I am Carlo Tomasi. My first job was with Freddie, he was 19 years old and I was 15. Together we picked veggies every day in the growing season and delivered them by truck to Dominion at the Golden Mile. In the late fall of that year Freddie decided we should go to the North Bay
area to pick up Christmas trees. It was -35 degrees F, the coldest 2 days we had ever experienced. We had to sleep over as it was too dark to load up the trees. We were invited into the farmer's home where the large family were all sleeping around the fireplace next to
an open door where horses were housed. The heat from the horses
helped warm the room. I said to Freddie, "I'm not sleeping here" so
we slept in the truck all night with the motor running.
Freddie paid .25 cents a tree and he sold them for .50 to .75 cents
each in Scarborough.
Freddie always called me first when he had lumber to unload from boxcars. So, my brothers and I did that for many years after our day jobs. Freddie always said that it made his life easier not having to
look for someone who would first, do the job and then do it well. As well, he was happy to help out his friends this way too.
Another time Freddie said that I was to take the truck to city hall area in Toronto and pick up a dismantled cottage and deliver it up north. I had never driven a truck so Freddie game me a five minute lesson on the
baseline in Pickering. Then, he said "you are good to go"! I was close to filling my drawers with nerves as Toronto was busy even then and I'd
never driven downtown. Freddie said "I need you to do this", so I did.
I was on my own and the whole cottage was on the truck, it was overloaded so I had to run at the hills, my foot pressed to the floor.
"Where are you Freddie, why did you do this to me?" I was so happy
on the way back until a huge bumble bee climbed up my leg. I
looked like a drunk driver coming down the 400. I dearly missed
Freddie on that trip because of his charismatic nature, interesting chat
AND, usually calm demeanour.
Although, over the years I only saw Freddie three or four times a year,
he has always been a brother in my heart. We bonded that way and I always felt that he felt the same towards me. How could one not love
Freddie with all of his great attributes?