Things in my life started to change quickly. One of my constant challenges was to devise ways of avoiding the bi-weekly hassles with Pere Gere whenever I was late for curfew. During my final year of high school, the battles were constant and unvaried. I was allowed no more than three words of protest before a sharp whack to the back of my head interrupted me. "yes but..."WHACK! "Get to bed... I said."
When I was accepted into St Michael's College, which was one of the Colleges that made up the U of Toronto, I anticipated that my new-found freedom from the Brothers Tyrant at Del H.S. would also be enjoyed at home. Hah, good luck with that! The curfews stayed and the whacks stayed with them. "Hey for Crissakes, I'm 20 years old and I'm not putting up with this any more. The next time he whacks me he's going to get it back." Well that never happened! My father was not a big man; however, for some weird reason, I could never bring myself to raise a hand to him. I believe, in retrospect, that it was some form of love and respect he had managed to instill or beat into me. Gerardo was a disciplined and principled man who was determined to keep me on the right path. His methods would most likely land him in jail today but his motivation was honest and sincere.
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| GERARDO. HE LOOKS HARMLESS....DOESN'T HE? |
SAINT MICHAEL'S COLLEGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
The classes at St Michael's College and U of T were ok but not inspiring. I began to lose interest and developed a love for bridge while waiting for football practice to begin. Evenings were spent at the Bay Bloor Tavern or the Horse Shoe Tavern consuming 10 cent draft beer. On Friday nights we would head over to the Concord Tavern to enjoy the live music of 'Rompin Ronny and the Hawks'. On those occasions the tavern was always filled with rowdy requests for his version of 'Johnny Yuma'. He never failed to respond with a twangy, "Werrr gonna play em all for ya."
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| Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins with wife wanda at his home on Stoney Lake near Peterborough, Ontario |
I was under the legal drinking age in those days. One Friday night, while enjoying the atmosphere, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up I saw a scantily dressed female with a camera whom I assumed was the cigarette girl. She beckoned to me with a wiggling finger and a sly wink. I followed her to the rear of the tavern. "What are you doing in here?" she demanded. I had no answer but suddenly recognized her as the aunt of my brother-in-law Ron. "If you don't behave or if I see you with a beer, I'm going to tell your mother" she exclaimed. Before I could recover, she gave me a hug and was gone.
The episode was a huge source of laughter and constant teasing from Ron and brother Jonny. Cristina used it as a form of blackmail to win arguments over who would get the car. Mom and dad never found out. What 20-year-old dude would ever care to-day?
At age 23 I was finishing my degree and totally in love with Ann Marie. One night in the parking lot of the Rippleton Road United Church I proposed marriage. I had purchased a ring with the silver dollar collection mom had left me. Cristina was married in British Columbia to one of her 245 dates. I can't remember which number he was. Presumably he was number 245. I wasn't able to attend the wedding; however, she and her new husband were planning a Toronto wedding reception. Jonny had married and moved to his own place. I would miss his teasing and laughing at my predicaments. He always enjoyed listening and insisted that he had it worse than me.
Mom had suffered a burst aneurism and fallen into a deep coma. She was moved form the Toronto General Hospital into an extended care unit at Providence Villa in Scarborough; where she was to remain in this condition for 8 long years. I was left home alone with Gerardo. He would visit mom twice a day without fail. He always seemed to have company from friends and relatives but it didn't diminish his loneliness. I became his guardian and took care to never arrive home after 10 PM. We would sit and talk about mom, her life, our memories and how much we missed her. Meanwhile the date had been set for my wedding to Ann Marie on August 22, 1964.
During my last year at U of T, a friend Peter Marbles Baker, invited me to join him for a beer at the Park Plaza Hotel's King Cole Room. Before the visit to the KCR he had to go to the fourth floor where the various Ontario School Boards were holding interviews for new teaching positions. He had arranged a meeting with the Scarborough Board. I accompanied him to the room and waited in the hallway while he completed his session. While I was waiting for Peter, a man exited one of the rooms up the hallway. He noticed me and came over to talk. I answered his questions and revealed that I was heading to Law School next fall. He asked about my extra-curricular activities. Before I knew it he had offered me a teaching position in Physical Education and Geography at a High School in Chapleau, Ontario. It turned out he was the school's principal. He told me I would be hired on a Letter of Permission and gave me 2 days to consider his offer.
The following day, I told Ann Marie about the offer. Peter had accepted a position in Scarborough and given me his copy of the Globe and Mail which contained 3 pages of teaching positions in Ontario. We were looking in amazement at the number of available jobs when Ann Marie noticed an ad for Physical Education and Geography at Fenelon Falls Secondary School. Her parents' cottage was located there and we contemplated the benefits of spending summers at the cottage without the necessity of driving. I called the school Principal and explained my lack of teacher qualifications. He invited me for an interview the following Saturday. On my arrival for the interview, The Principal said, "I don't like to hire someone sight unseen but now that I have seen you; the job is yours." I phoned Chapleau and declined the job offer.
QUESTION: How does a person know when they are truly in love?
QUOTE:
Only the man who can impose discipline on himself is fit to discipline others or can impose discipline on others. -William Feather.
CLIP OF THE WEEK:
Mom had suffered a burst aneurism and fallen into a deep coma. She was moved form the Toronto General Hospital into an extended care unit at Providence Villa in Scarborough; where she was to remain in this condition for 8 long years. I was left home alone with Gerardo. He would visit mom twice a day without fail. He always seemed to have company from friends and relatives but it didn't diminish his loneliness. I became his guardian and took care to never arrive home after 10 PM. We would sit and talk about mom, her life, our memories and how much we missed her. Meanwhile the date had been set for my wedding to Ann Marie on August 22, 1964.
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| ANGELA DIPAOLA FIORINI |
During my last year at U of T, a friend Peter Marbles Baker, invited me to join him for a beer at the Park Plaza Hotel's King Cole Room. Before the visit to the KCR he had to go to the fourth floor where the various Ontario School Boards were holding interviews for new teaching positions. He had arranged a meeting with the Scarborough Board. I accompanied him to the room and waited in the hallway while he completed his session. While I was waiting for Peter, a man exited one of the rooms up the hallway. He noticed me and came over to talk. I answered his questions and revealed that I was heading to Law School next fall. He asked about my extra-curricular activities. Before I knew it he had offered me a teaching position in Physical Education and Geography at a High School in Chapleau, Ontario. It turned out he was the school's principal. He told me I would be hired on a Letter of Permission and gave me 2 days to consider his offer.
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| FENELON FALLS S.S. HOME OF THE FALCONS |
QUESTION: How does a person know when they are truly in love?
QUOTE:
Only the man who can impose discipline on himself is fit to discipline others or can impose discipline on others. -William Feather.
CLIP OF THE WEEK:
1 comment:
I enjoy your life story chapters and can relate to the easy "whacking" received at a young person. Thanks from Cameron Lake.
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