THE BEGINNING
So good afternoon everyone, I would like to welcome you to what I called awhile back Rick's Story. "AKA losing the 500lb Gorilla " I used to have a website that was maintained by myself back in 89-90 which was ricksstory.com back in the day when domain registrations were 150 bucks. It was the story of my gaining weight till I was up to almost 850 lbs. Now how I got that way and how I am where I am now is a very crazy and winding story to the likes of which you have never, ever heard of before. These blog posts, pictures, radio interviews are all part of a very strange journey into the world of being a man who's life went from being 6ft4 inches tall and an all star right defensive tackle for the Amherst Tigers in 1973-76 to a man who could not stand on his feet for more then 2 mins.
So where to begin this tale of the 800 lb man, well it all started back in 1976 I graduated from high school and my mom and step dad were getting a divorce. So after that we (my 2 brothers, my sister, our dog Greta and my mom) all moved out to Burbank Calif. Where the sun was hot and the women were hotter especially for an 18 yr old high school grad. I met a lot of very kool people and did a lot of very good partying and as my friends can attest to there were some awsome parties running around the valley in the 70's.
My brother Todd who was 3 yrs my Jr was a David Lee Roth wanna be and my sister Ellen was a few yrs younger then that, and my youngest brother Jim (aka Boomer nicknamed by my aunt because he always was falling down) had it the roughest after the divorce. But we all had each other and a very good mom who's children's well being was always first and foremost on her list of things to do. Being a military kid and never spending more then 3 yrs. in any 1 school so we became very adept at making friends both good and bad one's. We could do most things on our own at this age (I was 18) and girlfriends were never my strong suit I was always the JOCK type. Played Baseball, basketball, football, shot put in track & field, Hockey you name it I have probably played it but playing the FIELD was not my strong suit.
So hanging around Burbank Ca. I had many types of friends, and working on cars was a main hobby of mine and I loved to make the cars go fast. I had a 68 Olds 442 that I had bought from the actor Richard Slattery from the old TV show CPO Sharkey with Don Rickles. Man did I sink some cash into that machine and it payed off in the long run because that sucker hauled ass and fast cars and faster women go together real well..if I only would of known that back then dammit.
Well my crazy story begins one day while I was working on a car in the street on hollywood way in Burbank with a bunch of my friends pulling a transmission out of his dads car and replacing it with a new one. As I was taking a little break leaning against the car, a person driving by pulled over to the side of the road nearer my friend and he walks up to the window as to see what's up. It was the usual thing living in Burbank to be asked by some tourist who was looking for NBC studios for the tonight show taping which was right down the block. Well much to my surprise my friend steps away from the car and says "hey Rick he want to talk to you" So I ask who is it? He says "I don't know. So I walk over to the car and there in the drivers seat but this guy who just hands me this note, soaked in perfume and he drives away and the note reads like this...
Hi my name is Rachel (I'll use Rachell but that was not her first name) and I have been admiring you from afar for the last few months and I think you are extremely good looking and I would love to ask you over for a dinner. tonight so if you are intrested please give me a call..with her phone # listed in the note..bla, bla, bla. No lie 25 yrs later I can remember the day like it was yesterday. So I take it over to my friends and they pass it around and egg me on to call her and see what happens....
And 1 other thing...she told me in the note that the guy who drove up and handed me the note was in fact her husband (who she had a very open marriage with) was going to be going out of town for the next few days and that it was no problem with me coming over...
Stay tuned for part 2...
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The cabbie
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