How A Sister, A Loss, And A Second Chance Shaped A Dad

Ever sit down with family and discover a whole life you only thought you knew? That’s the spark here—an open, unhurried conversation where we pull back the curtain on Cajun childhood, oilfield grit, and the tender places where love has to do the heavy lifting. We laugh about tattling over hidden cigarettes, polishing gold-spoked rims before school, and a short-lived metal band that almost outgrew curfews. Then we trace the path from a small-town driveway to long-haul flights across Korea and the Philippines, the odd comforts of a plane seat that lets your brain land before your body does, and the stark difference between welcoming ports and the postings you endure with armored vans and hotel lockdowns.

The heart of this story lives in a single, brutal year: a layoff, a sudden loss, and the shift to single fatherhood overnight. He talks honestly about foreclosure notices, selling the good truck to keep the house, and learning to work can-till-can on twenty-dollar hours while making space for grief that can’t be scheduled. And yet, the light keeps showing up. A daughter who quietly slides next to him on the couch when words are too heavy. An aunt who gets kids off the bus and finishes homework without fanfare. A sister who steps in for the moments only a mother’s touch can soothe. It’s the kind of resilience built from everyday decisions—to call, to show up, to keep going.

We also celebrate the present: a senior year that costs more than expected but is worth every memory, the balance between earning and being there, and the way a grown child can suddenly look like a lost love in the turn of a curl or the weight of a watch on the wrist. Along the way, we share practical wisdom about offshore rotations, finding decompression rituals, traveling smart, and recognizing when a place is good for your soul. It’s a Cajun family story with oilfield realities and a deep thread of faith: God gives you what you need, often before you know you’ll need it.

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Transcript

Cold Open: Sibling Mischief

SPEAKER_07 0:00

But but fair enough. I mean at that age it was, you know, you had hiding cigarettes underneath your hat or on the way to school smoking in my truck and telling her, you know, telling sister hey.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

Don't tell mom. Don't tell mom this is the last one.

SPEAKER_07 0:12

I promise. I promise this is the last time I smoke, so just let me have my last meme like my um that bothers me.

SPEAKER_05 0:18

That would bother me all day long, and I couldn't wait to get home to tell mom.

Welcome And Sponsor: Mardi Girl

SPEAKER_04 0:22

Like, mama know something I shouldn't know.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

You know, like welcome to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let's dive into real conversations about life, motherhood, and a little inspiration to brighten your day.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

Well, welcome, welcome to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. We got a special guest in studio with us today. This is my brother, y'all. He's real. He's real.

SPEAKER_07 0:50

Yes, I am a real person.

SPEAKER_05 0:53

Sarah likes to joke like we've been friends for almost, well, eight years now, and she's never met my brother in person. So she's like, this is the first day I meet him. I don't think she exists. I'm like, well, he really does. So anyway, let's get started by thanking our official sponsor for the month, uh Acadia Parish Cajun Harvest Country. If you don't already know, it's about to be Morty Girl season, y'all. Actually, Morty Girl starts on the 6th of January. And this year, it's an early Morty Girl day. It's like the 17th, I believe, is actual Morty Girl. So we have about a month, a little over a month, to just get all the partying in. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

I know Nathan Melançon is so excited. His countdown is getting shorter and shorter. Yes. Yes. A quick Morty Girl, of early Morty Girl, that is I know something.

SPEAKER_05 1:40

So anyway, we can go to Acadia Tourism.com slash Morty Girl. And they have listed all the events happen happening in Acadia Parish. So go ahead and start planning now, okay? Because you gotta hit them all. As many as you can, at least. You know, you won't be sorry. No. Um they got boucheries happening too. I know that's not really Mardi Girl, but like it kind of kicks off the celebration on January 10th. It's a party while you wait for the party. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:08

It's a pre-party.

SPEAKER_05 2:09

It's a pre-party.

SPEAKER_07 2:10

Get your pregame on.

SPEAKER_05 2:11

That's right. Man. At the boucherie. Pre-party and post-party. That's around here. That's how we do. Um, but anyway, y'all, there's so many events going on. Um, you need to just go check it out at acadia tourism.com and plan your visit to Acadia Parish during this magical time of year. Oh, another magic.

SPEAKER_07 2:31

I think that's perspective if you've never been to Mari Girl, you know.

Meet The Brother: Offshore Life

SPEAKER_03 2:34

So depends on what magic means to you. Yeah, exactly. All right, so we're gonna kick off this sibling episode. I think you more excited than we are. Like you just I'm so excited because it's the first time I meet him, and like I didn't really think uh I ever would. Oh, wait.

SPEAKER_07 2:54

It's hard it's hard to lock me down.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

It is. Yeah. I mean, yeah, what you do, let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_07 3:00

Uh see uh offshore for noble drilling. Uh work overseas in the Philippines right now, so 28, 28. Um, and then when I'm home, I try to run a little business on the side, installing boat electronics and everything, uh kind of a little passion of mine. Uh anything fishing, really. We're not gonna get off, we're not gonna get off on that tangent.

SPEAKER_05 3:17

Oh yeah, he loves to fish.

SPEAKER_07 3:19

Not gonna get off on that tangent, but it's uh y'all know how life is.

SPEAKER_05 3:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 3:23

When you have a free moment, you try to take it for yourself. And then if you take that free moment, then all your time's gone.

SPEAKER_05 3:28

Yeah, so it's and yeah, and I mean you're gone half the year. Yeah, so like the time that you are home, it and you just you just stay bl blowing and going, you know.

SPEAKER_07 3:39

Y'all know how it is, though. Y'all stay busy as well. We do. I think heck, we we speak like weekly and still haven't been able to sit down and have lunch.

SPEAKER_05 3:47

So it's at least y'all get it. Thankfully, yeah. I mean, thankfully for uh messenger and you know, texting, we keep in touch. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

It's not like y'all live far away from each other. No, like 15 minutes away. But it's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_07 4:00

But that drives so long, man. That's a long 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

Might as well be four hours. That's how that my sister lives right by you. So I'm like, man, it's so long, though. It's forever to get there.

SPEAKER_07 4:11

Yeah. I think it's just take taking the time, you know. It is. If she hasn't heard from me in a week, she'll give me a call. If I hadn't heard from her in a week, I'll we'll just touch base five, ten minutes.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

That's so cute.

SPEAKER_05 4:22

Usually I know like when I don't hear from you, it's everything is good. Yeah, smooth sailing, whatever. You know, sometime whenever we talk, it's like, oh, listen to this, or like, you know, we we we talk more whenever things aren't going right, and I'm like, but that's okay. That's what we hear for you.

SPEAKER_07 4:38

My confidant, man.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

She knows enough to probably put me in prison, but she knows enough to probably put me in prison too. So um, well, good. I'm just so I'm so glad you're here today. I just um like alright, so what was it like growing up with this fool? How like what's y'all age? Well, yeah, yeah. Let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_07 4:59

Let's see, when when we were growing up, I was driving and you were going to like kindergarten.

SPEAKER_05 5:04

No, not we're not that far apart.

SPEAKER_07 5:06

Yeah, I'm what I'm 46.

SPEAKER_05 5:08

You we're almost eight years apart.

SPEAKER_07 5:09

Eight years, eight years apart.

SPEAKER_05 5:11

So I feel like 16, 8.

SPEAKER_07 5:14

What how what grade are you in? Eight years old.

SPEAKER_05 5:17

Uh third.

SPEAKER_07 5:19

Third? Yeah, ish.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 5:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:23

I mean, I just think we remember like you could be, you know, like you could be almost in high school going to Canada with her going to Canada. Almost, but I don't know, I feel like it wasn't that far apart.

Staying Close While Always Busy

SPEAKER_07 5:35

I don't know. Anyway, I mean I feel like we really didn't click until like I got older, and then she got older, and then we kind of clicked because we had just enough gap to where like I mean we really didn't have anything in common, like you know, he he was except when I would tattle tail on him. I was about to bring that up. I was gonna say I was like, you know, she would tattle on me, and then I would get in trouble, and she would be like, It's just because I love you, Bub.

SPEAKER_05 6:00

I just didn't want to get you in trouble, but I would I didn't I just didn't want you to be in trouble. But I was the one that got him in trouble.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Like, my God, that's really a bell thing. So Rhea. Sorry. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 6:12

But I mean, but but fair enough. I mean, at that age it was, you know, you had hiding cigarettes underneath your hat or on the way to school smoking in my truck and telling her, you know, telling sister, hey, tell mom.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Don't tell mom this is the last one.

SPEAKER_07 6:24

I promise. I promise this is the last time I smoke, so just let me have my last medium like my um that bothers me.

SPEAKER_05 6:31

That would bother me all day long, and I couldn't wait to get home to tell mama like mama, I know something I shouldn't know.

SPEAKER_07 6:38

You know, like and stupid me, you know, I would do it right again. Okay, now don't tell mom.

unknown 6:44

Don't tell mama.

SPEAKER_07 6:45

And then we get home, there it was again, I'd be in trouble.

SPEAKER_05 6:49

I distinctly have a memory of you with a girlfriend, don't remember who it was, but y'all was making out on the couch, and oh yeah, there was kissing, not claiming, and I'm like, I didn't say anything. Uh I went tell my mama. I'm gonna get my mama and related. Yeah, and she came out and I was like, oh well, I just didn't want him to get in trouble. You know, what if mama was in trouble?

Age Gap And Growing Up Apart

SPEAKER_07 7:13

That was her famous line. I don't know, but I don't want you to get in trouble, but I said, man, and I'm sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Man, but I'm in trouble. That's so funny. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_05 7:28

Well, um, so you was just you was a little I mean, and I I remember when you graduated high school, I was probably made like 12-ish, maybe. And then you left home right after high school?

SPEAKER_07 7:40

I did, I did. I left home right after high school and and started life, I guess you could say. You know, it's one of those things where and um I don't want to talk about mama, you know, but it was it was follow the rules of the house or don't or don't live in the house. So I just chose not living in the house. Yeah, you know. Now if I could go back and change some things, wouldn't we all change some rules? That's that's the the famous saying, if I could do it over again, yeah. But you know, I don't regret it. It it kind of made me who I am today. But I think it was kind of after that we kind of started clicking. You know, once I kind of moved out of the house and I couldn't get told on anymore.

SPEAKER_05 8:17

Yeah, and I mean I was I had to grow up too, you know. I had to grow up in mature before those. It is funny.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

That's my kids.

SPEAKER_05 8:24

That's that's Jovi and Isla and Roz and they'll be and and I can remember when you'd come and get me and bring me to the mall or bring me go eat somewhere. That was a big deal. So that's gonna that'll be how it is for you girls.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Like Isla will go and get Roz and go bring her somewhere, and she'll just I have yeah, I have two older girls and then eight years and then the babies.

SPEAKER_07 8:50

But we have but it was like a boy and a girl being eight years apart. Like she said, there was nothing in common. Right.

SPEAKER_05 8:55

You know, it was my little sister and and yeah, I love my little sister, I love my big brother, but no no sort of like relationship like talking, like you wouldn't babysitting or nothing like that. Oh no. Uh-uh. No, not that I couldn't. And he uh I mean in the summertime too, you had you worked. So you know, you had you would have you some jobs while you weren't in school and stuff. I remember that.

SPEAKER_07 9:16

Yeah, working on the form or working doing vinyl siding or what metal buildings and stuff like that. That's well, I had to. Yeah, that was that was the rules. I had to make all my insurance money over the summer and able to or uh in order to drive through the rest of the year. You know, that was that was mom's deal. You worked all summer.

SPEAKER_05 9:33

What little truck you had? A Mazda?

SPEAKER_07 9:35

I had an 87 Ford Ranger to start with.

SPEAKER_05 9:37

Oh, the it was white? Yeah, the white one.

SPEAKER_07 9:39

And it yes, it was a four-cylinder, five-speed on the floor manual training, you know. But that thing stayed broke more than it stayed running. I I had to be in shape because there ain't no telling when it would leave me on the road, I'd have to run home.

unknown 9:51

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

Can you imagine?

SPEAKER_07 9:53

Yeah, so we got we got rid of that one. Then I had the little uh what is the izuzu.

SPEAKER_05 9:58

Izuzu, not a Mazda.

SPEAKER_07 10:00

A little izuzu. And then back in that day it was, you know, I had it slammed on the ground with some gold spoke weed.

SPEAKER_05 10:06

Wake up early to before school and go outside and polish his wheels before high school.

Teenage Trucks, Bands, And Small-Town Life

SPEAKER_07 10:11

I'd go go wipe my wheels off and get the truck ready and put the truck off.

SPEAKER_05 10:15

Imagine that.

SPEAKER_07 10:16

In the little small town of Gain on Ball. Oh, bah, he was rolling. I was big.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Getting all big stuff in the little town of Gate Ball. What kind of music you would listen to on the way to the book?

SPEAKER_07 10:25

I mean, I was too pot, boy. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_05 10:29

It was either like hard rap or hard rock. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 10:33

Because I was playing in the I was playing in the metal band then. We had the band. What I was playing I was playing guitar in the band with uh Brady knocking in all them stoned youth we called ourselves.

SPEAKER_04 10:43

Stone youth! I don't remember this. Yes, man.

SPEAKER_07 10:46

I wish I I actually looked for a cassette tape we made the other day. We made it in uh in dad's studio. We made it in Running Studio.

SPEAKER_05 10:53

Oh my lord.

SPEAKER_07 10:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 10:55

Mama didn't say nothing about stoned youth.

SPEAKER_07 10:57

Oh yeah, she had this.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

I'm sure she did. That's hilarious. Yeah. Oh my god. I wish we could find some pictures or something. Young back customer.

SPEAKER_07 11:06

My hair was down to here. Like my hair was down to here. Had it shaved underneath. I don't know. Lee guitars. Lee guitars in a rock band in Gayton?

SPEAKER_06 11:16

What?

SPEAKER_04 11:16

Oh, Gaydon.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

I don't know what the big thing is.

SPEAKER_07 11:21

I would not go that far. I would not go back.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Stoned you all the groupies. Oh, if you'd want the groupies. Settle down now.

unknown 11:31

Settle down.

SPEAKER_07 11:32

Sit it down. Sit it down. Settle down. Settle down now.

SPEAKER_05 11:36

I thought you didn't remember me playing in a band. No. I remember you playing guitar. Like in your room, I could practice it, and Daddy would pick at you. Like you would be singing or something, and he'd run down the hall and be like, Are you okay? Like, because it was so bad.

SPEAKER_07 11:52

He would tell me that is that is so awesome. You ought to sing solo. I said, What? Solo I can't hear you.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

All the bad things.

SPEAKER_07 12:03

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. But yeah, so the rock guitar?

unknown 12:08

I can't remember.

SPEAKER_07 12:08

I can't believe you don't remember that at all.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Nope. I guess we never went watch see you play. No. Oh, your mama wouldn't go and see you play. Probably not.

SPEAKER_07 12:16

Well, actually, I actually had to leave the band because we were getting gigs, but the gigs were like in bars or nightclubs, you know. And it was after the other people would play, so it was like 10:30, 11:30. Late. You know, midnight in Mama's.

SPEAKER_05 12:29

No, heck no.

SPEAKER_07 12:30

Nah, she wasn't having it, so I had to end up quitting the band. Oh.

SPEAKER_05 12:33

Imagine.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

I'm sure you would never know what could have come. I know. Stone youth could have been the next thing. Oh, yeah. It's all right. God had other plans. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:44

Yeah. So um, right out of high school, I know like you you moved out. You've been working in the oil field since high school.

Leaving Home And Oilfield Beginnings

SPEAKER_07 12:52

Yeah, since high school. Moved out, got a job, Falcon drilling, 97, started in the oil field. And I've been there through the ups and downs ever since, you know. Uh went overseas, I think it was 2013. Started working overseas.

SPEAKER_03 13:05

You like working overseas?

SPEAKER_07 13:06

I love it. I love it. And the travel, you know, the travel is the travel. But it gives me like a little time going to work. I can get my head straight for work. And then when I come home, I have that time on the plane and this, that, and other to myself. And then when I get home, I'm ready to be home. Yeah. Like when you're in the Gulf, you work all night, you wait for the helicopter, you fly in, you drive home, you get home, you just want to be left alone.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

There's no time to decompress.

SPEAKER_07 13:32

No, there's no time to decompress. So I I enjoy it. And I've seen it.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

How long is the plane ride?

SPEAKER_07 13:37

Oh man, for for me right now, I see Lafayette to Atlanta, hour and a half. Um Atlanta to Seoul, Korea, 15 and a half. And then Seoul to Manila is uh right at four, I think it is. And then we overnight Manila, and then there's another hour and a half flight to another island called El Nido. And then we held a coffee.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

Fifteen hours, can you b imagine that? You know, I don't even like to go to the bathroom one time. And so, like, you gotta go to the bathroom several times throughout that and aggravate the people. Is it like a full flight?

SPEAKER_07 14:10

Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. But I mean you get status, so status, I get like economy comfort. You know, a couple times I've been able to fly first class, which is that's nice game changer.

SPEAKER_04 14:19

Game changer.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Like a little, like the sleeping pod.

SPEAKER_07 14:22

Yeah, the one with the you hit the little button and the door shuts. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:26

Okay, I think I could maybe do that.

SPEAKER_07 14:27

Oh yeah, you lay lay full out. Yeah, but then the only bad thing though is when you use up all your certificates for that and you gotta go back in the cattle class. Oh, you sit back there mad as hell.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

Oh mad. Talk about like you went, you can't go back from that.

SPEAKER_07 14:41

You're looking up at the aisles.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Remember when I used to be in the in the front, all those lucky ones.

SPEAKER_07 14:48

Yeah, and then and you're sitting in the front and they come by and they're like, Hey, can I get you something? Would you like another whiskey? Maybe some some warm nuts. Yes, thank you, sure. And you're in the back, you're like, Can I get a whiskey? No.

Working Overseas And Long-Haul Travel

SPEAKER_03 15:00

No. I would need some whiskey on a 15-hour flight. Oh my god. And a sleeping pillow. I don't even know. Yeah, I don't even drink whiskey. I don't make it happen. Oh my god. I know.

SPEAKER_07 15:10

I enjoyed though. I've I've seen a lot of the world on somebody else's nickel, you know. So you make the best of it. We go to a new place. There's a group of us, like, we'll um either s come in early for a day or two or we'll stay late for a day or two. Do the touristy thing, check, check out the island or wherever.

SPEAKER_05 15:26

You've got a few cool layovers in the other places.

SPEAKER_07 15:30

Um worked in Korea for a long time, almost a year in uh what is it? Usan, Usan, Korea, Okpo, building ships. So that was that was cool. Like living in an actual apartment for 28 days and driving to the shipyard and checking in the shipyard. It's a different experience, you know, building a ship. But uh Korea was good. I like the Philippines, Malaysia is great. Uh, the people are are great. Everything's easy, you know. Um there's some places I I'd rather not go back to work.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 15:59

Um certain certain parts of the west coast of Africa I'd rather not go back to if I don't have to. Just uh the logistics, the unfriendliness, the how can I put it, vans with armored gourds and stuff, you know, shuffling you around. Yeah, you you you don't you don't quite have that easy feeling, and then you check in the hotel and they look at you and say, Do not leave this hotel. You know?

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_07 16:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

So it's Lord help. Oh no, I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_07 16:28

Yeah, no. I if I don't I I don't ever say I'm I won't go back, I just I prefer not to have to go back, you know. Yeah. So it's I try not to say never. Yeah. Because as soon as you say never, then never happens. Please, Lord. Yeah. I said please, Lord, please don't let me have to go back.

SPEAKER_03 16:47

Be it your will, Lord.

SPEAKER_05 16:48

That's our favorite saying.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

Be it your will, Lord. That we do or do not like find a bathroom. You know, like yeah, that's something a little harder. Yeah. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_05 17:01

So you let's talk about personal life. You have a son and a daughter.

SPEAKER_07 17:07

Yeah, a son and a daughter. I got a granddaughter.

SPEAKER_05 17:09

And a granddaughter.

SPEAKER_07 17:10

Yeah, yeah. And a granddaughter, a beautiful little girl. Uh my daughter graduates this year.

SPEAKER_05 17:17

I can't even believe it.

SPEAKER_07 17:19

Yeah. That's I thought it would get better, like easier as as time went on, but oh wow, man. I have to take out a loan for senior year.

SPEAKER_05 17:28

Oh, the things happening.

SPEAKER_07 17:29

Oh, that's that is it's well, you know, uh blessed enough that we can we can afford the things, but at the same time, it's uh you have to remind yourself to be happy about being able to afford it. You know, because when you look at just what what's going out, you know, and it but it's everything that's needed, you know. Uh you got your gowns and your pictures and then your parties and your this and that and all the uh accessories to go with it. And I'm just like, you know, but but you have to come to a mental place and just say, you know, God, thank you that I can afford these things, you know.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Yeah, and so she can have the experience. You know, it's all part of the experience, it's uh I'm not looking forward to that though either. And she's a girl, so you know, like dressing.

Places Loved And Places Avoided

SPEAKER_07 18:14

But she's and I I must say I was very blessed because she's she does what she needs, you know. Um and of course I give her most of the things she doesn't need, but at the same time, she doesn't like she's not always asking for for extravagant things, you know what I'm saying? So it's a a very big blessing.

SPEAKER_03 18:32

She's so sweet. I met her a couple of times before I met you. Yeah. Well, that would really be evidence that he exists. Yeah. No steal. No. I've seen him in video. He wasn't good enough. No, I'm in the flash. Yeah, I got to do it.

SPEAKER_07 18:48

There you go. Yeah, I'm glad I was able to do it.

SPEAKER_05 18:50

Trinity, um God. I was so okay, wait, now I have to do some math. How old was I? She's almost 18. She's 17. Um, so I'd have been like 20. I don't know. Do the math on that. I just turned 39.

SPEAKER_03 19:10

You know, I'm gonna phone.

SPEAKER_05 19:14

22, okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Um yeah, getting married. Oh, you a little bit?

SPEAKER_05 19:23

No, I got married when I was 23.

SPEAKER_07 19:25

How old were you when you got married?

SPEAKER_05 19:26

23. 23.

SPEAKER_07 19:28

Yeah, no, we still had trinity. She was in our wedding. Yeah, because because me and Jamie were both in it.

SPEAKER_05 19:34

Yes. 39 minus 17 says 22. But I feel like I was probably twenty twenty-one. Anyway, that was my first. I love her so much.

SPEAKER_07 19:46

Like, oh, yeah, she did spend a lot of time out in the country with you, with you guys.

SPEAKER_05 19:51

Yep, she'd come for the weekend at mama's, and I lived right next door at where mom you know, in that house where my grandparents lived. And uh oh, I was there. More than I was at home. Yeah. But she she's offered.

Fatherhood, Senior Year Costs, Gratitude

SPEAKER_07 20:04

But they st they and I believe this. God gives you what you need when you need it. And and he knew that I needed a sweetheart because she's she was just always naturally bubbly and magical and everything. It's a flower, but it's the best flower ever. Look at the brightest color on this flower, Dad. And you know, she used to put them in her hair.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

And yeah. Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 20:27

And I and now she's doing great. Senior and senior in high school. She goes to school, comes home, goes to work, buys all her little knickknack things now, you know? Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 20:38

But she, y'all, I mean, y'all have been through quite a bit though in your life. Yeah. Um, we could be here for a long, long, long, long, long time. That's right.

SPEAKER_07 20:47

Well, when we when we kind of talked, I asked her, I was like, uh, she's like, you know, uh, maybe kind of a a a few demi defining, sorry, defining moments in your life. I was like, man, what what part of the Netflix special do you want? You know? Like, like uh there's there's been a lot of times I'm in in my life, but if you want to go down that one, um again, when when God gives you what you need and you don't even know you need it yet, like um I lost my wife in in 2016. Uh me and Jamie were together.

SPEAKER_05 21:14

Trinity's mom, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 21:15

Trinity's mom. We were together 10 years and uh she passed in 2016. That was a rough year. I had to I lost my job at the start of the year when the oil field was bad, so I got laid off. Um just thinking that the oil field would come back quickly. I said, you know what, I'll just take some time off. Well, then six months later, Jamie passes, you know, so now overnight I'm a single dad. Um I got a daughter and I was raising her son at the time.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

Okay.

Loss, Single Dad Overnight, Survival

SPEAKER_07 21:43

Um he was he was living with us. Uh you know, she had a son that would stay with us. And so overnight I became a a single dad of two, you know. And um some other trials and tribulations in my life that I had to overcome. Um we can go into further into that if we have time or whatever, I don't mind. But um, I'll always say that she saved me. She saved me from going down a uh a very dark road because I knew that I had to take care of my daughter and I had to take care of her brother, you know, my stepson. And I didn't have time to just uh sit there and mourn. Yeah, you know, it it was it was a very bad time. My house was about to be in collection because I wasn't making oil-filled money anymore. You know, I was making twenty dollars an hour, but I was can till can't, sun up till sundown, barely making ends meet, you know, house in foreclosure. I then sold my pretty jacked up four-wheel drive truck, and I got a s a secondhand truck so I could get money back to catch the house up so they didn't come take our roof, you know.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_07 22:47

And um, yeah, she It was hard. Yeah, she but I always say she saved me, man, because she was all about daddy, you know. And and even at that age when she had just lost her mom, she could see that I would was having trouble. And I can remember many times she would just come to the sofa and just like slide by me. And I'd kind of look down and she go, you know, and it it was but it was just what you needed at that moment, you know. And and yeah, a lot of times uh uh you know, God gives you what you need, you don't know you need it yet, you know. And and she's one of them.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

She's yeah, I would say, yeah. I mean, what it like, what if you had to do that without her, you know, like what what kind of joy would you have found? I don't know if he'd be here and no, I honestly no, probably not.

SPEAKER_07 23:35

I probably went down a a a different path that I had previously overcome, you know. And uh yeah, but I knew I I knew I couldn't go back down that road. Yeah, that was but we made it and we're here. Yeah and we pushed through, you know. And uh I tried to give her everything I could. You helped, you know, Co helped a lot. I had a uh an aunt of mine that really stepped up. She she lived right around the the corner and she would get the kids off the bus for me and she would get their homework done, and she stepped up big time. I couldn't I couldn't have done it without Aunt Jet, you know, and and I tell her that to this day. I'll never forget what she did for me.

SPEAKER_05 24:11

In such a pivotal time and a pivotal time, she just stepped right on up. Thank God.

SPEAKER_07 24:18

And then and then some of the things like as a dad, you can only give your daughter like I gave her 120%, but there's sometimes I knew that I it just needed a a lady's touch. And I'd get on the phone, I'd get on the phone with Koa and be like, hey, look, this is what's going on. Can you either maybe pick her up and I'll go have some lunch? Or or can you just come over and talk to her, maybe video chat or something? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 24:42

And and we made it through, you know. And uh very proud of her today.

SPEAKER_05 24:46

So it's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 24:47

Yeah, it's just awesome. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 24:50

It feels like a lifetime ago, but then it probably feels like yesterday too.

SPEAKER_07 24:55

And she looks so much like her mom.

SPEAKER_05 24:57

The older she gets too, oh my gosh, yeah.

Community Help And Healing

SPEAKER_07 25:00

It's some some days she's such a good mix of y'all, but some days the way she does her hair, like she'll curl her hair like her mom used to curl it or something, and and she has that little Mexican caramel color, you know, and she'll come across the house and I'll Yep, uh double take.

SPEAKER_05 25:16

Oh, yeah. Or like when she'll wear some of Jamie's clothes too.

SPEAKER_07 25:20

Like Yeah, she'll wear Jamie's clothes or uh I resize Jamie's watch for her, you know. She's little things, little things of her mom.

SPEAKER_03 25:27

Yeah. So oh, that's so sweet. Yeah. I'm so glad you got to come today. I'm so glad I got to meet you. But like just hearing your story and like really watch y'all kind of dynamic was fun for me.

SPEAKER_06 25:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

Because uh, I don't know, like I've I've always wanted to know about, you know, uh more about her, like in that way though, like your family. Like I see I met your daddy, your mama. And then um, but like I wanted to meet you so I could I could unlock that. There you go. There you go.

SPEAKER_07 25:57

Character unlocked the characters no longer black in the background, you unlock the characters.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

That's right, I can see it now.

SPEAKER_07 26:06

Yeah, I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Yeah, thank you for coming both.

SPEAKER_07 26:11

Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_03 26:11

There's a we'll have to have you back because I definitely have Laney and him at the same time and we can sh really show down. Yeah. Yeah. That would be fun, huh? Absolutely. We just gotta nail do nail you down another time. That makes it hard to get out of here.

SPEAKER_07 26:25

Just give me a dive, give me a date. Give me a date out front and I'll set it. That would be fun.

SPEAKER_03 26:30

Maybe during the summer, whenever Laney's off, and we can try to get them both together. Perfect. Well, um, that is the end of our sibling episode round two. Um part du. Part du. Yep. Uh we want to thank Acadia Parish, Cajun Harvest Country. Um, y'all know it's time for Mardi Girl. It's that time of year. Already. And you can go to Acadia Tourism.com slash boucherie if you want to know about all those boucheries we were talking about earlier. Um, all of it, and they're gonna have a list of live music, festivities, all the things that you can do to celebrate the Mardi Girl season. So y'all check out Acadia Tourism.com slash Mardi Girl for all the details. Thank y'all for being a sponsor of Coffee Talk with Acajun Mamas. Yes, thank y'all. See y'all next week.

Reflections, Future Plans, Closing Sponsor

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Thanks for joining us on Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. We hope you enjoyed your cup of coffee and our chat. Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends. Until next time, keep the coffee brewing and the conversation flowing.