Brock Grant: The Birthday Present - The Moth

Summary

Episode Summary: Brock Grant – "The Birthday Present"

Introduction

In this poignant and suspenseful true story, Brock Grant recounts a life-altering experience that unfolded on the eve of his birthday. Recorded live at The Moth members' show in 2010 and inspired by a community workshop, Brock's narrative delves into themes of family dynamics, friendship, and the thin line between safety and danger in his Bronx neighborhood.

Setting the Scene

Brock begins by setting the stage of his teenage life at 14 years old, living in a tight-knit community within a 20-story housing project in the Bronx. He describes the daily interactions with his brothers and close friends, painting a vivid picture of his environment.

"Now, we were kind of tight-knit because we all see each other, even in the elevator or after we went to the same school or, you know, just on the block." [04:15]

A Day Before the Birthday

On the day before his birthday, Brock is roused from sleep by his older brothers, Bruce and Bernard, urging him to get ready for the day. Despite initial resistance, he complies, leading to a typical morning shared with his siblings.

"I couldn't complain with that because these are the older brothers, you know, you got to deal with it." [05:30]

After breakfast, Brock and his brother Bruce hang out with their crew—Barry, Darrell, James, and Troy. They engage in recreational activities like basketball and their favorite game, Skelzy's, which involves customizing tops for better performance. Their camaraderie is evident, highlighting the bond they share despite the challenges of their environment.

Plans and Brotherhood

The group discusses ways to earn money for the day, initially considering harmless activities like playing video games for quarters. However, the plan shifts towards more illicit endeavors when they decide to steal quarters from arcade machines to afford marijuana.

"We'd go get our bag of marijuana and we go in the building, go up to my floor, which I lived on 17. We go up and sit on the exit, we roll out smoke and we blow our brains out." [09:00]

In an unexpected twist, Bernard, Brock's older brother, intervenes and insists that Brock join him for the day. Despite his reluctance and internal frustration, Brock acquiesces, leaving his friends behind.

"He never lets me hang out with him. All of a sudden, today I can hang with you." [12:45]

The Intervention and Game Room Experience

Bernard takes Brock to a more upscale game room frequented by "fly guys" on the block—individuals with money and stylish attire. Brock feels out of place among them, especially due to a personal insecurity about his missing front teeth from a past accident.

"I got hit in the mouth with a pool ball and I lost my two front teeth. So, you know, when he introduced them to me, the best I could do was, like, smile and wave." [14:20]

Bernard encourages Brock to enjoy the games, temporarily distracting him from his discontent and resentment towards his brother. Brock reflects on the day, realizing that despite the initial annoyance, there might be more significance to Bernard's actions.

A Birthday Miracle

The next morning, on his birthday, Brock follows his usual routine—getting milk and stopping by a newsstand. To his horror, he discovers a headline reporting that four of his closest friends—Barry, Darrell, James, and Troy—were shot by a subway vigilante named Bernard Goetz. The omission of his name implies that without Bernard's intervention, Brock would have been the fifth victim.

"One of the best birthday presents that I could have ever gotten... if my brother didn't come on that exit and get me, instead of four guys on the train getting shot, it would have been five." [14:55]

Conclusion and Reflection

Brock concludes his story with profound gratitude, recognizing that his brother's unexpected intervention saved his life. What began as a day of frustration and forced participation turned into a life-saving act of brotherly love.

"It was a blessing in disguise. Thank you very much." [15:07]

Insights and Takeaways

Brock's story underscores the unpredictable nature of life and the hidden impacts of seemingly ordinary actions. It highlights the importance of family bonds and how interventions, even when unwelcome at the moment, can have profound positive outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Through his vivid storytelling, Brock Grant not only shares a personal narrative but also invites listeners to reflect on the moments that define and preserve our lives. His tale is a testament to resilience, the complexities of familial relationships, and the unexpected heroes in our everyday lives.

Notable Quotes:

"Now, we were kind of tight-knit because we all see each other, even in the elevator or after we went to the same school or, you know, just on the block." [04:15]
"We'd go get our bag of marijuana and we go in the building, go up to my floor, which I lived on 17." [09:00]
"I got hit in the mouth with a pool ball and I lost my two front teeth." [14:20]
"One of the best birthday presents that I could have ever gotten... if my brother didn't come on that exit and get me, instead of four guys on the train getting shot, it would have been five." [14:55]
"It was a blessing in disguise. Thank you very much." [15:07]

Conclusion

Brock Grant's "The Birthday Present" offers a gripping and heartfelt story that resonates with themes of family, fate, and gratitude. Through his engaging narrative, Brock provides listeners with a memorable and meaningful experience that exemplifies the power of storytelling at The Moth.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (1:08)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy. The Moth features true stories told live without notes and all stories on the podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org this podcast is brought to you by Audible.com, the Internet's leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature. For the Moth listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook to give you a chance to try out their service. One audiobook to consider is Life by Keith Keith Richards. It is narrated by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley. This is an inside glimpse into one of rock and roll's living legends. Richards talks about musical genius. He talks about crippling addiction and the ultimate redemption in a life that is basically as entertaining as it is hard to imagine. That's Life by Keith Richards, available from Audible. To try Audible Free today and get a free audiobook of your choice, go to audible.comthemoth that's audible.comthemoth Additional support for this podcast as well as our special insider survey are brought to you by the new 2011 Hyundai Equus, the new premium luxury sedan from Hyundai, featuring an iPad equipped with the Equus Owner's Manual app. Please take the insider survey for the moth. It's@podcastinsidersurvey.com that's podcastinsidersurvey.com the story you're about to hear by Brock Grant was recorded live at the Moth members show in 2010. Brock originally told this story in one of our Moth Shop community workshops. And when we heard it, we knew he had to tell it on the main stage. The theme of this night was raised eyebrows. Stories of surprise shocks and scandals.

C (3:17)

This story takes place I think I was 14 years old. It's the day before my birthday and I'm awakened by two slaps to the back of the head. One by my 15 year old brother Bruce, and one by my 16 year old brother Bernard. Now it's around Christmas time, you know, so. But these slaps in the head are the key to for me to get up and wash my ass and get to breakfast. You know, mom said I already left to go to work. So we were in the house by ourselves. So when I get to the kitchen table and my brother's like sort of a comedian, he wants to ask me what do I want for breakfast. Like we have variety and shit. So I kind of humored him and I said, I want Captain Crunch. And of course the Old Faithful box came out of the cabinet. It's the sugarless Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. So you know that's for breakfast. So we sat there and we ate breakfast and my oldest brother Bernard, he finished first and he got dressed and he decided to go on his way for the day. So me and my middle brother Bruce sat there and we finished our breakfast and we chatted for a little while. You know, I kind of asked him what he was going to do for the day and he was like, none of your business. Just make sure that before you leave, you wash the dishes and straighten up the house. Cool. Can't complain with that because these are the older brothers, you know, you got to deal with it. So he gets dressed and he leaves and I do what I'm told. I wash the dishes and I straighten up the house. Mind you, it's to day before my birthday, so do the math. So after I finish, I get dressed and I go downstairs. Once I get outside the building, I'm greeted by my crew. Back in the day for like in my era, if you do the math again, I was 14. Back in my day we called them crews. We didn't have gangs or anything like that. It was just my crew which consists of Barry, Darrell, James, Troy. Now I grew up with these guys on this block, you know, and we lived in a project, so it was like a 20 story building. So you know, we were kind of tight knit because we all. We all see each other, even in the elevator or after we went to the same school or, you know, just on the block. But me and these guys, we hung out every day. So once we got outside, you know, we figured out what we're going to do for the day, which was we go head to the back park, play a little basketball and play some Skelzy's, which was like my favorite game at that time. You know, we all liked it. You know, my thing about it was that I liked the tops. You know, the tops were. If you had the better your top was, the better you performed at the game. So we used to go across the street to the Martin Luther King. It's a health center that was right across the street from my building. And we would go to the back of it and we would rummage through the garbage and take the old pill bottle tops, and we would take them and we would go to Woolworth and buy clay and fill the tops with clay. I would always take a piece of each color and put it in my top. Cause I felt like the better my top look, the better I look winning. That was just my philosophy on that day. So we played that for like maybe two or three hours until stomach started growling. So we would go to Claremont center and we would get free lunch for the day. It was free, so I wouldn't turn it down. I don't know about you. So after lunch, you know, we'd come back to the building where we try to decide what we're going to do for the rest of the day. Well, the first priority was to everybody dig in their pocket and see how much change you got. So once we got up to like $3, we can get a bag of marijuana. Because back then it was kind of cheap. So once we had that $3, we go get our bag of marijuana and we go in the building, go up to my floor, which I lived on 17. We go up and sit on the exit, we roll out smoke and we blow our brains out. And then after that, you know, it's the high. You have to deal with that part. So now we're trying to figure out how are we going to get paid today? How are we going to get some money today? You know, it didn't take. Take too much, you know, take too long for us to figure that out, you know. So we decided that we were going to get our screwdrivers and we were going to get on the train and we're going down to Astroland and we're going to break Open the video machines and steal the quarters. So, you know, when you hide. That was a good plan. You know, you didn't. You know, you wasn't. You weren't hurting nobody, you know, just. Just tearing up a game or two and hopefully get away with some money, you know, come back and we can do this all over again, right? So, you know, we finally figured it out and this is what we gonna do. All of a sudden, the exit door opens up and it's my oldest brother, Bernard. And he comes in the exit and orders me to come with him. And now I'm like, huh? I'm not going away with you. Yo, he never lets me hang out with him. All of a sudden, today I can hang with you. And we already made a plan, but now I can hang with you. So I'm just gonna leave my boys and I'm going with you, right? Nah. But after a few well placed punches and some persuasion, I had to bid my dudes farewell. You know, like, later, y'all, I'm going with my brother. You know, tomorrow's my birthday. I'll probably get up with y'all tomorrow. Hope y'all, you know, y'all get lucky and y'all get that money and maybe I'll see y'all later on in the day on the block. So off we go. My brother takes me down to this game room. Webster. Now all the time on our way down there, I'm like, I got this look on my face. Like, I really didn't want him to see the look. But the look was like, yo, I hate your ass, you know? Cause my brother was like a fly guy on the block. Cause he, you know, the stuff that we would. That we were doing, my crew were doing, they already did this stuff already. So they already had money and they had the fly clothes like my brother used to walk around with. I forget what these coats called Quarterfields. And I had an Alexander snorkel with the dog fur around the collar, you know, so he's got a Lee suit on and he's got on British walkers, and he's like, so wherever you go, people see you and they know that if you got those type of clothes on that you're getting some type of money. But then look at me. I got on procares and a snorkel and a crazy winter sweater. Who's this guy? I'm like, yo. So he takes me to the game room. And in the game room, there's two sections to this game room. The front section is where, like, regular guys dressed like, me hang out. And then the back section is where the fly guys like my brother hang out because they got a little money and all the pretty girls hang back there. And he takes me to the back room. So now I'm kind of. Now I'm like. I'm even more mad because, look, everybody back there is all dressed nice, and I look like a bum. So I'm like, I'm tight again, but I didn't show it. So he starts introducing me to some of these. Some of his friends that are in the game room. And it was really. I mean, these real pretty girls back there. And I had a complex when I was growing up because about a year prior to this, I got hit in the mouth with a pool ball and I lost my two front teeth. So, you know, when he introduced them to me, the best I could do was, like, smile and wave. Like, you know, I wouldn't open my mouth because I didn't want. You know, that was my complex. So he kept me back there for a couple of hours, you know, put a handful of quarters in my. Put some quarters in my hand and said, play the video games and have fun. And all in my mind is. I'm thinking about is, like, yo, my boys are probably downtown getting paid, and I'm still here dealing with this shit, you know? So, I mean, I just dealt with it. I didn't show him that I was pissed at him, even though that whole day I was like, I hate you. You know? So when the day. When this portion of the day finally ended, I was, like, so grateful. Like, oh, this shit is over. I can go back to the block, meet, maybe meet up with my dudes. If they ain't spend up all the money or smoke up all the weed, then I could go chill with them for a little bit. Oh, boy. That didn't happen. We get back to the block, everybody. Nobody's outside. It's kind of late, so it's time to go upstairs. But I didn't mind at that time anyway, at this certain time, I said, well, fuck it, Tomorrow's my birthday. Excuse that friend, but tomorrow's my birthday. So tomorrow's gonna be a good day for me, regardless of whether I got to hang out with my boys or not. So when I got upstairs, my main focus was to take my shower, eat my dinner, and go to bed. I don't wanna hear nothing from my brother, don't ask me, or my middle brother, don't ask me, did I have a good time. Cause I'm gonna lie to you, Anyway, yeah, yo, it was the shit. Yo, yo, there was so many pretty girls out there. Y'all was rapping to this one and talking to that one, and none of that happened. So I was ready to go to bed. So, Bob, I go to sleep, you know, say goodnight to moms and my brothers. Couple more slaps in the back of the head by them, you know, before you go to bed, because that's what big brothers do to the little brother. So I take those and I go to bed. Here's the next morning, I get woken up with some more slaps to the back of the head. Pop. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. And I'm like, oh, not YouTube again. Damn, the same. And it's my birthday. So we get up, we go in the kitchen, and there's no milk. So somebody has to go to the store. And I'm like, that, I'm not going to store this morning. It's my birthday, you know? So I'm kind of like, trying to be the resistant one, knowing that if I don't get dressed and go to store, that these guys are gonna beat the out of me. So I get dressed and I. I get dressed and I go to the store. Now, when I get outside, I'm hoping that I might see my crew. Barry, Darrell, James and Troy. You know, they don't slap me upside the head. You know, they greet me with open arms. It's my dudes. I don't see anybody outside. So I walk to the store, I get the milk, and then I come back and I stop at the newsstand to get the newspaper. So when, after I get the newspaper, I'm coming back up the block, and I just happen to open up the newspaper and. And glance at one of the headlines, and it said, 4U's was shot by subway vigilante on a. I think it was a 2 or the 5 train. And as I read further, I seen the names Barry, Darryl, Troy and James. And I was like, oh, shit. So I run upstairs and I show the paper to my mother and to my brother, and they're like, wow, this is, you know. You know, these are people that we know. One of the guys, James, he was. He was paralyzed. The other guy had collapsed lungs. And the other two, they were as worse off. But the simple fact that all four of them got shot by this subway vigilante, at which they came to call him, named Bernard Goetz. And I sat and I looked at my brother, like, with this look on my face, like divine intervention, or. It's like this. The one of the best birthday presents that I could have ever gotten. Because if my brother didn't come on that exit and get me, instead of four guys on the train getting shot, it would have been five. And I'm glad that I'm here just to tell y'all this story. So it's a blessing in disguise. Thank you very much.