920
Speaker 2: see how much we can let out. And I don't

503
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,560
Speaker 2: know why, but I wasn't wearing underwear. I didn't wear

504
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,800
Speaker 2: underwear to the tailor. I guess I didn't think that

505
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:28,520
Speaker 2: she was going to be asking that. So yeah, she

506
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,760
Speaker 2: asked me to open the pants and I was like

507
00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,720
Speaker 2: right now, and she's like, yep, go ahead, and I

508
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:42,600
Speaker 2: just said, I can't do that right now, if you

509
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:48,439
Speaker 2: know what I mean. Wow, I know, I know, and

510
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,560
Speaker 2: I don't think. I'm honestly not sure if she knew

511
00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,959
Speaker 2: what I meant. But she dropped it and said, Okay,

512
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,000
Speaker 2: I think we'll just let it out all the way

513
00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:00,919
Speaker 2: and that'll probably be enough. It was off. It was awful.

514
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,439
Speaker 1: Brandon was spiraling so as soon as he left, he

515
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,639
Speaker 1: sent Megan a text at school asking her to call him, and.

516
00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 2: When she called me, I was fixing a flat. I

517
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,119
Speaker 2: got a flat tire on the way home. It was

518
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 2: just like a shitty afternoon. So I was fixing a

519
00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:17,520
Speaker 2: flat and telling her what it was like at the tailor.

520
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,320
Speaker 2: And then we hung up. And then she texted me

521
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:26,359
Speaker 2: later and just said like, I love you, and I

522
00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:32,280
Speaker 2: love the way your body looks, and I don't think

523
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 2: it's weird that you didn't wear underwear. I don't we

524
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,560
Speaker 2: underwear either. It was just like a you know what

525
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 2: I mean. She was supportive. That fixed it almost immediately

526
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:41,880
Speaker 2: for me.

527
00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:44,040
Speaker 3: Hm.

528
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:48,520
Speaker 4: Well, I taught him to go commando.

529
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 2: So I feel partially responsible.

530
00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,640
Speaker 1: What did you make of Brandon's question that he's had

531
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,240
Speaker 1: through the years, Why did Ali invite him to the

532
00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 1: prom in the first place?

533
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,320
Speaker 6: It didn't have to be a mystery. It makes perfect

534
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,280
Speaker 6: sense to me that somebody who looks like Ali could

535
00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:14,320
Speaker 6: like the person who she's standing next to.

536
00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:15,800
Speaker 5: You.

537
00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 1: Brandon says the biggest difference between his two proms was

538
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,440
Speaker 1: that with Megan, he didn't spend the whole night wondering

539
00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,840
Speaker 1: why the person by his side had chosen him. He's

540
00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,080
Speaker 1: just happy she did.

541
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:32,160
Speaker 2: I was comfortable the whole time.

542
00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,160
Speaker 1: How could you not be comfortable? I mean you weren't

543
00:29:34,200 --> 00:30:24,320
Speaker 1: wearing underpants. Now that the furnitures returning to its goodwill.

544
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:32,400
Speaker 6: Home, now that the last month's rent is scheming.

545
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:36,560
Speaker 1: With the damage to pozzle, take this moment to dissolve.

546
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:44,080
Speaker 5: If we meant it, if we tried, but felt around

547
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:45,840
Speaker 5: for far to work.

548
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,440
Speaker 4: From things that accidentally.

549
00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,520
Speaker 1: This episode of Heavyweight was produced by Stevie Lane, along

550
00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:01,640
Speaker 1: with me Jonathan Goldstein, and Mohemy mcgauga. Our senior producer

551
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,040
Speaker 1: is Khalila Holt. Special thanks to Emilyconton, Alex Bloomberg, Sharon Mashihi,

552
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:10,120
Speaker 1: mime O'donald, Jessica Young, and Jackie Cohen. Bobby Lord mixed

553
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,520
Speaker 1: the episode with original music by Christine Fellows, John K. Sampson,

554
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,400
Speaker 1: Michael Hurst, The Jacoby Family Band, and Bobby Lord. Additional

555
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,400
Speaker 1: music credits can be found on our website, Gimletmedia dot

556
00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,560
Speaker 1: com slash Heavyweight. Our theme song is by the Weaker

557
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,680
Speaker 1: Than's courtesy of Epitaph Records.

558
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:26,680
Speaker 3: Follow us on.

559
00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,840
Speaker 1: Twitter at Heavyweight or email us at Heavyweight at gimletmedia

560
00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:33,680
Speaker 1: dot com we'll be back with a new episode next week.

561
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,719
Speaker 6: Like we just like goof real easy, like making up

562
00:31:54,760 --> 00:32:00,680
Speaker 6: weird songs, doing weird shit like slap just like gonna say,

563
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:06,640
Speaker 6: slapping each other's passes, but just like being stupid together,

564
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 6: which that's a corny or something, but like playing around

565
00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:11,040
Speaker 6: all of the time,