 We moved to New York when I was 15, and I organized a small group of musicians that played on the radio and in nightclubs. Sadly, I came home drunk many nights. Mother intervened by trying to get me to go to a small mission nearby, but I had no interest. I was even less interested when she tried to get me to marry a Syrian girl. I wanted to choose my own wife from the Hispanic community. But as soon as I met this girl, I changed my mind.