City boy adjusts to life in small town

by Jacob Bradford, staff writer

 

This is the last time I am telling this story, so listen up.

I am from New Orleans, Louisiana, where I was born. I have two homes, New Orleans and West Texas. But the reason I am in Texas is because of Hurricane Katrina.

The week started off like any other week, normal, boring, and school. I met my friends every day in the same spot, right in front of the gym. It was my third week of high school, and I was still feeling awkward in my new surroundings. So was everyone else in my group, not knowing what to do or how to find our niche in high school. It felt like a game of who could get comfortable first.

But one weekend, my mom’s friend, Nancy called in a panic, saying we needed to get out of the city because a hurricane was approaching. Mom did not believe her. I can see why, as every major hurricane before had missed New Orleans. So we kept working on a project for school. I believe it was even about Texas, West Texas at that. 

So as night fell, WWWL-TV Channel 4 came on with an important bulletin. The mayor of New Orleans said to evacuate the city, saying that this is the storm everyone has been waiting for.

So that night Mom came to me and said,” This is it. Grab what you really want. We are leaving.”  So we left the night before it hit. We met my Grandma and Grandpa somewhere along the way. That morning, I woke up to my family. We had stopped at a Wal-Mart during the night, and they had taken the outdoor furniture and stuck it in front of the RV. Now I know that this is normal behavior now but back then it was, in my own words, “unacceptable”. So my family out in West Texas took us in and treated us as if they were around every day. It was one of the best years of my life out there. All the stories I have may be used in future issues, so I won’t be using them here.

The pictures and news reports from New Orleans are what made me want to be a reporter and anchor. It was just a thought in my head until then. I had been in the city my whole life, and then seeing those people tearing it up for what they called supplies was utterly degusting! How are you going to use a big screen TV when the power is out in the whole city? Why would anyone take a Cadillac when it’s not yours?

Those so-called “survivors” were nothing but a bunch of idiots! When you say you can’t leave the city because you don’t have a car, that is just laziness. Churches, hospitals, and other organizations were evacuating the city by busloads of passengers. Their neighbors and relatives have cars. There was no reason, other than sheer stupidity, for those people to be down there! The news depicted them as victims. Yes, they were victims of their own ignorance.

That is why I wanted to go into reporting and anchoring, to tell the truth, not some tear-jerker lie. What about the hard working middle and upper class? Where is their coverage? They never got the chance, because the media never focused on them. They preferred to see the people who sat at home and collected an unemployment check.

This hurricane had nothing to do with the former President George W. Bush or the government. It’s not their fault Mother Nature decided to wipe out the Southern United States.  Everyone was unprepared. Not just the government, but citizens too.

 But this story does have a much lighter tone to it. In New Orleans, I was a nobody. In Grandfalls, I was a somebody. I was a member of the boy’s basketball team, I participated in One Act Play competitions, and I even tried FFA. FFA was not my thing, simply because I got attached to the goat I was supposed to get into shape, like a dog, and wanted him to live. So I brought Fred to the ranch, where he is alive today.

I became involved in the town so much that I fell in love with it. So I had the best of worlds, my big-city old home and my small-town new home.

I do have a funny story I would like to share. One morning, my cousin Johnny Lee grabbed my family and took us to go castrate cows. Josh, my brother, and I were inside the large pen. Josh had his Game Boy, and I had my cell phone, trying to find service.

Johnny cut one bull that got very angry and charged at my 80-year-old uncle. It flung Uncle Jimmy into the air and started digging his horns into him. Cowboy, a relative, jumped in and tried to get the bull off of Uncle Jimmy.

Well, the bull then saw Josh and I in the corner and charged at us. This thing was as big as a Ford Taurus coming at us with full rage. I dropped the phone, Josh dropped the Game Boy, and we climbed the fence. I jumped to the other side and started to run until I heard a scream. I turned to see Josh on top of the fence. He got stuck between his legs, so I ran over there to grab him.

He was really caught up in the fence, and the bull was getting closer. So I said “See Ya!” and ran. The newly inducted steer hit the fence, and Josh fell off, hit the ground on all fours, and ran. That is one day burned into my brain, and I never want to lose it.

I have been in Texas now for four years. I feel like a big shot when I go back to New Orleans and see my friends. I able to say I am a Texan, but with that famous New Orleans blood.