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Jubal: Welcome back everyone to our “Second Date Update” segment! Todays is very- *cuts off laughing* very different to what we usually have*Jose can be vaguely heard wheezing like he’s far from the mic*Brooke: Oh no. I’m very worried about what’s going to come.Jubal: Okay, so. It’s less of a second date. Our listener today is Evan Buckley, who goes by Buck. Can you say hi for us Buck?Buck: Hey!Brooke: Oh, he sounds so sweet.Jubal: I’m going to let you take this one away man, I can’t say I fully understand it but I was so intrigued by your email.Buck: Oh uh… sure! So recently, like 6 months ago, I realized I was bi. So like a week ago my-Jubal: Sorry to cut you off but please start from the beginning. Like the full story, don't spare a single detail.Brooke: Oh no*Jose is laughing more intensely*Buck: Sorry! So I’m a firefighter -Brooke: Hot.Buck: - and almost 7 months ago my Fire Captain and his wife, a Police Sergeant, were on a cruise that got taken over by pirates- not like arg pirates but… whatever not the point. And it capsized after being blown up and caught in a storm. My coworker - she’s a really close friend of mine, our Captains and the Sargents - couldn’t get in touch with them anymore and couldn’t track the ship but like she couldn’t convince anyone to help her search, so we- wait legally I don’t know if I can’t say this? You know what, whatever.Brooke: Oh this is juicy. But please don’t say anything you can actually get in trouble for.Buck: We - me and a couple of my coworkers including her, my best friend, and my brother-in-law - got someone who used to work at our firehouse with her, our captain, and my brother-in-law. Tommy. He transferred to another station to fly helicopters before I started as a probationary firefighter. He flew us up in the worst storm ever. Long story short we saved them.Jubal: Wow. I know I read it before but damn that’s intense.Buck: Yeah super intense, but we’ve been through crazier. We always come out stronger, together. Flying in that storm wasn’t as bad as being caught in a tsunami, I can tell you that much.Brooke: Wait you-Buck: Sorry again, not the point. Tommy. So, I went by his station to learn about the helicopters - I like learning things - and my show around tour from him got interrupted by my best friend - who like I said is one of my coworkers - driving in and they took a helicopter to some type of fight event in Vegas. I got super jealous. Like insanely jealous. My best friend was hanging out with him all the time, Tommy met his kid after like a week! They were training Muay Thai together and fixing up an old car my friend never takes out for any reason - but apparently driving it to Tommy’s place was an exception. And they were playing pickup basketball. So… I crashed a game using my brother-in-law - who like I said is also our coworker - as an excuse, saying I finally caved into playing. They both ask me all the time, but I just don’t like basketball. I mean my best friend literally said before the day of the game “you know when you meet somebody and you just click?” Like what the hell! I got so jealous about it.Brooke: Jealous over who-Jubal: Quite the inter-connected working situation you got there with your colleagues man.Buck: Yeah, we’re the family we chose. We love each other. They're all I have really. I ended up spraining my best friend's ankle at the game.*Jose starts his wheezing again*Buck: After the game and bringing my friend home - which I offered to do but Tommy apparently drove him there - Tommy came over to my house to basically say my best friend is not mad about it and he’s sorry for leaving me out and that he feels bad. I said something along the lines of “it was hard to get your attention”Brooke: Tommy’s attention?! Sorry, sorry.*Jose's wheezing intensifies through Brooke’s apologies*Buck: Tommy was surprised about that too actually! No idea why…Jubal through laughter: Please, go on Buck.Buck: So he ended up kissing me and a bit after that we started dating. Last week was our 6 month anniversary. He got me tickets to a basketball game and I found out he was engaged to my ex-girlfriend at our celebration dinner. He basically called her a cougar for “shacking up with some himbo half her age” and I was silent because like… that was me! I was the himbo!*loud crashing noise as Jose falls over in his chair*Brooke: Wait, how old is Tommy?Buck: Same age as my ex-girlfriend.Brooke: Oh that’s- I’ll keep my thoughts to myself actually.Buck: After that I freaked out internally a little bit, because I felt bad that he was a gay man lying to this woman he was engaged to! It never occurred to me that… he was in the closet and couldn’t come out. Or that he didn’t know. Which I should have thought about because I understand queer struggles exist, I’m an ally!*Jose’s wheezing turns into choked sobs of laughter*Buck: Plus I also didn’t know I liked men until he kissed me-Jubal: Wait you didn’t know until he kissed you? Why did you think you were trying to get his attention then?Buck: ‘Cause he was hanging out with my best friend all the time? Yeah so after freaking out about it and talking to my sister's coworker, I realized he wasn’t really in the wrong. It was a different time. So I asked him to move in with me.Jubal: So you guys were in love huh? Must suck to be ghosted by the guy you love.Buck: Oh no- I wouldn’t- no. We didn’t- no.Jubal: You asked someone to move in with you before you said I love you? Before you even loved them?Buck: Yeah… it wouldn’t be the first time*Jose’s wheezing starts again*Brooke: I don’t wanna touch that mess with a ten foot pole. Please, for the love of God Buck, continue.Buck: After I asked him to move in he - out of nowhere! - broke up with me! Some bullshit - sorry can I swear here?Jubal: That word is fine, yeah.Buck: Some bullshit about him being my first and not my last? Like I’m not a grown man who’s been in many relationships? This wasn’t my first? I don’t get it. And he won’t explain further. So I need closure and to talk to him. He even almost answered my text the other day! But my coworkers - my best friend and the friend who figured out the cruise ship was missing - stole my phone and somehow blocked his contact while hot potatoing it around!Jubal: Do you guys see why I was so intrigued? Wow. Okay Buck, we’re going to take a short break to play a song and when we come back we’re going to get Tommy on the line. You’ll be here but muted. We’ll hear what he has to say first before you get the chance to talk to him.Buck: Thank you.*wheezing starts again but Jose gets cut off by the music*Jubal: Aaaand we are back! We’re seeing a lot of chatter on Twitter about the much awaited phone call with Tommy!Brooke: I relate to that.Jubal while laughing: Agreed. So let’s give him a call.*dial tones*Tommy: Hello?Jubal: Hi! Am I speaking to Tommy?Tommy: Yeah. Who’s this?Brooke in a loud enough murmur: He’s way too cynical to have been with that walking ball of sunshine.Jubal laughing: Hi this is Jubal from Brooke and Jubal in the morning. It’s a radio show. Have you heard of us?Tommy: I can’t say that I have. Did I win something?Jubal: Not exactly, but you can! This is a segment we do called “Second Date Update” where people reach out to us after someone they went on a first date with hasn’t responded.Tommy: I haven’t been on any recent dates man. You might have the wrong Tommy.Jubal: No, we don’t. Sorry - today's segment is different because we have an ex of yours reaching out for some closure because he hasn’t been able to get a response from you and has questions. But we want to hear your side first! Do you know who this might be about?Tommy: …Is this about Evan?Brooke: Didn’t expect that.Jubal: Uh- yeah. Yes it is. Can you take us through how you met, how you broke up, and everything in between?Tommy: Sure I don’t see why not. We met because some old coworkers of mine reached out about me flying them - illegally but we got awarded medals for it so who cares - over Mexican waters to save my old captain and his wife from their cruise ship. After we landed, I struck up a friendship between Evan and - do I use other names or keep the rest anonymous?Jubal: You can choose, however Buck chose to keep other names anonymous besides yours.Tommy: Okay. I struck up a friendship between Evan and his best friend. Evan just wanted to know about flying helicopters and the aspects of my job in our line of work. His best friend is a lot like me. We’re both Veterans, do Muay Thai, fix up old cars, like basketball, and like MMA fights.Brooke: Hmm.Tommy: To be honest, I was trying to get with his friend. I flew him out to a match in Vegas for no reason. That was until I found out he was a dad and straight.Brooke: Oh God. That’s- wow.Tommy: … Mhm. Anyway, our department hosts basketball pickup games, and Evan’s friend kept moping about how “Buck never goes to the games with me” so I offered to be on his team. I’ve seen him there before but never paid much attention to him besides appreciating his looks. This one time, Evan did show up with one of my old coworkers and his friend was excited about it. But Evan was clearly jealous of whatever was happening. He needs attention.*no wheezing laughter is heard, just disapproving sounds from all three in the booth*Tommy: He ended up body slamming his best friend and sprained his ankle. I took him home to rest and he asked me to apologize on his behalf for leaving him out, which is juvenile but I did it anyway. Evan ended up saying something about getting my attention, which shocked me. But hey, he’s really cute so I kissed him. We went out on our first date. He chose this far out place. It was cute how nervous he was but at the same time I didn’t think I could hold his hand in his gay awakening, which I didn’t know was happening until the date. Probably wouldn’t have gone out with him if I knew. So his best friend walked into the restaurant with his girlfriend and he started going all macho saying “we’re gunna pick up chicks-Jubal: The best friend had a girlfriend that whole time?Brooke: This just keeps getting better.Tommy: I know! So I made some joke about closets-Brooke: Wait, were you trying to out him to his best friend?Tommy: They’re attached at the hip, I thought the friend already knew. I mean so many of their coworkers and friends are gay, I didn’t think he wasn’t out.Jubal: Didn’t you say you knew he was new to all of this?Tommy: Yeah I guess. Whatever. When the friend and his girlfriend went to go to their table, he was all flustered and upset. So I left him there.Brooke: At the restaurant?Tommy: Yeah I wasn’t going to be on a date with someone who wasn’t going to own up to being seen with me.Jose: That’s kind of messed up man.Tommy: It already happened can’t really change it. Doesn’t matter anymore. Apparently he immediately came out to the friend who then told him to call me. So he did, and invited me to be his date to his sister's wedding.Jubal: That’s kind of fast isn’t it?Tommy: Yeah, but again the brother-in-law is my old coworker. I showed up to the bachelor party and Evan and his friend were wearing a couples costume? Something like that. It was a themed party. He was upset I wasn’t on theme, but come on grow up? Who does themed costume parties at our age?Brooke: Couples costume?Tommy, with an unimpressed tone: I don’t know either, they were some movie characters. Something and Tubbs. I left early because I was on call, and I’m not too clear on what happened but the wedding ended up taking place at the hospital because the brother-in-law had something going on. So I showed up and he kissed me. I had soot on my face from the fire I was working at so it got on him. He didn’t even stop to wash his face, he just dragged me into the room to celebrate.Brooke: That’s so sweet! He was so excited.Tommy: We started dating and a week in he started neglecting me for his best friend.Brooke with sarcasm: Didn’t see that coming.Tommy said with a chuckle: None of them did. The friend did something - again not too clear on what - but his son left him to go live in Texas over it so Evan stayed with him for a while.Jubal: He’s a good friend. That’s heavy stuff.Tommy: A good friend, sure but a bad boyfriend.Brooke: You could at least try to be a bit more understanding, no? I mean his kid left.Tommy: I guess. Evan was too involved in that kid's life anyway for it to be healthy for any of them. I talked to the friend about him monopolizing Evan and he apologized and somehow got him to leave him alone for more than 2 hours.Jubal: Wow. Okay. So you kept dating him after this?Tommy: Yeah. The relationship itself went by in a blur, time moved pretty fast after that. The same night the kid left, my old captain’s, who is his current captain, house burned down and he almost died. And then something else happened from before? So he wasn’t their captain anymore and was replaced by my old old captain. Evan was just constantly complaining about him. Like grow up, not every boss is going to be great. Deal with it and man up.Brooke: What was he complaining about?Tommy: The usual stuff. Offhanded bigoted comments or just annoying things. Everyone else could take it, ignore it, and move on. But Evan couldn’t and he made it my problem, as if I didn’t already have to deal with it.Jubal: So what happened the night of the break up? Buck mentioned it was your 6 month anniversary.Tommy: At dinner I got him basketball tickets. He doesn’t like basketball but it was a gift for us so we could have a night together. He didn’t get me anything but he paid for the bill.Brooke: That’s just a straight up mess.Tommy: He was flirting with a girl by accident, and I said it was okay. Because it was. She was pretty. He was just very confused on how he could be with me now and also find women attractive… again I didn’t want to be the guiding hand into his gay awakening. I thought he would have figured it out on his own by now. That’s how he found out about my ex fiancée. A couple nights later, I went to pick him up to watch a movie and he springs it on me that he used to date my ex and also that he wants me to move in.Jubal: So you broke up with him?Tommy: Yeah. Again, I didn’t want to be his guiding hand.Jubal: He said you mentioned something about you being his first but not his last?Tommy: Yeah. From what I just said and plus his weird relationship with his best friend… It just wasn’t for me.Buck: So why did you wait so long?Tommy: Buck? Wait what?Jubal: I was going to say that Buck was on the other line listening but he beat us to the punch.Brooke: Oh God I can’t watch this.*Jose laughs a bit*Buck: If you didn’t wanna be my “guiding hand” or whatever, why did you stay with me this whole time knowing I wanted a serious relationship?Tommy: Evan -Buck: My name is Buck. No, you know what you don’t get to talk anymore! It’s my turn.Brooke: Yes! Yes!Buck: My relationship with Eddie isn’t weird. He is my best friend. We have been through so much together. If you bothered to hear me when I talked maybe you would have known that. He was there for me when I was crushed by that ladder truck and the mess of things that went wrong after, I was there when his wife died, me and his son got caught in the tsunami together, I was there when he was trapped 40 feet underground, I was there when he got shot - right in front of him! - he was there when I fully died for 3 minutes and 17 seconds when I got struck by lightning. So yeah. I’m going to be there when his son leaves him, or for anything for that matter. I don’t care how little it may seem. Because I’m what people call a good friend. A loving friend. You met me while I was risking my life and job to save people I care about. What did you expect me to do? Leave Eddie to fend for himself? The last time his son ran away it was TO me, not states away. PLUS I’ve talked about wanting kids so many times, but a deal breaker for you was Eddie having a son? God. You’re unbelievable. What would have happened if you stuck it out with me and God forbid found out I become his legal guardian if Eddie dies? What then? You knew I wasn’t out yet. And yet you made jokes in front of him. You let me walk into a room with my family - my parents were there who you know I don’t get along with! - with soot on my face. How was I supposed to know it was there? You said it like it was my fault. You could have told me. AND when I was in the hospital all you did was laugh at me for being “stupid” and “immature”. You treated me like I couldn’t take care of myself afterwards, telling me to go to bed and that I had enough screen time. You are a grade A asshole. Never contact me or anyone at the firehouse ever again. I can’t believe how many times I defended you, all for you to KNOWINGLY say this on the radio. If I wasn’t on the line I would have heard it anyway. You’re a coward.*applause from the booth*Jubal: Yes! Yes!Brooke: Speak on it sister!Jose: Good job man! Give him what he deserves!*dial tone*Jubal: Would you look at that Tommy hung up. Anything else you’d like to say to the listeners, Buck?Buck: Um. No. I’m just super shocked. How was I blind to literally all of that?Brooke: Sometimes we just get caught up in the excitement of new things and new people.Buck: I guess you’re right. Well this is probably going to go super viral. So if anyone I know is hearing this, I’m over him! I’ll stop baking like crazy!Jubal: Baking?Buck: A coping skill that I no longer need! Oh! I also wanna say hi to Eddie's son! I miss you buddy. I hope you come home soon! He actually showed me you guys, this show was on his Tik Tok.Brooke: For his sake, I hope he doesn’t come across this.Buck: Me neither but it probably can’t be helped. Oh shit - I don’t think he knew about the will thing… damnit neither does the rest of our family… I gotta go do some damage control! Bye everyone!*dial tone*Jubal: Well.*Jose is once again wheezing*Brooke: That was a long one.Jubal: Listeners, you’re in luck! We have to play so many songs in a row with no breaks to catch up. Also I think we need a breather here in the booth. Enjoy! *4 months later*Jubal: Hey everyone! This is Jubal from Brooke and Jubal in the morning. Before I get into today's segment of “Second Date Update”, I want to update you on one of our past segments. You may remember Buck?Buck: Hi again!Brooke: Hey sunshine!Jubal: Do you wanna share the news everyone’s been waiting for?Buck: Yes! I am… officially dating Eddie aka the best friend!Brooke: Thank God!Jubal: The internet broke for you guys before. I’m sure it’ll break again.Buck: Yeah the ship name - Buddie is an amazing name by the way. Eddie changed me over from Beddie - and the hashtag Those Two Firefighters went so viral. I didn’t know so many of our tough moments were on the news… at least people captured new good ones to add! Also! Yes! Our son is home again! Just thought people would want to know.Brooke: Yes we did!Buck: Thanks again for taking my request even if it was unconventional.Jubal: Unconventional makes for the best entertainment.Buck while laughing: It sure does. Bye everyone!*dial tone*Brooke: Ugh that was amazing.Jubal: Mhm. Okay moving to today, we have Emily reaching out about…