It's 5 p.m. and the neighborhood children are home from schooland outside playing. Forty-four-year-old Smokey takes his usualplace on the front porch of his Muncie housing complex. It won't belong until many of the neighborhood children congregate on hisporch, each wanting their special time with Smokey.
"All these kids out here are crazy about me," Smokey said. "Theyeven call me 'Uncle Smokey.'"
Robert Vance has been "Smokey" since a gym teacher in firstgrade said he said was "smokin'" while playing basketball.
"A lot of people don't know my real name," he said.
Smokey is close to many of the neighborhood children, but hisfocus is on his three children: Stephanie, 11, Ryan, 14, andNicole, 23.
"My life revolves around my kids. That's the beginning and endstory of me," he said.
Smokey has been a single father since he and his wife divorcedin 1997. His oldest daughter is from a different relationship andlives with her mother.
"I used to hear women with kids say, 'Raising kids is an all-dayjob.' Now I know what they were talking about," he said.
Smokey said raising children is not necessarily difficult. It'ssomething that he loves.
"It is a job you never stop doing, but I wouldn't trade it forthe world," he said.
Being on disability since 1993, Smokey has been able to spendmore time at home with Ryan and Stephanie. Though he broke his legand dislocated his hip as a child, the hip injury did not developto extreme levels until he was out of school and working. He hashad a series of back and knee surgeries since.
"I don't worry about it too much. As long as my kids are healthyand alright, I smile all the time," he said. "When I am in pain, Ismile."
"I just try to look at the better part of life," he said.
Since Smokey is home most of the time, he finds other ways tooccupy his time. Smokey is known in his neighborhood for fixing thechildren's bikes and for being on the porch to banter and have funwith the children.
"I just like working on bikes," he said. "If somebody's bikegoes wrong, I ask them what's wrong with it and I fix it. So theytell their friend and their friend. That's what I do."
Smokey said he is close to the other children in the areabecause he treats them like they are his own.
"I nerve all these kids around here," he said.
Smokey does this by sitting on his porch, picking on children asthey pass by. Many of them will stop and talk to him and exchangeteasing remarks. Once a child leaves the porch, it often is notlong until he is back. As many as six children can be seen sittingon the porch with Smokey enjoying a round of horseplay.
"I play with them like they're mine," he said. "I lovekids."
Smokey said he will play with the children, but also lets themknow if they are doing something wrong.
Stephanie, Smokey's sixth-grade daughter, said she is very closeto her father.
"I like staying here more than I like going anywhere else,"Stephanie said.
"If they're here for me to bug them, then I'm happy," Smokeysaid.
Playful arguments and jokes are often exchanged between fatherand daughter.
"I like to stay close to [family]," Stephanie said. "They justget on my nerves, but I love them."
"I'm their father, but I'm their best friend," Smokey said.
With seven brothers and four sisters, Smokey has a large family.An aunt, two brothers and two nieces live in his apartmentcomplex.
"My whole family is close," he said. "My family means everythingto me. I'm all about my family."
Smokey said he is a father first and everything else comessecond.
"I just want to see them grow up right," he said. "Everybody'sgoing to make a bad choice every once in a while, but I don't wantto see them do the wrong thing and just stay there, cause ain't nobody perfect. I'm trying to put them on the best path I can. So farI'm doing pretty good."
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