I believe if I was man and writing for The New York Times that same would be true of my subjects....my unlikely friendships. When Nathaniel threatens Stephen the author of The Soloist in one of his "episodes" Stephen is able to rebound.
Jim mosaic man Power pushed me so far and crossed so many lines that I am not able to ever speak to him or aide him ever again. With Giuseppie, I am happy to say he has made a powerful friendship with Matt Lavelle and GL has a loyal following so I am confident he is better than when I first found him although he is a changed man. I do worry the dark forces in the park have sidled up to him but he has recorded a new record with a little hometown label and he is playing.
I just can't stay close and keep the friendships going but I know I have helped. With Giuseppie I helped by filming him play a beautiful haunting rendition of "Begin the Beguine" and by posting in on YouTube I rocked the jazz world and warmed people's hearts with the realization he was in fact alive. There are still so many people that have his 2 records he made before he self destructed.
With Jim I have helped him countless times and the most Olympic was when he called me telling me he had fallen and broken his wrist. I ran out there and helped Jim and the EMS workers to make sure they had all the info and took Jesse in a car I hired to Clayton Patterson's. But that wasn't enough for the betrayal that was to come. Jim called and he needed me to get him transferred from Brooklyn to the VA. That was painstaking because Jim gave me the wrong location and than once at the VA he gave my tele no. to a fellow patient who told me Jim needed me to put money on his phone because he had run out of minutes.
I did. Fifty dollars which he would use to be shockingly cruel. Many months after I would still have people come up to me and tell me that Jim would have these screaming diatribes about me. I understand why the families chose to remain out of the picture as I now do.
I don't know if I will see The Blind Side but being home sick with a cold I watched the HBO coming attractions and the real life characters as well as the young man that is starring in the film are compelling. I am not a Sandra Bullock fan but there is no doubt she has a good heart according to George Lopez, not his words but the comedian turned television star that wouldn't have been so if not for Bullock putting her star power behind him.
The story of Michael Oher is deeply moving. He is one of thirteen children and if you read the link below he and siblings felt their Mom loved them; she told them so. As soon as she got her welfare money she ran to the closet crack den and spent the money on crack.
The story of the unlikely friendships that would radically enrich so many lives is now a major motion picture. I was not going to see the film but when I saw the trailer on HBO, I was profoundly moved.
The woman Bullock plays, Leigh Anne Tuohy even a bigger good heart and according to this article there were other key good hearts that took a risk with this young man and was certainly worth taking the risks.
I just bought the book on ITunes and will listen to it. I have started listening and the book does not grab your heart strings at least in the very beginning as Michael Lewis give you insights in the brilliance and savagery of Lawrence Taylor and I find myself bored when Lewis goes in the the salaries and explaining the why the position of defending the quarter back's blind side pays really big bucks....
The human side of Michael Oher's story and the family that adopts him is what pulled me in and the fact you know they will continue to help and enrich peoples lives...that sometimes unlikely friendships do not come with betrayals and startling dissapointments but occasionally happy ending. The film looks to Hollywood for me but I will make an exception and see the film.
Sure seems like a deeply moving story all the way around and how lucky and fortunate when you have an unlikely friendship and it is positive all the way around.
Here is to book deals, movie deals and foundations....I don't see any of that happening without press and here in NYC we know how the press operates....
