Catching Up With Mother

Mommy:  Yeah cuz her ass was dying and still was working hard

Zeke: It’s the only person who could outwork me.

Mommy: Sorry I’m putting my leave when I retire early. Whatever I have to do I’m going home rest my bones. There’s no way in the world I’m going to be dying and doing all that stuff I could, she outwork everybody dying and still work.

 [Music]

Zeke: I like to welcome everyone to another episode of The Let’s Gather Podcast. I’m your host Zeke. In this episode, my mother will make a return to the podcast. I like to give a content warning for any strong language used in this episode. I hope you have a nice day and enjoy the show. 

Zeke:So welcome back. 

Mommy: Hello. 

Zeke:Why you want to be here again?

Mommy: To get on your nerves.

Zeke:Of course you always do that so how’s your life going in year two of this quarantine 

Mommy: Sucks. 

Zeke:Why?

Mommy: Can’t do shit, can’t do anything sorry.

Zeke:Why is that?

Mommy: Cause you got to be careful. Can’t just walk around be around everybody you got to be careful it’s hard but you got to be careful about not doing anything work at home that’s all I do. God we do look alike.

Zeke:Who fault is that?

Mommy: We look just alike Ezekiel.

Zeke:I know it sucks.

Mommy: You is my twin. Want to come closer to me? 

Zeke: Not really. So, so yeah, 

Mommy: The heat’s on Yes. 

Zeke:So.

Mommy: So. 

Zeke:So. 

Mommy: So what is going on?

Zeke:Nothing I am just trying to make money just trying to make this merch happen.

Mommy: I know I wish you hurry up because you get on my nerves. 

Zeke:Yo when the finances come in, then it’s gonna be on point. That’s when everything gonna start.

Mommy: I’m gonna keep my job but just get me out. I’m a keep my job.

Zeke:That 14 year old that retired his mom.

Mommy: I still work I’m sorry. I can’t live I can’t do like that. I help you. I volunteer to tell you what. I need work. I need my independence I need my independence. 

Zeke:Then work for me.

Mommy: You mean 

Zeke:You mean, where you think I get it from? 

Mommy: No no, no, no, no no no no you’re evil. You’re evil people just don’t know.

Zeke:I have to get it from you. 

Mommy: You got this bs I know I’m understanding I let stuff go. You are mean you got jokes? You are my mean child. You are mean no Zeke you are mean.

Zeke:I don’t understand what you’re saying. 

Mommy: You’re mean no I don’t want to work for you. I come and help you but working for you. No you’re mean You have no con no no good. I can help I can volunteer my days of free time I got you but to work for you.

Zeke:To mean the like seriously I get it from you because half my personality is yours.

Mommy: Okay, but then as you also got to not have this three personality got half a mine you got four we ain’t going to say all four you got other personality but little part you have of mines is the nice part is to understand the part anything else Zeke you mean. 

Zeke:Yeah did you even want to be entrepreneur when you was a child? 

Mommy: No.

Zeke:Why?

Mommy: So you just don’t want to be one.

Zeke:See this is why you’re you’re.

Mommy: I wanted to work.

Zeke:Your mind is limited

Mommy: You can’t say I can’t say we were raised differently we went through different stuff and like you were spoiled most the majority of everything in your life has been done for you have been set for you have been there for you yesterday if a lot of stuff has been you cannot compare your life to my child to your childhood okay.

Zeke:All right. 

Mommy: Spoiled child 

Zeke:Can’t relive my childhood I have only school expectations

Mommy: Because you good you smart you very smart though. You mean but you’re very very very smart. And I’m not just saying that because you my child you know that

Zeke:Everybody expects you to be the best. 

Mommy: Because they know they can you can see certain things in people it’s not like people just think you see certain things that people and people see that you you’re not a bad You mean that you’re not a bad person? That’s that part for me. You’re not you’re really not a bad person.

Zeke:Always me always taking credit for the only the good part and not the bad parts.

Mommy: Now I can tell you bad I have some bad parts and you got them too. But the mean part that don’t come to me.

Zeke: (inaudible) always wanted to be an entrepreneur. You wanted me to go to school

Mommy: You’re mean. No, you do always want to be an entrepreneur. You really You got that right. You really did. I could tell them about the cases? 

Zeke:Yeah. 

Mommy: Oh, yeah. Like when you were small. The play because you know you’ve been playing PlayStations since you was like one two, and the cases that the games came in you made little covers. And then you put it in and you told us to set it to PlayStation. We never sent it to PlayStation which your grandmother saved at everything she say she said on cases I gave them to you when we cleaned out our apartment. And you always did. You always been independent. They get that from me. But you always been independent get it from your grandmother. But you always been independent. very independent. You’re really like nobody to shoot. Sorry. You really nobody do anything for you. That’s the work all your hard work. Thank you. Oh, you mean but your a hard worker. You very independent. You got that little part from me.

Zeke:And you was like go to school.

Mommy: Yeah, because like I told you when I was younger I didn’t that wasn’t a push for me. Work was push for me get to work got to do this go to that. School wasn’t important in school wasn’t pushed from me. But why kids school school school school school and I felt still feel the same way. School is very important.

Zeke:I’m only sending my kids to school so they can learn how to fight for themselves.

Mommy: Yeah I forgot you sending them straight to a certain kind of school. And you will not sending them to a certain school 

Zeke:(inaudible) habits. You have to pick up habits, I understand that I know that I know, they’re dealing with.  Not sending them to private.

Mommy: You crazy. 

Zeke:I mean that people won’t be people going to test on what they’re gonna do um how they going to react, like I’m gonna be there for them. I want to see was was their initial reaction. 

Mommy: Hey,

Zeke:Because school is a testing ground.

Mommy: But it also depends on you and yourself. But you always you have always been a person that was outspoken, you’re quiet, you’re shy. But when it’s time to tell something, you tell it. You have no filter in your mouth. You let people know what’s wrong, what happened was done. So it’s like, it’s not always the school is depends on the person. And you knew there was a learner by believe somebody does, and you don’t get back some way somehow, like always saw you as long as you don’t start it. You’re able to finish it. And I always had to back again, the thought Nope. That was always thought you got no trouble for me. You had auto from schools? Because you know, there was no use a good kid. So yeah. Not a bad person.

Zeke:When the dean high school, he was like, I know you as a 90’s student. Doesn’t know anything else I could get my VC.

Mommy: So people could see stuff in you. That’s why people push stuff. Push. Like I say you didn’t really you you know, you had the you know, you had to figure out stuff and stuff on your own. But certain things I’ve tried to do for you didn’t have to, you know, 

Zeke:Because I had to figure out high school college and middle school all by myself.

Mommy: You had that shit with a breeze.

Zeke:Academically.

Mommy: You you one thing about you ask questions. You ask questions, and you will sit there on the sidelines. Alright, let’s get this. Oh, wait. It’s done them out. Yes. But no, you will sit down and ask questions. You that person when they say, Yeah, can go? No. Do you have any questions? If not, y’all can go. You’re the person with the question. Everybody ready to go.

Zeke:I mean, if I don’t know what’s going on, then what I’m gonna do,

Mommy: And everybody looking at you like

Zeke:What you want me to do? I got my own things to worry about…

Mommy: Can’t get but you can’t get mad at you because they say you have any questions. You supposed to ask questions.

Zeke:Yeah, that’s when people would get um people messed up. They don’t have to ask questions and lost.

Mommy: Yeah, I gotta go. I ask that shit later.

Zeke:Doing the work oh, no.

Mommy: No I understand you. You’re my son I love you. You a pain, but I love you, I know. 

Zeke:Like, I had to go to college. And it’s like, I’m going to (inaudible). Like, who do I meet all the connections.

Mommy: That’s the whole thing. You always look for a blue print. 

Zeke:I mean, 

Mommy: You have to learn to do even if you had an older brother or sister. You still had to find your way yourself. Because that’s their blueprint. It’s not you can’t go off what they would. They not you, and you not them.

Zeke:It be easier.

Mommy: No it wont. They won’t be easy because then say you went to the same school. And they knew this the oldest sibling and the oldest sibling was very popular in school. But then the little sibling went to the school and they think that he’s him he got he got to know so people don’t understand now so now it wouldn’t be easier would have been more harder, much more.

Zeke:You know my ego if somebody does better than me I’m gonna do better than it does I’ll say congratulations but before you can also move the bar a little higher.

Mommy: Yes but there’s it still will have been harder you had the you didn’t use get ticked off sorry again you you get very very ticked off about people thinking that just because your brother or sister did it this is what you’re going to do this is the way that you got to know people got to also understand that they’re not thin they are different and then the sibling being then you fell some type of way so no you

Zeke:But if you’re talking about this type of hypothetical person just know that I did what I had to do to win and then I don’t know what else to do.

Mommy: My child my baby 

Zeke:Because that’s as the oldest just setting the tone.

Mommy: I know about being the oldest this I’m only child but I’m oldest grandchild. So I understand about being the oldest and you have a little you have other people behind you and all this other stuff and then this people seeing you do this go to do this and then they do something different because they don’t want to do I only child but as this family how we were so I understand but you got to find your own way in life.

Zeke:Granted it helped me become adaptable. This was my new situation. Okay, cool. This is how I become the center of attention.

Mommy: That’s your thing you always had to be a centers of attention since you’ve been small. You always had the to be a centers of attention but I’m not mad I’m happy because you have good confidence. And I love that confidence in you.

Zeke:You know, I had the confidence to jump on stage

Mommy: Ezekiel you jumped off the stage how you jump on the stage and you but it was two steps down you jump off the stage. You didn’t jump off this on the stage you jumped off okay, 

Zeke:This was let me tell you the story from my point of view right it says the school it was December and we were doing the show right? We have we had the same setting. We do we have this do? 

Mommy: When you’re wrong I’ll say you’re wrong. 

Zeke:We have the same setting right? Cool. So then I was in the back because I just finished doing the booth stuff. Right? Cool. And now I my name is called so I asked (inaudible) come for me. It was a girl and then I walking. And then I thought when it comes time to hurry up then I get the idea. I can jump on the stage. I jumped on the stage. I landed on my left leg. I have my legs because the wheels running at the time was landing over both legs together. Okay, they have no power to land on my feet. And that was uh huh. And then one of the one of the faculty people was laughing was in the cafeteria at an (inaudible) laughing because I jumped on stage. There was a friend he was like your first few thought walk in they saw running and he jumped on.

Mommy: I don’t know what story or movie they came from. I don’t remember that way

Zeke:I remember jumping off say this is Yeah, but you can be confident I told you you need a irrational confidence with like,

Mommy:  No you have it you add as as you miss morning even as I tell you remember, pre k was it pre k No, it was kindergarten. Right? When you want to sit on a rock? Before you start sitting in the chair? He has a new outfit on and you told them he wasn’t sitting on the floor because you had your new outfit. I can’t get mad at you for that he was in a row he had his new outfit on he was in a floor it was just

Zeke:You always told me pre k I believe.

Mommy: Okay then it was pre k. It was pre k I (inaudible) because you know you as a pre k dropout

Zeke:That’s why I want to send my kid to public schooling I needed to irrational confidence.

Mommy: I won’t be your kid.

Zeke:I won’t want to be your kid. No happiness just work.

Mommy: Ezekiel, you always see you got happiness. Work is the best.

Zeke:That’s like this is why people go to therapy how to have fun with the inner child.

Mommy: What the heck are you going to therapy for?

Zeke:They have to be just going to do it. They have to release the inner child and be happy including let’s see, can

Mommy: You do what you want to do anyway?

Zeke:What’s the difference? Because I have to because if you could show me my way and I’m (inaudible) myself.

Mommy: I barely say anything when you go and do so nothing okay. As long as you got away home.

Zeke:Yeah, that’s cool stuff. It was like alright, cool. No high school and I had to give me (inaudible)

Mommy: Because they know you do it.

Zeke:The senior don’t want to become a tutor or teacher assistant and go to college.

Mommy: Bam, the they’re you go.

Zeke:I was like huh? Can I get any kind of question and don’t get any saying this Nope. Well they take us take college level classes to teach these children teach these doubles and then go to class. 

Mommy: Basically. 

Zeke:Get your associates I was like what.

Mommy: Oh you supposed to do that right?

Zeke:Yeah

Mommy: Yeah and then the program didn’t happen.

Zeke:It happened after I left.

Mommy: Yeah. You would have did it.

Zeke:Yeah, I had no other choice. 

Mommy:  

You’re strong thats thing this thing got to know about so you srong you’ve been to a lot in your life. And you’re 23 years 23 right. In you’re 23 years you have been through a lot in your 23 years I could say and all that you have been through you 23 years you have made it out without any bumps and bruises physical I don’t know about internal I don’t know about that. The way you act.

Zeke: 

Do whatever comes my way being good enough I’m better than now as you get your other child like that. That will be perfect.

Mommy: He’ll be alright my baby. I’m working on that when you be right we do look like this

Zeke:The middle school post college this one thing I forgot was I quoted for my allies wherever they.

Mommy: Yeah you always got to have somebody, you had to work again to work

Zeke:Oh, it’s just more like a lot of people need motivation and sometimes people need a physical representation of that motivation as you Yeah. And if something’s Okay cool. So goal.

Mommy: I ain’t mad. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself the energy to work so hard that you know burnout was the thing about you I don’t want you to burn up before you get to use your energy you’re 20 doing you have done more than me You’re 23 years and I had done in my 42

Zeke:Me sleeping freshman senior high school when I got home.

Mommy: Yeah I’m like I’m already you you they want me to now to know you in the bed I’m walking by I don’t have to walk by your room aids gone into my room my TV allow you and I look at your brothers I know you got to hit you like I can’t hear it back out again. I use old tire you work so much.

Zeke:You would just tell the beep and you decide to be broken you have me right dig out the hole you’re in to build a new empire.

Mommy: I don’t know how you got out and I wasn’t in no hole my bills are paid full clothing on my back. 

Zeke:They say one in one stream of  income is too close to zero. 

Mommy: And I have money in my pocket. You know what I’m good.

Zeke:One stream of income was too close to zero.

Mommy: I’m gonna keep my one.

Zeke:It’s seven or eight

Mommy: You know. 

Zeke:Then I have five years of savings.

Mommy: You know how much energy I don’t have I don’t have the energy for the high energy for one I’ve got the energy for that and you got to find energy does to go to work and thank God for vacations.

Zeke:But you want me to work hard but you know go against all these institutions

Mommy: Not that you’re probably that you feel like you got to prove something you feel like you got to prove something to people and I can’t tell you how to prove shit to nobody that’s your power if I do got to prove something to somebody you want to push it to nobody

Zeke:If you’re gonna do I’m a run so fast they can’t keep up.

Mommy: That’s the thing which I’m so I’m just gonna sit back and let you do you

Zeke:And then I will have my empire and then we will retire you want you gonna say?

Mommy: I’m not retiring this give me the house you mean give me out of here. And I said I’m retired at my own time right now. I want to pay my own bills and do my own thing.

Zeke:Are you paying the bills on the side?

Mommy: That’s the thing he you got people this people not on right now. So you don’t add them on. You understand? People that was not there for you to help you. Or had your back or any little thing even in a secret secret way didn’t have your back the people who when you graduated from college there wasn’t there and economical all this other stuff you know what I’m talking about? You don’t add the more you need to write with it. You keep doing you you don’t know you’re not paying other people. I don’t care who wait what money what money you make? Okay? Hi girl you are me right there. No, no, no I can get Lawrenzo to stand in front of me. Now tell them Lawrenzo no no you don’t get no you don’t add on people. No. Pay your own bills. Tell them they need a job. Get up and get a job and pay their own bills. There wasn’t here for you there wasn’t there for you. No. Why me? In my aching bones and muscles the hits hit you went.

Zeke:The only person who ever outwork me was Manma.

Mommy: Yeah, that’s what you does when you get that job seven jobs she’ll work on job. Plus if she had do overtime, she would do it. Plus they want her to go someplace and do something extra shear do it then if somebody else needed her some something for her to do those to make you mad well because nobody would do anything for her it was just sit there and do it for now. She’ll do it. Me no I got that. I know no you ain’t helped me do some but you want me to get up and break my bones my body my back for you know that’s where you get it from because I’m to a point that I will help to a point and then when I see certain is no I hope you say I say yes I got a I got to do it. But at a point is no but your ha yeah do even though you shouldn’t be doing about doing No. piss me off. You just wait. That’s exactly where you get that word equity stuff from your grandmother. I get the independence part from but their work and stuff. Like killing myself.

Zeke:Like I always say came out eight months came on my time. 

Mommy: You surely did. Because every month I had to go to the ER

Zeke:Like I was just trying to get out.

Mommy: Well, they were ready. Every month I went to the ER for you when I’m pregnant with you. Eight months that was it us I gotta go. It sounds like you can make it take them make your own sound you just sit there quiet quiet baby. Sit there quiet until that come back live with your grandmother said a quiet comeback in the same spot pamper not wet or nothing.

Zeke:Love that story.

Mommy: Huh? Yes, because it was weird. Like your baby is your grandma’s wonderful and good wenches get my hair braided left in the walker no home by her bed she’s like we’d be alright. So you should come back same but they would you say hey crap Could you ask no what was going on

Zeke:In the room

Mommy: You was right there you know how here door was that she had the bed like where she added that and you sit right there in the walk and sat right there and you’re walking just like yours but we must he knew that she wasn’t feeling good. And I had to go came back that one baby what is the start what purpose

Zeke:The caregiver is here the person in charge.

Mommy: Who I was looking at because I never used to leave you like that probably looking like this is this is not no you’re not the one that always wish me we live all together with you not the one she always leaves me with.

Zeke:I’m still the same way so what quiet observer

Mommy: You got there you quiet, very shy to.

Zeke:Make the most noise.

Mommy: You who you are.

Zeke:Just so much and when that was also the next season was talking about how allow your personality is built in the first seven years.

Mommy: It you got stuff from somebody else? Lot of that from him too. He did write several years that he was Yeah. Yeah, he got that from him. Hang open names and stuff. We just gotta let him know dad’s out of town that one day. Yo this fix this fix six foot something to watch for us. Several years you to that

Zeke:Person’s life it was a you can draw and I was like kind of first I was like oh I can draw

Mommy: You be like I said you can do anything in your mind

Zeke:Like if I put enough work in I’m gonna get good at it.

Mommy: I’m gonna fast but what makes me mad is that you will do what you have to do to get through this go over the top.

Zeke:You just got mad me for doing that it’s some stuff some stuff academically I did enough I got my I got my I only have one time I got less than a 90 in high school semester. 

Mommy: Really? 

Zeke:Yes that was junior year first semester I got a 75 in the on college reading class every other thing was either 90 91 92.

Mommy: I don’t know we found so many people

Zeke:Like you ready to fight me to the guy 75 75 in calcuc.

Mommy: Yeah. Oh I was mad.

Zeke:Only got that because my teacher wanted to humble me.

Mommy: Him and the principal want to calm me down he like he wasn’t there that day and I was lucky cuz you were the guy hit in the bag.

Zeke:Like mother I’m the only people who love going on in class that’s like one of the few times actually had to work for the class it went to Twitter. I remember I went to 24 days a week (inaudible).

Mommy: That school really worked you.

Zeke:More than college?

Mommy: Yeah, it’s so easy in college high school for you. But I’m not mad

Zeke:But personally I have a few periods oh my god we already know that after that there was like you’re going through everything I’m gonna take all the hard classes that we can give you problems the buoys it’s like the first year they know who I was. And then they put me in a regular class and I was like oh this is the potential

Mommy: That’s what they do they look the see and what happened was you went to a small school so it is no longer working and stuff like that opposite of what your brother they want to be sure to say no to school

Zeke:I don’t know. So then we simply go for the older sub issues I don’t know. I can’t I’ve had to be wherever I go I have to be the best at what I’m doing.

Mommy: But I’m kind of happy that like he went to a different high school but still was a school so he went to the same high school and even though he goes to the same college he went to his same university university right same university but difference different concentration.

Zeke:He’s not in the same program

Mommy: Oh yeah he’s in the same program.

Zeke:Yes.

Mommy: Oh shit. That is realized that I forgot about that

Zeke:He works he goes to my employer.

Mommy: I just noticed that.

Zeke:As I see him the office sometimes.

Mommy: I forgot sorry. So much going on. I’ve got about where my son is it is warming here.

Zeke:Okay, this is I’ve mainly focus on like and yeah, Lego purple. Yeah. My hair is naturally gray.

Mommy: Is lashes gray was purple. Purple one day blonde one day black one day pink one day he is gray every day. So pepper

Zeke:(inaudible)

Mommy: At least you didn’t to my high school. I was lucky I locked in the classroom for safety. So stupid. So this we had we were you went you had to go well with Yeah, I went to…

Zeke:Can you go to my high school and do all the work.

Mommy: If if it was in that environment? Yeah, it was just because the environment I was in I was my mother never took me out. But if you had to go to the high school I was I had to take you out well get like no he got to go. All the people mother was taken after freshman year you transfer them mas kept me daily. Oh, like,

Zeke:Should I learn how to fight?

Mommy: I go, but I didn’t have any problems. But I walk right past it Oh, but no more like yo like do you care like people really lose lives and stuff in the school you got me still said it.

Zeke:Was funny the high school was gonna prepare you for college want to argue they became.

Mommy: More than the college yeah this cafeteria but a man because I need him to stay late in school and be able to go into school before time Do you know where we was?

Zeke:Well I did a lot in college.

Mommy: Ezekiel you had it more easy in college and you did what you will work schoolwork you had more easier in college than you did in high school. You fill all that extra stuff for yourself in college but what you went to college for you there was a breeze compared to what you went to high school anything extra you put on yourself wasn’t a school new tie frustrating all that stuff that wasn’t the school I was you prove me with you. Because there you go like your grandmother somebody asked you to do something that’s based on Yes.

Zeke:But I got money out of it. I got my friends money out of the too the only reason she out worked me because she was dying. Other than that I’ll be the hardest worker person in this family.

Mommy: Because she was dying and her ass still was working hard.

Zeke:That’s the only person who can outwork me.

Mommy: Sorry, I’m putting my leave of absence in I retire entirely. Whatever I have to do I’m going home and rest my bone. There’s no way in the world I’m going to be dying and doing all that stuff. I couldn’t she outworked everybody dying and still working. True that’s I think was on vacation when she died. Still getting up going work. She didn’t work that far she take a cab up the block. Oh. But then that’s me right now because I work up the block and I’m taking Ubers five o’clock in the morning. So that was nice. I wont keep you long. The problem is I got to get up. Let’s take a let’s take one see my baby my oldest baby.

Zeke:That brings another episode of the Let’s Gather Podcast to a close. Again, I would like to thank my mother for being a guest on the podcast. You can learn more about my next plans in the closing episode, which is also premiering today. I hope you continue to have a nice day and hope to see you there.

 [Music]