Transcript prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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(Phone rings)
Brother: Hello.
Bob: Hey, (unintelligible name)
Brother: Yeah.
Bob: Hey, is Mom there?
Brother: Hi, Bob.
Bob: Hey, how are you?
Brother: Fine.
Bob: Good.
Brother: Yeah, let me get her. (away from mouthpiece) Mom? Bob is on the phone. (Back to phone) Okay. Here, let me give the phone to her.
Bob: How you doing?
Brother: All right.
Bob: Good.
Brother: I didn’t– you know, I was–
Bob: What?
Brother: –like I was dreaming at first, you know (unintelligible). Here she is.
Mother: Hi.
Bob: Hi, mom, how are you?
Mother: I got pneumonia.
Bob: Oh, do you?
Mother: Yeah. (unintelligible, sounds like “He sounds close”)
Bob: Oh, yeah?
Mother: Yeah. Oh.
Bob: Oh, it’s good to hear you.
Mother: It’s good to hear you. Oh.
Bob: Uh, I thought I’d write, uh, I know I haven’t– I mean, I thought I’d call ‘cause I haven’t written in so long. Uh. Yeah. How you doing?
Mother: Well, I’d be all right, if I get well. I tell ya, I’ve had it for two weeks. (Coughs)
Bob: Mm-hmm. Yeah, Mom? (unintelligible under cough) Yesterday, I got this letter. It was, yeah, kind of disturbed me a little bit, you were talking about uh, the church we used to go to– uh–
Mother: (unintelligible).
Bob: You know, you were saying all those bad things. Gosh.
Mother: Yeah, that’s why– you wouldn’t (unintelligible). You know?
Bob: But– Yeah– I mean, uh, the last I heard they were, you know, how much they talking so nice about you. You know, that you didn’t get involved in all the bad things that were going on.
Mother: Right, no way. We don’t– uh, we don’t say a word to nobody, you know. (Coughs)
Bob: Uh, especially, you know, Linda too, uh–
Mother: Huh?
Bob: Linda too, you know. I mean. Why should you say those things, I don’t– I don’t know.
Mother: No. (unintelligible word) No.
Bob: Uh. Well, I–
Mother: (unintelligible), you know.
Bob: Yeah, well, I’ll tell you, uh, uh, I know they’ve al– you know, as far– you know, they’ve always tried to help people. But uh, right now, I (unintelligible word)– I’m on the ship. It’s se– about seven o’clock here.
Mother: Uh-huh. [Yes}
Bob: And uh, I won’t be able to write for a while because we’re going in and out every single day, for uh, demolition (unintelligible word). It’s pretty special to see (unintelligible word), so, it’s pretty secret, so I gotta– you know, I can’t talk to you much about it. Uh, yeah, I’ll write as often as I can.
Mother: Okay. Yeah, do that.
Bob: And you know, I’ll call, too.
Mother: Okay, we don’t even have a car.
Bob: Huh?
Mother: Yeah.
Bob: You don’t have a car.
Mother: Uh– No, I can’t drive, I mean. It’s setting in the driveway, I can’t even start it up.
Bob: Well, I guess you’ll have to make do for now.
Mother: Yeah.
Bob: And as far as that check goes, Mom, I won’t be able to write, uh, you sent me like a week ago?
Mother: Yeah.
Bob: I’m sorry, I can’t uh– I can’t do it. Can’t write yet.
Mother: Can’t write?
Bob: I– I know you don’t understand. Uh-huh. We– We can’t send out any letters for– You know, they gotta be brief and limited when we do.
Mother: Yeah, but I mean– Will you be able to go?
Bob: I don’t know. I don’t think so. Not– It doesn’t look like it right now.
Mother: You’re kidding.
Bob: No. But– I can tear it up.
Mother: Huh?
Bob: I can tear it up anyway. But what– what was it for? (Pause) Tha– That check.
Mother: I wanted you to cash it and then write me a money order and send it back.
Bob: Why? Why? I didn’t understand why.
Mother: I told you why in the letter. (unintelligible whisper) welfare.
Bob: Oh, oh. I didn’t understand. Okay.
Mother: Yeah, what they do, is cut off my income.
Bob: Oh.
Mother: And I told them–
Bob: Yeah.
Mother: (unintelligible) And I told them that uh, I had to pay you back when I got my income tax–
Bob: Okay. Yeah.
Mother: Yeah. So it– they can’t– so when I said finally send ‘em in today, had to be in by today, okay, I had to send them in today, I had to write the check number down that I sent you, so what they’re going to do, they’re going to check with the bank to make sure that check got cashed, you know, before next month, or whatever– you know.
Bob: Uh-huh.
Mother: So. And then they won’t cut off my income. Otherwise, they’ll cut off my income. See, then they won’t know anything about the money order.
Bob: Oh, I see.
Mother: It’s kinda not fair, but yet, they make a liar out of you.
Bob: Yeah, okay. Well, how’s everybody else?
Mother: Oh, pretty good, yeah. Chris called last night.
Bob: Did she?
Mother: I mean, Monday night. Yeah.
Bob: Oh, that’s good, that’s real good.
Mother: Yeah. Uh– Mike wrote you a letter (coughs). I (unintelligible) start writing, wouldn’t get to finish it, and uh– So (unintelligible). You’ll still get our letters there, won’t you?
Bob: Uh, yeah, I’ll still get your letters.
Mother: But you won’t be able to write about anything.
Bob: No.
Mother: O–
Bob: But, Mom, (unintelligible word) will you do me a favor, though? Uh, you know, when you– when you write, please don’t say (unintelligible word) things like that about us.
Mother: I have to tell you– I have to tell you– (unintelligible under son)
Bob: Yeah, but my opinion is– is different.
Mother: I know it is. I– But I– You know something, we live here. We know–
Bob: You know, and I– I’ve known too many people that (unintelligible word under mother)–
Mother: –that we know too many things, and– and– You know what I mean.
Bob: Right.
Mother: Uh, we don’t want to know anything. You know what I mean? We rather not (unintelligible), don’t bother us, you know, we don’t want to know one way or the other.
Bob: Okay, yeah, well, just so long as you don’t– you don’t spread those bad things.
Mother: Are you kidding? We don’t say anything to nobody.
Bob: That’s good.
Mother: They try to talk to us, forget it. We don’t know a thing.
Bob: That’s good, because you know, uh, I agree with it– that you know, Linda said that they– they had tried to help her, but– Well, look, I– I gotta go. There’s not much time left. Uh, I gotta go eat, but anyway, I tell you, uh, thanks a lot for your– for your letters. I really appreciate them.
Mother: Yeah. (unintelligible word) take some pictures and send to me.
Bob: Oh, I sure will.
Mother: Yeah. I’ve got– I’ve got all the pictures you sent me, I have all together in my albums, see. So keep sending me pictures every now and then, because I– I– (unintelligible) last pages, I have a bunch of them, and I put ‘em in those. (Coughs) And you got a lot of pages in my album. They’re really neat, so I wish you’d send me some.
Bob: Okay. I s– Uh– uh– I’ll see if I can get a camera.
Mother: Yeah. See if you (unintelligible). Did you– Did you uh, go to Philadelphia?
Bob: Yes, Momma, I was there just last Sunday.
Mother: Yeah, that’s where you mailed those two letters from–
Bob: Yeah, you got ‘em?
Mother: Yeah, I got both of them on the same day. I get your letters in two days. You know, you postmark ‘em and– or you mail ‘em and I get ‘em in two days.
Bob: Oh, well, that– that’s good.
Mother: Yeah, you don’t even send them air mail. Me, I have to send mine air mail, and it still takes about a week probably.
Bob: Well, I’ll– I’ll tell you, uh– (unintelligible word) I better be going, but you know, those things that– that– it’s– it’s just slanderous, and I wouldn’t want to see anything happen. Uh– Uh, I love you and uh, I miss you guys all so much. I– I’ll call again real soon.
Mother: (unintelligible word) I love you and miss you.
Bob: Okay.
Mother: Wish me luck getting well. (unintelligible under son)
Bob: (unintelligible word) I– I hope you gettin’ well soon.
Mother: Yeah, yesterday I went to the hospital and had x-rays and everything. And uh– it– Anyway. All right.
Bob: Uh-huh. Okay.
Mother: Take care, and we love you and miss you a lot (unintelligible word), okay?
Bob: Okay.
Mother: Okay, and appreciate what you (unintelligible) cash that check, and you got money order to send me, okay?
Bob: Okay.
Mother: You cash it, I mean.
Bob: Okay. Take care, Mom. I love you.
Mother: Bob. I love you.
Bob: Be well.
Mother: (unintelligible word under Bob) Bye-bye.
End of tape
Tape originally posted May 2013