I have a very interesting story to speak about in regards to my childhood best friend Billy. Despite Billy calling me poor for a year or two, I was still his friend.
Billy lived in the “corner house” of my block. Red hair, freckles, beautiful sister, young brother who would scream, fantastic mother and a questionable father. Yes, questionable. I won’t say it like that, but as a child I noticed things. I noticed anger inside of him. He didn’t speak much to the family. His mother would always say, “your father is coming home so I need to cook and we need to have this house in perfect shape.”
I still remember the night between 1999-2000 when I heard a slam in their kitchen. Bill had slammed the oven door and started to scream at Jo in regards to the food and she instantly started crying. I ran home as quick as I can because….well my mother was already getting in full-fledge knife wars with my father. I didn’t want to see that there and go home and see the same thing.
Later Bill apologized. Nonetheless, this man was stacked with money. Not sure what his job was, but Billy would have presents on top of presents on top of presents during the holidays, reducing me to tears of jealousy in the process.
Billy went on a hiatus in 2004 before showing up against in 2010. His sister had become just a gorgeous 18-19-year-old, Billy was massive and his mother was still the most loving woman she’s always been.
Billy and I talked about those years in the backyard of his house for hours and he broke words about his fathers true intentions. Although I won’t reveal what they were, let’s just say it was a humanity – type of company he was peddling in the foothills of Pahrump – the place he would go 95% of the month. Now I understand where the money had come from.
I don’t know exactly what that mask was, but Billy wore it. Billy war the “I have more money than you mask” in the year 2000. He would call me poor constantly because his mother donated some 2nd-hand furniture to my mother so we can have a furnished downstairs. I know, “that’s totally not a friend.” He was maybe 9-years-old, so I won’t put it up against him completely. However, after his father lost everything (blessing in disguise), Billy ended up being on my level. He didn’t have food in the house. He didn’t have those great holidays. He didn’t have ANYTHING. I never went back to rub it in his face, but he got a hard dose of reality, which he was actually dishing out to other people, including me.
He was no longer invincible.
I have and had gone through emotional health problems as a child. I went through emotional withdrawals with my mother, my brother, and even my sisters. I wasn’t taking care of myself for those early 2000’s, and then it finally caught up to me in 2003….the year I developed a lot of anger problems.
Lots of stories in the podcast down below.
Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
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