A bench dedicated to Tony on the main corner of Little Italy.
I moved to Baltimore in '88 knowing no one. Most evenings, we talked until the wee morning. He told stories. The most well read man I ever met. A composer, musician, artist, poet, mathematician, caregiver to his Mother with Alzheimer's, teacher, and Goodwill Ambassador to Little Italy and Baltimore.
He had me go through his contrived "University of Little Italy". Or in retrospect,"Becoming an Adult Who is Not Simple". Example: He gave me a book of famous quotes and asked me to explain how the opposite of each of them is also true.
As I questioned everything, we once drove out to a clubhouse in Middle River, where we drank and shot darts. Feeling my angst about what I am going to do, he stopped me suddenly and the world closed in as he said these words: "Larry, you are going to do something that no one has ever done before OR you're going to do something that's been done before, but you're gonna do it better than anyone else." Best answer to a question that I ever needed to hear.
He always introduced me to people as "Like a son".
He loved me for who I am.
He needed me more than I needed him.
Teachers need students.
I miss him.
Loading contexts...
