Ted DiBiase Read Free Page B

Omaha, Nebraska, and were in the restaurant business. One day, my grandma read an advertisement in the paper about a local café for sale in Willcox, Arizona. The deal was too good to pass up; plus, her doctor recommended that she move somewhere warmer to help her arthritis. So, with my mom and Albert, my grandparents moved west to run Marie’s Truck Stop Café.
    With my older brother in good hands, my mother went back on the road, and it was while she was touring that she met and fell in love with my father.
    I didn’t get much of a chance to build a life with my parents, since they were always gone, and when I was two years old, Ted and my mother got a divorce. During my toddler years, my grandmother raised Michael and me (Albert had legally changed his name to Michael after our mom married Mike DiBiase).
    I don’t have too many childhood memories of Ted. But I do remember one time that he came for a visit when I was four years old. My mother was on the road. Ted asked me if I wanted to go on a trip with him to Los Angeles. He said, “If we use our time wisely, I imagine we can even sneak in a trip to Disneyland.”
    I really wanted to go to Disneyland with my dad, but it was up to my grandmother. She adored Ted and thought he was a great guy, so she didn’t see any harm in him taking me. “I don’t think there would be any problem with the two of you spending time together,” she’d said. As quick as I could, I packed my stuff and, together with my dad, I headed west to California.

    It was a wonderful and unforgettable trip. My dad showed me the town, fed me great food, and, as promised, took me to Disneyland. He even took me to see the movie
Sleeping Beauty
. After the movie, we got something to eat and headed to the toy store. We walked in and went straight to the
Sleeping Beauty
toy display. I was overwhelmed. Dad bought me a little plastic sword and shield just like the prince had in the movie. As an added bonus, he bought me the
Sleeping Beauty
children’s storybook to read later. I was so happy!
    I also got a chance to watch my dad perform onstage. I remember him rehearsing his part as a backup singer for Tennessee Ernie Ford. He even introduced me to Mr. Ford. After shaking my hand, Mr. Ford told my dad, “Bring him out to the house this weekend. My wife will just love this kid!”
    On Sunday afternoon, me with my
Sleeping Beauty
toys and book in hand, Dad drove us into the hills of Hollywood to Mr. Ford’s luxurious home. His estate was huge, with a giant swimming pool in the backyard. It was the first time I had seen a television on the ceiling of a bedroom. I had a great time and ate a wonderful meal. Ernie’s wife was super nice, and I can still remember crawling up onto her lap as she read
Sleeping Beauty
to me.
    Just as I was starting to bond with Ted, my vacation unexpectedly ended. Mom had come home early. When my grandmother explained where I was, she was livid, I mean steaming mad. She immediately took the next flight from Tucson to Los Angeles, and it seemed like just as I hugged my mom upon her arrival, I was back in Willcox.
    I don’t think my dad meant anything bad by taking me to California, but my mother was angry because he didn’t ask her permission. It would be the last time I saw Ted for quite some time.
    When I was older, I asked my mother why she and Ted divorced. “It wasn’t that Ted was a bad guy. He didn’t beat me or anything like that. But I so wanted to feel secure. Ted didn’t meet that need for me. He had talent but no ambition. He was the kind of guy who would sit back waiting for the big break to come to him, rather than going out looking to make it happen. He was just too carefree for me.”
    I later found out that Ted was approached by a major producer to take a part as a singing cowboy in a huge country-and-western television program.Ted thought the idea was ridiculous and turned down the