Full Show PT 3: Tuesday, June 23 [Vault]

Summary

The Bert Show – Full Show PT 3: Tuesday, June 23 [Vault]

Airing Date: June 23, 2026
Podcast Hosts: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & The Bert Show Cast

Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show delivers laughter, warmth, and authenticity as the cast explores three distinct segments:

• An inspiring interview with teen prodigy Stephen Stafford and his mother,
• A raucous relationship dilemma with a listener who is living with two men simultaneously,
• A heartwarming true love story of Mr. Dial reconnecting with a lost love after 60 years.

---

Segment 1: Stephen Stafford – 13-Year-Old College Prodigy

Timestamps: 01:44 – 15:22

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Stephen’s Early Talent

  • Stephen, at 13, is in his second year at Morehouse College, majoring in biology, computer science, and mathematics.
  • He started at Morehouse at age 11 and tutors college students.

  "I didn't really know that I was advanced either. My mother had tried putting me back in fourth grade with kids my age, and it was too easy."
  —Stephen Stafford (03:20)

• Family Influence & Homeschooling

  • His older sister began teaching him basics as a toddler, leading to rapid acceleration.
  • His mother, Michelle, prioritized balanced development—both intellectual and emotional.

  "I wanted to make sure...the whole person...was developed, not just the intellectual."
  —Michelle, Stephen's mom (08:00)

• Transition to College & Social Dynamics

  • Initially, college students were skeptical but became protective and respectful, embracing Stephen as one of their own.

  "They don’t curse in front of him. They treat him with utmost respect."
  —Bert (06:21)

  • Stephen commutes, rather than stays on campus, to maintain age-appropriate social connections and family support.

• Approach to Parenting Gifted Kids

  • Michelle discusses the challenges of not overwhelming her son, tailoring teaching, and knowing when to back off.

  "You gotta really, like I said, be in tune to your child and where they are academically."
  —Michelle (11:25)

• On "Prodigy" Label

  • The family resists the term "prodigy," crediting hard work and deliberate effort over innate genius.

• Stephen’s Aspirations

  • He wants to be an OBGYN, specializing in infertility.

  "I'm gonna be an OBGYN with a specialty in infertility."
  —Stephen Stafford (14:43)

Notable Quotes

• On Testing:

  "I'm not good at testing. I don't test well."
  —Stephen Stafford (14:14)

• On Support:

  "We want Stephen to be well adjusted and happy...and he's told us, 'Mom, I love my life.'"
  —Michelle (12:33)

---

Segment 2: Olivia’s Love Triangle – Living with Two Men

Timestamps: 16:24 – 27:54

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Situation Overview

  • Listener Olivia is simultaneously living with two men (“Kennesaw Dude” and “Midtown Guy”) and is anxious about a potential proposal.
  • She's trying to juggle both relationships through a snowstorm-affected Valentine’s Day weekend.

• Hosts' Analysis & Advice

  • Debate over whether Olivia is genuinely in love with both or thriving on the adrenaline of deception.

  "You are getting off on the attention, off the espionage...I don't think that you really, truly love either one of them."
  —Melissa (22:18)

  • Hosts point out the gender double standard in public reaction to cheating.

  "Just because she’s a girl and she’s doing this to two guys...the tone would be different [if she was a guy]."
  —Jeff (22:44)

  • Olivia insists she’s not asking for approval, just advice.

  "I don't come on your show...for you to accept what I'm doing."
  —Olivia (23:45)

• Listener Call-Ins & Reactions

  • Callers debate the fairness, transparency, and inevitable hurt involved.

  "She's gonna get busted eventually, and then one of them is going to be heartbroken..."
  —Jana (24:26)

  • Some listeners contrast Olivia’s secretiveness with open polyamory, but emphasize both men are being misled, increasing the chances for heartbreak.

---

Segment 3: The True Love Story of Mr. Dial

Timestamps: 28:37 – 40:37

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• A Wartime Meeting, Lost and Refound

  • Mr. Dial recounts meeting Vanita Anderson in a WWII production plant; he was a shy 19-year-old, she was married.
  • After the war, they lost touch for 60 years, both had long marriages and were widowed.

• Astonishing Coincidences & Reconnection

  • On a return trip from his daughter’s, Mr. Dial’s memory of her name resurfaces after decades.
  • That very same day, he finds a letter to the editor from Vanita in the local newspaper.

  "This is a stroke of lightning. Twice in the same afternoon."
  —Mr. Dial (31:20)

  • He contacts the newspaper, gets her number, and they reconnect immediately, forging a new love in their late 70s/80s.

• Blending Lives After Decades Apart

  • Their relationship developed over four years of close companionship before marrying, factoring in their families and care responsibilities.

• Philosophical Reflections

  • The cast marvels at the role of destiny and coincidence.

  "Coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous."
  —Listener Lisa (41:21)

Memorable Moments

• First Conversation After 60 Years

  "Do you have a family and are they still around here...It took us two hours to kind of get reacquainted."
  —Mr. Dial (35:06)

• On Seeing Each Other Again

  "The minute I saw her, I knew it was the same lady. She was the same smiling, beautiful, outgoing person..."
  —Mr. Dial (36:06)

• Listener and Host Reactions

  • Several hosts and listeners are moved to tears, and reflect on the enduring possibility of true love, regardless of age.

  "I'm a 28 year old single person and on Valentine’s Day of all days, it's hard to believe that there is true romance like what you’re talking about."
  —Listener Jules (38:41)

---

Segment 4: Listener Voices on Singlehood & Relationships

Timestamps: 43:45 – 52:34

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Navigating Singlehood Around Valentine’s Day

  • Listeners and hosts reflect on societal pressures, anxiety about romantic prospects, and the value of embracing single life.
  • Bert, as a long-time married man, wishes he’d enjoyed his single days more.

  "If I had to do it all over again...I would enjoy my singlehood more than I did."
  —Bert (45:57)

• Community Support

  • Callers share stories of heartbreak, resilience, and the unexpected ways love can arise when least expected.

  "You just gotta stop looking for it. Otherwise it'll never find you."
  —Caller Dustin (44:37)

• Hosts Affirm Relationship Realities

  • Acknowledgement that marriage is challenging and a source of growth, and that being single can be equally rewarding if embraced.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• Stephen’s Maturity and Humility

  "My math is ahead of her [sister’s] but her literature is ahead of mine." —Stephen (04:53)

• Mr. Dial on Destiny

  "I don’t know how so many strange coincidences were strung together all at the same...if any one had dropped out, we’d never have seen each other." —Mr. Dial (32:54)

• On the Realities of Marriage

  "Marriage is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do." —Bert (47:44)

• On the Joys of Singlehood

  "When I was single, I loved being single. I never had a, like, really serious relationship longer than six months. And I thought, I’m never getting married...and now I’m pregnant with our fourth child!" —Listener Talia (50:00)

---

Episode Takeaways

• Embrace Uniqueness: Whether you’re a 13-year-old college student, navigating a tangled web of relationships, or finding love at 80—life’s journey defies expectations.
• Honesty Matters: The Olivia segment stirs conversation about honesty, gender norms, and emotional consequences in relationships.
• Love Can Happen Anytime: The story of Mr. Dial offers hope that romance and deep connection can arise at any age, in ways no one can predict.
• Singlehood Isn’t Second Best: Both callers and hosts encourage enjoying single life, emphasizing that relationship status doesn’t define personal fulfillment.

---

For Listeners

Whether seeking inspiration, feeling conflicted about your love life, or simply in need of laughs and authenticity, this episode delivers real stories, wisdom, and warmth, true to The Bert Show style.

Transcript

[Lady Luck]

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[Bert]

Spin Quest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details. This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. Last year I went through many different life changes. I needed to take a pause and examine how I was feeling in the inside to better show up for the ones who need me to be my best version of myself. When you're navigating life's changes, Talkspace can help. Talkspace is the number one rated online therapy, bringing you professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatry providers that you can access anytime, anywhere. Living a busy life, navigating a long distance relationship, becoming a first stepfather, Talkspace made all of those journeys possible. I could speak with my therapist in the office. I could speak of my therapist in the comfort of my home. I was never alone. Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com send save $80 with code [e-mail] get it the bird Show. This is just a little bit of the news piece that Fox 5 did on this kid. Stephen Stafford, 13 years old. Been at Morehouse College for two years now.

[Jeff]

At 13 years old, Steven Stafford is an accomplished pianist. He's also in his second year at Morehouse College.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

How many majors?

[Mr. Dial]

Three, which are

[Stephen Stafford]

biology, computer science and mathematics.

[Bert]

Now he's gonna tell you here in a couple of seconds. Not only did he go to Morehouse at 11, he's like, he's tutoring college students. I think that's hilarious. I want you to be in the mindset of a college student that you've hired a tutor, you don't know who it is. And you walk in the room and there's 11, 12 year old kid and you're like, and you're 20. Where's your mom? Is your mom helping me out today? And Steven says, no, I got you covered here.

[Jeff]

Some guy standing in the library like four feet away from Steven with his backpack on, waiting for his tutor. And Steven's like, hi, are you Carl? We're doing trigonometry, advanced and calculus. Have a seat. And he's like, what? Looking for Ashton Kutcher?

[Bert]

My ego wouldn't let me do it. I had friends that come by going, that's just my little cousin hanging out with me at Morehouse today.

[Mr. Dial]

Right.

[Bert]

Stephen and his mom Michelle are on the phone with us right now. Hey, guys.

[Stephen Stafford]

Hey.

[Bert]

How are you this morning?

[Stephen Stafford]

We're good.

[Bert]

Yeah?

[Mr. Dial]

Yeah.

[Bert]

So, Stephen, when in school, did you realize that. You know what? The work that I'm doing as a 10 year old is just way too boring for me. I need something more challenging.

[Stephen Stafford]

I think I realize that when I was nine.

[Jeff]

Nine.

[Melissa]

Nine years old,

[Stephen Stafford]

I didn't really know that I was advanced either. My mother had tried putting me back in fourth grade with kids my age, and it was too easy.

[Bert]

Too easy.

[Stephen Stafford]

And then I realized, hey, wait, I shouldn't be here. And I asked her, could she, like, homeschool me again? And she did. And now I'm happy. And two years later, I'm at Morris.

[Jeff]

Wow.

[Bert]

So let's go back even further than that. Like, at 2 or 3 years old, were you doing math problems? Way ahead of yourself.

[Stephen Stafford]

My sister was showing me addition and subtraction because we got bored. And being the bossy sister, she was. She was like, let's play school. And since she was in kindergarten, she was teaching me the stuff that she was learning, and that turned out to be addition and subtraction.

[Bert]

So at 2 and 3 years old, what kind of addition and subtraction are we talking about doing?

[Stephen Stafford]

Like, just the basics, like three plus three and two plus two. And then eventually like three plus five.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Anything?

[Stephen Stafford]

I counted my fingers with what I was adding.

[Jeff]

What is three plus five?

[Melissa]

Where's your sister now? Like, what level is she at?

[Stephen Stafford]

She is a freshman in college.

[Melissa]

Okay, so she's in college now, too, but she was in high school when you started Morehouse.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes.

[Stephen Stafford]

Wow.

[Bert]

So you guys are doing the same college stuff together now?

[Stephen Stafford]

My math is ahead of her, but her literature is ahead of mine.

[Bert]

Okay, that's amazing.

[Jeff]

And if I was your sister, I'd never let you forget that. Well, my literature's ahead, or I'd be

[Melissa]

like, I taught you how to do addition. That's why you're at Morehouse.

[Carl]

What school did your sister go to? I'm sorry?

[Stephen Stafford]

She goes to Georgia Southern.

[Interviewer]

Okay, okay.

[Melissa]

All right.

[Interviewer]

So who encouraged you to make the move from elementary school to Morehouse? I mean, was that a teacher? Was that your mom.

[Stephen Stafford]

It was accidental for me, anyway. I was just doing what my mother told me to. And then when she couldn't teach me anymore, she said, okay, I have to go somewhere. And she found out colleague was the next step.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Wow.

[Stephen Stafford]

We went to college, and I started doing well in the classes.

[Bert]

Not only did you start doing well in the classes. Did I read correctly that you were, like, first in your class the very first year you were there at, like, 11 years old?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes.

[Carl]

Wow.

[Melissa]

When you first got to Morehouse, how did the Morehouse men treat you?

[Stephen Stafford]

At first they were like, this kid, is he a teacher's son? They bring your kid to work day or something like that. And then, let's see, after that, when I started answering questions and tutoring them, they figured out, oh, he's a student here.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Once it gets to the point where they can get something from you, like you're smarter than them, and then you can help them pass, they're like, all right, this kid ain't so bad.

[Bert]

I read yesterday, and tell me if this is the truth here, Steven, that sort of. This weird phenomenon happened on campus at Morehouse when other students realized he was legit. They've become really protective of him. Like, they don't curse in front of him. They treat him with utmost respect. And they sort of embraced you, right?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes.

[Melissa]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Jessica]

That's cool.

[Bert]

Isn't that really cool?

[Carl]

I was speaking with Dr. Aaron Wyatt. She was the one that kind of turned me on to Stephen, and she was real protective over. She was like, yeah, you got to go through the proper channels. But real protective. Not over. Over just Stephen, but all of our students. And I went to Clark over there. I went to the au, and they're just. It's like a bunch of mamas and grandmothers and grandfathers over there. You know, they're real. Exactly. Right, Stephen?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes.

[Carl]

It's like your grandma and your granddad over there.

[Bert]

Right.

[Stephen Stafford]

Every there. Your second grandmother or second grandfather.

[Carl]

Right.

[Bert]

Is your mom on the phone with us also?

[Stephen Stafford]

She's right here.

[Bert]

Okay. I would love to talk to her for a second also.

[Stephen Stafford]

Okay.

[Bert]

Because that's gotta be a tough decision for a parent to make. Like, when you see your kid is so advanced, but socially, you still want him hanging out with kids his own age. So how do you balance that all out?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yeah, you're right. That is definitely an issue. Well, he has cousins in Hiram, Georgia, that he goes to visit. He would spend, you know, weekends or whole weeks when he's on breaks, and then he Has a lot of friends that he plays online with. He does that PS3 thing, you know, 13 year old, sometimes older. But you're right, I mean, the whole thing about this experiment, because initially that's what it was. I wanted to make sure that the whole person, you know, or CPA was developed, you know, not just the intellectual. And I know that a lot of, a lot of kids in this situation because of course I've met with other parents who have kids who started college as early as Steven has. They've also stressed, you know, you want to make sure that the emotional needs are not neglected, his social needs are not neglected as well, but you want to keep up with the intellectual development. So, yeah, it's been interesting. It's been a very interesting ride for me and my husband.

[Bert]

So I'm assuming that he doesn't live on campus. I'm assuming you have to drop him off. You drop them off at Morehouse every day and then you pick him up later in the day.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

I will tell you, when this first happened, I was like in tears. I cried about the whole thing really, because I had mixed feelings. I didn't know what to do in the situation. But I knew that I couldn't, you know, I couldn't teach him any longer. So when my father actually said, well, you know, you're in Atlanta, call Morehouse. And then this guy, this division chair there who develops talent, very young talent, invited us to come on. I said, look, this is just going to be an experiment. I will follow him to class or take him to his class. And you know, I would wait there until it was over and then I would bring him home. So, yeah, he was definitely a community student. In fact, he still is a communal student. We just met with the dean of admissions about this whole thing and he's of the frame of mind that no, he does not need to be on campus. Because we had heard of another prodigy at Howard who was 12, I think, started out and was on campus. And so we felt that that was not the way to go with school.

[Jeff]

Maybe you could find a nice fraternity and he could. Those guys would just take care of it.

[Bert]

Please do not mention that 13 year

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

old fraternity, which is funny.

[Carl]

And that's what I was going to say because, you know, like I said, I went to Clark over there and the fraternities and the sororities over there. You can't stay away from him. I mean, you may have a step show. Just drop out the air in the middle of day somewhere.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

He has been affronted, but Nah, no, thanks.

[Carl]

I want to ask you. Michelle, this is Carl. I want to ask you as far as, like, what was your threshold like? We were Talking about my 8 year old earlier this morning. I feed her and I keep feeding her, but I don't want to discourage her, but I want to keep that encouraging. What was that? Where did you find that threshold not to overwhelm Stephen with all this information?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

You know, and. Yeah, good question. The thing was, it was. It was really easy, Carl, because I wanted to make learning fun for him. And so I did a whole lot of creative things at home. You know, I mean, I introduced some DVDs and some computer software programs, things that I knew that, you know, he liked that would make education palatable for him. But then we did get to a point, I will admit he was about nine, I want to say. And then I could tell when I hit the brick wall with him because he, you know, it was hard for him to, gosh, I guess, digest some information. And I knew to back off. I mean, you got to look, you really. You really got to be in tune to where they are. And when they start to look frustrated about, you know, concepts, then you got to taper off a bit and then, you know, just, you know, backtrack and go back to some really easy stuff. And then, you know, just kind of feel your way along after that. But, yeah, just, you know, keep it. I just kept it fun. I kept it interesting. I wanted education to be something that he wanted to continue to do well past K through 12. And as it turns out, that's exactly what's happening, you know, but, yeah, you gotta be careful. You gotta really, like I said, be in tune to your child and where they are academically.

[Interviewer]

Michelle, you called Stephen a prodigy. Are there people outside of Atlanta who are wanting to learn about him, probe him, find out about his DNA? Like, how did his gene pool come together?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Here's the thing, actually. We don't, you know, the family. We don't like. He doesn't like the word prodigy. And we don't either because we know that a lot of work went into where Steven is. And I understand, you know, we're dealing with the public and, you know, I guess when you look at the notative meaning of the word prodigy, I guess it fits him. But, you know, the thing is. Well, okay, answering your question, yeah. There have been other people who wants to work with him. In fact, he's working with a prominent mathematician right now. It was really nice how he approached us. And he works at. He teaches At Clark Goodwill, honey. And so he stretches Steven's mind beyond even what's offered at Morton. So that's a great thing, you know, but the whole DNA thing, no, it's

[Bert]

just more or less not yet, while

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

I do in the home, you know, that kind of stuff.

[Bert]

If he came to you tomorrow and he said, mom, I'm done with Morehouse and I want to go back to my school and I think I want to, you know, I just want to. I want to be in waste management, what would you say?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

And I would say, sweetie, you know what? Own the business. I mean, really? Yes, you know, I mean, really, you know, even with all of this, what has happened, we want my husband and I want Stephen to be happy. And actually, that's what he has told us. He said, mom. Cause he's, you know, he's done the school thing. And the thing is, classroom just not. It may not be for everybody, and for him it wasn't. And that's okay, too, you know, but the thing is, we want him to be well adjusted and happy, and that's. And he's told us, you know, mom, I love my life. So when your kid is telling you that, you know, hey, you kind of feel good and know that you're doing something right anyway, because it was a very scary journey for us.

[Carl]

Is he in the sports? Does he play any sports or has he played sports?

[Mr. Dial]

He.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yeah, he has. He's done soccer and basketball. Of course, He's. He's kind of too little for basketball. And I forgot the other thing he did, but it was. Oh, he's in mixed martial arts now with his dad, so.

[Carl]

Okay.

[Mr. Dial]

Okay.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

He's kind of liking that. Yeah.

[Bert]

Well, it's really nice to talk to

[Jeff]

you can outskirt you and be track.

[Bert]

Yeah, right. I'd like to talk to Stephen one last time before we say goodbye to you guys. Thank you so much.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Absolutely. Guys, thank you.

[Jeff]

You asked me about leaving Morehouse. The only places he's going is like, graduate school at Harvard or Yale or something like that.

[Mr. Dial]

Right.

[Jeff]

What's next over in Europe? Rhodes scholar.

[Bert]

Hey, Steven.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes?

[Bert]

Isn't there some, like, weird law in Georgia that you can't graduate high school until you're like, 16 years old? So technically you're going to be graduating college and high school, like right around the same time.

[Stephen Stafford]

Yes, that's it exactly true.

[Bert]

So at 16, he can't graduate high school, so he's going to get his diploma in both high school and college at the very same time.

[Interviewer]

Have you already taken the SATs?

[Stephen Stafford]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

And what'd you score?

[Jessica]

Do you mind sharing?

[Stephen Stafford]

Not sure. I'm not good at testing. I don't test well.

[Bert]

Oh, good. What'd you get?

[Stephen Stafford]

I am not sure. That was a while ago.

[Melissa]

Yeah, that was the 14.

[Bert]

I'm sort of embarrassed that I got a 1450 on it or whatever.

[Jeff]

I don't like talking to you because you have a child's voice, but you sound like an adult. You're more polite and, well, smoking than most grown ups that I know. It's bothering me.

[Bert]

So what does the future hold? Like, what are you gonna be when you grow up?

[Stephen Stafford]

I'm gonna be an OBGYN with a specialty in infertility.

[Mr. Dial]

Whoa.

[Jeff]

Wow. Do you want to go into radio? Maybe.

[Stephen Stafford]

Maybe.

[Bert]

That's so beneath you. Don't even think about it, man. Go into wage management instead.

[Carl]

Hey, Steve, have you heard of the Strip over there at the au? Have you heard the Strip? Good thing. Stay away from it.

[Bert]

Hey, Stephen, it's really good talking to you, man. Congratulations. And, boy, we're gonna keep an eye on you, man, and I'm sure you're gonna be whatever you want.

[Stephen Stafford]

Okay?

[Mr. Dial]

Thanks.

[Bert]

Thanks a lot.

[Melissa]

Congratulations, hon.

[Carl]

Good job.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Bye.

[Bert]

Bye. 13 years old at Morehouse.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bert]

You know, I didn't get to a question that a bunch of you guys were calling up and maybe we'll have him on again. I wanted to know what the mother's educational background was because I know people are pretty critical of homeschooling. Obviously, in this case, it works for me. You can't be critical.

[Melissa]

This one?

[Bert]

Yeah, this one's. This one worked out pretty well. You're on the Vert Show.

[Lady Luck]

Hey, everybody, lady luck here. And we're celebrating America's 250th birthday. Now, all summer long, I'm going to be celebrating by playing on finquest.com which is an American owned social casino. It obviously features over 1000 slot games and live blackjack, live craps, live bubble craps. Head on over to spinquest.com, get yourself a $30 coin pack for just 10 bucks.

[Bert]

Spin Quest is a free to play social casino. Visit spinquest.com for more details. Listen, it's the Vert Show. All right, let's get back to Olivia here. We've been talking to her for about two weeks now. And she's got an obstacle this weekend. He's juggling two different dudes.

[Melissa]

Yes.

[Bert]

Living with two different dudes. So that's like the next step. That's a serious step.

[Melissa]

And this Weekend is Valentine's Day, right? So I'm sure both men, and both men do have plans, and she's got to juggle that.

[Bert]

And, Jeff, what did she say last time that made us think that maybe one of these guys was going to propose this weekend?

[Jeff]

Well, the dude. Kennesaw dude, because that's what we call him. Right. Just midtown of Kennesaw. So Kennesaw dude was supposed to get Sunday night, and Midtown dude was supposed to have Saturday night. Right. But then Kennesaw dude snuck in with a surprise and said, hey, I'm gonna get us a limo to pick you up on Saturday. And I think our theory is that if Kenesaw dude's not real, he's kind of broke. And so I think the theory is that if he's gonna spend the money on a limo rental, then he's making it not just a special night, but an extra special night. And so somebody thought there might be a ring involved at the end of that limo ride.

[Bert]

Maybe there's a CZ in that limo. Yeah.

[Jeff]

Nice.

[Bert]

Hey, Olivia. Good morning.

[Olivia]

Good morning.

[Bert]

How are you?

[Olivia]

Well, I'm pretty good.

[Melissa]

Okay.

[Olivia]

I'm still a little nervous about this weekend. Although I solved the limo problem, thanks to the weather, because the snow that we have coming in. Kennesaw guy and I had a little conversation about how, you know, we don't know how the driver will do in the weather, and I could get stuck there and not be able to go to my mother's house and that it was better just not to plan anything driving that night.

[Melissa]

When Tomorrow night.

[Interviewer]

Tomorrow night. Because it will have already snowed.

[Bert]

Snow and ice on the ground, though.

[Melissa]

Yeah, but it'll be 41 and sunny tomorrow, Melissa. Yeah, it's 41 and sunny.

[Jeff]

It's gonna be dangerous.

[Jessica]

Snow's gonna be gone.

[Jeff]

It's gonna be dangerous. Why are you trying to thwart love?

[Bert]

Because he's living with love ears and not logic ears. That's true. So anything she says, you know what happens when it's.

[Interviewer]

Everybody freaks out here?

[Jeff]

There's 2 inches of snow on the ground. It goes up to 41. Right. That ice. That snow turns to pure ice.

[Melissa]

I can't believe Daggers is actually doing this. I'm trying to help her size the snow earlier.

[Jeff]

I'm trying to help her.

[Melissa]

Okay.

[Bert]

Okay. So I'm having a tough time following along here, so.

[Olivia]

Well, anyway, he has already canceled the limo.

[Interviewer]

That was a close one.

[Bert]

But that doesn't. That still doesn't avoid what might be a wedding proposal this weekend. I Mean, if he. If it's a limo or not, he still may be popping the question to you.

[Olivia]

You guys planted that seed in my head, and, you know, I have not ruled that out. It does seem like a possibility. And the other night when we were on the phone, he asked me this random question, like, where would you want to go for your honeymoon?

[Melissa]

Mm.

[Olivia]

Mm.

[Bert]

And you said, you mean if I get married to the Midtown guy?

[Stephen Stafford]

Very funny.

[Olivia]

No, I was. I was like, oh, no. Oh, my gosh. And I said, hawaii. But that. That got me thinking that he might be planning it. You know, he might really be planning a surprise for this weekend. And Midtown Guy has also been acting really excited. And so now I'm going to be spending Saturday night with Midtown Guy, and I'm worried that he is going to pop some trip on us to do it. And I'm just afraid that there's going to be something that's going to happen that's going to keep me from getting to Kennesaw Guy on Sunday.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Oh, no.

[Interviewer]

He's gonna be like, baby, we're going to the airport right now.

[Bert]

I know we're laughing about it, but aren't you exhausted? I mean, you're exhausted, like, making up lies and then having to cover for your lies, and then the possibility of this happening on Saturday night and then Sunday. Isn't it tiring?

[Olivia]

It is. It's stressful. It's. You know, I enjoy it, but it's totally getting stressful.

[Interviewer]

So what do you. I mean, what are you leaning one way or the other? Are you leaning towards Midtown Guy? Like, if Midtown Guy, Saturday night, says, I've booked this trip, baby, I already bought you a new bathing suit. We're on the way. Like, your bags are packed. We're going to Hawaii. Do you just throw your hands up?

[Jeff]

No, she told the other guy, hawaii. Like, Midtown Guy's got more money. She wants him to take her to Tahiti.

[Olivia]

Oh, right.

[Interviewer]

They're going to Bali.

[Carl]

Right?

[Interviewer]

Right. Whatever it is. I mean, do you throw your hands up and say, okay, Midtown Guy is it?

[Olivia]

I mean, I think I'm just going to have to wait until I'm in the moment, because right now, I'm really not leaning one way or the other. I'm leaning just towards trying to balance and trying to keep. Stay in both relationships as long as possible or until something presents itself to really make one better than the other. So that could present itself this weekend? Who knows?

[Bert]

So each one of them you told us has already said that I love you to you, and she says it back, and you say it back. But do you really think that you're in love with both of these guys?

[Olivia]

I love both guys. I really do.

[Interviewer]

Who are you more in love with?

[Bert]

That's crap.

[Olivia]

Oh, that's hard.

[Jeff]

Her boyfriends are like her children. She has a different love for each one. She doesn't love one more than the other.

[Jessica]

She's not in love. She's loved.

[Interviewer]

Because when you're. Yeah. When you're dating two different people, like, at some point, somebody wins, right? At some point, somebody or both lose.

[Melissa]

In this case, I think that's more. I mean, because, I mean, it's not just you're dating to go. She's living with two men.

[Bert]

It steps up.

[Melissa]

And you are getting off on the attention, off the espionage. You feel like you're pulling on both of them, you know? And so, yeah, I don't think that you really, truly love either one of them.

[Jeff]

Just for the record, this is. This is guy behavior. Like this.

[Bert]

If it wouldn't even be accepted. If it was guy, it wouldn't be

[Jeff]

accepted, but it would be like, oh, I can't believe he's doing that. You're crazy. You're gonna get busted. Like, we'd be talking about how he's gonna get busted and how they're gonna catch him and how he's gonna screw up.

[Bert]

The tone would be different.

[Jeff]

I have to be careful. But just because she's a girl and she's doing this to two guys, like she said. Almost said, like, she's excited by it, you know, at the end of the last conversation. So now it's like, what are you doing? I can't believe you're doing it. So it's a completely different. But, like, why aren't we focusing on the fact that she could get busted

[Bert]

easily and the fact that we get emails and we get calls from women that say, you know, go ahead, get yours, girl. Get yours. If it's the other way around, guys don't ever call up and go, go get yours, boy.

[Melissa]

No, we've said every.

[Bert]

Go get both of them.

[Melissa]

We've said every single time that she's cheating on both these men. We've said it every single time. And we've acknowledged every single time that what she's doing is wrong. And I don't think she won't get caught.

[Interviewer]

They both think that they're in an exclusive relationship. If she were honest and just d. Dating both of them, whatever.

[Bert]

And both of them, their mindset is, I'm probably gonna be with this woman for the rest of my life. If you're moving in with somebody, that's. That's pretty serious stuff.

[Melissa]

That's.

[Bert]

That's the middle layer there. There's only one. One place to go after that.

[Interviewer]

That's the tweener stage.

[Melissa]

She's using both these men. Yeah.

[Jeff]

She's dating as a verb for her.

[Olivia]

I mean, I don't. I don't come on your show to, you know, for you to accept what I'm doing.

[Bert]

Right.

[Olivia]

I don't expect you to accept what I'm doing. I don't expect you to think it's right. You know, you dragged me on here in the first place, and it has

[Bert]

been fun radio, theater.

[Olivia]

But, yeah, I'm just grateful for any advice you guys have to give me because there aren't very many people that I can talk to about this.

[Jessica]

Well, pick one. That's your advice? Pick what guy you want or what we've been saying, or if.

[Melissa]

If a midtown guy takes you on a trip on Saturday night, just blame it on the snow on Sunday for Kennesaw dude, because it'll be up to almost 50 degrees on Sunday, and that'll be a good experience.

[Bert]

Here's Jana. Hey, Jana. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Stephen Stafford]

Good morning.

[Mr. Dial]

Hey.

[Stephen Stafford]

I love you guys. I listen to you every morning for a whole hour on the way to work.

[Bert]

Thank you.

[Stephen Stafford]

But I am just extremely ticked off. You know, there is so many women out there that are great women and have trouble finding guys, and here she is over here with two of them, and it just ticked me off because she's gonna. She's gonna get busted eventually, and then one of them is gonna be heartbroken, and the next girl. I feel sorry for the next girl because he's gonna have such a hard time trusting women after this. And it just really, really ticks me off to hear that she's doing this.

[Bert]

Olivia, have you. Have you spent any time about thinking about that? Because this can't end well. I mean, you probably. One of these guys is gonna get really, really hurt, or both of them are gonna get really, really hurt. And if you quote, unquote, love them, have you spent any time thinking about the hurt that you're going to inflict once it ends badly?

[Olivia]

I have spent. I have. That has crossed my mind, yes. And it worries me because I don't want to hurt them. And so, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to end one for both relationships without them knowing that they were being deceived.

[Bert]

Hey, cece, you're on Q100. Good morning.

[Mr. Dial]

Hey.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Question. I came in on the middle of it, but I heard majority of the key part. So how long has she been dating both of these guys?

[Bert]

Did you hear that, Olivia?

[Olivia]

Yeah. Four months.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Four months. Oh, my God. Come on. I'm gay. Okay, so listen, I have dated. I'm at the time. At the beginning of 2010.

[Mr. Dial]

January.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

I've been dating seven different guys, and I've been in a relationship with them for pretty much a little bit longer than four months. But, hey, you got to do what you got to do. Have fun, enjoy it. And, I mean, you can't determine on which one you love more because, like, one of you guys said that, you know, it's like a child. You can't. It's two different. You know, two different loves. Or, you know, you can't. You love one. One or the other. So do what you got to do. I mean, it's kind of surprising. It's kind of surprising to hear that a woman is dating two guys. Just like you guys said, It's. It's bad for a guy to do it. But

[Bert]

this one's obvious.

[Melissa]

Yeah, it's different. I mean, you talk about dating seven guys, but she's living with both these guys.

[Bert]

And did these guys know about each other, Cece?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

No. Well, you know what? Actually, no, I take it back. They actually do, because what I did,

[Bert]

I took them all to a test,

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

and I actually invited them all out. This is all my friends.

[Bert]

I got no brief at all with this. If she told both guys what was going on, and they decided, okay, you know what? I love you so much that I'm willing to risk this and take a chance on it. There's no call here.

[Jeff]

I think you should tell them that for Valentine's weekend, I think you should invite them all to the same dinner. Both guys, Olivia and both guys, right? In Kennesaw and Midtown.

[Bert]

There's a major difference here, though. They have no idea. And they're both living with a woman that they think they're going to be with for the rest of their lives. It's totally different.

[Melissa]

At least Kennesaw. I'm not sure if Midtown feels that way, but Kennesaw, definitely.

[Bert]

All right, Olivia, we will talk to you on Monday morning. Hopefully from Atlanta. But who knows where you'll be if this dude.

[Olivia]

Oh, man.

[Bert]

Decides to fly you out of town?

[Olivia]

Wish me luck, you guys.

[Bert]

No, no. Yeah, good luck.

[Melissa]

Just blame it on the snow. That's right. Blame it on the snow.

[Jessica]

It's gonna be here all weekend.

[Bert]

We'll talk to you on Monday. Okay.

[Olivia]

Bye bye.

[Jeff]

All right.

[Bert]

Bye bye. This is the Bird Show.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Happy birthday, America. It's time to celebrate and play your favorite Las Vegas casino games by American

[Bert]

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[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

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[Bert]

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[Bert]

For American players, Spin Quest is a free to play play social casino boy where prohibited. Visit spendquest.com for more details. This is the Birch Show. I don't think any of us can remember the details about Mr. Dial. We just know that it's a really romantic story.

[Melissa]

Yeah, I mean, it's just. It's just about Mr. Dial and a woman he was in love with when he was a teenager. And then for, you know, we'll learn here as from his own words how they were separated and then lost touch and then they lived their lives and then it was just this really serendipitous, you know, course of events that allowed them to come back together.

[Bert]

And what was he like in his mid late 70s?

[Melissa]

Something like that, yes.

[Bert]

Okay, so this is the. The true story, the true love story of Mr. Dial.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, the story starts in wartime years when everybody had to be employed in a war production plant. And we were. I worked for the Fulton Silphon Company in Knoxville. We were making aircraft instruments for the war effort and we were hiring people to come in and do the work that had no previous experience. I was appointed as the training instructor for my department. And the day I got appointed, the first person that walked in was Ms. Vanita Anderson. She was a boast. She was the prettiest woman I think I had ever seen at that time. She just absolutely gave me a complete meltdown. But she was married and I was a shy 19 year old, so there was nothing going on except the relationship of a supervisor and an employee. That went on for a solid year. And when I went to the army myself in 43, I had so much on my plate at the time that I just forgot all my names of all the people I had worked with. And when I got back home, I had no way to contact her, no way to trace her. And after many, many years of trying to remember her name, I finally just resigned myself to the fact I probably never would. But after 60 years, because I got married, raised a family, and lived for 53 years as a married person. And my wife passed away about five years ago. And coming back from my daughter's visit during Christmas, I just suddenly remembered her name. Just came to me just like a stroke of lightning. And all of a sudden I remembered her name. And I thought, well, all I have is the satisfaction that I've remembered her name. But when I got home from that trip, first thing I saw was my newspaper of the current day laying on my table. And I opened the newspaper to look at the first article. And when I read the first article, I turned the page to continue the article back on the inside page. And the first thing I saw was a letter to the editor from Ms. Vanita Anderson.

[Jessica]

Wow.

[Mr. Dial]

This is a stroke of lightning. Twice in the same afternoon.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Wow.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I could not find her in the phone book. And I said, well, her phone must be listed in her husband's name or somebody else's name. So I gave up trying to find her on the phone book on my own. I called the police paper, the newspaper, Knoxville News Sentinel, and the editor put me in contact with Ms. Anderson. And within five minutes she called me. And we've been talking ever since.

[Melissa]

So

[Mr. Dial]

we kept close company for four years. And finally we just decided, well, why don't we just get married and just make it a close fair? We've been living 30 miles apart now for four years, but we kept very close company. So, well, let's just. Let's combine our families and move together, get married now.

[Interviewer]

Wonderful.

[Mr. Dial]

Of course, up here we believe in getting married before we move in together right now.

[Melissa]

Mr. Diana, she was widow. She was a widow, correct?

[Mr. Dial]

Yes, she is. She had been widowed 10 or 12 years before, and I was with it about. Well, at that time, about a year before. And now I've been wedded for about five years, and she's been married 16 years.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Okay.

[Bert]

Well, I mean, this is like. This is the stuff that movies are made of. I mean, the fact, you know, these guys are always laughing at me because I'm always talking about destiny and being in the right place at the right time. And the fact that that name just hits you and then you open up the paper and there's her name. I don't think those things are coincidence to you.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I don't know how so many strange coincidences were strung together all at the same. See, if any one of these had dropped out, we would never have seen each other.

[Jeff]

Is she a frequent. Does she frequently write the newspaper, or was it like.

[Mr. Dial]

No, it just happened. She had had a medical emergency. A couple of months before, and she wrote a letter to the editor publicly thanking the emergency medical service for being so prompt and so good about meeting her medical needs and getting aid for her. And she was just writing a letter to the editor saying thank you to all the people who helped. And there's the editor's letter to the editor on that page. That happened to be the first page I opened up.

[Jeff]

So the whole list of things like she had to obviously get sick and call for care and receive good care, then get well and then decide to publicly thank them and send it to

[Bert]

the newspaper and then actually write the letter. Because most people would say, you know what? I'm going to write a letter. But they never do this letter.

[Mr. Dial]

She wrote the letter, oh, a month or so after her recovery, and then

[Jeff]

she had to mail it at the right time. Then the newspaper had to wait and write it and run it on that certain day. I mean, a newspaper gets dozens of letters every day commenting on the news or appreciation or whatever.

[Mr. Dial]

Yeah, they do. And they save them and publish them as space in their paper permits. Just happened to be published that day, which happened to be New year's Eve of 2002.

[Jeff]

And it happened to be the day that you were driving home from your daughter's house when you had the lightning strike of her name.

[Mr. Dial]

That's right. You know, to this day, I thought many times about how in the world would that name have come to me after 60 years of lying there in my brain with no way to get out, and all of a sudden it pops out right at that time. You should have bought a lottery, understand that?

[Jeff]

Should have bought a lottery ticket that day.

[Melissa]

Mr.

[Interviewer]

Dial, I want to know what that first conversation was like when you called her.

[Mr. Dial]

Oh, well, the first thing we did. I guess the thing I was. Is I tried to make sure that she was the same person that I had in mind.

[Melissa]

Right.

[Mr. Dial]

Because, you know, the name Vanita Anderson is not a common name you expect. They can't be two people around here named Vanita. And it turned out there wasn't. When we established that we were who we said we were, we continued on. Well, we talked about our old times. Well, what have you been doing for the last 60 years? And do you have a family and are they still around here and so forth. And we settled all that. It took us two hours to kind of get reacquainted.

[Bert]

When you.

[Mr. Dial]

About a week or two later, I took her out to dinner. And first thing I did when I opened the door, I just throw my hat in and see if it stays. And we had a beautiful time that evening, going back over 60 years of lost connections, and we've been doing that ever since.

[Bert]

Mr. Dial, you said the first day that you laid eyes on her, you were just like, so taken back by this beauty. When you saw her again for the first time 60 years later, did you have the same feelings?

[Mr. Dial]

Well, you know, we talked about it over the phone, and I said, we both agreed. Now it's 60 years later. We're not going to look the same. And I kidded her a little bit about it. I said, well, now you can see me coming up the driveway, and if you don't like what you see, you can run out the back door. But I can't. When I open that door and ring the bell, I'm stuck. But the minute I saw her, I knew it was the same lady. She was the same smiling, beautiful, outgoing person she ever was. And there was very little difference in the personality. Of course, we're 60 years older, but we don't worry about that.

[Melissa]

That's so sweet. Now, Mr. Dial, you talked about how you decided, let's combine our families. How do each of your families feel about you two getting married?

[Mr. Dial]

Well, my daughter. I've got a daughter in Atlanta who's probably listening to you right now. They've always been supportive. They've never had any objection to me marrying somebody else at all. My other daughter is in Alabama. But they've always been very supportive and very encouraging to be happy, do what you have to do to be happy.

[Bert]

I'm curious how the proposal went.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, the proposal was kind of a growing thing. It didn't just happen suddenly. We talked about, you know, what would it be like if we just were married and lived together. How would we solve the problems we're doing? Because she is taking care of. She's a complete caregiver for an older sister, 92 years old and blind. So that's a real chore, and I think she needs some help to do that. I said, I'm willing to offer you the help, whatever you need. And that was the kind of thing we decided that we had to discuss very clearly and very thoroughly to understand how we're going to do all that. And of course, there are other problems, too. Combining households after 60 years and after being 85 years old nearly. So we. We've solved all those problems. I think we're going to be. We're going to have everything worked out.

[Bert]

It's an absolutely amazing story, and you have touched everybody in this Studio. Even hard ass Jeff, I mean, hard butt Jeff over here.

[Jeff]

Can't. Swear to God.

[Bert]

No, you can't. Who is like an emotional brick I see over there, like melting into the seat.

[Jeff]

There's nothing wrong with the story. Everything about the story.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Beautiful.

[Jeff]

There's nothing wrong. There's no holes to be shot in it.

[Melissa]

Congratulations, miss.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, thank you very much.

[Bert]

Before you go, I'd love to put you on with some of our listeners who you have touched so much. Hey, Jules.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Yes, Good morning.

[Bert]

You're on with Mr. Dial.

[Stephen Stafford]

Good morning. I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm a 28 year old single person and on Valentine's Day of all days, it's. It's hard to believe that there is true romance like what, what you're talking about. So I just have to say that your story touched me very, very much. And I wish you all the best.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, thank you. And I hope you have a very beautiful relationship with your loved ones.

[Stephen Stafford]

Well, thank you very much. Happy Valentine's Day to you.

[Mr. Dial]

Thank you very much.

[Bert]

You've got Jen Hobby in here. Melissa literally crying. Jen Hobby, what are you crying about?

[Interviewer]

I just think.

[Melissa]

I'm just thinking about how happy your wife must be looking down on you being happy and how, you know, how I'm sure her husband is feeling the same way, looking down on the two

[Bert]

of you to found each other later in life.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I think our former spouses would be encouraging. I think they would want us to be happy.

[Bert]

It's an amazing story. It's a beautiful story. You thinking about your mom, Alyssa? Is that what's going on?

[Melissa]

Yeah, I'm thinking about Mr. Dall. My father passed away a few years ago and you just remind me so much of him. And the fact that my parents were married for 51 years and I don't know, I just think it's a fantastic story and I wish you all the best. And the fact that you were such a gentleman and you're gonna help her take care of her sister. I do agree with Jen that, you know, I wonder if they make men like you today.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I suppose they're out there. I'm nothing unusual. I'm just a sort of a. Just a regular old Southern guy.

[Bert]

Well, you're a special Southern guy and I really appreciate you sharing your story with us, especially today. I mean, we don't have many of these moments on this show, so we're all really not sure what to do with it.

[Jeff]

Yeah, there's gotta be. There's Gotta an angle. There's something twisted somewhere.

[Bert]

Let's let it go. The Birch Show. Q100. So that was from a couple of years ago, man. It's still good now. Still good now.

[Interviewer]

Sweet.

[Bert]

It's funny, all the women in the studio here just focused on his story, headphones on. Except Carter.

[Melissa]

Oh, well, yeah. I mean, yeah, whatever.

[Bert]

You were crying during it.

[Melissa]

Yeah, well, you know what? They're. In all honesty, I left the room because it's voice reminded me of my dad. So there you go, you hard hearted.

[Bert]

Now I feel like an idiot.

[Jessica]

Thanks.

[Melissa]

Way to go, Burt.

[Jeff]

Hey, Lisa. Good Morning.

[Bert]

You're on Q100. Hi.

[Stephen Stafford]

Good morning. How are you?

[Bert]

Good, how are you?

[Stephen Stafford]

Oh, I'm doing good. I just wanted to comment on Mr. Dial's story. I absolutely love a good love story. But his story reminded me of something that I had heard many years ago. And it's something that just stuck with me about coincidences. The saying is, quit it. Coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous.

[Bert]

Coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous.

[Stephen Stafford]

Absolutely. There's no such thing as a coincidence. God is in control. And he was in control of that relationship. And I absolutely love it.

[Melissa]

You know, one thing that I give country music credit for is because they take the best bumper stickers and make great songs out of them, especially Carrie Underwood. So I'm assuming that Carrie Underwood will have that. Coincidences or God's way of staying anonymous

[Bert]

for you single guys. Use that sometime during Bitterball. Use that. You can use that to your advantage.

[Jeff]

Coincidences is just God under the bed and he's looking at us. Do it later tonight.

[Bert]

Do it sober, because you're going to mess it up. After all, that's what.

[Jeff]

That's what a coincidence is. It's an old man and a woman that he met in the closet watching us have sex. That's what a coincidence is. I heard it on the Bird show.

[Bert]

Hey, Corey. Good morning.

[Jeff]

Yeah, good morning.

[Mr. Dial]

I just wanted to say, Mr. Dallas, you gave all the ladies a good,

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

good push, that there are good men out there.

[Mr. Dial]

I had the fortunate ability to remarry and my soulmate. And it's one heck of a great feeling to. I'm about to cry myself to get that with someone, man. Congratulations. That's important for you at that age, man.

[Carl]

You're gonna be.

[Bert]

You're gonna be Mr. Dial in 25 years. You're gonna call us back. We'll still. We'll still be stuck with each other and you'll. You'll be calling us in 25 years and you'll tell us your story?

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

That's right.

[Mr. Dial]

Probably be pushing around a wheelchair, but

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

we'll be doing it.

[Bert]

All right, Cory. Thanks for calling.

[Jeff]

I won't be here. That's why. In case anybody's planning on that.

[Bert]

I thought you just signed a 25 year contract. I thought you said 10 is as. As high as I'll go. And they wanted you for 25.

[Jeff]

Tie bricks around my ankles and jump off a boat.

[Bert]

It's the vert show.

[Stephen Stafford]

Hey, guys.

[Lady Luck]

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[Bert]

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[Jeff]

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[Bert]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Mr. Dial]

Here.

[Interviewer]

Bird show.

[Bert]

Hey, Dustin. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Mr. Dial]

What's going on, guys?

[Bert]

Tell us.

[Mr. Dial]

So.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

So. Hey, Wendy, I got. I got something I need to tell you. Okay.

[Lady Luck]

Okay.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

So about two years ago, I'd say a little bit over two years ago, I was. I was in your boat. I was. I was single. Spent about four Valentine's Day back to back by myself.

[Jessica]

You know, I'm getting there.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

I dated around. What? But finally, you know, I was like, all right, you know, I'm just gonna stop looking. I'm gonna not care anymore. And as soon as I did that, I met my wife, who I'm married to now. Came out of nowhere, met her through a friend, and then next thing you know, I never left her side. And we've been married for two years, and Valentine's Day is actually our second year anniversary.

[Jessica]

Booyah. That's really sweet.

[Bert]

He's trying to make you feel better.

[Jessica]

I know there's still hope. I know there's still hope out there.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

So I just want to let you know. Worries, you know, so it'll. It'll come when it comes. And you just got to stop looking for it. Otherwise it'll never find you.

[Bert]

Is it possible, Wendy? And I know you're gonna say I'm reading this all wrong. Is it possible for you to celebrate being single more than it seems to me that you're bummed that you're not with somebody?

[Jessica]

No. I mean, I'm fine being single. I'm fine. Honestly. I'm too Busy to date or do anything. Like, I go home at night. I'm tired.

[Bert]

I don't think you're fine with it.

[Jessica]

I'm okay with it.

[Bert]

Actually, your first song was all by myself.

[Melissa]

Sorry.

[Bert]

No, I'm okay with it.

[Interviewer]

I mean.

[Jessica]

I mean, who doesn't want to be in a relationship? You know what I mean?

[Bert]

I mean, Jeff just raised his hand.

[Interviewer]

Jessica, this is her husband.

[Bert]

Jessica just walked in the door.

[Jessica]

Happy Valentine's Day, Jessica.

[Bert]

I think I'm reading lips pretty well.

[Jeff]

I was just trying to raise my hand before she did, that's all.

[Jessica]

No, relationships are always nice. No, but I'm happy to be single. But Valentine's Day just makes you. Makes you feel like you need a relationship.

[Bert]

I want to give a shot of realism here, but I don't know that the timing of it is right, because it is Valentine's Day.

[Michelle (Stephen's Mom)]

Mm.

[Bert]

I' ma go for it. Anyway, as a guy that's been married now for 13 years and been with the same woman for 16 years, if I had to do it all over again, all over again, I would enjoy my singlehood more than I did. I would embrace it way more than I did. Rather than be panicked that I wasn't hanging out with somebody on a Friday or I wasn't gonna get some on Saturday, or panic that I wasn't gonna be in a relationship for the next couple of months if I just would have relaxed about it and realized that sort of the forces were gonna take over and I was gonna find the woman that I was gonna be with for the rest of my life eventually and really just sort of enjoyed all the crappy ones that I had to go through to get to. That's how I would relive it.

[Melissa]

I totally agree with him.

[Jessica]

I'm definitely not panicked when I go out. I'm definitely not looking for it when I go out. I have fun when I go out.

[Bert]

But I sort of always lived in a little of single anxiety. Like, man, am I gonna be able to. Am I ever gonna find her? Or, man, I'd really like to be in a relationship on Valentine's Day. There was always this bubbling anxiety going on.

[Interviewer]

Like, you said you wanted a cuddle buddy. Cause it's gonna snow today. I just want somebody to cuddle with tonight.

[Jessica]

Yeah, sometimes you just don't wanna go out, you know?

[Jeff]

I thought you had, like, five cats.

[Jessica]

I am the cat lady.

[Melissa]

I'm a good cuddle buddies. No, I think.

[Bert]

I think the thing I'd like to say is it's going to happen the forces take over, and that person just ends up in front of you when you're ready for it. You know, it's weird.

[Interviewer]

I mean, maybe he already is Johnny O. I don't know. Maybe he's already in front of you.

[Melissa]

But I do think.

[Jessica]

For the afternoon.

[Melissa]

Yeah, But I do think Valentine's Day is an assault on your eyes and your ears about, you know, it just really. If you're single, if you're single and not enjoying it or you're single and you have anxiety about being single, Valentine's Day just makes it worse.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh.

[Melissa]

You know, because I do think it's kind of an unfair holiday, especially if you're single.

[Bert]

You know, like, if you look at the stats, marriage. Stacy and I have talked about this before, so I'm not saying anything that's gonna shock her. And we both agree marriage is the hardest thing that you will ever have to do in your life. For us, it is the hardest thing. Raising kids, that is not the hardest thing for us. Being married is the hardest thing that you'll ever have to do. Compromising all the time and catering to somebody else's needs and trying not to be selfish. Marriage is hard, you know, that's why 50% of them don't work out. And within the other 50%, probably 25% of the couples I know are miserable being married.

[Melissa]

And sometimes I think that 50%, a huge chunk of that 50% that doesn't make it are people that rushed into something because they were panicked because they thought they needed to get married.

[Jessica]

I'm not looking to get married. Trust me, anytime soon. I am too young. I am too busy to even think about even.

[Mr. Dial]

I'm sorry.

[Melissa]

It just stuck in my head.

[Jessica]

That's when you're drinking a glass of wine by yourself.

[Bert]

Hey, Lauren, Good Morning. You're on Q100. What's going on?

[Stephen Stafford]

Hey, guys. How are you?

[Bert]

Good. How are you?

[Stephen Stafford]

I'm. I'm okay. Wendy. I have. I'm 25 years old now and I've never had a Valentine. I was just dating this guy not too long ago actually, and he broke up with or not even broke up with me, but ended things just last week. So two weeks before Valentine's Day, he ended things. My ex boyfriend before that broke up with me a week before Valentine's Day. And the one before him actually broke up with me also two weeks before Valentine's Day. I have never had a Valentine's Day girl. Embrace it. It's great you find ways to overcome that last Year, I held a Valentine's Day brunch with me and all my friends. So it's great. I mean, you just find ways around it. And I'm actually becoming comfortable with the fact that I've never had a Valentine's Day. So relax, enjoy it.

[Bert]

I think it's very sweet how the Birch show community is rallying around you by telling you that their life is more pathetic than yours.

[Melissa]

You know, the one good thing about Valentine's Day, though, is the chocolate. Like, if you're single, I mean, you know what? Get as much chocolate. That's how you make yourself feel. That's what I did.

[Bert]

Chocolate.

[Melissa]

That's what I do now. Katie, I'm gonna buy me some chocolate.

[Bert]

Hey, Talia.

[Jeff]

Good morning.

[Stephen Stafford]

Hi. Good morning.

[Jessica]

Good morning.

[Stephen Stafford]

I love you guys, and I listen every day. I just wanted to say that I agree with Bert about the timing, that, you know, you're gonna find somebody that you're meant to be with. It's just, you know, all that stuff he said. But my story's a little different. When I was single, I loved being single. I never had a, like, really serious relationship longer than six months. And I would just get tired of people and move on. And I thought, I'm never getting married. I'm never having kids. I'm gonna live in Midtown, and I'm gonna do my thing.

[Melissa]

And because nobody in Midtown has a

[Stephen Stafford]

family, I met my husband, and I love him. And now I'm pregnant with our fourth child.

[Bert]

There you go.

[Stephen Stafford]

And we live about an hour outside of Atlanta. And it's just the greatest thing. So it's not what I expected at all.

[Jeff]

See, Wendy, someday you'll have four kids and live way outside of Atlanta, too.

[Melissa]

Yeah.

[Jessica]

No, I'm not worried about finding marriage or anything like that. I'm really. I'm really not. Trust me. I'm really not.

[Olivia]

If you.

[Jessica]

You can talk to my mom, my sister. That is the last thing on my mind.

[Bert]

Here's what I just want to tell you. Single people and everybody that's going to Bitterball also, that is. It just sort of happens. Like, if you look at your friends that are married, like, look around this room here. How the couples in this room actually found each other shouldn't happen. Like, I was born in San Diego. My wife lived in Upper Pennsylvania. We live such different lives. Our paths should have never crossed, but they can't.

[Jeff]

You can't deny the sexiness of Upper Pennsylvania, though, For sure.

[Bert]

I got the one, actually. There's nobody left up there. I got it.

[Jeff]

Especially in your.

[Bert]

I brought her down here. Jeff and Jessica come from such different places, but for whatever reason, they ended up at the same place together. And they're with each other.

[Melissa]

It just happens.

[Carl]

Just.

[Jessica]

Yeah, I'm not worried about it.

[Bert]

So don't worry about it. When he's like, screaming, I'm not worried. Yes, you are. No, I'm really not.

[Mr. Dial]

Hey, wait a minute.

[Jeff]

How come when Wendy finds a man, Bert's like, I'll fix it. I'll make it all better. And now she's like, I'm cool being single.

[Jessica]

No, you're not. That's just when you're alone because you're literally all by yourself because you're alone. Duh.

[Melissa]

Based on what Jeff just said. Let me think. Yesterday, Wendy explained to us that she has anxiety attacks for the first time.

[Mr. Dial]

I don't know why.

[Jeff]

Here's what I've learned.

[Melissa]

I don't know why being on the bird show.

[Jeff]

Come on, Wendy. I don't know. I don't know what this means in the scope of the whole universe, but your joy and contentment makes Bert miserable.

[Bert]

You can say that about anybody on the show, including myself. This is the Burt Show.

[Lady Luck]

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[Jessica]

Com.

[Lady Luck]

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[Bert]

Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.