THE TWO BABS

     I had a wonderful weekend.  I got to see my friend Barbara Verlezza and have brunch with her.  Of course I make her pay. That’s how I roll.  I love seeing her.  She is so funny and so smart.  When I was in Dancing Wheels and her husband Sabatino was the ArtisticDirector/Choreographer, she was very concerned about my well being and knew my body wasn’t handling the rigorous routine that we had.  Barbara was the Associate Artistic Director and sometimes the voice of reason when it came to my physical limitations.  I only stayed a year in the company and when she saw me a few weeks later she was glad I gained a little weight.  I had no idea I had dropped any, but she knew and was worried.  She could always make me laugh.  The last concert I was in was done at Playhouse Square.  I rolled my wheelchair up to the wings for one of the dances and hit a weight holding down something.  It was no big deal.  The stage hands fixed it quickly and Barbara said, “Now the whole show is ruined.”  Of course this makes me laugh right before I go on.  After brunch she came over and saw my new home.  She was so happy for me and really liked the house.  She and Sabatino are always very generous with me.  When they first heard I had cancer, they took me out to dinner.  I loved the rice pudding at the restaurant we were at, so she made sure she bought an extra one for me to take home.  She is definitely a gem.

     I saw my other friend Barbara that afternoon.  She fell in her home a week earlier and broke her back, her wrist and a couple of ribs.  Surgery on the wrist tomorrow.  I stayed overnight making sure she was ok.  I am so taken aback at her ability to keep her sense of humor.  Even when we took her to the emergency room she was making jokes.  In order to set her wrist, they did a local anesthesia and putting that needle in her bones was just awful.  She still made me laugh while the doctor was doing it.  She just kept saying “Ow.”  Now she refers to him as Dr. Mengele.  I told her how the "other" Barbara loved my new home and she said, “What, do your friends live in shacks?”  She said, “Every person that comes and sees your new place says, “Oh my God, it’s better than the Taj Mahal, it’s better than Buckingham Palace.”  They never say that of course.  I tried to explain to her that this is so wonderful compared to my last place.  Last night I stayed over again and she is much better.  She even did a load of laundry.  She was on the floor folding her clothes and she said, “Look at me.”  It's very encouraging.  She also just gives and gives to me.  One day I was staying over and the UPS man came.  I had to let him in, Barbara couldn't move.  It was a microwave.  Barbara said, "Merry Christmas."  She's been wanting me to get one since I moved.

     Barbara and Barbara haven't met, but I know they would get a kick out of each other.