Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 304

"What’s your favorite thing about your father?""His...

"What’s your favorite thing about your father?"
"His loyalty."
"When did you most appreciate that loyalty?"
"At the end of every semester."

"He did tell me once that he had cheated on his last girlfriend....

"He did tell me once that he had cheated on his last girlfriend. So I thought: ‘Since he’s being open about it, I can trust him.’"

"Do you remember the time you felt proudest of your...

"Do you remember the time you felt proudest of your daughter?"
"Violetta won a karate tournament once. And she wasn’t even supposed to be in the tournament. There were only 16 slots, and most of the girls had prequalified— so Violetta had to fight her way into the wildcard slot. Once she qualified, her chances were very small. There was this one girl from Connecticut who was just destroying everybody. She was really tall, and she’d already won three of the four events. The only event left was sparring, and she cruised through her first matches pretty easily. When she came up against Violetta, she’d already pencilled in a victory in her mind. But Violetta scored a point on her early, and the girl got rattled. Then Violetta scored another point, and her eyes started to get puffy. When Violetta scored a third point, the girl faked an injury, and her dad had to come out of the stands to convince her to get off the mat. When Violetta went up by four points, the girl just had a total meltdown and couldn’t finish the match. Now I’m not saying that we were happy the girl started crying, but we were proud of Violetta.”

“I lost my daughter because of my drinking. I’ve been sober for...

“I lost my daughter because of my drinking. I’ve been sober for five years, but I was always drunk when she was growing up. At school events when all her friends had their parents with them, she was always having to explain why her dad wasn’t there. It was embarrassing for her. She told me that I ruined her life.”
“When’s the last time you talked to her?”
“I texted her on her birthday. She texted me on mine. But then she got a new phone. I left her mother a message, asking for the new number. But I never heard back.”

“We were dating for three or four years, off and on. I decided...

“We were dating for three or four years, off and on. I decided that I didn’t want a serious relationship, but every time I tried to break up with her, she’d threaten to kill herself. Like if I didn’t answer her text messages for a few days, she’d send me a video of her swallowing a bunch of pills, then later she’d tell me that she threw them all up. I was at a business meeting one night—it turned out to be a pyramid scheme, but I didn’t know it at the time—and she started sending me text messages again, saying she was going to hurt herself. It was like the fifth time she’d done it, so I didn’t even answer. That night she hung herself with a dog leash.”

“I’m pretty conservative. And I have a job where I’m making good...

“I’m pretty conservative. And I have a job where I’m making good money, so it’s going to be tough. But my wife and I are quitting our jobs, buying a 2003 Dodge Cargo Van, putting a bed in the back, and driving to Argentina. Don’t post this until I tell my boss.”

“The night my grandmother died, I found out that the person I...

“The night my grandmother died, I found out that the person I thought was my sister was really my mother.”

"They’re staying with their aunt right now.""What do you...

"They’re staying with their aunt right now."
"What do you tell them when you talk to them?"
"I just tell them that it’s temporary. That I’ll be out of the shelter soon, and we’ll all go home."

“My father never grew up. He was always in and out of jail. And...

“My father never grew up. He was always in and out of jail. And if you listen to him talk, he acts like he was some sort of kingpin, but he wasn’t. It’s like he’s still a teenager in his head. He even uses the same words as 30 years ago. He says things like: ‘When I was back in my groove, ain’t nobody used to tell me nothing.’ And he can’t accept responsibility for anything. He says things like, ‘If my family treated me better, I wouldn’t have to do drugs.’”

"My daughter was born four days ago. I’m just trying to...

"My daughter was born four days ago. I’m just trying to wake up every morning, have a coffee, and not think about smoking weed or hanging out."
"What’s your biggest fear?"
"Not being somebody she looks up to."