Posted by: Dave Myers | January 19, 2010

Always Kiss the Girl Part Thirty Two

We sat in a booth next to the window. The sun beamed in and bounced off of her golden blond hair as if God put it there just for that moment, just to make her all the more beautiful.
I was a bundle of nerves while I was waiting for her to arrive, but once she was there, sitting across from me, I was calm. It was as if the day was a continuation of the afternoon Megan Alba Biel and I spent together our senior year of High School.

The Rock Ola Cafe was a family restaurant, which really was nothing more than a semi over priced burger joint. It was popular with the college crowd because it was close to the UNCW campus, and it had good greasy hamburgers. When you walk in the smell of grease was somewhat over powering. It was like the combination of a local greasy spoon burger joint with the interior of Applebee’s.

The waitress came by to take our drink orders. I had water and she ordered a Diet Coke.

“So what have you been up to for the past three or so years?” she asked with a smile, starting off the conversation.

I told her about my time at Mix 96 throughout High School and how I had my first on-air shift not long after graduation. I admitted that looking back at it, I was a nervous wreck and I sounded awful, but it was one of my proudest moments.

“I still have the tape from that night… it’s awful, but entertaining for all of the wrong reasons” I said with a laugh.

“I’d love to hear it sometime,” Megan said.

“That’s sweet of you to say,” I said. “But you don’t want to hear that… It’s a train wreck, I promise. I’d be embarrassed to let you hear it.”

“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “We all have to start somewhere. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. I want you to let me hear it sometime”.

She then brought up that her sister (Angelina Johannson Biel) told her that she called in one night while I was on the air at WKML. It was a couple years after my on air debut at Mix. Megan said that her sister had told her that I sounded great on the radio, and listened to me every Saturday night. I told her to thank her sister for the compliment.
I also wondered if Angelina had told her all of the details of our conversation that night. I had admitted my school boy crush on Megan to her. It was my hope that she had not.

The waitress came back to take our orders, imposing a break in what could have been an embarrassing part of our conversation.

I ordered a club sandwich and bypassed the temptation for a cheeseburger. I was hoping that by skipping the greasy stuff I wouldn’t intensify the pressure and tightness of the new jeans my friend Janice had bought for this special occasion. Janice insisted that I get the jeans, no matter how uncomfortable they were. They looked great, but were so tight I believed they were cutting off airflow to my brain, and were close to leaving my lower extremities numb from poor circulation. The last thing I needed was anything to make them tighter and else to add to the discomfort.

Megan ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I laughed to myself at the irony of her ordering the same thing I ordered everyday for nearly two weeks at the restaurant she used to work at, in hopes of getting to see her. In an odd kind of way, it made our lunch (sorta) date a bit sweeter.

“I have heard you a couple of times on the radio here in town. You sound so different on the air”, she continued.

“Thanks… I think??” I replied with a quizzical expression on my face.

“I mean, you sound like you belong on the radio…. You sound great,” she said with a slight hint of red coming over her face.

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve actually heard me. I know I’m on pretty late”.

“Yeah, and I don’t even like country music. I should get points for that too,” she said.

“Well, thanks again…”I said. “But come on, everybody likes at least one or two country songs… I mean who doesn’t love ‘The Gambler’ by Kenny Rogers?” I retorted.

“Do you play ‘The Gambler’ at your radio station?” she asked.

“Well, No. But we play a lot of Shania Twain, though…” I said with a playful grin.

“Exactly” she replied. “Actually…” She kind of laughed to herself. “There is one song out now that I like. My sister plays it all of the time. Something about ‘Little Miss Honky Tonk’?” she said with a slight hint of embarrassment at her admission.

“Yeah, that’s the name of it.. by Brooks and Dunn.” I replied.

“Yeah, Brooks and Dunn. I like that song”. she said.

“That’s funny, I never pictured you as a line dance kind of girl Meg. You should go hang out at the Palomino Club one Saturday night. You would look great in a denim skirt and cowboy boots. I could see you with a big cowboy hat too…” I was apologetically (albeit sarcastically), full-on flirting with her at this point, and she seemed to be enjoying it.

“Umm, I don’t think so. I said I like the song, I’m not quite to the point of boots and a cowboy hat.” She said with a flirty smile in return.

The waitress came to the booth with our food,

Somewhere in the midst of our conversation, Megan had transformed in my eyes from Megan Alba Biel- My High School dream girl, part time obsession, and the mark for everything I considered beautiful and perfect…To being simply Megan, a pretty girl I was sharing lunch with.

While she was even prettier than I remembered, our easy conversation had taken her off of the pedestal I had put her on, and made her more real.
It was similar to the impromptu Burger King lunch we shared in High School, except we were older now. I felt far more confident in my early twenties than I was in my High School days. In addition the moving away from our small hometown had changed us both as well. There were no fake airs, nor was there a need on my behalf to try to impress her anymore.
That afternoon, we were simply just two individuals who shared a past in a brief moment in time in the very sheltered environment of small town life. It was refreshing to be beyond those barriers, and to be able to see the people whom we had become.

“Tell me about you. What are you up to these days?” I asked, continuing our conversation.

“Well, I’m staying busy between school and work” she said.

“What’s your major?” I asked.

“I want to study psychology. I want to be able to help people. I love talking to people and discussing whatever is going on in there lives. I’ve always felt a calling for that.” she replied.

I wanted to bring up the conversation we had during our last impromptu lunch outing my senior year in High School. I wanted to tell her how without her advice; I don’t know if I could have taken the proper steps to finally get over my break up with Katie Coleman (my first real girlfriend in High School). I certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed my senior year of school without her advice. When she told me ‘We only get one senior year, and we have to make the most of it’… It stuck with me.
I wanted to tell her all of this, but I didn’t. I was trying to hold to the advice my friend Jim gave me, and ‘Be Cool’. I should have told her.

“Yeah, I can see you doing something like that” was what I offered instead.

“You are so lucky to be doing what you love for a living. Very few people get to do that you know. I’m proud of you for taking the step out on faith to follow your dreams,” she said.
It was the first time anyone had said verbally that they were proud of me and understood what I was trying to accomplish. It had been over a year since I dropped out of college and nearly six months since I had uprooted everything to move to the coast to follow my radio dreams. It was a gamble, but I was hoping to win in the big picture. Those were words I had been longing to hear for a long time, and hearing her say that really meant a lot to me.

“I know. I’m very lucky.” I replied. “I’m really glad we caught up with each other, this is fun” I said changing the subject.

“Yeah, it is. I’m so happy you invited me, she replied with a genuine smile.

Our conversation turned to our days in High School. We began to reminisce about old acquaintances and friends. As our (sorta) lunch date came to a close and I was reaching for my wallet to pay, she said – “I wish I had my yearbooks here with me. They are back at home in Laurinburg with my parents”.

Without thinking of what I was suggesting, I replied – “I have all four yearbooks back at my apartment, if you want to come hang out for a little while”.

The second the words left my mouth, I realized what it sounded like I was suggesting.

“Be cool” I heard Jim say again in my head.

Asking her back to my place after a (sorta) lunch date was NOT ‘Being cool’!!
I waited for a second for an awkward “I have to be somewhere” moment from her, but instead she surprised me with – “That sounds like fun. Let me freshen up and I’ll follow you there!”

Love Y’all
d

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Part Twenty Eight

Part Twenty Nine

Part Thirty

Part Thirty One

Posted by: Dave Myers | December 8, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Thirty One

My first year in Wilmington NC, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Working Midnight to 6a Monday through Friday, not to mention remote appearances on the weekends didn’t leave for much time to develop much of a social circle. The few friends I did have at that time worked with me at the radio station. Two of my best friends at the station were Janice and Jim.

Janice was a petite Jersey girl. A health nut who worked the graveyard shift at our sister station rock station, Surf 107. She frequently wore belly shirts that showed off her rock hard abs and tight jeans that showed off other parts of her anatomy. She had long blond hair with a huge smile and light blue eyes. She was engaged to a guy named Jeff who played lead guitar in a rock band in the nearby Carolina Beach area. Her Yankee accent was sometimes cute, but got louder and louder as she got hyper and excited while telling a story. The great thing about Janice was that she always had an opinion, but she shared it with a smile. She was a kind soul with a sexy, rock n roll attitude to boot.

Jim also worked the graveyard shift doing various jobs on both stations. He was a few years older than me and was already beginning to get traces of salt and pepper hair at a young age. He too was from up north. Born and raised in the New England area, he was a Red Sox fan long before it was cool to be a Red Sox fan. He wore a snake earring in his right ear to make him look tough, but in all actuality it didn’t really fit his personality at all. He was extremely quick witted and very much a smart aleck. He came across as one of those guys that thought he was too cool and smart for the room, but that wasn’t his intention. He just had the habit of voicing his opinion often when it was unsolicited, unbeknownst to him. He could be brash at time to some, but I always respected the fact that I knew where I stood with him. Plus, he could make me laugh harder than most folks.

After confirming my (sorta)date with Megan Alba Biel, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I went to work that night and told Janice and Jim all about it. I told them our complete back history. Everything from first seeing her in the 9th seat back of the 14th row in 9th Grade Physical Science, to the time she convinced me to go to my Senior prom while I was still getting over a bad break up with my first real girlfriend, to serenading her in our senior Talent show… only to realize she wasn’t there. I told them that since the day I first laid eyes on her that she had set the mark for everything that was beautiful to me. I told them everything there was to share about my history with this girl who always seemed untouchable to me. I also confessed that I was nervous about seeing her again, and not knowing what the whole lunch (sorta)date meant.

After sharing all of that info with them, they each had their own thoughts on how I should handle our pending (sorta)date.

Janice was the first to chime in.

“I think you should take it easy and not over think it. Any time you put someone on that high of a pedestal, you both are bound to be disappointed. What’s more, anytime a girl feels like she has those kinds of tremendous expectations to fulfill, its likely to scare her away. The last thing you want to do is go into this and tell her all of what you just told us,” she said.

Jim agreed, but in a different way.

“I get that you really like this girl, but are you looking for a relationship, or just to hook up?” he asked me bluntly.

“Megan isn’t the kind of girl I just want to ‘hook up’ with,” I told him.

“Then just take it slow. Be cool,” he said.

“Yeah, be cool’, Janice concurred.

“Y’all should know me well enough to know… I’m not cool,” I replied.

“Yes you are,” Janice retorted quickly. “You are one of the most confident people I know. It takes a lot of guts to move away from home, not knowing anybody here. The changes you’ve made physically at the gym in the past few months are nothing short of amazing. You’re ambition to improve in your career is very inspiring and bold. And finally, you are one of the friendliest and funniest guys I know. You are extremely confident most of the time, it’s kind of funny to see you this shook up over something. This girl must really know how to get to you,” she said.

“You have no idea,” I told them.

“Look Man, think of it this way…If she likes you too, then she might be nervous a little before getting together with you,” Jim said.

“I find it hard to believe that Megan Alba Biel has ever been nervous about a date, or anything for that matter, when it comes to guys” I said.

“She is just a girl Dave, even pretty girls get a little nervous sometimes,” Janice said with a smile.

“Why would she be nervous about having lunch with me?” I asked.

“Why wouldn’t she? Don’t sell yourself short. This was her idea, remember?” Janice said.

“Exactly, she volunteered to give you her number, and she called you back when you called her. A girl that isn’t interested in seeing you wouldn’t do those things,” Jim pointed out.

“I guess, but girls like that don’t go for guys like me,” I told them. I realized as soon as the words left my mouth that I sounded just like I did in eleventh grade. At twenty one, saying something like that just seemed out of character and strange.

“Now you’re just being stupid” Jim snapped back. “Dude, she’s a girl you knew from High School, and you’re just having lunch… that’s all. Stop thinking of yourself that way, or she’ll want to leave five minutes after sitting down.”

“If it does just come down to it being two long lost High School friends getting together for lunch, that wouldn’t be so bad would it?” Janice asked, interrupting Jim before he went off on a tangent.

“No, not at all. At least I’ll have the chance to catch up with her and see how her life is going. It will be nice to hear what she’s been up to for the past few years, and to share some of what’s been going on with me.” I said.

“That’s the attitude you need to have. Don’t go into the day with high expectations. Just enjoy her company, and I’m sure she will enjoy yours as well,” Janice said.

“Just be cool. Don’t rush things or do anything stupid,” Jim added.

Janice rolled her eyes at Jim and told him that I wasn’t going to do anything stupid.

“She’s just as lucky to be hanging out with you, as you are to be with her,” Janice said.

“Ok… Now you sound like his mother,” Jim grunted.

“What are you going to wear tomorrow?” Janice asked, ignoring Jim.

“I don’t know, a shirt with some jeans I guess” I answered.

“You should buy a new shirt or something. New clothes always instill confidence,” Janice said.

I told her of my hatred of shopping, and she insisted on the two of us going the following day. I reluctantly agreed.

I met her at the station parking lot the following afternoon, and took her car. For the next three hours we hit up every store imaginable to find the perfect outfit for the occasion. Three hours of walking to find a new shirt and jeans, for a (sorta)date… at a burger joint.

Every piece of clothing I picked out, she didn’t like. I became rather frustrated with the whole ordeal, until she picked out a blue and white striped shirt and a pair of slightly tight, but otherwise great looking pair of jeans.

“I still think it’s silly to go through this much work for some clothes, but I have to say… I make this look good,” I told her with a cocky smirk.

Janice was nice enough to buy the clothes for me, and kissed me on the cheek for good luck as she dropped me back off at my car parked at the station. She was off work for the next few nights, but made sure to tell me she wanted details when she got back.

I went into to work that night not being able to think about anything other than Megan Alba Biel. It really did feel like I was back in High School again.

I thought about her long blonde hair and her perfectly kissable red lips that I dreamed about for so many of my teenage nights. I thought about how jealous I was of the boyfriends she had in school. I thought about watching her on TV the day of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. I remember how badly I wanted to ask her to dance at our Senior prom. I remember not having the guts to approach her at Harris Teeter, not knowing if I would see her again.
But I would. I was going to see her tomorrow.

The following afternoon, I was as ready as I was going to be for my (sorta)date with Megan Alba Biel. We agreed to meet at the Rock Ola Café around 1pm. I got there 10 minutes early, and waited in a booth close to the door for her to arrive.
The restaurant had a cool vibe with various old gold records and rock memorabilia on the walls. It wasn’t very busy for the lunch hour, so didn’t take long for a waitress to come to my booth.

I ordered some water, and listened to my stomach churn as I spun a fork around in a circle nervously as I watched the front door for her to walk in. My stomach was doing cartwheels, not from hunger, but from nerves.

“Be cool,” I kept reminding myself. “She’s just a girl,” Thinking about the conversation I had with Janice and Jim a couple of nights before.

I was wearing my new clothes that Janice had bought me. They were supposed to instill confidence, but the only thing the jeans were instilling was a stomach ache from being slightly too tight and uncomfortable.

Trying to ease the tension of my nerves and the pain in my abdomen, I started praying.

“Hey Lord. I know I don’t talk to you that much, and I know this isn’t the first conversation we’ve had about this girl, but I really don’t need to be physically ill when she gets here. Please let my stomach stop hurting, and don’t let me yack before she gets here. Also, do what you can to prevent me from saying or doing anything stupid. Amen.”

“Be cool,” I kept thinking, staring at the door.

Then a voice came from behind me.

“You haven’t been staring at that door too long have you?’ Megan asked me. “I came in from the side entrance.”

“No, not at all,” I said. I didn’t know there was a side entrance, so she caught me by surprise.

I got up and stood as she took her seat, hoping she would appreciate the chivalry.

When I sat back down and we started talking, the butterflies went away.

It was the beginning of the day that I would never forget.

Love Y’all
d

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Part Twenty Eight

Part Twenty Nine

Part Thirty

Posted by: Dave Myers | November 23, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Thirty

All of the options on how to approach Megan Alba Biel for the first time in nearly four years ran through my mind as I walked over to the Bath and Bodyworks she was working at in Independence Mall. My heart was pounding as I counted off the steps to get to her behind the counter. Before I could decide on which way I wanted to greet her, she looked up as saw me.

She ran from behind the counter and gave me a hug.

“Oh my goodness,” she said. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I live here,” I replied. “I mean, I live in Wilmington now… Not in the Mall,” my voice trailing as I tried to be humorous in the midst of my obvious awkwardness. Her beauty always seemed to leave me a bumbling idiot and at a loss for words.

She looked amazing, just as I remembered her. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a red and white checkered apron as part of her uniform. Her eyes were as light and full of life as I remembered them to be. Her skin was tanned from many hours on the beach (one of the perks from living in the Port City). Her smile was as warm and radiant as it was when we shared an impromptu lunch our senior year in high school.

“I saw you as I was walking by and wanted to stop in and say hello,” I said trying to seem cooler after my previous failed joke.

“I’m so glad you did,” she replied. “My sister said she talked to you a few months back, and that you were in town for an interview. I take it that you got the job?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been working at the radio station for a few months now. I love it there,” I said.

“That’s great,” she said.

Just then a lady interrupted our conversation to ask for help. I stepped away from the counter as Megan went to help her find something. I waited there for a few minutes, but could tell she was getting busy. I didn’t want to walk away and possibly not get the chance to talk to her again, but at the same time, it felt awkward just waiting at the counter of a store where obviously most men don’t shop.

I began to look around, trying not to look out of place when she came back over to talk to me again. As soon as our conversation started over, we got interrupted again by another customer.

“Hey, it’s obvious you’re busy. I’d better take off” I said.

“I’m so sorry, hang on one second… I’ll be right back,” she told before she took off again.

Once she was finished with helping the customer, she got a piece of paper from the cash register and started writing on it.

“Here is my number. Give me a call and maybe we can go out and catch up. Somewhere other than here,” She said.

“Sounds good” I said, trying to play it cool. “Great seeing you again Meg,” I said giving her another hug before leaving.

“You too,” she replied with a smile.

I resisted the urge to run out of the store jumping up and down like a baseball player who had just hit the winning homerun in the World Series.
I instead, tried to play it cool as I put the little slip of paper with her number on it deep in my right jeans pocket. I could not, however, hide the grin I had on my face once my back was turned away from her.

I walked back into the mall walkway, and reconnected with my friend Donna and her boyfriend who had come into town for a visit.

“Judging by the Chester Cat grin on your face, I assume everything went OK in there?” Donna asked me, well aware of my multi-year crush on Miss Biel.

“I’d say so.” I replied, pulling out the tiny piece of paper from my jeans pocket as if it were a piece of gold. “I got her number!” I said trying to contain the excitement in my voice.

I had to play it somewhat cool, I thought to myself. I didn’t want to rush home and call her that night. I needed to wait a day or two. So I kept her number in my jeans pocket.

That seemed like a good idea until I did laundry later the following night, and forgot to take the piece of paper out of my pocket. I realized this after taking the clothes out of the dryer and putting them away. I frantically took the piece of paper out to find that the last digit on her number had faded in the process.

Once I got over the anger of washing and somewhat ruining the piece of paper with her number on it, I took it as a sign that maybe I should go ahead and call her. I didn’t have the last digit, but I could still use the process of elimination. So I called every number configuration until I landed on the right combination. After many apologies for dialing the wrong number, I finally hit pay dirt…

“Hey, this is Megan. Sorry I missed your call, but if you’ll leave your name and your number… I’ll call you back,” the machine said.

I had gotten the right number, but hadn’t put too much thought into what I was going to say if the answering machine picked up. So, I promptly hung up the phone.

After putting about ten minutes worth of thought into it, and rehearsing a couple of times to myself… I redialed the number.

Again, the phone was ringing.

I became nervous she was going to answer the phone by the third ring (I hadn’t rehearsed what I was going to say in an actual conversation).

By the time the answering machine picked up after the fourth ring, I had forgotten what I had rehearsed beforehand. I didn’t want to hang up, so I just began talking.

“Hey Megan, this is Dave. It was great, um… seeing you the other day. I just wanted to give you a call and see if you were still interested in, um… catching up some time soon. Give me a call at…..” and I gave her my number.

I hung up feeling better that I had gotten around to calling. I began to replay every word I said in the message, hoping I didn’t sound like a total dork. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.

Finally I realized how silly I was being over the whole thing and decided to turn the TV on to distract myself. I watched TV for a few hours before heading out to work, all the while with my phone beside me on the couch. It didn’t ring.

Once I got home the following morning after leaving work and the gym, I rushed over to my answering machine to see if MAB had left a message. She hadn’t. It didn’t dawn on me that most normal people probably wouldn’t call someone between the hours of Midnight and 8am.

It was then that I decided that I should change the outgoing message I had on my machine to something clever, so if she were to call, it would be funny and somewhat cool. Girls like guys who are funny and somewhat cool.

After thinking about it long and hard for an hour or so, the best I could come up with was

“Hey what’s up? It’s Dave. I’m either not here or ducking your call. Either way, leave your name and number and I might call you back. Later.”

I was rather proud of that message. It was clever, sounded cool, and sounded completely like something I normally would NOT say.

I went to sleep for my mid morning and early afternoon slumber, but was awaken by the phone ringing. Anxiously wondering if it was Megan Alba Biel calling, I resisted the urge to run to the phone and answer it. I wanted her to hear my clever and cool message on the machine.

It rang four times. I heard my voice on the machine say – “Hey what’s up? It’s Dave. I’m either not her or ducking your call. Either way, leave you name and number and I might call you back. Later”

Then I heard the following message – “Hey, it’s your Mother. You’d better not be ducking my calls! What kind of message is that anyway?” She went on with the rest of her message. Apparently she didn’t find it as cool and clever as I did.

I got out of bed, ran errands all day and came home in hopes of seeing the red light on my answering machine blinking, but alas it was not.

I repeated the same pattern for about a week or so, until I gave up hope on her calling me back. Maybe she was just being nice in giving me her number, and she really had no intentions of calling me. I was disappointed, but too busy to dwell on it. It was summertime in the Port City, and work was much busier during tourist season.

Finally, one day after a long and hot Saturday of doing a live remote at a local car dealership, I made it home to my nice air conditioned apartment. I put my keys down on the coffee table and looked on the counter to see the red light blinking on my answering machine. I hit play and heard –

“Hey Dave, that’s quite the message on your answering machine. I hope you don’t duck my call. Sorry it took a while to call you back, but it’s been crazy at work. I would love for us to grab some lunch and catch up. Give me a call when you get this and we can work out the details. I can’t wait to see you.”

I didn’t hesitate to call her back. We agreed to meet at the Rock- Ola Café on College Blvd a couple of days later. The sense of euphoria filled my senses as I told her I was looking forward to it and hung up the phone.

I had a date with Megan Alba Biel!!

WAIT A MINUTE….

Was it a date?

Or was it just two old High School friends getting together for some lunch?

Was lunch even considered a ‘Date’?

Were we even considered ‘old High School Friends’?

What were we back then?
What were now?
What is it going to be?

Why was I over thinking this?????

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Part Twenty Eight

Part Twenty Nine

Posted by: Dave Myers | November 4, 2009

20 Things I Want to Do Before I Die (repost from 8/20/08)

20 Things I want to do before I die.

Dave Freeman, co-author of “100 Things to Do Before You Die,” passed away at the age of 47 on Tuesday. I have to be completely honest and say that I have not read Mr. Freeman’s book. However the article I read about him and the book he co-wrote inspired me to think about things I would like to do before I head up to heaven. While I am in good health now, you never know when your time is going to be up. Good Lord willing, I live long enough to see all of these things happen!

Here is a short list of things. I hope you can relate of some of them.

In no certain order-

1. See the West Coast. I grew up around the Atlantic Ocean and love it there, but I want to see what it’s like on the other side of the country. I am fascinated with California. Obviously the entertainment industry is amazing and captivating. I have always dreamed of one day working for a LA based radio station. Even if I can’t live there, I at least want to see it in my lifetime. I’ve dreamed of seeing CA since I was a kid, and I hope to make it a reality someday.

2. Go to attend a UNC/Duke Basketball game. I have been a Tar Heel fan for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb a hater of Duke University Basketball. I need to check with my pastor, but I’m pretty sure the Lord doesn’t mind me HATING Duke. I really need to share my disdain of the dukies at an actual game at least once in my life. I would take a UNC/Duke ticket over a Superbowl Ticket!

3. Call the people I love more often. I spend the majority of my day at work on the phone, so when I get home, I am not usually in the mood to chat on Ma Bell (that’s the phone for any Northerners who may be reading). Because of this, some relationships have been jilted in recent years. I really need to work on that. It’s selfish and not right.

4. I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to meet Jessica Alba. My wife Holly has Bono and Keith Urban, I have Jessica Alba (BTW, did you know that Bono and Urban are both shorter than me?).

5. I want to compete in a swim meet. I realize I am still in the middle of my adult swim lessons, but I think it would be cool to become that accomplished of a swimmer. Maybe if I do that, I might be able to fit into 32 jeans again (Maybe I should put that on the list too!)

6. Have grandkids. Before I accomplish that, I have to give my parents Grand kids.

7. Have a full time radio job in Nashville. It’s been my dream since I was 13… I haven’t give up yet!

8.I want to take a lap in a race car. I grew up twenty miles from the North Carolina Motor Speedway. I liked NASCAR before it was cool to like Nascar. However, I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to DRIVE the race car, seeing how I have a hard enough time driving safely at 70mph on the highway. It would be pretty cool to hang in the passenger seat for a lap or two.

9. I want to take my Dad backstage to meet Reba McEntire. I had backstage passes once to meet Reba, but I wasn’t allowed to take my Father with me. I have always regretted that. My Dad is a HUGE Reba fan.. and he deserves to have a moment with her like I want with JA, and Holly wants Mr. Ireland and Mr. Australian Hair Highlights. I’m pretty sure Momma wouldn’t mind.

10. Spend more time on the porch. Some of the best thinkers in history have been front porch thinkers. The majority of the world’s problems could be solved if everyone had a front porch. I hope to spend plenty of time on mine one day.

11. Buy a dog. I miss having a dog, a dog that won’t make us sneeze!

12 Buy a house. I need a house with a front porch to accomplish goal 10, a dog needs a yard to run in (11), and so will my Parent’s Grandkids(6).

13. Write a book. Short stories and books have always been a love of mine. I would love to have the chance to share some stories of my own.

14. Sing a song at the Ryman Auditorium. I don’t care if anybody is there to hear it, I just want my voice to echo off of those sacred walls. It really is the Mother Church of the music I love so much.

15. Travel via train. There is something romantic about a train. I want to take Holly somewhere exotic and enjoy the ride there.

16. Go to Graceland. I have been an Elvis fan since I was 5 years old. I learned the Elvis lip curl by the age of seven. It’s somewhere that i have always deemed as special, and have always hoped to go there with someone special to share it with. Memphis is just three hours away, and my somebody special is asleep beside me.

17. Goof off more, laugh hard while I do it, and don’t feel a bit guilty about it.

18. Grow a garden in my back yard and get my hands and feet dirty. My great Grandpa James Dewy Myers was a farmer. My Grandpa David James Myers Sr. -Papa (pronounced Paw Paw) had a huge garden in his backyard. His was the only house I have ever known to have corn stalks growing in the back yard. This of course was before home owner associations, back when a man’s house and yard was really his, and he could grow whatever he wanted. I miss my Paw Paw.

19. I want to learn how to make sweet tea as good as my Momma’s. It tastes like home in a glass pitcher.

20. As corny as it may sound, I would like to make a real difference in the world and make it a better place. I don’t know if I will ever truly see world peace in my time here on earth, but I wouldn’t mind making it a little easier for my parent’s grandkids.

What are some of the things you want to do before you go?

Send me a comment below.

Here’s hoping we all share a long life and see our dreams come true!!

Love Ya’ll
d

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Posted by: Dave Myers | October 12, 2009

I’m on Monday Night Football Tonight!!!

Remember earlier this summer when I posted all of the pictures from the Monday Night Football Opener shoot I went to?

Well, the opening they shot with Holly and I in it comes on tonight!!!

It features Hank Jr and Gloria Estefan. I am right up front on the opening in front of Gloria. I am also wearing a Panther Jersey (the only guy there in a Panther Jersey). Be sure to look for us in the shot.
The game comes on tonight at 830ESt/730CST.
I’m not sure if we’ll be shown in the opening, but it will be cool if we do!!

Here is the picture album from that shoot that day!

Here is a Gallery of Pictures I took that day from the shoot!!!

Posted by: Dave Myers | October 10, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Nine

1995- Radio was in love with Hootie and the Blowfish and The Dave Matthews Band.
1995- The Carolina Panthers won their first-ever regular season football game.
1995- The Cinematic Masterpiece Friday opened in Theaters.
1995- The Atlanta Braves won the World Series.
1995- Friends had taken Television and America by storm.

In 1995, I moved to Wilmington NC. I instantly fell in love with the city. The Port City is a college town that is just minutes away from nearby Wrightsville Beach. The scenery is beautiful there with the revitalized historic downtown district along the Cape Fear River. The landscape of the city has tons of large oak trees overlapping themselves along the roads, and huge homes scattered throughout the area, some of which dating back to the 1800’s. It was a college town that was just minutes away from the ocean… What was not to love?

In 1995 I had begun working Midnight to Six at 99.9 WKXB – Kix Country. It was my first full time radio job, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Late night hours worked great for me, because I am such a night owl and it gave me the freedom during the day to do whatever I wanted… That included spending a lot of time at the beach.

1995 was also the year that I finally got THE haircut. By the time 95 had rolled around, I had grown into a rather longer hair style. Some might argue that it was a bit of a mullet, but I disagree. It was simply a little longer in the back than it was in the front. It simply got to be too thick and hot for me for me, so I let it go, (Not to mention that it did have certain Mullet-esque qualities). I figured if it was time for the guys from Metallica to cut their hair, it was time to let mine go too.

1995 was the year I finally grew as well! Sadly, I didn’t grow any taller (I finally gave up on that dream around 2000). However, I did begin to fill out of my 110 lb frame.
All of the on-air staff at the radio station were offered discounted memberships to the local gym. When I got off work at 6am, I would leave the station and go to the gym. I did it at first just to give me a break between working and sleeping during the day. Soon, I became friends with lots of folks around the gym. Then I began to see the results.
Within a few months my neck had grown nearly three inches, and my chest and shoulders became broader than I could have ever expected. I gained 25lbs of muscle weight almost overnight. The bulking up plus the haircut made me look quite different.
My physical appearance changed so dramatically, that when I went home to Laurinburg to visit, some folks didn’t recognize me at first. I loved looking bigger and a bit older. Even though I still had quite a baby face, I did look a little older. I went from looking like I was fifteen to looking like I was seventeen.

It was because of my younger looks that I got quite a unique side job. Fincannon and Associates are a casting company associated with the Film Studios in Wilmington. Wilmington has had tons of films and television shows filmed there, and Fincannon and Associates were over a lot of the casting. They also happened to be in the same building downtown that the radio station studios were in. One day while riding up the elevator to a staff meeting, I began to have small talk with a pretty lady. She explained to me about her job at Fincannon, and what they did.
Trying to be clever I simply said –

“You know, I did a lot of acting back in High School…”
“You mean you’re not in High School now?” she replied in all seriousness.
“No. I work at the radio station here in the building,” I said quickly correcting her.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” She asked.
“I am twenty one”, I told her.
“Would you be interested in doing some work as an extra on a project we are filming?” she asked.

That is how I got started working with the studios in Wilmington as an extra. They were shooting a project based in a High School, and were looking for younger looking folks to portray the students. If you look really hard, you can see me in a multitude of bad Lifetime and ABC Family Made for TV Movies. Such gems as Face On A Milk Carton, Dare to Love, and Blue River.
I got paid pretty good money to just stand around or nap away the day waiting to be called in for a scene or two. It also gave me the opportunity to meet some TV and movie stars. The highlight of which, was getting to meet Sam Elliot. He is the star of tons of great guy movies such as Tombstone and Roadhouse. His gravely voice was a bit intimidating at first when I met him, but he turned out to be a very gracious and friendly man.

My best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American, was extremely impressed by the fact I got to meet Mr. Elliot. Tater and I had watched Tombstone more times than we could count. Tater is a huge fan of Westerns, and Sam Elliot was the star of quite a few. While telling Tater about how much fun I was having in Wilmington, we agreed that he should come down for a visit.

Tater came down the following weekend. It rained about all weekend, so the beach was out. We bought some beer, watched baseball, listened to some classic country tunes, and made pyramids out of cans in my living room floor.
He told me more about the girl from his Criminal Justice class that was now his girlfriend. He was just a couple of years away from graduation from Pembroke University (later named UNCP), and was excited about getting started in the field of Criminal Justice.
I told him about the Nashville radio stations I had been listening to on the internet (that was relatively new in 1995 as well). Listening live to those stations that seemed so far away, cemented my dreams of one day moving to the Music City. But for the time being, I was happy to be in the Port City. With Swingin by John Anderson playing in the background and cold Bud Light cans in the fridge (and stacked high on the floor), we agreed that life was good.

A few weeks later, my friend Donna Thames came to visit me. She came with the guy that she was dating at the time, and they were really looking forward to spending time at the beach. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t accommodate for us that weekend either. It was cold and rainy about all weekend, so there was no time spent at the beach. Instead, we drove around the city as I showed them all of the touristy sites in town. We eventually made our way to the Mall.

While leaving the American Eagle near the food court, something (Somebody I should say), caught my attention.

She was working behind the counter in a Bath and Body Works. She was in a white T Shirt with a Red and White checkered apron on.
I recognized her instantly when I saw her out of the corner of my eye.

I was in mid sentence in the middle of a conversation with Donna when everything seemed to stop, albeit briefly. I paused for a second, caught my breath, and took a hard left into the store without a second to think otherwise.
It was rather rude to leave Donna and her boyfriend so abruptly, but they understood. I had good reason…

1995 was a great year for me, for many reasons.

One of which… It was the year I finally reconnected with Megan Alba Biel.

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Part Twenty Eight

Posted by: Dave Myers | September 11, 2009

What I Remember about 9/11

It was a bright and sunny day. We were busy as heck back at the office. I had been working for Enterprise Rent a Car for over a year and a half, and had gotten used to the fast pace. I had recently transferred to an office in where a lot of my friends were working, and was almost enjoying being there. I was living in Fayetteville NC, about 45 minutes from my hometown of Laurinburg. Things were going well for me. I was making decent money for the first time, and I was planning a move back to the coast.
I had just dropped off a lady at LaFayette Ford on Raeford Rd near my office, and was on the way back to the office with a hot Bojangles biscuit in my hand. I loved going to LaFayette Ford, because it was so close to Bojangles.. If you timed it just right, you could drop the customer off, go through the drive thru, eat your biscuit on the way back, and nobody would know you had gotten some breakfast.
Everything was going my way. I had the window down on the GMC Sonoma I was driving and was digging on some Red Hot Chili Peppers on the rock station from up in Raleigh. On a clear day, the signal came in like it was coming from next door.
When the DJ stopped playing ‘Give it Away’, he came back on the air. He had a somber tone to his voice. He then announced that a plane had hit on of the Twin Towers in NY.
In all honesty, when he first said it.. I was kind of shocked, but didn’t know what to think of it. The DJ didn’t go into very much detail at first, so I thought it had been a small 4-6 passenger plane that had crashed. Granted, that is sad, but I had no idea it was major airliner.
He said he would give more details as soon as he got them, and then he played another song. After the song was over, he came back on the air with the same somber tone and gave more details. He then said that it was a major airliner that hit, and said he was watching CNN for the latest updates.
It was then that I had pulled into the back parking lot of the office, but I stayed in the truck trying to take in as much information as I could. I stayed as long as I could get away with, not wanting to turn the radio off. I then noticed one of my fellow employees motioning for me to come back inside.
When I made it back into the building, it was what everyone in the office was talking about. We did not have a radio in the office, because Enterprise did not allow them. So we got all our information from the car radios outside.
A lady had just returned her vehicle, and needed a ride back to the body shop, so I grabbed the keys and offered her a ride. We remained silent as we listened to the radio. The station we were listening to was broadcasting ABC News live.
In the middle of the broadcast, the late Peter Jennings said “Oh no… it seems another plane has hit the second tower”.
Keep in mind, until this time.. I thought (and probably a lot of people thought) that the first plane hitting was some kind of freak accident or something. It was inconceivable to think of a terrorist attack. But when the second plane hit, it was obvious something even more horrible than we originally thought was happening. It looked like it had all been planned out.
I didn’t know what to say as we listened in the car on the way to the body shop.
“Oh God” was all I said under my breath.
The lady riding with me heard me and said “That’s right… we have to look to God”.
She then asked me if I was a Christian. I told her yes. We then held hands and began to pray together. I had one hand on the steering wheel, and the other hand in the hand of a stranger as we prayed to our God for clarity, relief, and for the families who were all being affected that day. By the time we were done, we were at the body shop. She simply got out of the car, gathered her things, and said thank you for the ride without mentioning our prayer session.
As I backed out of the parking lot, a friend of mine called me. She was watching the coverage on CNN. She told me about watching people throw themselves out of the windows of the building as an alternative to being burned to death by the inferno that was rising throughout the towers. I could not imagine the sights she was describing over the phone, through her heavy breathing and sobbing.
Fayetteville (for those who don’t know) is the home of Ft. Bragg, one of the largest Army bases in the country. It (at that time) was also home of Pope Air Force Base as well. When the Pentagon was struck, the mood in the city went from crazy to chaos. The government had grounded all planes, and they were shutting off every military base in the country. Because of this, the traffic on all the main roads leading to the base were parking lots. No one was going anywhere. That made my job quite difficult.
When I finally made it back to the office, someone had brought in a small radio to play in the office. It was against the rules normally, but these were extreme circumstances. We didn’t have any customers at the time, so we all crowded around the tiny radio for any ounce of information we could get. We were all standing together when we heard of the plane going down in Pennsylvania. We stood there silent, not know what to say.
A group of grown men, together, feeling helpless, scared, in shock and angry all at the same time. There was no need for words. We were all feeling the same as we stood around the little transistor radio we had bought at CVS.
A young lady came in to break the silence. I got to the counter first to help her. She had tears running down her cheek and her eyes were red. She wanted to rent a car to drive to Maryland to see her family. She was a young girl, couldn’t have been more than 20. Her husband had just been shipped off to Korea, and she was in Fayetteville alone. She was alone and scared. She didn’t have a credit card; she only had $100 on her check card, and under normal circumstances would not have qualified to rent a car. After hearing her situation, I threw the rule book out the window and rented her the car. I knew I could possibly get in a lot of trouble for doing it, but in all honesty, I really didn’t care. It was the right thing to do (she brought the car back on time, full of gas, and with money in hand to pay the entire bill when she returned).
After renting the young lady the car, I went to my desk to call home. My mother answered the phone (as always). I was expecting her to be crying and upset but she wasn’t. My mother tends to get emotional very easily, so I was very surprised. I asked if she was alright. She said she was. She was just worried about me being that close to Ft.Bragg. I told her not to worry; I was going to be fine. She said she just had to turn the TV off, that she just couldn’t handle watching it anymore. My Dad was on the way home from work, so I knew I didn’t have to worry about her. I told her I loved her as I hung up the phone, like I always did. On that day however, I wanted to make sure that she knew it.
I thought of all the folks who had started there day off like any other day, only for it to be the last day they would see there loved ones. I wondered how many of them told their mother, father, wife, or husband they loved them; it was a sad thought.
I went back over to the desk with the radio to listen to Peter Jennings. More destruction, more lives lost. You could hear the pain in his voice as he witnessed what was happening. Over the radio, you could see what was going on, just by his description of the events unfolding, and the sound of his voice cracking with emotion.
Not long after that, we received an email from the president of the company. He told us that effective immediately all branches across the country were to close so the employees could be home with there families. I am glad he made that decision; it was the right thing to do.
So, we all packed up and closed down for the evening. This is something that simply doesn’t happen with Enterprise Rent- A- Car. I my total 7 years with the company, it is one of the VERY few times I can remember leaving early.
I listened to the radio as I drove home. I heard of the chaos in the streets of NY. I heard of the destruction. I heard the cries of people, the sounds of sirens, I heard it all.
It wasn’t until I got home that I saw any of it.
I watched in horror on TV the replaying of it all. It was the first time I had actually seen any of it. I got teary eyed as I watched it. I have heard lots of folks my parents age talk about how they can remember every detail of where they were and what they were doing when President Kennedy was shot. This was going to be one of those moments in American history that would have the same affect on my generation.
In the days that followed and as the answers to our questions were answered. I saw a bonding in this country that I did not think was possible.
There were so many stories that were touching that I can tell you about firsthand.
Their were people who handed out free water and lemonade to the soldiers who were stuck in traffic, just trying to get into base at Bragg where they worked.
Thousands of people stood in line for HOURS just to give blood. I remember hearing a story about actor Robin Williams doing the same thing… he wasn’t a pampered celebrity who wanted to cut in line, he just wanted to do his part like everyone else.
I remember driving down the road to work, seeing the countless American flags in the windows of houses.
I remember the disappointment of going to Wal Mart and Target trying to buy a flag of my own., just to find out they were on back order for over two months. With the disappointment, came a sense of pride.
There were so many people whom I had argued and squabbled with before that became good friends during that time. Whatever differences we had didn’t seem as important anymore.
I remember for the first time in my lifetime, that prayer was allowed in school again. People talked openly of God like I had never heard.
I actually pulled for the NY Yankees for the first time in my life as I watched them take the field for the first time after 9/11.
It was impossible not to pull for NY that night. During the 7th inning stretch when they sang “America the Beautiful” for the first time, I got chill bumps as they showed the crowd all waving American flags.
It was a time when NYFD was the most popular logo to wear.
Red white and blue were the colors of choice.
I remember watching the Senators on Capital Hill of both parties standing together to sing ‘God Bless America’
There was NO Democrat or Republican, NO Black or White, No differences whatsoever. We were all just Americans. We were people of the same homeland who both grieved and supported each other.
We were ALL one Nation under God, and we weren’t afraid to say so.

So, as we reflect back on the events of 9/11, let’s remember who and what we lost. We need to do that.
But try to remember the events that followed and all the great things we witnessed, did and felt. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another event such as what we had to endure that day to help us find that feeling again.
9/11 was a day that I prayed with a stranger.
9/11 was a day that I basically trusted a complete stranger with a $25,000 automobile when she had only $100 to her name. I gave her the keys because I wanted her to make it home to see her Daddy.
9/11 was a day that I cried and grieved for thousands of people I never met.
9/11 was a day that made me thankful for all that I had, and all that could just as easily go away in a moments notice.

Love Y’all
D

Posted by: Dave Myers | September 8, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Eight

I found a seat in the restaurant. The lunch crowd had already left, so there wasn’t a wait for a table. I was staring at the menu when I heard the waitress ask what I wanted to drink.
“I’ll take a Coke” I said without looking up.
When the waitress returned with my soda, I turned around and saw a name tag that said -
Meg B. – Laurinburg NC

It wasn’t the Meg B. from Laurinburg that I knew. I felt my heart slowing down from the rapid pace that it always had whenever I thought of Megan Alba Biel. Shaking my head, I had to laugh at myself. It had been nearly seven years since I first saw Megan in Mr. Hedgepeth’s physical science class Freshman year. She still had the same effect on me, even when she was nowhere in sight.
The humor of the situation was lost on the waitress waiting for my order. She was a very attractive girl with long blonde hair and light eyes. She had a very friendly smile that seemed welcome to conversation, so I ignored her request for my order and asked her a question of my own.
“I’m from Laurinburg too Meg. What’s your last name?” I asked.
She laughed slightly and told me that she wasn’t Meg. She was borrowing her sister’s name tag. She and Meg both worked at the same restaurant, and she had left her name tag at home.
“My name is Angelina. Angelina Biel.” she said.
Her answer was a bit of a shock. It wasn’t Megan Alba Biel I was talking to, it was her sister. Angie had called me while I was working at WKML a few months prior. It was an unexpected surprise to actually get to meet her in person. Once she told me who she was, I instantly recognized the similarities between Megan and her.
I smiled and introduced myself.
“My name is Dave. I work for WKML in Fayetteville… I think I spoke with you on the phone a few months back, I’m not sure if you remember,” I said.
“Oh my gosh, I totally remember talking to you! You are the guy that had such a huge crush on Megan!” she said with excitement. “You look so different than you sound on the radio,” she continued.
“Thank you,” I said with a slight smirk. It was the only reply I could conjure up; though I was pretty sure what she said wasn’t intended as a compliment.
She blushed slightly once she realized how blunt she sounded.
“What do you recommend for lunch?” I asked with a smile, changing the subject.
She recommended the wings, but I decided to go with the grilled chicken instead. When she returned with my order, she asked why I was in town.
“I am actually here on a job interview,” I told her.
“Are you applying for a radio station here in Wilmington?” she asked.
I told her about my meeting at WKXB and about the position possibly becoming available after the first of the year.
“I love WKXB, that’s my favorite station in town.” she said. “That would be great if you could get the job.”
“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to live at the beach, and I feel like it would be a good move career wise,” I replied.
“Well when you come back to town, swing back by here. Megan may be working then. I’m sure she would love to see you,” she said.
She left me alone to eat my late lunch, and soon came back with my check. I told her how nice it was to meet her face to face. “You look so much different in person than you sound on the phone,” I said with a grin.
She laughed and wished me luck on the potential new job.
When she left, I left her a station t-shirt that John had given me after our interview. I wrote a note on a napkin and attached it to the shirt.
Every girl needs a T-shirt from their favorite radio station.
Please tell Megan I said hello.
Take Care,
Dave

I left and drove back home, hoping I would get the job.
A few months later, around Mid-December, I got a call from John. He told me the overnight position had become available, and wanted to know if I was still interested. I told him I was, trying to hide my excitement over the phone. I was being offered my first full-time radio job, and it was at the beach!
John went on to tell me that the starting date would be January 12th. That gave me a little less than a month to find a place and to get settled in. So I spent the remainder of the month enjoying the holidays with my family, and frantically trying to get everything in place to move to the coast.
Eventually everything did fall into place, and I was ready to make the move. It was sad leaving both Oldies 96.5 and WKML. They had played such a huge part in the growth of my career.
My last day at WKML was sad, yet uplifting. My boss Mac Edwards made it a point to tell me that I was making a wise decision, but also made it clear that the door was always open to come back if I wished to. Eventually I would take him up on that offer, but that would be a few years down the road.
I felt like a kid graduating from school all over again. This was my move to the next level in my career. I was leaving behind everything I knew and was comfortable with, and moving on to the unknown. It was exciting and intimidating at the same time.
My first week of living at the coast, I went to the same restaurant I ran into Angelina at. I looked around, and looked for either her or Megan, but I didn’t see either of them. I did the same thing the following day.
After about five or so days of going to the same restaurant for lunch, I finally asked my waitress if Megan Alba Biel was working. She told me that Megan and her sister had quit right before Christmas. It was typical of the relationship (or lack thereof) between myself and Megan Alba Biel. I would spend my time trying to find her, and she was (as usual) nowhere to be found. It felt just like High School all over again. But the difference was that, this time… It didn’t seem to matter. I was enthusiastic about what the future held, and spending my time trying to find ONE girl in such a large town seemed like a tremendous waste of time.
“If it’s meant to be, then it would happen on its own,” I thought as I ate a grilled chicken sandwich for the fifth time in a week and a half.
“Hmm…” I muttered under my breath while taking a bite of my sandwich. “Maybe I should have gotten some wings instead.”

Love Y’all
d

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SERIES!!

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Posted by: Dave Myers | August 31, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Seven

There is a funny thing about life… It’s in a constant state of change. What is even funnier is the fact that most of the time we don’t even recognize the changes that are occurring right in front of us. Life changes come even more at a rapid pace when you are in your late teens and early twenties…

One evening, while walking the aisles of the local Harris Teeter grocery store, I saw a familiar face in the distance. She had blonde hair and a familiar brown leather jacket. A smile instantly came to my face when I saw her, because it had be nearly four years since I’d seen her last. I pushed my cart up beside her and said hello.

I was greeted with a hug and smile in return. I will readily admit that for a good amount of time in High School, I (like just about every other guy in school) had a bit of a crush on ‘Every Guys Dream Girl and Cheerleader Extraordinaire’ Kim Stone.
Kim and I became friends my sophomore year, and she often gave me advice about life, school, and mostly – Girls. It was great to see her again.

“I hear you sometimes on the radio” she told me. “You sound great.”

“Thanks” I said. “What have you been up to?” I asked.

“Well, I got married recently…” she replied. That’s when she’s showed me the ring on her left hand.

“Wow” was all I could say. “Congratulations…” I continued, trying to hide the expression of shock that I was sure was on my face.

Was this even possible?
How was Kim Stone married?
How were ANY of my High School friends old enough to be married?

It was at this point that I remembered Kelly Johnson from college. It actually sunk in that she was MARRIED.

M-A-R- R-I-E D!!

It just sounded so…. Grown up!
I didn’t feel that grown up. How was time flying by so quickly? How was everything changing around me, yet I felt the same?

This was the same Kim Stone that spent the majority of her HS days in a Scottish plaid cheer leading uniform, with red lip gloss and a tremendous amount of White Rain in her hair.

This was the same Kim Stone that made me INSANELY jealous when she kissed my friend Jason (Lucky bastard… That should have been me… not that I’m bitter…).

This was the same Kim Stone that led Pep Rallies, and starred in multiple High School plays.

She used to be Kim Stone “Everybody’s Dream Girl and Cheerleader Extraordinaire”… Now she was… someone’s wife.

The world seemed different to me suddenly, as if part of my teenage years had gone away for good. I was sincerely happy for her, but in a small way… I was kind of sad and nostalgic for a few years that had gone by way too quickly.

We made small talk for a little while longer and she gave me a big hug goodbye. I watched her walk away as she pushed her shopping cart out of the store. All I saw was her left hand.

I talked to my best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American about it a few days later. Tater was busy attending the University of North Carolina Pembroke. He had declared his major to be Criminal Justice. He would soon be ‘Officer Tater’ – A Great American.

“I can’t believe she’s married dude…” I told him.
“Yeah, that pretty crazy Man.” He replied while sipping on an Orange Gatorade.

“What are you doing tomorrow night? I’ve got an extra ticket to the Brooks and Dunn show in Raleigh if you want to go” I asked him.

“That sounds fun, but I’ve got plans. I actually have a date.” he told me.

“A date??” I returned, trying not to sound surprised.

“Yeah, I’ve got a date” he said with a smile.

He went on to tell me about a red head he had met in class. Tater was notoriously shy around women, so this was a big deal. He went into grand detail, telling me all about the girl in his class that he was going out with. After about thirty minutes of non-stop talk about her, it was apparent to me that we wouldn’t be spending quite as much time together as we had in the past. I was happy for him. He was my best friend, and it was nice to see him so happy with somebody.

I was entirely too busy to think about dating again. I was bogged down between working at three different radio stations. I was working full time hours for part time pay. It was all part of “Paying my Dues”, but it wasn’t paying me enough to live out on my own.
I had been living with Mom and Dad since coming back home from college.

We had recently moved out the house I had grown up in. I had spent nearly 13 years of my life in the same house, now we lived in a home outside of the suburbs and in the country. My Dad moved to avoid being annexed into the city and being stuck paying high city taxes. It was a nice house, but not the house I grew up in. I was a grown man now, and figured it wouldn’t bother me that much when we moved…But it did.
It was a nice home, and my folks seemed to like it. I guess in the end that’s all that really mattered.

I really just slept at home more than anything, since I was always at work somewhere it seemed. My favorite job was working at 95.7 WKML. While it was nice being around my family again, I did miss the freedom that came with being out on my own. I kept telling myself that the living arrangements were just temporary until I could land a full time slot at KML. However, I didn’t really see that happening anytime soon.

I started to think a lot about where my life was, and about the others around me. Everyone at time seemed to be moving forward, yet I seemed to be standing still. I began to feel a discouraged. While I loved my time at WKML, and felt like I was learning a lot, I also felt like it was time to move on to something else.

A few days later, I got a call from my friend Chris Hudspeth (aka- Shadow Haze). Chris and I worked together at Mix 96 a few years back. He was a mentor and a good friend at work and away from the station as well. I told him what I was going through, and what I was thinking about. He told me that it was time for me to make a move. He said he thought I was ready for a full time job somewhere. I agreed, but didn’t know where to start looking. He asked me if there were any areas I would be interested in moving to.

“I’ve always wanted to live at the beach” I said.

He told me he had a friend in the Wilmington area that was a Program Director for a new country station. He volunteered to give him a call for me and put in a good word.

A few days later, I got a call.

“Can I speak to Dave please?” the deep voice on the other side of the phone asked.

His name was John Stevens, and he was the PD for WKXB in Wilmington. John went on to tell me that he had spoken to Chris, and he had spoken very highly of me. He wanted to have the chance to meet me in person. I agreed and within a few days, I was driving to the coast.

John was a big Italian looking fellow with a receding hairline and a jet black goatee. His appearance was a bit intimidating at first, but his demeanor was nothing short of friendly. He showed me around the building and we talked about the potential for an overnight opening after the first of the year. I told him I was very interested in being considered for the position. January was four months away and while nothing was promised, at that point it felt like my saving grace. We shook hands, and John said he looked forward to talking to me again soon. As I was leaving, I asked if there were any good places to grab some late lunch before I drove home. He gave me directions to a restaurant close to the station that had a great lunch menu.

I found a seat in the restaurant. The lunch crowd had already left, so there wasn’t a wait for a table. I was staring at the menu when I heard the waitress ask what I wanted to drink.
“I’ll take a Coke” I said without looking up.

When the waitress returned with my soda, I turned around and saw a name tag that said –

Meg B. – Laurinburg NC

Love Y’all
d

Click here to see the next chapter in the series.

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Posted by: Dave Myers | August 10, 2009

Always Kiss the Girl Part Twenty Six

In my hometown of Laurinburg North Carolina, there isn’t a lot to do if you are a teenager. I suppose it’s always been that way, even when my Mother and Father were growing up there as well. I can tell you first hand that in the early Nineties, the only thing fun to do was drive… Cruise, if you will.

Our town is small, and has a Main Street that is the major thoroughfare throughout the business district. It is filled with many fast food joints, an occasional flower shop, or a small business. The landscape is really no different than many other small towns scattered throughout the country. When we chose to cruise, it was the scenery we passed twenty or so times a night.

The route was always the same.

1. You drove down Main St. until you got to the BP Gas Station.

2. Drove around the loop beside the BP.

3. Come back up Main passing your friends who were parked in various Fast Food joint parking lots.

4. Drive slowly to the K Mart Parking lot about 2 or so miles away.

5. You either stopped there for a while and hung out with friends, or made another lap down to the BP.

I spent many a night riding around with my best friend David ‘Tater’ Turner – A Great American. It was generally in the cab of his little black Nissan Pick up truck, because Tater always had a bit of trouble getting in and out of my 1986 Blue Mustang.

“Small sports cars and Tater’s don’t mix” he would say.

While Tater and I did our many laps up and down Main, one thing would remain a constant. The radio was always on 95.7 WKML.

WKML signed on the air for the first time in 1986. It was the first big time country station to hit Southeastern North Carolina. My Mom and Dad became instant fans of the station, and it was played often in the Myers household. WKML played country when it wasn’t cool. It continued to play it when its popularity spread like wildfire in the early to mid Nineties. Country music became HUGE when artists like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Brooks and Dunn came to the forefront to change the musical landscape of the genre.

As a radio dreamer, WKML was the “big time” in my eyes. It was a thrill when I got the opportunity to work there. I started not long after leaving college, and soaked every minute I spent there up like a sponge. It was a tremendous learning environment, and I shared my time there with many On Air Personalities that I had spent my adolescence and teenage years listening to, and in some casing idolizing. I had been working in the business for almost three years at that time, but I considered my time spent there as graduating to another level of learning.

It was a particular thrill to have the opportunity to host the ‘Saturday Night Dance Ranch’ show. I often thought about everyone in Laurinburg while I was on the air on Saturday nights. I thought about how just a few years prior that Tater and I had spent numerous weekend nights cruising the main drag with KML as our soundtrack. It was incredible to me that I was working at the very same station, while folks back in Laurinburg were cruising around listening to me on the air.

Country Music dance clubs were huge at that time, and the ‘Saturday Night’ show showcased many of the re-mixes that were popular at that time. It was pretty much an all request show, so I fielded a ton of calls every show. Sometimes a familiar voice would be on the other end of the line, and that was always fun.

One night I mentioned my hometown in passing, and the got a phone call.

“Did you go to Scotland High School?” she asked me.

“Yeah, I graduated in 92. When did you go there?” I asked in response.

“I think I graduated a little ahead of you. You probably knew my sister Megan though” she said.

“Megan – Who?” I asked.

“Megan Alba Biel” she replied.

My heart began that familiar flutter. Not knowing quite how to respond, I remained silent for a minute.

“Hello?” she said breaking the silence.

“Sorry, had to do something really quick.” blatantly lying.

“Do you remember her?” she asked.

Now this is the part of the story, where I should share somewhat of a secret about me.

I tend to be a little more brave and brazen when I am in behind a microphone. Something about being in the studio brings out sides of my personality that normally wouldn’t come to the forefront.

“Of course I remember her. I had a HUGE crush on her all throughout High School! Your sister is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever known. I can’t tell you how many classes I spent day dreaming about her.” I said.
She began to giggle slightly at the excitement in my voice.

“When I finally got the nerve to talk to her, I found out she is just as sweet as she is pretty. I’ve kicked myself for years since graduation for not getting the guts up to ask her out” I continued.

“Megan is a great girl. You should have asked her out, you seem like a pretty nice guy” she said in response.

“Thanks” I returned, a little embarrassed by how carried away I had allowed myself to become.

She went on to tell me that MAB was away at school, but she would tell her I said hello. I requested that she didn’t tell her all that I shared with her. She said she wouldn’t, but I knew better than to believe her. Sisters share everything.

Before hanging up, I asked her name.

“Angelina Johannson Biel” she said.

(Yes, I’m sticking with the corny fake name theme)

I didn’t know it at the time, but that wouldn’t be the last time I spoke with Angelina. I would run into her again, after a job interview that led me to moving to the coast. It was a move that led me to running into another familiar face from the past.

I’ll tell you more about that later.
Love Y’all

d

Click Here To See the Next Chapter in the Series

Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

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