Friday, February 24, 2006

Danny and Annie

When I lived in Vermont, I had no clock, so in one of his magnificent care packages, K. sent me one, complete with a radio alarm, for I hate to wake to a buzzer.

Now it's by our bed. This morning, it went off at 6.50, and NPR flooded the room loud and clear. Usually one of us hits it, but this morning, we listened to this project called Story Corp. Apparently there is a New Jersey man named Danny who loves to talk to Story Corp about his wife, Annie.

He was described as a bald toothless gnome of a man, and his voice was pure grit, but he spoke tenderly about how much he loves his wife. Apparently he's done this so often that Danny and Annie are now the "faces"-- or voices rather-- of Story Corp. My favorite was when he said being married is like having a color television-- you don't ever want to go back.

Of course, they are re-visiting the story of Danny and Annie because Danny has cancer, and is expected to die soon. He says he doesn't expect to live, but he and Annie talk often of hope-- hope for her future after he's gone.

There are not enough men or women who wear their heart on the sleeves, and it is so exhilerating to see someone do so. Embarrassing, of course, especially for us Wasps. But exhilerating nonetheless.

Check their pics out at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5230164

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was beautiful.

He leaves her love letters on the kitchen table almost every day.

They sound like the kind of gruff looking couple you might walk past in WalMart, as you are thinking to yourself you shop there for the deals, but don't have to the way these people do.

They walked down the isle together on their weddign day, both coming in and leaving. He was concerned about her following his coffin down the isle at his funeral without someone else there, and her reply? She was going to walk down with him, and only him, as they had before.

Sun streaming into our bedroom, my wife's beautiful head lying on my chest, listening to the radio.

We're so blessed.

Anonymous said...

embarass me why don't you!

keep your chin up, man.