Feb 18, 2020

My childhood best friend, his name is Leo. We came from Brooklyn. Right now I’m living in Staten Island but I’ve known him about 55 years. We did a lot of nice lot of good things. We were very athletic. So we played ball together and we were on the baseball team and the basketball team

We used to go to the same elementary school, junior high school, and high school. And the memories we have. This is like a lifetime because we’ve done so much together.

We came from Bensonhurst. Not too far from Staten Island here and he moved on that block the year before me and then I came because my mom passed away a couple years before that and also got remarried and I ended up living on Bay H Street and I have a sister and I have a stepsister but my stepmother.

My step mom and my father are deceased. But yeah, our block. We had like eight close friends. We were real close friends and we we we did a lot together. We went to concerts. I can’t tell you how much we did together and then as the years went on he got married a year before a year after me.

But when I got married he was my best man in the wedding and his wife was in the bridal party as the maid of honor.

We we had a lot of good times together but we also had bad times because of a couple of my friends that block passed away. We’re still friends to this day. 55 years. But in 2013 he ended up getting cancer and now seven years from then he’s got a clean bill out now and he’s still he’s still working. He’s an elevator mechanic in New York City and he’s going to retire at the end of the year.

He’ll work in two but I had to retire because I couldn’t do it. You know they wouldn’t want to take me back with a walker because I can’t walk.

But yeah, I had a really good childhood. I was so happy. That you know I know my mom passed away I was little I was around six and I moved there when I was around eight. And then we were friends and you know it was great. I mean we played well. We were very athletic so we played basketball we played baseball and football. We had a baseball team.

He was strong. He beat cancer. He had a rectum cancer. And since then you know, since then, he goes to doctors like he’s supposed to and he’s got a clean bill of health. And he went back to work. He’s an elevator mechanic and that’s not an easy job.

He’s going to retire soon and we will be able to do things together. I’m married. I have a daughter. I have a wonderful wife Mary for 36 years. Apparently him and his wife I guess you know whatever happened there, they got separated but they’re on good terms and everything. His youngest son is my god child.

I have a lot more other friends too but consider him as my best friend. He stands out. He was in my wedding party. This guy will give his shirt off his back to me and vice versa.