"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 flockof 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. "
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