Fathers, Daughters, and Obstinate Internet Memory

00:00:00: Hey guys, thanks for coming back.

00:00:03: Today I wanted to talk to you about the Cornell Seven and in The Strange Way My Mind Works... ...I got reminded of a short story very early on at a case that we read in school.

00:00:22: it was a short-story class by David Huddle a story by Andrew Dubuse.

00:00:35: So now I'm back home and looking through my books, trying to find the short story collection where that story is contained but i can't remember the plot point online, and I discovered that Andrew Dubuse is actually Andrew Dubuce II.

00:01:01: And he's got a son, Andrew Dubuze III who was also a successful author.

00:01:07: And I always sort of get a kick out these legacy families where literary talent just seems to be in the blood.

00:01:17: for instance you have Stephen King and Joe Hill You have James Lee Burke and Ella Fairberg Jonathan Allen, and he's got three Pulitzers in his family.

00:01:31: I think his dad has one And the sister is two and they work for The Boston Globe.

00:01:36: So these are just you know Three examples but there probably tons more.

00:01:41: But this street Just i could just Think of them off the top Of my head?

00:01:46: That that's always so interesting to me how You have literary talent running In families.

00:01:53: it was just so cool.

00:01:57: Coming back to my Andrew DeBuse, the second story I found out where My Short Story is contained and also found its name.

00:02:08: And it's in The Selected Stories of Andrew De Buse and It's called A Father's Story!

00:02:14: And...I only remembered one plot point that sort-of um Where i differed from a classmates when we talked about this in class because the story is about a father who helps his daughter cover up a hit-and-run accident.

00:02:34: And I remember being,I think,the only one Who said my dad would not do this.

00:02:40: My Dad would get me The best legal representation.

00:02:44: he Would be with Me every step of the way Every court date every whatever but He would Not have covered it Up for me and The others in my class were were all on the side of The Father.

00:02:59: And I can understand where they're coming from, it was just one those things when you know deep in your soul that Your way would have been a different One and i knew That My father Would not Have done this.

00:03:15: But the story...I didn't remember how How Deep that Story Was.

00:03:21: because now re-read It Because I Just wanted to sort Of Get Back into It Re-reading the entire selected stories because it's just he is such a good writer and I kind of Forgotten how much enjoyed.

00:03:35: I enjoyed his stories, so This one story A father story Is about man named Luke Ripley And He has horse farm.

00:03:45: He's got like thirty horses and he's divorced.

00:03:48: He's three kids two boys in a girl girls names Jennifer.

00:03:54: The Story It starts out sort of describing that Luke replaced life after post-divorce, so to speak.

00:04:02: And he's never really gotten to the point where you feel that void that his ex-wife left.

00:04:09: So he talks about how we... He didn't really use all those spaces in a house That they had used before his wife left and it basically remained as she'd lifted.

00:04:24: She wouldn't You know, because he wasn't using anything.

00:04:27: It was as orderly as she left it and you could only tell that she'd been gone Because of the layers of dust And at some point He had eaten all the Pre-cooked frozen dinners That she's left for him I think after three months.

00:04:43: So then he had to start cooking For himself Then started messing up The kitchen leave his own mark in certain spaces and the house.

00:04:58: But it was just as incredible emptiness that he's just grabbing, And at first He would turn on a TV at night but then later he would stop doing that.

00:05:08: you would listen to opera music... ...but he also stopped doing that later on.. ..and he'd basically do his day's work and sit out in a porch smoking and go back into bed.

00:05:20: Then they can go to bed!

00:05:21: And he has this one friend Catholic priest, Father Paul.

00:05:29: And it's... Father Paul is Irish Catholic just as you'd imagine him even though he doesn't drink a lot.

00:05:36: but both men have this really deep friendship and Luke Ripley also practices in Catholic and goes to Mass.

00:05:49: He takes communion father Paul.

00:05:56: So you get this glam, this glance into Luke's life right?

00:06:05: And then his kids come visit him for the summer and he especially talks about his daughter.

00:06:11: and he talks about how I don't think they come as a unit like all three kids once to get older.

00:06:18: it's sort of like they drop by when they can.

00:06:22: so their daughter...he talks her growing up by the stuff that she does with their friends and, you know go into clubs.

00:06:35: And he sees her purse in this stuff that has that she hasn't a person who realizes just from let's say credit cards car keys whatever how much older She's gotten from the kid That He had with him pre-divorce?

00:06:52: So you know these little details and You don't really get the feeling that he's super close to his daughter just, you know regular clothes.

00:07:06: but then The hit-and-run happens.

00:07:10: And she comes back home at she's.

00:07:12: She's out with her girlfriends and they're um She.

00:07:17: she's driving a car and Taking two of her girls girlfriend's home and they've been drinking But not a ton.

00:07:24: and so she takes some one girlfriend, then girlfriend number two and she drives home lonely country road dark.

00:07:33: She drives home all of a sudden...she hits the guy!

00:07:40: And she's just completely shocked but keeps on driving..and she drives back home and tells her dad I think i hit someone.

00:07:52: They share this really meaningful look and Luke describes it as sort of a look that they'd never shared before.

00:08:01: And he says, you take care of it?

00:08:03: He goes out and drives on the road... ...and sees her skid marks.

00:08:12: On one hand he's thinking he hopes this guy is still alive just got up and walked home has some bumps in bruises or he's still alive lying there and Luke can get him help.

00:08:27: And then he also, but then He says some part of him wishes that the guy were dead just so his daughter wouldn't have to go through The whole thing.

00:08:38: Um...he says um..the way he describes it is and this Is written in first person and he says.

00:08:48: Then I threw the cigarette and hope Sorry i messed up!

00:08:52: Then I throwed a cigarette and Hope both out the window and prayed That he was alive being the victim.

00:08:59: While beneath that prayer, a reserve deeper in my heart another one stirred.

00:09:05: That if he were dead they would not get

00:09:07: Jennifer.".

00:09:09: So He's basically saying...he is kind of hoping for the guy to be dead just so his daughter doesn't get in trouble for their hit and run.

00:09:20: And it was kinda dark right?

00:09:26: He comes to the scene of an accident, he sees a skid mark.

00:09:29: It gets out in his car and walks down into that ditch where you find this kid.

00:09:37: You can see it's young guy with a stormy night so as reader don't really get to understand at first how he is feeling for Paulson.

00:09:56: but then Luke doesn't really take any action.

00:09:59: You're waiting for him to go get the police, you know call an ambulance be beyond top of this situation but he's just sort of Doing nothing right.

00:10:12: and He The kid is obviously still alive And you're waiting from him to do something.

00:10:20: buddy I don't know it.

00:10:24: It's just he doesn't do anything.

00:10:25: and then he describes that.

00:10:29: um?

00:10:31: When he climbs down to the kid, he describes it as... but they were small in the colors of their home while a man was either there or not.

00:11:06: And from that memory, I left where it was and while walking on the ditch under the wind was in the seat of imagination with Jennifer into kitchen telling her she had hit no one for at least have not badly hurt anyone.

00:11:19: when i realized he could be in hospital now ,and would think about how to take care something As something to say on the phone, so he's trying to come up with an alibi if The guy is still alive and tryin' how well I find out where He Is.

00:11:38: How will i you know If the guys not there what would I do next?

00:11:41: And then um...and Then he finds him and..he just knows that it's Not good You Know because hes got blood running Out of his mouth.

00:11:58: He's feeling full of pulse.

00:11:59: He feels a power he feels uh, and he feels the pulse.

00:12:03: but then he He listens for our heartbeat And here is a heartbeat?

00:12:09: and Then um He doesn't hear it anymore.

00:12:17: It's just it's just a harrowing description really.

00:12:20: and he's thinking about what he wants to do.

00:12:26: when you still think see that guys alive.

00:12:28: and he says I knew i must raise his legs and cover him, run to the phone while he still listened to it's chest thinking Where?

00:12:39: It raised with what?

00:12:40: Covered With What?

00:12:41: And amid the liquid sound.

00:12:43: I heard The Heart Then lost it and pressed my ear again Spone But His Chest Was Quiet And did not know when that liquid had stopped Did Not Know When I Heard Air A Faint Rush Of It Whether Under My Ear Or At Its Mouth or whether I heard at all The guys.

00:13:04: the guy's died right and he Luke kneels by him, and he prays for him And then He goes home.

00:13:18: And he tells her that.

00:13:19: he tells Jennifer his daughter and he says he stood and Then she asked them whether you saw the face of the guy?

00:13:31: No no I didn't not really.

00:13:33: and So he lies to her To make her not feel bad not telling her that is a young guy that he was still alive, and tells her... He thinks the victim is basically dead when hit by the ground.

00:13:49: So it becomes this secret.

00:13:54: And It's a shared secret.

00:13:56: on one hand because he tells her That The Guy Is Dead But By The Same Token He Doesn't Share The Entire Secret With Her!

00:14:07: Thats What He Keeps To Himself.

00:14:11: He knows that it's wrong and he sort of decides to bear the weight alone, right?

00:14:18: And she says I thought you'd call the police.

00:14:31: Then they share a drink... She realizes this is not going to stay between two of them.

00:14:39: It will be just a shared secret.

00:14:44: They hug they have to share this really honest heartfelt tight hug and After that, they sort of go back to their lives.

00:14:56: She stays with him for a while longer And the friends joke about how her father wrecked her car.

00:15:06: because it's just a story that they're going with.

00:15:10: The more they tell the secret or at least Jennifer tells a secret the more it's sort of.

00:15:17: and The story.

00:15:17: I'm sorry.

00:15:18: The more Jennifer tells that story about her father wrecking car, the more It sort of becomes her truth.

00:15:24: At the same time they also hear then here on the news that um They hit run victim was i think nineteen years old?

00:15:30: And Um The the perpetrator is never found.

00:15:37: So no one ever finds out what happened to the kid.

00:15:40: he just found dead in a ditch and obviously has been hit by a car.

00:15:47: This reminded me just as an aside this reminded of.

00:15:51: I don't know whether you've been following the murder on murders.

00:15:54: Um, this would happen in the low country of South Carolina and it's It's incredible.

00:16:00: a friend of mine lives in that area And we when that trial first happened We basically watched this together.

00:16:10: we were sort Compared trial notes and whatnot because trial you could see every testimony, everything was broadcast.

00:16:17: And there's also this story of.

00:16:24: I think the guys name is Steven Smith... ...and it's a young guy!

00:16:27: It's also hit-and run.

00:16:31: The older surviving murder.

00:16:34: son Buster Murdoch was sort of implicated like there's always been this rumor that he was responsible for the hit and run that killed Stephen Smith.

00:16:46: I think Steven Smith is his name, And when The Myrtle Murders were so publicized, the mother, Stephen Smith's mother...I hope it's named really as Stephen Smith.

00:17:02: She was back in the news.

00:17:04: she had never stopped trying to find out what happened to her son harrowing for her not to know what killed him.

00:17:16: And coming back to the, to the debut story this is also something that um The protagonist mentions that the parents of the hit-and run victim in the story can never really Um Grieve to a full extent or sort of understand the situation fully because he's taken away their Their ability to find out what really happened to their son.

00:17:48: So this is also something that he's guilty of, Luke Ripley has and he realizes this.

00:17:54: so finally um the oh by the way and he luke ripply at the daughter leaves jennifer leaves and ripley never tells.

00:18:03: his tells father paul what happened?

00:18:06: He still goes to confession but he never confesses to killing that kid.

00:18:12: essentially it killed him by doing nothing.

00:18:17: sure he might have died anyways.

00:18:22: He was probably hurt very badly, had impact trauma or whatever but still...he didn't even attempt to save him right?

00:18:31: And so it is sort of a murder in that sense.

00:18:36: and he never confesses.

00:18:43: Luke even further.

00:18:45: remember I told you he only had this one friend in Father Paul and all of a sudden He there's this witch in the in their friendship as well.

00:18:52: And The loneliness becomes even Even more pronounced, and then because he can't talk to anyone else Lou Gripley ends up talking to God.

00:19:02: and This is how the story ends.

00:19:08: basically him having his conversation with god.

00:19:17: And God tells him, I'm a father too.

00:19:20: So he can sort of be in the same position as Luke Ripley is.

00:19:27: Remember this was only an imagined conversation.

00:19:31: but then Ripley talks to God and He says,"I tell Him no it's not that I love Him less His sons But that could bear the pain of watching and knowing my son's pride as they took the whip and nails.

00:19:46: but you, you being God never had a daughter.

00:19:50: And if you had?

00:19:51: You could not have borne her

00:19:52: passion.".

00:19:55: And God answers so...you love her more than me!

00:20:00: Love her more then you love

00:20:01: ME!".

00:20:02: And Lugerple says I love her MORE THAN I LOVE TRUTH which is also a cross statement.

00:20:10: and the imagined god voice answers Then YOU LOVE IN WEAKNESS.

00:20:17: And Ripley answers, as you love me I say and i go with an apple in the carrot out to the barn.

00:20:24: So it's also.

00:20:28: this is sort of the culmination Of The father narrative where Ultimately Luke makes says It makes a difference whether You have A daughter or son?

00:20:43: Because Jesus was a Son God Could bear To have him sacrificed for our sins.

00:20:53: But if it had been a daughter, the whole thing might've turned out

00:20:57: differently.".

00:20:59: That's what Ripley is saying.

00:21:01: and he's saying that... The fact my daughter was her pain.

00:21:12: I'm taking on-that's why did this bit?

00:21:15: because happened to me daughter her pain on, I was going to be the one who protected her and she would not have to face the truth.

00:21:32: We had a secret but I am shouldering the burden of most other

00:21:36: secrets.".

00:21:39: The story is just so... it's got so many layers.

00:21:43: you're now probably thinking how does this connect with the Cornell Seven?

00:21:49: What kind of weird connection are we trying to establish here?

00:21:52: And fair question, and I'm not saying that it's obvious.

00:22:03: It just made me think of the story when i first heard...and because shows have all talked about the chronal seven in depth studies if they're whole thing..I am fairly up to date on this case!

00:22:23: Which side I come down on am?

00:22:26: Am i coming down in the site of the accusers or if they accused it?

00:22:30: Or if the accuser being Jane Doe, or of the seven guys that are accused It might even only been six because one was dropped from the civil suit.

00:22:41: Anyways so.

00:22:42: I'm not this is not my point but I just When his first came out I imagined The impact That This Was Gonna Have On all of their lives for such a long time, because can you imagine just the mirror on an immediate basis?

00:23:05: Can you imagine when two guys got expelled and you call home.

00:23:11: You're like hey I'm coming home!

00:23:12: And your parents are like yeah okay fine see y'all in weekend...and then drive back home and your parents welcome and you're like, yeah well it's basically going to be every weekend because I got expelled.

00:23:31: And i'm just Cornell's Ivy League right?

00:23:36: So your parents shelled out a pretty penny for you to go there then come home say that they've been expelled but not as mundane or cheating which is good.

00:23:56: From what happened to?

00:23:58: What happened there?

00:23:59: and you can imagine.

00:24:00: You're just like.

00:24:00: well It's a while we We sort of did ketamine, and it's like would do what he did one And then we had sex.

00:24:14: uh A lot of sex and With a lot of people.

00:24:18: yeah, and in your parents I mean maybe it's because i'm gen Xm and that grew up relatively um, protected in the sense that I was never really drug culture adjacent.

00:24:35: So i'm just not really...I've never really been that sure.

00:24:39: you smoke with occasional joint or try stuff but nothing really crass.

00:24:44: and so maybe it's completely normal to get drunk and then take ketamine have group sex?

00:24:54: Maybe!

00:24:54: That is part of their college experience.

00:24:58: but it seems fairly crass to me.

00:25:03: And so having to confess this through your parents, can you imagine how embarrassing that must have been?

00:25:14: Can you imagine being a parent and your kid stands in front of you and he gets expelled from his crazy expensive school for basically debauchery?

00:25:28: Are you serious?

00:25:32: And this is one thing, but then try getting them into another school.

00:25:39: I mean yes!

00:25:40: You will have to go Europe or something...I can't imagine having another Ivy League university being keen on taking that guy on for those guys.

00:25:55: Maybe it's just about the money and if your parents are rich enough they're just well.

00:26:01: We have a library that we would like to build.

00:26:04: If you built that library for us, your son can come back here or yours and can come here.

00:26:09: but I'm just excuse me.

00:26:11: so i'm just saying...I wouldn't imagine this to be super impactful!

00:26:19: And..i heard somewhere-and um i haven't verified this but it hurts somewhere that Your brain isn't developed to think in consequences until you're twenty five.

00:26:33: So maybe they are not even realizing what they've done to the future.

00:26:42: Because on one hand, yes... The internet doesn't really forget anything but news cycles very fast these days because there's always another scandal coming along.

00:26:58: But still I cannot think that later you apply for a job somewhere and let say law firm and then you apply for a job there or a bank.

00:27:09: And the partners really want to, when your sort of shoe in for the

00:27:12: job.".

00:27:14: Then one human resources people does an internet search...and he goes back to that candidate who's sort-of keen on.

00:27:33: I would recommend not take him off.

00:27:38: He's one of the Cornell seven, but um you know and so I would imagine that follows your own on So many different levels.

00:27:48: just for something.

00:27:50: it as As You know if you think of the father story The debut story he is at least a father.

00:27:59: Is keeping his daughter from potentially going to jail.

00:28:07: But here you did.

00:28:10: it was just for sort of instant gratification, right?

00:28:16: It was basically nothing.

00:28:19: And then everything.

00:28:22: or you're trying to date later on and the woman finds out that one of your... You wrote group text about free P-word.

00:28:37: I guess you probably gonna get turned down a lot once you start entering the dating pool again, throwing your hat in a ring.

00:28:47: And then there's Jane Doe.

00:28:53: and remember I said that i reread all of the Dubuque stories?

00:28:59: There is this one story called Graduation!

00:29:05: It's about who's losing her virginity in high school, and she does it because she thinks he loves the guy.

00:29:25: But then she gets sort of... well In a story that says The picture I've been cat out of the High School yearbook Her blonde hair had been short then An Italian boy.

00:29:42: Her face was tilted down to one side.

00:29:44: She was smiling at the camera, and beneath her face across her sweater Was written good peace.

00:29:51: It had been thumbtacked to the bulletin board approximately two years after she had lost her virginity Parked someplace with a boy she loved.

00:30:00: When they broke up she was still fifteen long way from marriage And she wanted her virginities back.

00:30:07: So this is basically the tenor of story how she's trying to regain certain status that just cannot be gained anymore, or can not be regained.

00:30:19: And it's a loss of innocence.

00:30:22: and if you think about the father story... That is basically also about a loss in innocence.

00:30:34: He wants to protect his daughter from this loss of innocent.

00:30:40: And with this graduation story, it's sort of the same thing.

00:30:47: She is trying to move back time and going back to that person she was before... ...that happened to her basically being regarded as a good piece you know?

00:31:15: If you think of Jane Doe and this gigantic civil suit, right?

00:31:18: And I don't know what the outcome that's who it will be.

00:31:22: But if she loses a civil suit... It is not going to be great!

00:31:28: Neither is winning because yes.. She has gonna have a tonne o money but.... She also is going t be THAT girl You Know?

00:31:39: And she said all these.

00:31:41: She said all these things and she wrote these text messages, and she was being like yeah I'm It times have changed in and i'm just into sex And we can do this now.

00:31:53: And i'm Just So very open to everything and This is what will always stick with her?

00:32:04: this Is where she's always going to carry around With Her.

00:32:11: Yes, it's probably easier to carry that around once you get a lot of money.

00:32:17: You win a lot Of money in the lawsuit but just there will be people who stigmatize you because It's always that thing if your and too this day its Never mind The second-and-a third and whatnot wave of feminism.

00:32:38: still if you're a guy that has a lot of sex, You are a stud.

00:32:43: If your woman That has a lotta sex or a slut and Stud-slut the... this is still an undercurrent in the conversation And especially if it gets out In the open to the extent that The Cornell Seven case has gotten Out on the Open.

00:33:13: I guess thats all i wanted To talk about today.

00:33:17: no meaningful insight.

00:33:19: The thing that I'm taken away from this is my admiration of Andrew Dubuze II and a recommendation for you to read his selected stories because there's just such great stuff in there, well...I guess that's it today!

00:33:43: See ya on the next one.