Tony Maldonado and Oneida Cantú-Maldonado

00:05 My name is Oneida Cantu Maldonado. I am 27 years old today is December 13th 2017. We are in Corpus Christi, Texas and I am the wife of

00:20 Tony Maldonado who's also here

00:25 29 years old today

00:30 Okay, so is your birthday you are 29 to getting older?

00:39 Everyday and

00:44 As we get older, we not necessarily like lose track of things, but we kind of like they're really think about certain stuff. So I wanted to ask you some questions. That way we can have a little record of later just in case we forget so first question what has been the happiest moment of your life so far.

01:12 Cuz he done a lot of stuff to pick one time when I was happy is

01:20 Is there like a general moment?

01:26 Was a younger older now.

01:31 Like I guess you would be cliche like when my kids were born or something. It was cool. That was the first time that a lot of people showed up for something that was for me and a lot of my life feels just like I didn't have birthday parties and stuff like that. So that was cool and just for everyone being like like happy in a big party and everyone family and friends will be there was pretty nice because you're a baby you were the accident that happened like 12 years after they had planned on finishing basically, so you were accustomed to

02:09 Not necessarily you were like specifically put on the back burner. So the wedding was a good thing to have everybody there, but that was the start. I think we got married. It was a cool day.

02:28 That whole process it was so fast, and it was like a blur and then we were done. Do you have a status moment?

02:42 Lana saddest moment

02:49 Frozen when I went to prison when they send it to me, I remember that text message. I thought I was a joke in 2008. So it was 10 years almost 10 years ago. And how did that make you feel? What was the process and it was at a time when everybody was getting arrested for graffiti and they were making a point to give these long sentences for these Denver kids. We were in high school. I never been in trouble before and they gave me two years and five years probation to seven years of my life.

03:38 Did I add you like to report and I was in jail for the whole 730 whatever days it was. It was sad. It was terrible, but

03:49 If I didn't go through that, I don't think I'd be where I am today.

03:54 So do you think that going through that and being

03:59 In a really shity spot it helped you kind of like reorganize your mindset like acclimate to living like a normal person. It was hard. But I feel like I took the best of what I learned while I was in prison cuz I learned a lot about myself there was all I had right and I learned about the things that I thought were important before I went to jail that really didn't matter and I just from there kept going and I kept getting a little bit better is a person as the years rolled on.

04:39 But that was probably the saddest one of my life. It was horrible. It was so I got shipped off. I was a kid. I was in high school. That's my first month. I went from high school like you no eating in the cafeteria going to pass to being shipped off to the middle of nowhere and getting my head shaved and I had to grow quick get my gum.

05:05 Do you?

05:08 Okay. So another question that I had was if either of these moments changed your view on anything or touching important lesson.

05:19 That I couldn't that I needed to count on myself and that I needed to take care of myself.

05:25 And nobody else is going to do it for real accustomed to like leaning on people before then. It wasn't like when you turn 18 and you go to college and you can still like call your mom when you're having a bad day and quiet.

05:45 And that's what it was. I was glad to make the best of it. You know, I went to classes in there and I learn stuff and I read a ton of books and I think maybe the reading and just being to myself for so long and help me. I guess figure out who I was so when I came out I was in the same mindset as everybody else my age where they were like, they wanted to party over 21. They wanted to drink it. So I know I was like I want to do more I want to do something because I didn't want to go back to to not doing yet. It's actually not doing nothing just being put on hold again. It made me open my eyes to a lot of things.

06:24 In that span of time from when he went to prison from getting out and everything you had a lot of time to meet a lot of people who is someone that inspires you for that has inspired you in some way.

06:39 Man, everybody put the biggest one is following. My son's it's a weird thing they do where they just stopped and it's not like there's no context to it. There's no conversation going on in there just stop and be like, you know what that you're pretty good. You're a good dad. Like they they know that I'm going to get that you don't and I do try very hard and everything I do is so they can see that nothing is holding them back there. Random Hey Dad, I love you are those he like other parents and they'll be like, you know what you're actually really good. That's good. Then that makes me want to be better than everything I do and I want to be a better cook. I mean if I want to be a better dad a better person because I want them to be the best they can be you want and I am and I know that you can go from absolutely nothing from going to prison.

07:38 Tutu being featured in these magazines for cooking you can literally do whatever you want. Nothing is holding me back. So they have even more of a head start on me and I expect a lot from them and I'm glad that they see

07:51 What I do.

07:52 Don't you cook your Chef? Is that something that you have always wanted to do? What did you want to do when you were younger be everything? Yeah, everything know like a real concept of all of these things looking. I just kinda it was again. Went to jail when you come out. Nobody wants to hire you and it's true cooking is the they want you because nobody wants to do it. It's a hard job and I started as a dishwasher and I just kept working and now I'm now you are cooking team and we do shows multiple times a year and I work with people like Vianney.

08:45 All she does is you know, right cookbooks and do all the stuff. We were featured in Southern Living.

08:54 You're at a point in your life where you are experienced things that you never thought you would experience. So do you think you or your life has changed like drastically than what you first imagined it would be or never thought when I was young my parents. I'm going to work in the office. I'm going to come home and I'll let you know.

09:16 Do whatever and then go to sleep and do it again. There was never like

09:22 No one ever told me like a you don't have to do this so you can literally do whatever you want. As long as you try and you're good at it. So now I mean now I feel weird. I definitely don't lead a normal life. Like it's not a nine-to-five we have to go do in the interviews in the people taking pictures of us. It's crazy. It's insane in me being so like almost reclusive. I don't like I don't like going out. I don't like being around people.

09:55 And that's always the case. That was there was a time where you genuinely liked being out and about with people. I feel like you did. That's what it was that's in that's like a little like not necessarily were like we reconnected after prison. It was just like I don't know where like When You & I we reconnected it was you were in a weird spot. You were rubbing was living in the living room was doing the typical like 21 year old no job everything when you were held

10:31 I was 21 when we first met.

10:36 1716 16th I was 15, right? Okay. What was your initial impression of me?

10:44 I thought you were I think I thought you were older than me when I first met you. I remember we met in art class.

10:52 And I remember you were really pretty. I remember like I need to talk to her.

10:56 And the first thing that I could think of saying was when they told me your name was making fun of you get a conversation and do something like that, but no.

11:18 Now it's interesting. What is your either earliest or favorite memory of us?

11:28 Earliest memory is definitely making fun of your name.

11:31 To my favorite memory was probably our trip to like the Hill Country to Mason my 27th birthday. It was actually that you and I have never done first together. We were young and we didn't have money and we didn't go to movies and we were just always with other people and that was like one of those probably the first trip was like taking rooster sauce. We started dating.

12:04 1516 us prison. So when you get out we we connected it wasn't like really very immediately. You were different person. I was in a different space. Basically I was different as well. So when we finally did I move to Austin and then I came back.

12:21 And it was just I don't know what we connected. It was I think that was my my favorite memory of us is me losing my keys in Ogden. No, man that had to be my favorite memory of us because you didn't have to go you don't have to go to us and you don't have to bring your friends to help me move back down and put me United mean with you guys and you did and it was pretty rad. Okay.

12:52 Do you think we have changed his people since our beginning do you think I'm still as mean as I was when I was 15 or longer now, it's very precise. Nice. Do you think we've changed as people since we've been married in what ways I feel were the strongest point in our relationship because

13:21 We've been we've known each other for almost half our lives. So if I have a problem we can we can we can talk about it and it's not weird and we've kind of made it a point to bring up uncomfortable things. That way it'll be easier later to talk about things that come up and we've been doing that since we got married and I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger because of

13:45 I feel like I wasn't the easiest to approach about any topic whether good or bad, you know, I mean, I would like you said it was just blind aggression, but we've gotten a lot a lot better. So that's in the mean build a month-to-month. It's a lot is getting better and better and then to its you would think us working together.

14:07 With like other things

14:10 We would be at each other's throat more often, but it's it's really like it made us Bond even more because of you know, we make jewelry.

14:19 Can I have these little art shows in our free time?

14:22 And get it. Kind of it started off as just you trying to work out your depression like put it into something and it started off as that just us working in the living room making jewelry watching TV that I can go to you and be like, hey, man, I am not. Okay. I'm not okay. Mentally. I'm not okay physically, I don't feel well like I don't I don't know what's wrong with me and you were just like, okay. Let's try this out that has to be my favorite thing about you the simple fact that awkward topics aren't awkward mean like you can't just my mom. Hey, you lost so much weight and I'm like, yeah, it's called the depression. You should try it and she's like, oh that's changed subjects and nobody really wants to talk about that. And I'm so glad that I have a husband and because like my mom was simple like charge at Dillard's she can't tell my dad. He's not a mean and I'm just like hey,

15:22 Tony I spent $300 you like. Okay, that's cool. We so many the bank will find United mean I guess there's no tiptoeing around each other and I'm really silly walking on eggshells and trying to hide stuff and I mean

15:39 We're In It Together, why would why would we make it harder on ourselves we have to do this or your initial thoughts when you found out you were going to be a dad for the first time. How old are you 1716

16:03 And then what's your sense your first since your oldest son's name and his mom and you how is y'all's relationship? It was it was short. It was just the

16:23 I mean nothing, but she's a great girl, but it was just we were young. We were in high school and then we live in Corpus and that's

16:30 That's how it goes, I guess.

16:33 And we tried to work it out and we try to do all that but I just wasn't going to happen. There was no way I make uncomfortable things like I thought make you I'm going to put it out there and I'm going to make you not worried about it. So because of that me and his mom we get along great. We are going shopping together for his Christmas present next week like my birthday dinners right now after this you have her son is with us. So it's super weird to explain to people but that's our life, but that's going to be our family. You know what I mean? Her son is going to be Adams brother and Adams going to be Michael's brother. I mean they're going to go to school together and then my son

17:25 So yeah, it's it's weird. It's a weird situation but it's our it's a time. Do you think you had the same thoughts when you found out you were going to be at that to the second time? We live together. We had an apartment. We had jobs. It was still scary because I had never really been a gun through it because I was in jail for when Adam was a baby. I just I never I never thought that I would be I mean be a mom that wasn't my on my agenda that wasn't on my bucket list to cross off, you know, so when I found out I was pregnant that we were going to

18:16 How the kid that was.

18:19 I was no way but the thing is, okay. So I'm 27 now and I just want to put it out on the table that I will never have another child again. So I give Even If You & I we divorce we go our separate ways and I get remarried. I will just adopt a lot of dogs or another baby. I would never do pregnancy again was it my it wasn't my cup of tea there so many people out there that think pregnancy is so beautiful and that's I'm so glad they feel that way and that they enjoy it but that wasn't absolutely I really was what are your earliest memories of your kids?

18:58 Adam Busby born

19:00 I was there.

19:02 And it was a blur to especially the second time because you were in labor for like a day 23 hours and then I had to put her to see C-section after my my crazy Mexican mom yelled at everybody in the first memories. And then Adam being born. It was crazy just like

19:25 It's it's jarring to know that I can do this little thing as mine and I'm responsible for this and I have to make sure that he's not like a little scumbag like he needs to be good. He needs to be a good person in my voice changed my life. They're my biggest fans and I'm their biggest fans and I support everything they do and I stayed up late night drawing freaking poster boards and free poster for all kinds of stuff and buying them art supplies and you know, whatever they want to do whatever they want to pursue. I coached the t-ball team Kings of these kids. Do you think there are things that we need to do to be better parents?

20:08 I mean, I think we're doing a good job, and we just have to stay open with her kids.

20:14 And can shrink continue treating them like people not like how most of our generation was brought up just be quiet and be there are kids aren't like they know when the egg have you know what I mean, but they are people too and they have thoughts and they have opinions and they should be consumed. I think we're doing a really good job and I think the fact that we can look at our parents and see what they did wrong.

20:50 And instead of like perpetuating it like all we need to raise our we need to be like our parents. We know that we need to not be like her. We need to be better parents.

21:00 What are your hopes for your kids and their futures?

21:05 I just hope they are happy tears or doctors or race car drivers literally whatever they want to do and I'll be there around 2 % as long as they're happy.

21:19 What are some of your hopes for yourself your own future and ask for more, but I just hope it keeps going that way in the right direction. Yeah Not only would like my cooking with my friends. Like I've made so many great friends this past year and they're all doing so many cool things and they all want me to be part of it. And it's it's crazy. Like I told you in a couple of the people like most people they've they reminisce about like the high school college Years and these were the best years of my life. And now I'm working a nine-to-five in a miserable. And right now is the best time of my life, you know, I'm going to these cool shows and meeting all these people and I mean, it's it's so much fun and it's different. You know what I mean? It's a whole different scene in It's like we got welcome into a big family and we're just doing cool things now.

22:13 And yeah, this is

22:16 I'm having a lot of fun. What are you most proud of?

22:27 It sounds bad. Right but I'm very proud of myself. I feel like you should always be proud of yourself. And if you aren't then you should do things to fix that. You know, I don't always liked all your dinner people. Don't tell me you like all your bad ass. You're doing good, but I know I am from where I came from from what I went through for me to not only just not only just make it but actually Excel and do something to wear.

22:54 Like I had this this usually people was he like all this dude was this but now that's on the back burner people don't even think about that. They just see me now and me continue doing these are not only that but me pushing everybody around me to do things and me actually helping them. Even if I don't know what I'm doing. I'm going to be there to support whatever cause you cuz I want everybody to keep going in.

23:18 And I forgot the question.

23:20 What I asked if what you were most proud of who I used to not be able to be coming. I know other people see it to like my very close, you know, Josh Angela of my my brother and sister-in-law my parents.

23:44 They're proud of me. I know they are even if they don't say it because you know Mexicans.

23:55 I have a lot to show for what I've done. It was a good year as well. We had a shity moment in time, but it just made us appreciate all the badass things are happening, you know.

24:17 That I think sure so some of the things that happened this year.

24:24 So as we mentioned earlier, I had an Awakening that I knew that I wasn't. Okay, mentally, you know, am I mental health wasn't where it needed to be. So I decided to not only shave my head and start new but I decided to start making jewelry out of crystals and

24:48 I I like crystals. I don't know if a lot of a lot of people just like horoscopes in the stars and everyone's like Boo and that's lame but I think it and it's it's something that I've come to do.

25:03 Like appreciate like just a simple thought of I'm going to wear this and this little Crystal and it's going to make me feel full of love. You know what I mean? And I'm just like yes all day long. I'm like I can't yell at you because I'm full of love. I can tell you're dumb cuz I got on a rose quartz today. So I love it. It's my favorite thing and

25:23 Breakthrough program helped us

25:28 Not only work things out, you know within myself but also like you said help us come closer together that's been going on you freaking you were in the magazine was funny. So you Omar and

25:48 Are we going to see the whole name? So you Omar Arellano and Savannah Quintanilla the nephew of Selena put together a show with whipped cream with Vianney. Yes and with a little story here too. But you all put together a the other was one of those dinner and it was featured in Texas monthly on the bend and caller times in Southern Living online and it was cool weed. It was it was it was such short notice and everybody did such a good job and everything came on so perfect.

26:45 And I guess it is like I guess all of us were at a plateau in that kind of like oh wait we can go with mango higher we can do better. We are actually this good and it was it was it was crazy was a blur it was like

27:02 I don't even know how to explain it but it was sleep and I have never done before this where we are is like you like you mentioned earlier were both of us are very like secluded people. We like to be in our homes and being a kind of just stay away from people. So for us to go out and do these pop-up shows and to go and meet all these other people and get with bright and Zachary is is something that is so out of our nature and sort of the norm for us, but it's it's really helped us kind of come on over shells and grow absolutely. Do you have any regrets?

27:42 I don't want to think that I have regrets because if I did do something wrong, I hope that I learned from it. So not really regrets but Lessons Learned important lesson that you've learned so far.

27:57 Oh, man, that's a heavy question.

28:03 I guess don't give up.

28:05 And I kind of live by that every day because you never know when something's going to go. You never know when you're going to make it permanent don't waste has a big thing.

28:19 If this was our last conversation

28:24 Is there anything you'd like to say or you would want to say?

28:34 Our last conversation like I'm dying or dieing.

28:39 I was like if it was you were never going to see me again. I will tell you I love you and for you to be happy and if it was me time to be crying, but no matter what like if I never got to talk to you again. I hope that you know that no matter what happens. I always want you to be happy. That's a hard thing for me and I tried real hard and you told me a lot of patience and these last fifteen years. We've known each other. It's been hard. It's been super hard, but we're getting there slowly, but surely how would you like to be remembered?

29:27 The DJ Khaled of Corpus everybody to have me around and I want to be at everything but I don't want to do anything but no friend, really.

29:41 I know the people that I am friends with know what I mean that I I will help you with anything and that's how I started with Camilla. I went to go support my friends by eating at their pop up and I ended up helping them cook bussing tables Eddie, but it was washing dishes in the pub after that. We join them and now we're all coming to radio and we all do these pop-ups and it's crazy. It's like like where a boy band BOCES places and they caused by your Instagram name so strange, but it's fun. It's it's awesome.

30:15 So you're having fun so far? Okay. Is there anything else you'd like to add any final words? Cuz that was all I had.

30:30 First I want to know where you would tell me why you never talk to me again. If I never spoke to you again, like if I was like neither of us died because I'm trying to live Tony if I would just like to get on a bus and just never see you again.

30:52 I would just say thank you.

30:55 You've been literally the only person that is always.

31:00 When I tell you my fucked up stories of my childhood and laugh about him, you're like no that's not why why did that happen? This could have been avoided by this and you always give me A New Perspective to things a my biggest thing that I always say is I've always been like this. I've always been like this and you always tell me and what does that have to do with anything just because you've always been like this doesn't mean you have to stay like this. So if I would have never if this is our last conversation, the only thing I would want to tell you it's thank you because you've done more than anyone has ever done for me. My that's that's mother father. Everybody included. You've not only have taught me an enormous amount of things, but you have

31:53 You have helped me find myself because I didn't know who I was. I was just angry sad person that just was walking around aimlessly. You know, I'm trying to do what I thought was supposed to be done. And it's it's been it's been shity. You know, we've been in a weird spot swear. I didn't think we would make it. You know, I didn't think that I would want to wake up next to you anymore. Cuz they were just I don't like you you wouldn't like you. I don't like me. You didn't like me. We were just a

32:29 We were just going through the motions at points in our lives, but

32:33 It's good that we didn't.

32:37 Take that and just split, you know, we work through it. We were like now this is we got to do this without a make it work. Yeah. I mean this is what this is for and that's why I made you marry me to like what what do you mean I'm pregnant and we're not going to get married crazy. But yeah man, this is I wanted to do this cuz I feel like not that many people ask you about you. You're everybody's friend. Like you said you're out there to always help everybody but there's never a point in time where someone just sits down and say hey Tony, how are you? How do you feel? What are your goals? What is something that

33:17 You want to talk about what's on your mind? How do you feel just you know, I feel like there are times where you get bypass because you're like you think everybody's friend so you always have to be okay cuz you're always there for everybody. So I just wanted to talk about something talk about moments in your life that we don't always get the here so

33:38 I appreciate it, cuz it's birthday. Happy birthday. Nice.

33:48 Ba last words, I guess I'm going to cry cry cry.

33:56 I guess just don't give up. Absolutely it gets better.

34:01 My my last words would be

34:05 The most important thing that I've learned so far and is something that I always like to tell you to that pain is inevitable but suffering that's optional the way you choose to handle things is what will help you in any mean like my first instinct is to always freak out for everything by I just freaked out something wrong. You know, this is good for you freak out so I've learned to kind of like stop and step away from the situation be like, okay this happened. There's nothing that I can do to change that it happened. But how am I going to deal with it? And so yeah, this isn't Fun.

34:49 Comatose

35:00 Oh, man. I'm so proud of you for being a good dad. Yeah, really because I didn't I don't want to say that I didn't have a good dad because he did a lot for us and you didn't have to use my stepfather, you know, he didn't have to do everything that he did for us, but he was busy a lot, you know when he wasn't busy. He was busy somewhere with other things that didn't really pertain to us, you know, and then

35:25 So I that's what I grew up with I grew up with a busy dad. So I am so grateful and so proud of you for being there for your boys because they are your biggest fans.

35:39 And I'm proud of you for you being able to work on yourself.

35:44 Because of these boo boo grown up with people that they just sweep problems under the rug and they bottle stuff up and they don't want help. They don't want people to tell him the truth because the truth hurts and you you've gotten over that and you can deal with problems now and you can see

36:05 Something without if we know without freaking out and you're able to talk about things that most people wouldn't be able to talk about

36:12 I'm proud of your girl since I met you a completely different person and I'm still completely in love with it.

36:21 Goodyear