March 29, 2007
In today’s Star:
A profile of none other than Uncle Corrado, one of the previous owners of our house. Corrado and his brother, who introduced himself as ‘brother of Corrado,’ and has never told us his actual name – we refer to him as Brother of Corrado – both lived in the house at some point, followed by their nephews. Now they live just up the street. I had the idea that they had grown up there, but he came to Canada at 17, so that can’t be right.
Anyway, Corrado and BoC got to watch as we ripped out more or less everything they had done in and/or to the house in the last 40 years, filling three dumpsters, and they made their disapproval known on many, many occasions. About this time last year, BoC began a rant at a jackhammer-wielding contractor which began “This is my house!” Jackhammer guy decided that was enough, put his earmuffs back on and ended the conversation in the obvious way.
The previous summer, we were talking to our very nice Salvadoran floor refinisher when we saw BoC storming up our front path. “This man has come to bother you now,” he muttered, which turned out to be exactly true. BoC poured the concrete that sat on top of the maple floor in our front hallway, and pounded the nails into the hardwood, so I think he resented the floor refinishing. He pointed out that that had been a lot of work, which I’m sure is true, but sort of beside the point.
They were less of a nuisance than they might have been because their sense of Sicilian etiquette didn’t allow them to approach C. directly. Since she was home last summer and I wasn’t, this spared us a certain amount of invective, though I have the impression that the hapless nephews who sold us the house came in for a great deal of abuse.
Having said that, he does sound like a barber after my own heart:
“Some places on Queen Street charge 80 bucks. And they don't know how to do a brush cut, taper the back, shave your neck.”
I’d even try getting a haircut there, except a) it’s kind of out of my way and b) I don’t really want to discuss the house with Corrado (again), and certainly not when he’s holding a straight razor.
