An ocean of time goes flying by for the 32 years we are sidekicks. This writer has had many male friends, who, at the time, were my sidekick. Eddie, Tommy, Carmine, Warren were pals who I hung out with, played ball with, chased after women with, cried on each other’s shoulder, and usually vented with against the travails of this empire. Yet, no one even comes close than my sidekick and wife than Stacy Lynn.
Not many people know that we met through the personal ads. Way back in another world, NYC of 1992, I had been divorced for 10 years and lonely as hell. Yes, I had many women over those years, who I slept with, commiserated with, and even ( a few times) fell in love with. None of those rendezvous lasted more than five months, excepting the time I got myself involved with a married woman who lied to me about that fact. That affair lasted about one year.
When I started paying for personal ads in Newsday I always believed in ‘ Hope springs eternal’. I can recall the ad that Stacy decided to answer: A George Bailey seeking his Mary… because my favorite film was ‘ It’s a Wonderful Life’ ( and it still is). I always asked for a recent photo and she sent a nice one of her in a full dress. We met for a drink near where she lived, and I knew this was the one I wanted to be with for a long long time. After I moved in with her we just became like sidekicks. We went everywhere together, whether shopping, eating out, picking up my two sons on Saturdays, going to my parents’ for Sunday dinner, all the holidays. I could confide in her about anything that mattered to me. She was a bit more reserved about her feelings than me, but you could see how much she respected what I stood for, especially politically. She could not totally accept my socialism but agreed about how this empire screwed all of us working stiffs.
For thirty two years Stacy and I have always remained sidekicks. Now that she is ill I so miss having her always sitting next to me in our car. Her doctor visits are the only time she is in that co pilot seat. God, I do love her so!! Our two housecats, 11 years old but still referred to as kittens, know she is not herself. The boy cat sits outside of her bedroom upstairs all night, and the little girl cat jumps on the bed and rustles to sleep with Stacy each night. Her daughter, an only child, is married and living in the Seattle area. Yet, she speaks with her Mom each and every day. She already came in for a few days to be with her mom, and will be back to help her with her upcoming radiation treatments. Stacy’s kid sister, 250 miles away, has been so generous with expensive gifts like a new platform bed and mattress. All the dogs in our neighborhood love Stacy, whenever she would take her morning walk. I usually had to circle around back and forth while Stacy gave each dog affection.
A soul like Stacy is truly an Angel. My late friend Babs, a professional clairvoyant, once said that Stacy was ‘An angel that lost her wings and is awaiting new ones.’ Got that right.
Philip Farruggio