Tony The Italian Has Died

I don't know if people heard that Italian Tony the cab driver has passed away.  Tony was a long time driver of over 25 years.  He was known for his sour outlook on life.  He was a nice guy, but he never had a good day.  Every day with Tony was the shits.  He always believed the dispatchers were out to screw him.  He would tell anyone that would listen that life sucked and he was getting the short end of the stick.

Nobody really knew why he was that way, but it was.  He lived  a pretty sad life.  All he did was work like a dog and he never had any money.  He never took a day off or a vacation. 

Perhaps death will give him the rest he needs.  I don't mean that in a bad way, but I have never known anyone that lived such a misserable, suffering life.  I will miss him.  He was a friend.  This may be a blessing

Comments

[Sawbriars]

I worked the bird with Tony...I saw him just about every day for the 3 or 4 years I drove a United Cab in Tampa. I always considered him a friend.

He was a very likeable fellow...had a great gift of gab. I remember once complaining to him about some of the assholes that got into my cab and thought they were tooooo good to converse--he replied "everybody that gets into my cab talks"...he made them talk--one way or the other. Tony was a 'classic' Cabbie--he would have made a great N.Y. or Vegas Cabbie--he almost came to Vegas once but backed out for some reason.

Regarding his outlook on life...I think he was a realist. I do think he enjoyed life-- to some extent anyway. I have always prefered people who had a 'sour' outlook on life...I think there is more truth in them.

...he did go to prison because he refused to pay his wife child support-or was it alimony? I forget now but I think it was child support. This no doubt contributed much to his negativism regarding 'life'--but in truth that is the way life is--who really gets a fair deal? Not many and especially not cabbies.

He was very tight with Anthony the 'loan shark' at the port--always in hock to him. I think Anthony helped Tony a lot...it was a sort of love-hate relationship but they were very funny and always entertaining to watch how they interacted and kidded each other.

Tony sort of held 'court' at the airport...a flock of his admirers would always gather round--- as he sat on one of the picnic tables there expounding on life or whatever.

Also it was amusing how he interacted with the negroes at the port...he would not hesitate to call them a 'nigger' to their face if they did something stupid..though I do not think he was anymore a racist than anyone else...one of his best friends was a negro driver--i forget his name now.

In a nutshell Tony was someone that will be long remembered by those who knew him--a true character that deserved much better than he got..especially from Nancy.

[Larry]

All that you said is true about Tony. He told me that he lived in a motel over on US-19 somewhere. I once asked him why he didn't get a apartment. He said he liked the motel for after work he would make himself a drink, go to the pool and talk to anyone who would go swimming, female hopefully. I too, hope you get some well deserved rest. Maybe we will meet at the Cab stand in the sky.