All language subtitles for True Story s01e06 Christine, Gastor.eng

- Stories.

- Since the dawn of time,
we've relied on stories

to entertain and enlighten.

- Be they tales of adventure,

love, loss,
or abject stupidity,

these sagas are passed down
through generations,

a grand catalogue
of our collective experience.

- But what about
those epic stories

only shared among
a small circle of friends?

How do they achieve
the legendary status

they so richly deserve?

- By being told here.

- Welcome to the ultimate
chronicle of humanity.

- This is "True Story
with Ed and Randall."

[dramatic music]

- Good evening, and welcome
to "True Story,"

amazing stories that Ed and I

are hearing
for the very first time.

- I love surprises,
so let's get started.

Welcome, Christine.

- Hi.
- Thank you for being here.

- Thank you for having me.

- Before we start,
I just want to know,

is this a story
that your family

will be proud of you telling
on national TV

or not so proud?

- I wouldn't say proud.
- Okay.

- So where does
your story begin?

- We are in Nebraska...
- Okay.

- So not really much
to do there, but...

- And this is where
you grew up.

- Yes, born and raised.

My boyfriend at the time--
we dated for 4 years.

We knew each other
since high school

and started dating
freshman year of college,

and he proposed to me.

- Can you describe him?
- He is tall.

- Tall.
- I'm only 5'2".

He's 6'4" so...
He's in construction.

He doesn't talk

unless he's spoken to,
so he's really quiet.

- Oh, yeah, he's a classic man.
- Yes.

- How did the proposal go?

- So he told a couple
of my girlfriends

that he was going to propose,
and they just told me

we were going to go to, like,
a happy hour girls' night.

So I get there.
My sister has a rose.

She gave the rose to my nephew,
and he hands me a rose.

- What are you doing here?

I thought
this was a girls' night.

[romantic music]

* *

Mom, Dad?
Oh, my goodness.

* *

- And then after each block
there would be, like,

a family member holding a rose.

- Grandpa, Grandma?

* *

Wow, this is
the weirdest girls' night

I've ever been to.

And then, at the end
of the road,

he was standing there
with more roses.

* *

Christine, will you marry me?

* *

- It was really sweet.
- This is amazing.

- Yeah.
- He worked in

your whole family
and your friends.

- How long were you
planning for?

Like, when did this desire to
get married first strike you?

- Probably 2 1/2 years in.
- Into your life?

- Into dating him.

- Oh, dating him, okay.
- Yeah, and ever since then...

- I thought you were 2 1/2
years old like,

"I've got to get married."

- No. Well, I always wanted
to get married,

like, ever since I was little.

- But after 2 1/2 years
of dating Jon,

you were like, "He's the one."

- Yes.
- Okay.

- So we have a proposal.
- I am, like, already planning.

I already know
what dress I want.

- This is such a surprise.

I haven't even ever thought
about a wedding.

Oh, God, it's really
just all happening so fast.

I'll be right back.

[mechanism clicks]

[motors whirring]

[dramatic music]

I was, like,
ready to get married.

I've always been
super obsessed with weddings.

- And how are you feeling?
- Very excited.

- Very excited.
- Yes.

- And you had a date already.
- I had a date in my mind.

He didn't know it,
but I'd had a date for,

like, over a year
that I was planning.

- Oh. Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, wait a minute.

You were planning
before the proposal?

- Oh, yeah, I was planning
for a long time.

Bride's log,
engagement day, 001.

Today is the beginning
of the engagement,

set to last roughly 123 days.

Jon chose roses
for the proposal,

a timeless choice.

I'll move forward

with Operation Wedding Gown
this week.

Literally the week after
that, I went and got my dress.

- You know how
to make decisions.

- I do.

- You just move.
- Yes.

- Okay, so I imagine you're
feeling pretty confident.

You're ahead of schedule.

- Next up, though, in our life,
we needed to get a house,

and we're looking for a house
for the first time.

But we come across
30 acres of land, and I'm like,

"I really want that."

Again, I'm really good
at making decisions.

- Yeah.
- And he makes it happen.

This is where, like,

we're going to build our house
and raise our babies.

Like, we already
have it planned out.

- Wow.
- And we go there often.

We have a 145-pound dog
that we take to go running.

- I'm sorry.
You do realize that,

whatever animal you have,
it's not a dog.

- It's a mini horse.
- If it's 145 pounds,

we're talking about either
a baby hippopotamus or...

What is this animal?

- He's a Bernese Mountain Dog,
but he's, like...

He's stacked.
I don't know why.

- Okay, so you guys
and your giant Sasquatch dog...

- Yes.

- Go to your land
and just sort of,

like, spend time there.

- Yeah. I found these flowers
that I decided to pick.

I want to incorporate
these into the wedding.

They're pretty.
They're white and green

and just perfect
for filler flowers.

Get them back
to my parents' house.

We literally filled
their entire basement

with the flowers.
Like, that's how many we had.

- This is so special.
- Wow.

- I'm loving this.
- Pretty much all I needed

to do
at this point is get married.

- A lot of times,
weddings are very stressful,

but you're
just feeling excited.

- No, I'm super excited
at this point.

- But you've also
planned it to a T.

- Yeah, I planned everything.
It was so perfect.

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- Okay.
- So where are we?

- Bride log, day 121.

Today is Friday.
The wedding is upon us.

Final preparations
are being hashed out.

The rehearsal dinner
was... perfect.

We're excited to get back
and start the flowers.

We did this for both
my sisters' weddings.

We did
their floral arrangements,

so that's what
we're doing with ours.

We stayed up doing that
all night, and...

- And then the wedding
is the next day.

- Yeah. Me and my sister
keep on working,

and then we go to bed,
and we wake up.

- And it's your wedding day,
right?

- Yep, and we head
to the ceremony site.

- How are you feeling?
- Like, ready to go.

- Great, excited.
- Yes, very excited.

- Okay.
- I go with my checklist,

and I make sure
everything is perfect.

I'm down at the ceremony site,
and my aunt is, like,

"You need to go up
and start getting ready."

It's at her house,
so I go up to her house,

and I go and I wash my face,

and I'm, like,
ready to get going.

My makeup artist
is going to be there soon.

Like, almost instantly,
my eyes start burning.

[disquieting music]

God, my eyes are, like,
literally on fuego right now.

- And when you say burning,
what are we...

Describe this sensation.

- Like sandpaper, like,
in your eyes.

Yeah, that's fine.
It's fine, totally.

I was like,
"Oh, this kind of hurts."

And then my face started
getting, like, flush and red,

but then it started getting
bumpy, and it, like, went...

started going down my neck
and down my arms.

- What?

- And I'm, like,
"Okay, this isn't that good.

- These are hives.
- Yes. And I have--

a couple of my bridesmaids
were nurses, and they're like,

"Take this medicine.
Take this."

I'm like, "I'm going to take
whatever you guys give me."

Oh, Lord.

- As your bridesmaids,
we're all about shots,

but as a certified
nurse practitioner,

girl, you need a shot.

- So just give me everything.
- Yes, opening the...

- Yeah.
- That's what it felt like.

- Yeah.
- All better.

- And I think it's going
to get better,

but it's starting to get worse.

My hair lady gets there,
and my sister is, like,

"Maybe just shut your eyes

while you're getting
your hair done."

And so we put cucumbers
over them,

and we were kind of
just laying there.

- And what's going on in your
head at this point? Is it...

- Oh, I thought--
- Has panic set in or, no?

- No, I was, like,
"Oh, this will be better by 3."

- I love your attitude.
- Yeah.

- Thank you.
- Like, I would probably--

- It's not always that, but...
- Yeah, no, but I would be

probably spiraling
at that point...

- Yeah.

- Just, like,
neurotically getting, like,

"Oh, this is going
to be a disaster."

But you're just--
you're still in control.

- I'm, like, laying there
with cucumbers,

and I fall asleep for an hour,
and my hair lady wakes me up,

and she's like,
"Hey, you're good.

I got your hair done,"
and I literally can't see,

not like blackout
but, like, I cannot see.

- Can you see?
Do you like your hair?

How does it look?

- Brown... or black.

- So mind state at this point--
is it the same,

"It's going to be fine"?

- Yeah, I don't know why.
- Okay.

- And I was like,
"It's all good, though."

- Right, because this wedding
is happening,

and it's going to be perfect.

- Yeah.
- So you're swelling up.

- Yes.
- You can't see anything.

- Can't see.

- Your wedding
is in four hours.

- I thought it would be smart
to tell my mom I can't see,

and, like, if you know my mom,
she's not dramatic.

- She's tough.
- Yes.

I, like, walk down there,
and I'm like,

"Hey, Mom, I can't see."

And she turns around,
and she's like...

- Good God.

- Mom?

- She's like, "You need to get
to the doctor now."

She was like,
"You look so bad."

- Can you describe what your
face looks like at this point?

- It's just swollen
and bumpy and red.

If I looked up, it would
help me keep my eyes open,

but I couldn't keep
my eyes open,

so I would have to bend down,
and if I bent down,

then snot would just, like,

this long
would just pour out of my nose.

- And you still thought
there would be a wedding?

- And I was, like, "I'm good."
Yes, it got so bad

I just, like,
kept shoving toilet paper up

because I looked better
with the toilet paper.

- Wow.

- And then I was
shaking so bad.

Like, I started running a fever
or something.

So when we got
to the urgent care,

it's a small town,
and it's Labor Day weekend,

and we got there
at, like, 11:45.

[pounding on door]
[groaning]

- [sighs] Hello!

- [groaning]

Free tan.

- My daughter needs help.
I know you're in there.

- This doesn't sound
like a very urgent

urgent care facility.
- No.

- This is urgent.
Don't you care?

[light music]

Oh, my God.

- Where is Jon during all that?
- I texted him.

- For precaution.

- So I don't normally do
TikTok,

but I figured, what the hell?
[cell phone buzzes]

Hang on.
"Hey, babe, at the urgent care.

"Just a precaution,
but I might be dying.

Love you."

[playful brass music]

So I'm fighting this bear,

and the bear knows
Brazilian jiujitsu...

- So we get back
to my aunt's house.

I take my nap,
and my mom wakes me up.

She's like,
"Hey you've got to get up."

And, like, my nicely done hair
is just matted,

and it looks like literally
a rat's nest everywhere.

And so I get up and hurry up,
get my dress on.

My dad comes and gets me.

- Honey.

Honey, it's time to--God!

Oh, my beautiful girl.

You look...[gags]

You know, it's bad luck

to see the bride
before the wedding--ah, ooh--

so... okay.

- Are you just in a state
of denial,

or are you understanding
what's happening

but still thinking
you're going to power through?

- I'm thinking for some reason
it's going to get better.

- Is no one going to just
intervene and just say,

"This ain't going to happen"?
- Mm-mm.

- Oh, no, you don't do that
to Christine.

- No.
- You don't do that.

- That was not on my paper.

- That wasn't on
your checklist.

- It was not on my checklist.

- You seem like a very poised,
intelligent,

put-together person,

but clearly, in this moment,
you've gone insane.

- I really--I don't know
what I was thinking.

- So then my dad grabs me.

He takes me down there.

- It sounds like the stuff
of nightmares.

Like, you had rat's nest hair.
- Hair.

- You're covered
in red splotches.

- That's actually what it was,
though.

It was not--I'm not, like,
overexaggerating it.

["Pachelbel's Canon" playing]

- This has become
a horror movie.

- Yeah.
At this point, like,

literally when I got down
to the aisle, I was like,

"I need to go to the hospital,"
so that was in my mind.

- There you go.
- Um, hi.

- Ooh!
- Oh! Hi.

Are you sure you want
to do this right now?

- Yep, I do. I just want
to get it over with. Let's go.

- Dearly beloved,
we are gathered...

- Okay, you know what?
Actually, you can skip that.

Nobody wants to hear it.

- Do you have
kind of a sense of humor

about this in that moment,
or are you just like,

"Let's get through this
so I can get to the hospital"?

- I want to get through it
to get it to the hospital.

- Christine and Jon
would like a reading.

- No, we don't want
that reading anymore.

Just keep going.

My pastor could see
how bad it was, and he's, like,

"Okay, we're going to,
like, dumb this way down."

Come on.
- Marriage is a sacred vow.

- We know.
Everybody knows that.

Just keep going.

- Okay, the couple have decided
to write their own vows.

- [coughing]

I love how hot
and tall you are,

and I love our giant dog.
That should about cover it.

- Um...
- Come on.

- I now pronounce
you man and wife.

You may kiss the bride.
- Finally.

- It's just chaos
at this point.

- Yeah. I'm, like,
"Let's just get done.

Let's do the kiss
the bride and walk down."

- Yeah, oh, okay, rings.

Yeah, that one's yours.
This is mine.

- Yep, yep, there we go.
Done, yep.

- And then we do that.

- FYI, I also do exorcisms.

- You get married.
- We get married.

- Congratulations.
I mean, that's...

That's good.

- Thank you.

And I said, "We need to go to
the hospital, like, right now."

We tried to get, like,
a couple of family pictures

with, like, grandparents
because...

- Of just you just like...

- Congrats.
Smile.

- Congrats, guys.

Let's get
a couple ph--oh--tos of the...

- You know what?
I think we're going to have

to go to the hospital
before we do that.

- Just a few more...
few quick snaps,

a few quick snaps,
just a couple quick snaps.

- At this point, it's fully
"Weekend at Bernie's."

- Yeah, yeah.

- You're just like a corpse,
basically.

- It was terrible.

- * Take it all the way *

* When I hear the music play *

* Because, baby,
I can't help myself *

- * Hey, hey, hey *

- * I'm here to do my thing *

* Who knows
what tomorrow brings *

* I'm never going
to kiss and tell *

* I want to dance
the night away *

* Until we see
the light of day *

- When you left the wedding
and went to the hospital,

was it just with Jon?

- Just hang in there, baby.
We're almost there.

- My sisters--they wanted it
to be all of us.

We had party buses,

and they were, like,
following us to the ER.

[bridal party cheering]

- Wait, you're on your way
to the ER,

and you have the wedding party
following you?

Did they want to come along
because they were like,

"Let's keep this party going"?

[upbeat music]

[heart monitor beeping]

- Face to face
Get on the floor

* [Indistinct]

It's a showdown
I'm going to take the crown

Beat [Indistinct]

That's your move
That's all you got

- They're like, "Oh, this is
an allergic reaction," like,

"It will get better in an hour
with all these meds."

They gave me,
like a bunch of steroids.

They gave me two shots
in my butt.

- Does any of this make you
feel better in that moment?

- No, they told me an hour,
so I was like,

"An hour is going to be here,
and I will be dancing."

- Wow.
- That's what they told you.

- Yes, so I was
in good spirits again.

- Your spirits are lifted, but
you're still feeling horrific.

- Yes, horrible,
not any better.

- And did they tell you what
the allergic reaction was to?

- No, but my reaction
was so bad at this point

and, like, itching,
and I'm falling over my dress.

So my husband ran into Target.

I said, "Get me, like, athletic
clothes, like, comfy clothes."

So he got me jammies,
which was nice.

And I called Mom. I'm like,
"Hey, what is going on there?"

And she was like, "It's getting

really, really, like,
eerily awkward."

- Yeah, because,
everyone's like,

"Uh, we just witnessed
a snot fountain."

- Yeah.
- Pass the gravy.

- And we're 3 1/2 hours
late at this point,

and I'm changing
on the interstate.

We just want to go say
"thank you" to people and...

- Maybe explain to them, yeah.

- Yes, people were trying
to make us do an entrance.

I said, "I won't walk in there
if you guys do an entrance.

"I don't want any of that.

I just want to get in there,
say 'Thank you.'"

- Ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome
the bride and groom.

[upbeat music playing]

- I've got this one.

* *

She's all good.
She's all good.

We're playing golf soon.
Okay.

Okay, okay.

Okay, look out.
Let's go.

Oh, up we go.

Full recovery.
We're good.

- Somebody started
our first dance,

and I'm literally in pajamas.

[slow dance music playing]

* *

I don't think our feet,
like, came off the floor.

It was that cringy.

* *

- And what were you
and your husband

saying to each other as you,
like, swayed back and forth?

- This is so bad.

- And now for the
father-daughter dance!

- Are you feeling any better,
physically?

- No. I, like, blacked out,
and my sister is like,

"What is going on?"

I'm, like, "I don't know.
I just need to go home."

So I laid under
my grandparents' table

a lot of the night
with ice packs.

- Hi.

- [hacking]

- Thanks for having us.
Beautiful ceremony.

- Hey, just thank you so much
for the blender.

It was so kind of you.

- Sure thing, any time.

- Get home safe. [retches]

I'd get out for a second
and be like,

"Oh, thanks for coming,"

and then I'd crawl back
under their table.

- Were people partying
and dancing all around you?

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, and people stayed
like an hour after, like,

the wedding
was supposed to be and dance.

My dance floor was hopping.

[upbeat music playing]

* *

- Babe!

- [wretched gurgling]

Yeah, they had
to kick everybody out.

Everyone out!
- Still dancing!

Go Christine!
Go Christine!

- Wow, and so when did you
start feeling better?

- It took 4 days
to get my eyesight back.

- Oh, wow.

- I, like--I wore sunglasses

for, like, four days
in the house.

- Christine,
what the hell happened?

What were you allergic to?

- The flowers.
- Yep.

- So it wasn't
an allergic reaction.

They're very poisonous,
and I guess

they can kill cattle
if, like, cattle ingest them.

- Oh, my gosh.

- And so that's why
the allergy meds never worked.

- You weren't having
an allergic reaction.

You had been poisoned.
- No, they were literally--

I was poisoned by flowers.

- And when you were
picking them just for fun,

you were rubbing them
on your eyes and all over.

[romantic music]

[laughter]

- [sighs softly]

* *

It was from washing my face,

and then the sap
underneath my nails

because I had just gotten
my nails done,

so they were longer.

- So when you washed your face,
the toxins got into your eyes.

- Yes.

- Just for the sake of Randall
and me

and our audience at home,
what kind of flower

was that that we need
to avoid at all costs?

- It is snow-on-the-mountain.
- Snow-on-the-mountain.

- Do not touch it, ever.

- Snow-on-the-mountain.
That is a very misleading name

for a deadly flower.
- Yeah.

- It's
a lovely-sounding flower.

- Yep.

- Looking back on this, did you
come away with any lessons?

- Don't pick wildflowers.
- That specifically.

- Don't pick wildflowers.
Don't have a checklist

and make it go
exactly according to plan,

because it's never going
to go according to plan.

- So maybe be a little less
stringent about taking control.

- Yes.

- Well, you're married now.
- We have three...

well, about to be three babies,
so we're good.

- Wow.
- Okay.

- Three babies
in three years, so...

- Incredible.

- And you guys are happy.

- Happy, and a wedding day
is a wedding day.

- Christine, thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- That was amazing.

- Incredible.

I'm so glad
for the happy ending

because I was getting
real worried there.

- * I'm going to take it
all the way *

* When I hear the music play *

* Because, baby,
I can't help myself *

* I'm here to do my thing *

* Who knows
what tomorrow brings *

* I'm never going
to kiss and tell *

* I just want to have fun *

* Show me what you've got *

* Because the floor
is getting hot *

* I want to see the way
you move *

* It's time to get it on *

* Going to party
all night long *

* This is what we do *

* La la la la *

* I'm all about *

* Come and get it *

* Come, come and get it *

* La la la la *

* I'm all about fun *

* Come and get it *

* Come, come and get it *

* I want to dance
the night away *

* Until we see
the light of day *

* Come give me some *

- What do you think, Randall?
Ready for another one?

- Yes, I am.
Hello, Gastor.

- How is it going, y'all?

- It's going great.
How are you?

- Always good,
always good, homie.

- Before you go into it...
- Yeah.

- If this story was a movie...
- Yeah.

- What would be the soundtrack?

- It's up-tempo.
It's action.

There's love. There's drama.

That's where we at.

- So set the stage for us.

Where does the story begin?

- This starts in 2008.

- And how old were you
at this time?

- I was about 24.

- 24, okay.

- Hey, so I've got
something to tell you.

- All right.

Well, I've got something
to tell you, too,

but I want you to go first.

- I'm pregnant.

- Me and my girlfriend,
Gabby--

we found out we were
expecting a kid, you know?

Wow. No, this is...
This is amazing.

Normally this is exciting,
great news.

This was also scary
at the time.

- This is amazing, yeah.
Oh, my God, come here. Wow.

- What were you going to say?
- It doesn't matter.

- I was not in a place
where I could afford a kid.

- What is it?

- Um, I'm broke.

From I've seen,
they cost a bit of money.

I don't know if you are aware.

- Yeah, it adds up.

- Can you describe Gabby?

- Yeah, Gabby is
the most loving person I know

with the scariest eyebrows
I know at the same time.

- What do you mean,
"Scariest eyebrows"?

- Like, she gets across
all her threats

by just, like, changing
the arch over her eyes.

It's a talent. I don't know
how she does it, like,

because you see it's a score.

Like, during the day,
you see them just slowly arch.

- Yeah.
- And, like,

you do something nice,
they go back to straight.

- So you use
those eyebrows as your...

- That's my barometer.

[alarms blaring]

- Gastor, get in here now!

- Dear God.

- Oof.
- Yeah.

- Not only were we dating
for a while at this point,

she's my best friend's
older sister, right?

- Oh, yeah.
- My boy, George, and I.

Like, we've known each other
since, you know, we were 13.

I want to make sure
that I live up to,

you know, my promises to him
as a man and as his boy,

and the other part of that
comes from my dad.

Like, I asked him,

"What do I do here,
like, in this dynamic?

Like, how do I provide
for them?"

And he looked me in the eye,
and he said...

- Heavy, high, far.

If something is heavy,
what do we do?

We pick it up.
- Ah.

- If it's far, can you guess?

We go get it.
What about if it's high?

- Reach.
- That's right.

- Yeah.
- We reach for it.

- And to this day, I still
don't know if he, like,

literally meant, like,
just pick stuff up or, like...

- You have a deep conversation
with your dad, and he's, like,

"No, no, no, I just literally
meant picking stuff up."

- Yeah, but I took it to heart.

- Even in those dreams,
keep it heavy, high and far.

- My dad's words, like, really,
like, weighed on me,

and I felt like I was failing
to live up to that, you know?

Like, I wasn't making
enough money.

She's still living
with her parents.

- So what were you doing
at the time?

- I had a part-time job.

I was loading trucks
in Brooklyn,

just, like, loading trailers.

It was a union gig, so I knew
that, like, eventually,

if I did this long enough,
I could, you know,

become a full-time driver
and work there.

And finding out that we were
going to have a kid kind of,

like, put pressure on that.

But that wasn't something that,

like, I controlled
the timeline on.

- Yep.
- So I started playing poker

after work,
you know, to make extra bread.

- So I would, like, go from
5:00 to 10:00,

load these trucks.

After work, I'd call in,
check in on Gabby,

see how things were with her,

and then I would go play
in these, like,

shady underground rooms
in Brooklyn and Queens.

- So you're
in these poker games.

Is your hope to kind of
get one big score?

- Yeah.

- Or you're just kind of
incrementally winning?

- Yeah, at this point,
honestly, like,

just the amount I was winning,

it wasn't realistic
for me to be, like,

"Yo, we're going to cash out,
buy the house,

and I'm moving out."

- Yeah.

- Were you feeling the pressure
also from Gabby's eyebrows?

- Yeah, I mean,
indirectly, like,

what really, like, hurt
the most is, like,

as much as I wanted
to give her,

Gabby didn't really want a lot.

Like, she was real, like,

low-maintenance
as an expecting mom.

And really all she wanted was,
like, this one thing.

She had a craving

for Applebee's
maple butter blondies.

- Hey, I suddenly
and very randomly

got a craving
for a maple butter blondie.

- She would regularly, like,
hit me up and say,

"Hey, I want one of these
things," and they're beautiful.

- Is there ever ice cream
involved?

- Of course.
Ice cream is actually on top,

so the maple butter blondie
has, like, a warm blondie.

Then, it has a scoop
of vanilla ice cream on top,

walnut chunks,
caramel and maple butter syrup.

- That's a piece of art.
- I'm telling you.

- I've never had one.

Can you describe
what they taste like?

- Magic.
- Magic?

- Yeah, it's beautiful.
Whatever brings you joy,

happiness, picture that moment.
It's like that, every bite.

- So are you picking these up,
like, once a week, every day?

- This is my challenge, right?

So she would work 9:00 to 5:00.
I'm working 5:00 to 10:00.

And all the Applebee's
that were in our area

closed at 10 o'clock.
So when she would call me...

- Maybe you could pick me up
a maple butter blondie?

- I couldn't do anything
about it.

They had already closed.

Like, even if I got out
early that day, right, like,

it was, like, let's, say 9:30.
The kitchens were still closed.

- What happens to her eyebrows
when she's eating the blondie?

[soft music]

- It's the only time
they're, like parallel.

They go back to even.
You know?

- And these maple butter
blondies are a key to that?

- Instant reset button,
instant.

- Okay.
- Yeah, okay.

- I couldn't deliver on this,
you know,

because they kept closing.

- Yep.

- Some of our friends
in Queens...

They opened up a new Applebee's
in Fresh Meadows, Queens,

and I started
getting text messages.

My homegirl Gayle have seen--
hit up my homegirl Lara,

and they're like,
"Yo, there's a new Applebee's

in Fresh Meadows,"

and I'm like, "Yeah?"
And they're like,

"Yo, but the closing time
is 11:00 at this one."

- Oh.
- Game-changer, you know.

- Yeah.
- Now, I've got the option.

You know, if I get out
early from work,

Gabby got that craving,

I can make that drive,
you know?

- How far is it
to Fresh Meadows?

- Yeah, Fresh Meadows
is roughly,

like, 30 minutes away
from me in Brooklyn.

- Okay.
- So it's an aggressive drive,

but if you inspired,
you can make it happen.

- Well, you want to get
those eyebrows on the level,

so you'll make that trip.

- Exactly, you know?
- Yeah.

- So, you know, I got
the opportunity soon after.

Like, you know,
she gives me a call, and, like,

I'm coming out
the building, and she like...

- Hey, today was rough,

and I really have
that craving again.

- And I said...
Yeah, babe, I got you.

- Yeah.
- You know?

I hung up the phone.

I called up the Applebee's
in Fresh Meadows.

Lovely young lady picks up.

She said, "Hi, this is
Stephanie from Applebee's."

I'm like, "Hi, Stephanie.
My name is Gastor Almonte.

I mean business."
I said,

"I need a maple butter blondie.
I'll be there in 20 minutes."

I hung up the phone,
got in my car.

- He means business.
I need our best guys on this.

Let's move. Go, go, go.

- Who means business
this late in the day?

- Ritchie, I swear to God.

- I got there.
- Yeah.

- Twenty minutes later,
I'm at the Applebee's,

and she has
my maple butter blondie ready.

She a champ, you know?

5.99--total with tax,
it comes to 6.53.

I give her $10, a generous tip,
and she worth it.

- Yes, she is.
- Yeah.

- I'm in the car
about to drive back, you know,

and I'm thinking,

"If I get to Gabby's crib
on time,

"I could drop off the blondie.

I can still make it to one
of the card games tonight."

- Yeah.
- You know, so this is perfect.

I'm crushing this heavy,
high, and far thing. It's easy.

- You're about to hit
a grand slam.

- Yeah.

- I'm driving.
I get on the Jackie Robinson.

It's this highway that connects
Brooklyn and Queens.

Speed limit on the Jackie
is 45. I was doing 80.

- Oh, okay, okay.
- Whoa.

Because you don't want
the ice cream to melt.

- Exactly, I had
a valid reason.

- Yeah.

- This is a legit emergency,
like: pregnant lady delivery,

someone might die,
ice cream can melt.

Like, those are the
three reasons you could speed.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- That's how I read it,
you know.

So I was doing what I felt
was within the legal range.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You get stopped.
You have a good excuse.

- Exactly.
So I did get stopped.

[siren wailing]

Like, he came over to the car,

and, like, he was chill
at first, you know?

He was like,
"Hey, yo, listen, man,

what's the emergency?"
you know?

It was a great first question
as a cop, you know?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Like, he's not even saying
like, "Yo, you in trouble."

He's trying...
No, "What's going on?"

- And you have
the perfect answer.

- And I told him. I was like,
"Listen, Gabby is pregnant.

"She's having cravings.

"I'm trying to make dreams
come true.

That's what I'm trying
to do right here."

- Can we describe this cop?

- He would be like
Richie Cunningham.

- Hey, there!
- Oh.

- Like, he's someone that,

like, tucks in his shirt
on Sunday, you know?

- Right, right, right, right.
- Like,

you don't need to do that.
Your boss ain't here.

- He seems like
a nice enough guy.

- Right.

- But he's also
about the rules.

- That ice cream is no excuse.
- Exactly.

- Yeah.
- Yeah. He gets my paperwork.

He goes back to his car,
and I'm thinking,

"All right.
He's going to look up my stuff,

but he's going to see
my paperwork clean."

- Yeah.
- He's going to know

about this ice cream situation.
I'm going to be Gucci.

- You're going to make dreams
come true,

but you see
those guys up there?

So are they.
They're doing construction,

and the way you're driving,
you can make it dangerous

for those hardworking fellows
to do their job, so stay safe.

- So he gave me my ticket,
you know, and he's like,

"Listen, man.
It's $110 ticket.

Drive safely.
Have a good night, sir."

And normally, that would have
put me down, you know,

but I still got the dessert.

I'm still getting home
to Gabby's. It's all good.

- How melted is the ice cream
at this point, just a little?

- I took some precautions.
I had the AC blasting.

I figured I could warm
the blondie,

but you can't cold
the ice cream.

- No.
- Right.

- And, you know, like,
she opens the door,

and I'm holding a bag
from Applebee's,

and she knows it right away,
so she's happy.

- Took you long enough.

- These blondies aren't going
to maple butter themselves.

- Cutie.

- Okay. Bye. Enjoy it.

But, you know,
I said good night.

I get in the car, and I'm going
to drive off to the game.

So I'm feeling great,

and five minutes
into the card game,

I get a call from Gabby.
I'm thinking,

"Oh, I'm going to get more
cookie points.

"She's so happy.
She's through the moon.

She's going to be
calling me."

I'm feeling great.
I pick up the phone.

It's anything but.
She is hysterical.

She's crying.
She's sad, and she's like,

"Gastor, you're not
going to believe this, man.

"Like, I put the blondie

"in the microwave
to warm it up.

"I thought I hit 30 seconds.
I hit three minutes.

I burnt the blondie."

- Oh, no.

- I don't know what to do,
you know?

I don't know how to...

I'm not an expert
in how to unburn blondies.

- Unburn a blondie, yeah.

- You know,
I don't know that...

That's not covered
at heavy, high and far.

That's not my department.

- I don't think anybody

is an expert
on unburning blondies.

- You burn a blondie,
it's burned.

- It's burned. That's it.
- Yeah.

- You know, I don't know
what to do, so I'm like,

"What do you need, honey?"
Like, "What can I do to help?"

And she's like,
"Honestly, like, you know,

"I really appreciated you.
I just wanted to vent,

but, you know, thank you
for trying to get the blondie."

- Oh, that's very nice of her.
- Yeah.

- A reasonable take
on the situation.

- Great, you know,
a beautiful response.

She understood the dynamic,
but, you know, I thought

about, like,
you know, those words again.

- Keep it heavy, high and far.
- And I was like,

"Yo, this is, like,
a chance for me

to really step up here
as a man."

Then I called up
the Applebee's,

you know,
"I still mean business."

- Yeah.

- Stephanie, you ever heard
of heavy, high and far?

Those are the pillars
of my pursuit

as a provider right now.

Heavy is my heart
because I love my family.

High is the mountaintop
I'm trying to lift

the mother of my child to.

And far is the distance
between me and you right now.

You feel me?

- Gastor, you have inspired,
enlightened,

and entertained me.

Of course I feel you.
How can I be of assistance?

- I'm going to need you
to get me

another maple butter blondie.

- Oh, you don't know?
I'm sorry, Gastor.

The kitchen--It's closed.

- Ooh.

- And I was like, "Stephanie,
I gave you $10

"to cover the maple
butter blondie, tax and tip.

"I will give you that $10
and an additional $20

if you can get me
another maple butter blondie."

- She said, "Gastor,
I'm going to make it happen."

- And I--my sense is that

that's not even about
the money for Stephanie.

It's just about hearing in your
voice how important this is,

and she just wants
to help you out.

- Yeah, she's on the team.
She's one of us now.

- She's on the team.
- You know, she's bought in.

- Yeah.
- You know she's with it.

She wants to come
to the baby shower, everything.

- She's there.
- Yeah.

- You know? I already know
they close at 11:00.

It's 10:30.
I'm making a phone call.

It's a half-hour drive

with no traffic when I'm coming
from Gabby's as is.

I'm coming
from 5 minutes further.

- Yeah.

- So I've got to book it,
you know?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- So I get back on the Jackie.
I'm doing 80 on the 45 again.

I get pulled over
a second time.

- Ay...

[siren wailing]

- I see the cop come out
the car.

It's the same cop.

- Same guy.
- Oh, boy.

- Me and Richie Cunningham.

- Oh, no.
- He's doing it again.

- Here comes Richie Cunningham.

- Okay.
- First time, he was cool.

This time, he was a little
less cool, you know...

- Yeah.
- Understandably so.

- You again?
What is the emergency, friend?

- To be honest with you,
officer, you see,

what happened was
I'm trying

to make a dessert
delivery tonight, okay?

I'm trying to make dreams
come true.

- He cuts me off. He's like,
"Yo, license and registration."

- Oof.
- And he was like,

"Listen, man,
I told you before.

"Those guys are
trying to set up.

"They're about to start
in five minutes,

"and the way you're driving
is making it dangerous

"for them to get started.

On top of that, you're putting
your life in danger."

He gives me my second
$110 ticket for the night.

- What's your vibe when you get
pulled over that second time?

Are you just like, "Gah"?

- Yeah, this was on me.

Like, I've got
to take ownership.

- Yeah.
- You know, the first one,

I felt like I had done
all the calculations.

I'm justified.
I've got ice cream.

- So how much time is left
after Richie Cunningham leaves?

Are you, like...
- I'm done.

It's 11 when we done talking,
so I get on the phone.

I'm trying to call them,

and, like,
I see her standing by...

in the bar area by the phone,
so I know she sees--

she hears the phone ringing.
I know I'm trying.

- Hello?
- Stephanie, it's--it's me.

Don't you remember?

- Gastor, my brother,
how could I forget?

Also, we spoke, like,
30 minutes ago.

- Listen, I know
I've made some mistakes.

- "Some"?

- But I need
that maple butter blondie.

I've got family out there,

and you're a part
of that family now.

You're a part of the team.
We've made it this far.

- Gastor, I--
I can't do this anymore.

- Don't--don't say that.
Yes, you can.

- No, I literally can't.
We're closed.

- But the maple butter blondie
is already done.

- Yeah.

- Like, you already did
the mission, you know?

"I promised you the $10
for the maple butter blondie,

"tax and tip,

the $20 for getting it done
after the kitchen was closed."

- Yeah.

- "I will give you
another $20, Stephanie."

And she said, "I got you."

She came through.
She snuck out,

unlocked the door, handed me
the maple butter blondie.

I gave her $50 as a dep.

We hugged, you know.
It was emotional.

- This was a moment.
- Yeah, I felt great.

She felt good about
what she did,

had to be the biggest tip
she made that night, as well.

- Yeah.
- So it was a great, like,

moment for all of us.

Hey, Stephanie.

I'll see you
at the baby shower.

- I'll bring the blondies.
- Yeah.

- How much money
have you spent?

- At this point, I'm $50 in
on the second blondie...

- Yeah.

- Ten on the first,
so that's 60,

and then I've got two
$110 tickets.

- Right.

- So that's 220 plus 60.
I'm at 280.

- So this is...
You're taking a hit for...

- I'm telling you.
I'm getting beat up right now.

- Yeah.
- But I got the blondie.

- Yeah.
- I'm good, you know?

So I get in the car.

- Now, you've got
the ice cream.

- I've got the ice cream again.

I've got the same dynamic,
but I'm still justified now.

We back to 80 being
a valid way to drive.

I thought...
Ooh, let's go.

Buckle up.

It's going to be a bumpy ride.

I get pulled over again.

- I think we can agree
your decision to drive 80

on the Jackie Robinson Parkway
was not a good bet.

- I agree, and, you know, it
should not be done in general.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Oh, here we go again.

Three times, this highway
is the death of me. You know?

- Is it Richie Cunningham
again?

- It can only be
Richie Cunningham.

- Yeah.

- He comes out of the car,

and he's looking at me,

and he's just as confused
about the moment, too.

Like...
- Because...

- This is the third time.
- It's the third time,

and your story
is exactly the same.

- Yeah, and, you know, like...
- Can I--

can I guess what
the first thing he said was?

What's the emergency, friend?

[laughter]

For the love of god, Gastor,

what the hell is the emergency?

- He was on a first-name
basis with you.

- Is this a computer simulation
that's glitching right now?

- What?
- Is this "Punk'd"?

Is this "Punk'd," huh?
- No.

- You got cameras here?
- No.

- Because
I don't know how it's possible

I'm seeing you
for the third time in one night

on the same stretch of highway.

- You hurt his feelings
a little bit.

- I did, and it felt extra bad

because I really, really think
it's Richie Cunningham.

- Do you have a ticket fetish?
Huh?

Because that's the only way

that it makes sense
that I'm seeing you again.

- So he leaves.
He goes over to his car.

He comes back,
and he just throws the ticket.

- He had it ready.

- Yeah, like he just
had it ready.

He just chucked into my window.

I'm not even, like,
disagreeing.

I'm not putting up a fight.

- Yeah.
- I'm broken.

- Yeah.

- Like, it's just been
a frustrating day.

- Yeah.
- And, you know, he sees it.

Like, he sees me, like,
shutting down.

He could tell, like, I'm...
My headspace is different.

Like, I'm not making
eye contact with him.

I'm letting him kind of, like,
blow off steam.

I felt, like, my hands shaking.
Like, I felt nervous.

Like, everything
didn't go to plan,

and this is what I was told
to do.

This is heavy, high and far.
Why isn't it working?

- Mm-hmm.
- And I was like,

"Like I told you before,
my wife is pregnant.

"She had cravings.

"I got a dessert,
and this is the first time

that I could actually
deliver on it."

I'm never gonna get Gabby

her maple butter blondie.

- What did you just say?
- And I was like,

"I've got
a maple butter blondie."

And he's like,

"Oh, that's the one
with the vanilla ice cream."

And I was like,
"Yeah, you a fan, too?"

He's like, "Of course,"

he said, "but you've got
to get that home.

The vanilla ice cream
is going to melt."

And I was like, "All right.
So now you on board.

"You feel me.

You understand what I've been
dealing with all night."

- Okay, let's go. Follow me.

- He goes back to his car.

He turns on the siren,
and he pulls up to me,

says, "Follow me,"

and he escorts me through
the whole construction zone...

- Whoa.

- Saves me valuable time.
- Richie Cunningham.

- Coming up clutch, you know?
- Wow.

- We get through
the construction site.

I pull even to his car.
He said, "Hey, man. Be safe.

Have a good night, sir,"
you know?

Said it every time...
- Yeah.

- But this is the first time
I believed it, you know?

- Yeah.

- The moment that
Richie Cunningham turned.

Was it all about the--like,
he understood the blondie,

or he understood
that it was about Gabby

and about, like, a boyfriend
stepping up for his girlfriend?

What was he--

- Yeah, I'd like to think that
he kind of got that dynamic,

like in terms of this
not being about me.

I get to Gabby's house,
and I'm holding another bag,

and I see, like, tears coming
down her eyes, you know,

because this is, like,
the ultimate surprise,

and, you know,
she gives me this big hug.

You know, we kiss,
and for the first time,

I really feel
like I could provide,

you know, for her
and for my kid

because, you know,
I would do anything for them,

you know, heavy,
high or far.

- Whoa.
- That's my story, brothers.

- Man, thank you.
- Yes.

- Thank you for sharing.
- Gastor, that was incredible.

- Appreciate y'all, man.

- That was incredible.

- Thank you for having me.

- That is an awesome,
awesome story.

- And now you see right there
the look of disgust,

the look of defeat, you know?
This is, like, you know...

- The look of,
"I'm going to kick your"--

- They said I couldn't do it.

They saw
this little pint-sized girl.

They said I couldn't get
8 pounds out of that,

but they were wrong.

Eight pounds, 8 ounces,
out of this little thing.

I did it.

Repair and Synchronization by
Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0