NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With Father's Day coming up, we heard about a story we wanted to highlight. It's about fathers, friendship, and a good breakfast.
"Would you like the plain or chocolate chip pancakes?" a waitress asked, jotting notes onto a pad.
"Chocolate chip!" De'Andre Ray answered, handing over his menu.
At Noshville Delicatessen, De'Andre Ray was getting his usual.
It's called the We Dare Ya Breakfast; three eggs, two pieces of sausage, two pieces of bacon, and two griddle cakes. As always, it was challenge accepted.
"Oh my gosh!" he laughed as the plate arrived.
"What I'm about to do is something you taught me," he said, turning to friend Alex Tolbert. "Eat like you're in front of the president! It's what your dad taught you and then you taught it to me."
There's a story behind these many visits to Noshville and orders of the We Dare Ya Breakfast.
When De'Andre was eight-years-old, he always wanted to swim. However, he didn't have any access to a pool, and his mom was busy working hard. De'Andre's mom got him involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.
"Something she couldn't do on her own was teach me how to be a proper man," De'Andre said.
After both went through long interviews, De'Andre was paired with mentor, Alex.
"I didn't think it'd be the person that you are!" De'Andre said.
"De'Andre and I hit if off immediately," Alex added.
Alex began giving De'Andre swimming lessons at the downtown YMCA of Middle Tennessee. From the lessons, the friendship grew.
"He came in, and he made it about me," De'Andre said. "Someone to talk to about my week, that wasn't something I got to do at home."
It wasn't long before the We Dare Ya Breakfasts at Noshville began.
"I was astounded when he ate the entire thing in front of me!" Alex laughed, remembering De'Andre's childhood appetite. "It was really impressive. He ate all of it along with a strawberry milkshake!"
The actual Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship ended a long time ago. Today, De'Andre has traded in the strawberry milkshakes for black coffee. That's not all that's changed. He has a good job with Geico, and he and Alex are both dads. Their kids are friends, and Uncle Alex and Uncle De'Andre share similar values.
"Being there for my children, the way he is for me," De'Andre nodded. "I want to be an active part of their lives instead of the dad who's working, come home, go to sleep, do it all over again."
"Looking back, I don't think there's anything I could have done that would have been a better decision than being a big brother," Alex said. "My relationship with him has led to me feeling I know more about the world."
This is a friendship that's been going now for about 16 years. It's a friendship that's only gotten better with time, and also gets better with three eggs, two pieces of sausage, two pieces of bacon, and two griddle cakes. You know. The usual.
By the way, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee tells us they give unlimited access to Y facilities to the mentors and mentees in Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
This is a beautiful story of chosen family, proving a father figure doesn't have to have biology in common to make a difference in a child's life. The story of De'Andre and Alex will remind you that our relationships help determine the course of our lives. And that being supportive of someone - through a meal, a shared experience or even swim lessons can make all the difference.
- Rebecca Schleicher
