Behind the Front

Greetings Happy People,

One Saturday evening, I was with a few friends at a Dueling Piano bar in the Paris Hotel and Casino. We were having a great time, singing songs that took us back to when music was good. With the laughter, frivolity, and good times we were having, I saw something that made me say “DAMN!!” And it is not in a good way.

A woman was walking in front of the window, which was located right behind the piano players. This girl thought she was hot and “all that.” She was wearing a nice purple size 2 dress. The only problem with this picture was the fact that she had a size 12 body!! YIKES!! I may not be a fashion designer, but what she was wearing was wrong on so many levels. That dress rode up her body the same way Teddy Roosevelt rode up San Juan Hill. It took many hours to erase that hot mess vision from my mind.

That story reminded me of my older sister and ex-brother in law Andre. No she does not wear any mess like that - THANK GOODNESS. However, you can guess where I am going with the logic. When they were moving from Virginia to Las Vegas, my sister and her husband were bragging to my mom about the new car they bought. “Yes Mom!!” my sister shouted, “Andre and I just bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz!!” As my mom was getting excited about the car, my dad and I knew something was up. Call me crazy, but I think the Oakley men have something in their minds known as a “B.S. detector.” Whenever something smells funny, the detectors in our minds go off like an alarm.

As soon as my sister and Andre moved back from Virginia, they were sporting their brand new car. When I looked at the car, it looked like a Mercedes-Benz alright…a Mercedes HAS-Benz. The car was leaking buckets of oil, the fender and bumpers were messed up, rusty spots were easily seen on the car, and it had so many miles on it that one would swear that this jalopy went to the moon and back!! My mother had an indescribable look on her face while my dad and I had an “I told you so” smirk.

What do these two stories have in common? Well, the girl in the short dress, my sister, and her husband can be considered “fronters.” What does that word mean? Well, a fronter means that one would put on a front to make themselves look good…only to hide the bad from within. No matter where we go, we see these fronters in action. They can be found on rap videos, the news, at church, the mall, talk shows, and many other places. The only people these fronters are fooling are themselves. If people are smart, they can read behind the ruse of a fronter to know what they really are.

Instead of being a fronter, why doesn’t one become real with themselves? It is always better to be something you are than something you are not!! When a person is real, they do not have to put up any kind of front. Instead, people can see them for who they are front the beginning. People can respect that!!

The next time you come upon someone that like to front, don’t listen to the words they would like to sell you. Instead, take the time to see the person in action. Are they really backing the words that come from their mouths? Are they really true to what they are? One can only know.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I