“Some days are diamonds. Some days are dirt.”
~JD Martin
Dressed in worn out boots and Levis; his Amoco shirt blazing in the fluorescent glow of the cafe lights, Brett Bonner removes his gloves and hat and slips his sunglasses in the front pocket of his shirt. Sliding effortlessly into the booth, the 28 year-old Bonner grabs a menu and looks at the lunch specials.
And although everyone in a 50 mile radius had warned me, I was about to find out the hard way; when Brett Bonner enters the building, all bets are off.
As I take my place across the table, I pull my digital recorder from my pocket, push record, and place it innocuously in the center of table.
Looking over the top of his menu, Bonner asks, “What the hell is that?”
Perusing the menu, I tried to shrug it off.
“You said you wanted to share your story with me–it’s how the process works.”
Shifting his gaze from the recorder directly to my eyes, I had a funny notion that Bonner was suddenly more than ready to talk.
Sliding the menu back into its slot behind the napkin dispenser, Bonner–with perfect enunciation–made his wishes known.
“Turn it off.”
“Brett, I’m writing a book–I told you that when I called you. Your story is going in the book–this is how we make sure everything is accurate.”
“I said turn it o….”
Reaching for the recorder, Bonner brought the interview to an abrupt end.
Then, in one continuous motion, Bonner slid the recorder across the table and flagged the waitress as she was hustling back toward the kitchen.
“I’ll have the meatloaf Annie–with green beans. And I’ve only got 30 minutes so you are gonna have to kick it in the ass.”
Looking out the window grinning, Bonner threw me a bone.
“That you can print.”
When it comes to human behavior, nobody–I mean nobody–knows what the hell is going to transpire in any given encounter. Funny thing is, Brett and I went on to have a great conversation for the next 30+ minutes. He shared several wonderful stories of his taking over the family ranch and making a go of it despite enormous obstacles. Remarkable accounts, every last one of them.
And none of it will be used in the book.
Some days are diamonds and some days are definitely dirt.
Remnants of a good talk spoiled, western NE
Leave a note.