July 7, 2025
He Said He Loved Her—But Buried Her in the Backyard: The Essence Peters Story
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Essence Peters believed in love, even when it hurt. But when her boyfriend’s devotion turned deadly, her family was left searching for answers—and justice. In this episode, Samantha Paul unravels the haunting story of a young woman whose light was extinguished by the very person who claimed to love her. Discover the chilling truth behind the backyard burial that shocked New Orleans, and the urgent lessons her story leaves behind.
CREDITS:
Created, Written, & Produced by John Reedburg
Hosted & Narrated by Samantha Paul
Production Company: John Reedburg Media
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
https://www.youtube.com/@NoTearsForBlacksGirls
facebook.com/notearsforblackgirls
instagram.com/notearsforblackgirls
tiktok.com/@notearsforblackgirls
1
00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:06,880
No tears for black girls when
they disappear.
2
00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,040
No tears for black girls like
they were never here.
3
00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:18,360
But we remember.
We'll speak their names, their
4
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,480
stories matter.
We'll break these chains.
5
00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:29,520
No tears left to cry, just true
to fire essence.
6
00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,000
Sharnique Peters was a young
woman on the rise, known for her
7
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,240
soft heart and quiet
determination.
8
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,520
Her journey had never been easy.
She was born premature, survived
9
00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,120
Hurricane Katrina with her
family and spent her adult life
10
00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:45,920
helping care for.
Her little sister.
11
00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,880
Who has?
High functioning autism.
12
00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,360
At 24, she was working as a
housekeeper at a nursing home,
13
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,320
studying to become a certified
nursing assistant, volunteering
14
00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,640
in special education.
Always striving for something
15
00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,400
better.
People said.
16
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,560
She was the kind of person who
lit up a room.
17
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,560
The type.
Who would give her last dollar?
18
00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:10,960
If someone needed it more, in
February, Essence met Benjamin
19
00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:12,920
Camp.
They crossed paths.
20
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,760
At a second line.
Parade One.
21
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,920
Of those vibrant, joyful.
Moments unique to New Orleans
22
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,480
camp.
Also 24.
23
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,760
Worked at Smoothie King and
carried his own scars.
24
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,960
A recent overdose.
An autism diagnosis.
25
00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:28,840
A history of.
Personal struggle.
26
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,480
The romance seemed ordinary,
even hopeful.
27
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,760
But beneath the surface.
Tension simmered.
28
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,640
There were arguments.
Nothing that seemed
29
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,480
extraordinary at first.
Nothing her family thought they
30
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,960
should.
Worry about Essence's.
31
00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:47,160
Mother Nakeshia.
Ruiz had always trusted her
32
00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,160
daughter to.
Share when something was wrong.
33
00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:51,600
But as summer swept through the
city.
34
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,800
The routine of daily life began
to.
35
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,920
Unravel 2.
Weeks before the end.
36
00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,600
There was a.
Heated argument.
37
00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,840
And essence moved.
Out for a few days but like.
38
00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,280
So many.
Others she.
39
00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:04,800
Returned.
Determined.
40
00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,840
To make things work.
Convinced the.
41
00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,640
Good outweighed the bad.
June 28th, 2025 began like any
42
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,520
other day.
Essence Facetimed her mother
43
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,040
around 10:30 that morning.
They made plans to meet to spend
44
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,880
the afternoon together.
But as the day slipped away, so.
45
00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,680
Did any trace of essence calls
went unanswered.
46
00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,600
Messages stopped coming around
six PMA.
47
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,040
Sudden confession shattered the.
Quiet.
48
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,440
Of Marini St.
Police received a.
49
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:37,800
Call.
From Benjamin Camp.
50
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,400
His voice was.
Steady, almost detached as he
51
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,200
told them he had shot Essence 8
times.
52
00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,040
He told them he had buried her
in the backyard.
53
00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,640
When police arrived.
They found freshly turned Earth,
54
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,880
the truth impossible to.
Hide.
55
00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:58,520
In the aftermath, a new horror
emerged, Essence's mother
56
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,200
frantic with worry.
Kept.
57
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,080
Reaching out, desperate for any
reply, Facebook messages came
58
00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,520
brief and strangely distant.
It wasn't until much later that
59
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,520
Ruiz would learn those words
hadn't come.
60
00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:12,720
From her daughter at.
All.
61
00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,480
But from camp pretending
essence.
62
00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:16,480
Was still.
Alive.
63
00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,720
Essence's absence became a wound
that would not heal.
64
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,960
The community mourned.
Friends and family gathered,
65
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,320
lighting candles and sharing
memories of her.
66
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,640
Laughter, her care, her dreams
for the future.
67
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,840
Her mother, herself a nursing
student and.
68
00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,840
Caregiver tried.
To make sense of the senseless.
69
00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:41,160
She would later urge others.
When love turns dark, when
70
00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,960
control slips in, speak up.
Leave trust.
71
00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,560
Your instincts and tell someone
you trust Benjamin Camp.
72
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:49,320
Was.
Arrested at.
73
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,640
The scene.
He claimed he blacked out, that
74
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,080
he didn't know what he was
doing.
75
00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,360
But for those left.
Behind.
76
00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,840
There was only the cold reality
of loss.
77
00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:01,840
His.
Bond was.
78
00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:08,080
Set at $1.25 million, Essence
Sharnek Peters was so much more
79
00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,760
than a headline.
She was a daughter, a sister, a.
80
00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,320
Friend, a young woman who wanted
to help.
81
00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,519
To heal.
And to make her corner.
82
00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:18,200
Of the world.
A little bit brighter.
83
00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:23,040
In her memory, her mother's
warning remains echoing in
84
00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:24,600
every.
Heart that loved her.
85
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:26,920
When you see the.
First sign.
86
00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,680
Leave.
Don't wait for a second chance
87
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,120
and never hide.
As a.
88
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,240
Tribute to the memory of Essence
Peters.
89
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,240
Here is a song that our show's
writer and.
90
00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,080
Producer composed in her.
Honor.
91
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,840
The title is Carry Your Light.
Performed by the up and.
92
00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:47,520
Coming artist Mama Jay.
Stay loved, stay blessed.
93
00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,480
And stay safe.
I'm Samantha Paul, and thank you
94
00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:52,760
for listening to NO.
Tears.
95
00:04:52,760 --> 00:05:16,740
For black girls.
And there's a softness in your
96
00:05:16,740 --> 00:05:33,020
laughter, sunrise in your smile.
You gave your heart in pieces
97
00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:47,640
and walk the extra mile, dream
shining in your window, hoping
98
00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:54,920
every day the world is cold and
now you're gone, but your love
99
00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,760
will never fade.
Carry.
100
00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:01,480
Your light, you know.
Carry your light.
101
00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:11,080
We hold you close through the
darkest night.
102
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:16,200
Gone too soon.
You're not alone.
103
00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:33,000
In every heart you found a home.
Carry on, light O essence, shine
104
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:49,760
on in our memories, you live on.
We remember gentle kindness, the
105
00:06:49,760 --> 00:07:04,720
strength behind your eyes, how
you lifted those around you with
106
00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:15,880
patience, love and time.
The promise of tomorrow, the
107
00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:22,320
caring that you gave.
Your story's not forgotten.
108
00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:30,120
Your spirit's not erased.
Carry your light, O carry your
109
00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:37,200
light.
We hold you close through the
110
00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,000
darkest night.
Gone too soon.
111
00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:49,240
You're not alone.
In every.
112
00:07:49,240 --> 00:08:00,160
Heart, you found a home.
Carry your light, O essence.
113
00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:08,040
Shine on in the memories you
live on.
114
00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,040
We'll speak your name.
We'll keep you safe.
115
00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,440
No shadow steals your trace.
We'll fight for love.
116
00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:26,480
Remember hope and hold your
sacred space.
117
00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,880
Carry your light, O carry your
light.
118
00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:43,200
We hold you close through the
darkest night.
119
00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:49,000
Gone too soon.
You're not alone.
120
00:08:51,000 --> 00:09:03,280
In every heart you found a home.
Carry your light, O essence.
121
00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:11,040
Shine on in our memories you
live on.
122
00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:30,120
Shine on essence, shine on in
our sun will carry your light
123
00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:36,120
on.
We'll carry our light as we
124
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,280
journey on.
00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:06,880
No tears for black girls when
they disappear.
2
00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,040
No tears for black girls like
they were never here.
3
00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:18,360
But we remember.
We'll speak their names, their
4
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,480
stories matter.
We'll break these chains.
5
00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:29,520
No tears left to cry, just true
to fire essence.
6
00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,000
Sharnique Peters was a young
woman on the rise, known for her
7
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,240
soft heart and quiet
determination.
8
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,520
Her journey had never been easy.
She was born premature, survived
9
00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,120
Hurricane Katrina with her
family and spent her adult life
10
00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:45,920
helping care for.
Her little sister.
11
00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,880
Who has?
High functioning autism.
12
00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,360
At 24, she was working as a
housekeeper at a nursing home,
13
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,320
studying to become a certified
nursing assistant, volunteering
14
00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,640
in special education.
Always striving for something
15
00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,400
better.
People said.
16
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,560
She was the kind of person who
lit up a room.
17
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,560
The type.
Who would give her last dollar?
18
00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:10,960
If someone needed it more, in
February, Essence met Benjamin
19
00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:12,920
Camp.
They crossed paths.
20
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,760
At a second line.
Parade One.
21
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,920
Of those vibrant, joyful.
Moments unique to New Orleans
22
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,480
camp.
Also 24.
23
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,760
Worked at Smoothie King and
carried his own scars.
24
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,960
A recent overdose.
An autism diagnosis.
25
00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:28,840
A history of.
Personal struggle.
26
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,480
The romance seemed ordinary,
even hopeful.
27
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,760
But beneath the surface.
Tension simmered.
28
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,640
There were arguments.
Nothing that seemed
29
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,480
extraordinary at first.
Nothing her family thought they
30
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,960
should.
Worry about Essence's.
31
00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:47,160
Mother Nakeshia.
Ruiz had always trusted her
32
00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,160
daughter to.
Share when something was wrong.
33
00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:51,600
But as summer swept through the
city.
34
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,800
The routine of daily life began
to.
35
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,920
Unravel 2.
Weeks before the end.
36
00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,600
There was a.
Heated argument.
37
00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,840
And essence moved.
Out for a few days but like.
38
00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,280
So many.
Others she.
39
00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:04,800
Returned.
Determined.
40
00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,840
To make things work.
Convinced the.
41
00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,640
Good outweighed the bad.
June 28th, 2025 began like any
42
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,520
other day.
Essence Facetimed her mother
43
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,040
around 10:30 that morning.
They made plans to meet to spend
44
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,880
the afternoon together.
But as the day slipped away, so.
45
00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,680
Did any trace of essence calls
went unanswered.
46
00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,600
Messages stopped coming around
six PMA.
47
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,040
Sudden confession shattered the.
Quiet.
48
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,440
Of Marini St.
Police received a.
49
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:37,800
Call.
From Benjamin Camp.
50
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,400
His voice was.
Steady, almost detached as he
51
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,200
told them he had shot Essence 8
times.
52
00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,040
He told them he had buried her
in the backyard.
53
00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,640
When police arrived.
They found freshly turned Earth,
54
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,880
the truth impossible to.
Hide.
55
00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:58,520
In the aftermath, a new horror
emerged, Essence's mother
56
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,200
frantic with worry.
Kept.
57
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,080
Reaching out, desperate for any
reply, Facebook messages came
58
00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,520
brief and strangely distant.
It wasn't until much later that
59
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,520
Ruiz would learn those words
hadn't come.
60
00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:12,720
From her daughter at.
All.
61
00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,480
But from camp pretending
essence.
62
00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:16,480
Was still.
Alive.
63
00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,720
Essence's absence became a wound
that would not heal.
64
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,960
The community mourned.
Friends and family gathered,
65
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,320
lighting candles and sharing
memories of her.
66
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,640
Laughter, her care, her dreams
for the future.
67
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,840
Her mother, herself a nursing
student and.
68
00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,840
Caregiver tried.
To make sense of the senseless.
69
00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:41,160
She would later urge others.
When love turns dark, when
70
00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,960
control slips in, speak up.
Leave trust.
71
00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,560
Your instincts and tell someone
you trust Benjamin Camp.
72
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:49,320
Was.
Arrested at.
73
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,640
The scene.
He claimed he blacked out, that
74
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,080
he didn't know what he was
doing.
75
00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,360
But for those left.
Behind.
76
00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,840
There was only the cold reality
of loss.
77
00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:01,840
His.
Bond was.
78
00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:08,080
Set at $1.25 million, Essence
Sharnek Peters was so much more
79
00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,760
than a headline.
She was a daughter, a sister, a.
80
00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,320
Friend, a young woman who wanted
to help.
81
00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,519
To heal.
And to make her corner.
82
00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:18,200
Of the world.
A little bit brighter.
83
00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:23,040
In her memory, her mother's
warning remains echoing in
84
00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:24,600
every.
Heart that loved her.
85
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:26,920
When you see the.
First sign.
86
00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,680
Leave.
Don't wait for a second chance
87
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,120
and never hide.
As a.
88
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,240
Tribute to the memory of Essence
Peters.
89
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,240
Here is a song that our show's
writer and.
90
00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,080
Producer composed in her.
Honor.
91
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,840
The title is Carry Your Light.
Performed by the up and.
92
00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:47,520
Coming artist Mama Jay.
Stay loved, stay blessed.
93
00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,480
And stay safe.
I'm Samantha Paul, and thank you
94
00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:52,760
for listening to NO.
Tears.
95
00:04:52,760 --> 00:05:16,740
For black girls.
And there's a softness in your
96
00:05:16,740 --> 00:05:33,020
laughter, sunrise in your smile.
You gave your heart in pieces
97
00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:47,640
and walk the extra mile, dream
shining in your window, hoping
98
00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:54,920
every day the world is cold and
now you're gone, but your love
99
00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,760
will never fade.
Carry.
100
00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:01,480
Your light, you know.
Carry your light.
101
00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:11,080
We hold you close through the
darkest night.
102
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:16,200
Gone too soon.
You're not alone.
103
00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:33,000
In every heart you found a home.
Carry on, light O essence, shine
104
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:49,760
on in our memories, you live on.
We remember gentle kindness, the
105
00:06:49,760 --> 00:07:04,720
strength behind your eyes, how
you lifted those around you with
106
00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:15,880
patience, love and time.
The promise of tomorrow, the
107
00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:22,320
caring that you gave.
Your story's not forgotten.
108
00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:30,120
Your spirit's not erased.
Carry your light, O carry your
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00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:37,200
light.
We hold you close through the
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00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,000
darkest night.
Gone too soon.
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00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:49,240
You're not alone.
In every.
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00:07:49,240 --> 00:08:00,160
Heart, you found a home.
Carry your light, O essence.
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00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:08,040
Shine on in the memories you
live on.
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00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,040
We'll speak your name.
We'll keep you safe.
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00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,440
No shadow steals your trace.
We'll fight for love.
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00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:26,480
Remember hope and hold your
sacred space.
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00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,880
Carry your light, O carry your
light.
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00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:43,200
We hold you close through the
darkest night.
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00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:49,000
Gone too soon.
You're not alone.
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00:08:51,000 --> 00:09:03,280
In every heart you found a home.
Carry your light, O essence.
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00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:11,040
Shine on in our memories you
live on.
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00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:30,120
Shine on essence, shine on in
our sun will carry your light
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00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:36,120
on.
We'll carry our light as we
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00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,280
journey on.
