To understand Marsharee Gatewood and Steffani Bailin’s friendship, you have to start at the Marathon gas station on Elvis Presley and Norris Road in South Memphis.
“When I parked to get gas, I was on the phone talking to someone and I was looking across the street and I saw this group of people. Just standing on the corner, and they looked out of place,” Marsharee told us. “And while I’m talking to my friend on the phone, she said, well, maybe there are tourists.”
“You kind of feel like everybody is watching us, Steffani said. It didn’t look like there was a cool vibe happening and I said don’t think we’re in a good place right now I don’t know if this is so safe.”
Marsharee drove over and asked Steffani and her friends if they were ok and if they needed any help.
“‘We just got dropped here from the bus.’ And I said, so you’re tourists. And they were like, oh yeah, yeah, we’re tourists. And we’re from Dallas.” Marsharee said. “I said, well, I hear South Dallas is pretty bad. And they all agreed. Yeah, it’s pretty bad. I said, well, this particular corner is maybe 10 times worse than South Dallas.”
We crime tracked the area, and at least 48 incidents were reported in the last month.
“I was definitely concerned and I’m sure I smelled of concern,” Steffani said.
The group of six was in town for a wedding and wanted to explore more of the city and visit Graceland from their downtown hotel.
They’d been waiting on a second bus to take them there, but it passed them, leaving them stranded.
“She says come on, I’ll drive you,” Steffani said.
Marsharee’s truck couldn’t fit all the tourists, but she knew she had to help them find their way.
“I can’t leave them here on this corner,” Marsharee said.
Those who could fit, hopped in her truck, and the others called for a ride from uber.
“We chatted the whole time, 10-minute drive to Graceland, got them there,” Marsharee said. “And she asked if I could pick them back up once they were there at Graceland I’m like, well, okay. They seem safe enough. Hey, so I went home. Took a nap. She called me back in less than about an hour and a half. And, she texts, ‘we’re the crazy people from Dallas. Can you come pick us up?’”
And she did.
“It’s always nice to be nice,” Marsharee said.
Steffani and her ‘crazy Dallas group’ connected with Marsharee.
Marsharee drove them around other parts of the city, teaching them different neighborhoods and rich Memphis history.
“Memphis is not a bad place to live. That was my whole thing. This is not a very good corner that you all were at, but it’s, you know, it’s not necessarily Memphis,” Marsharee said.
“I said I want to write a note to your supervisor. Tell me where you work or something. No, listen, this is my pleasure and it was like pulling teeth to get her to do something,” Steffani said.
Finally, Steffani got it out of her.
Theresa McCusker works with Marsharee as an assistant district attorney general in Shelby County.
“She’s that type of person she’s very helpful, Theresa said. “Everyone likes her.”
Marsharee is a criminal court secretary for the district attorney’s office.
Steffani sent a nice email to the DA’s office. Ever since the day they met, the two have kept in touch. They started exchanging messages as if they’ve known each other forever.
“She went out of her way and it wasn’t to her benefit. It was to our benefit.” Steffani said. “And it was just something she didn’t need to do. It was just so, above and beyond.”
By coincidence and kindness the two’s friendship is one of a kind. Staying afloat, under one condition.
“She promised me if I ever went to Dallas, she would be my chauffeur,” Marsharee said.
“No matter who we speak to they all want to talk about ‘how was the wedding. No, this is what we have to tell you. So, she’s my hometown hero,” Steffani said.
I asked, so how will you remember Memphis?
“I will remember Memphis by her, by what happened, by the kind gesture,” Steffani said.
This gesture of kindness connected by two women and a group, 450 miles apart.