Finally a story about another man in my life other than my dad.  Are you relieved?

I’d like you meet my husband. Here he is.

And these are just some of the reasons that I love the man.  I also like him because he is smart and funny.  And handsome.  But, it’s his generous spirit that has always blown me away.

Quickly, some back-story you might need to know.

Michael is only a few years older than me, yet seems like he’s from another generation.  When we drive in his car, he listens exclusively to jazz.  He just loves that whole Sinatra era, rat pack thing.

Some years ago when I knew my friend Ricci Martin had written a book about his dad Dean, (yes, that Dean) I called him up for a signed copy as a gift for my husband.  I didn’t know if my Michael would even read it.  He did.  Then he got to work on a secret gift.  Secret to me at least. Let me clarify something.  I’m not all that close with Ricci.  We have a lot of the same friends, so sure, I can make that call to get the signed book, but we don’t really stay in touch.  I knew nothing of my husband’s plan.  But, he had read that Dean’s favorite scent was Woodhue, a cologne made by Fabrege.  Ricci’s father had been gone quite awhile and Michael thought it would make a great gift if he could find a bottle of the now discontinued scent.  First he made a call to a few relatives.  My husband’s uncle George had been the CEO of Faberge.  No luck.  It hadn’t been made in years.  Then he started a search on the internet and it led him to eBay and he found a never used bottle.  He purchased it and then asked me for Ricci’s address.  I asked why.  And, he told me this story.  That after reading the book, he went on a hunt to find Dean’s son Ricci a bottle of Woodhue.   I think Michael doing that touched me even more than it did Ricci.

Another thing I love about my husband is his work ethic.  I admire it.  He works really hard, never complains even if he’s sick which is rare.  Michael is so unassuming and so not Hollywood.   When people meet him, they literally have to pry out of him what he does for a living.

The ultimate gift that he gave me was handing me a script that he wrote about my dad.  Sorry, all roads/stories in my life lead to Maurice Duke.  About a year or so after my father died, somehow my husband convinced his writing partner that they should write a script about my dad.  Quite frankly, I understand why since my dad is a one- of -a -kind.  But, during the writing, which might have even been a year in his life, he never revealed to me that he was busy writing a script about my father.  My daughter Augie, had once walked into Michael’s office and I guess she stumbled on them during a writing session because she came downstairs and said “You know, I think they are up there writing about Grandpa.”  But, I ignored it because I thought, if he was doing that, he would surely have told me.  Little did I know, but each day I was feeding him information that was going into the script.  I talk about my dad incessantly.  Then one day, my husband told me he had something to show me and he sat me down on the bed.  He placed a script in front of me and a tape recorder next to me.  He said “Here, read this and when it says this music cue (he pointed on a page), turn on the tape recorder.”  I didn’t really understand the whole tape recorder part at all and I was left alone.  I started reading.  And crying.  It’s a comedy and yet, I could not stop crying.  The way they captured my father and all his mannerisms was beyond genius.  The fact that my husband had spent that much time in his life on my dad was; is there a word?  Priceless? Not enough.  Awesome.  No, overused.  I was gobsmacked.  HA, there’s a word I never use and it’s totally wrong.  How about simply, touching.   The music part that I didn’t get was that there were songs he chose that would be perfect for the movie.  The movie about my dad already had a soundtrack.  The name of the script is actually a real song.  Plenty of Money and You.  The script was sent out to some very high budget actors,  like, Dustin Hoffman.  And,  a lower budget (perfect casting) actor Danny DeVito.  Both turning it down saying they had played producers before.  Never a producer as unique and certainly not one with polio!!!!  Everyone who read Plenty of Money and You agreed, one of the best scripts they had ever read.  My husband Michael and his writing partner Jim had not only captured my dad, but also the whole time period.   No one was looking to make a period piece.   I already have a documentary that I directed and it will go along with the DVD if and when we ever get funding for that script.

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When I had only been dating Michael a few months, he bought me a gift for Valentines Day.  An expensive coat.  He was as yet unaware of my coat obsession.    Buying me a new special coat each year would become a tradition (please refer to blog piece titled “Whatever Coat I Want.”)  I’ve amassed quite an impressive collection over the years (21).

When my ex left (for a woman he met at his 20’th reunion –my father the sage had predicted this all along, please refer to a story in my blog titled Germ Warfare) he said these words as he was literally walking out the door “ Furthermore, you’re married to your dad!!!” Which is when I just had to have the last word “ And, furthermore… he makes a much better husband!!!.”

Now I actually do know what it means to have an amazing husband.  And I am one lucky girl!!!!!!!

Forgive me Michael for making you take center stage right now when you much prefer being an off stage character.  I just felt it was your turn for some long overdue recognition.

Happy Father’s Day Michael.  Anyway, this was much cheaper than buying you a new car.

I couldn’t find the right place to say what a great dad Michael is to his kids Max and Emma.  He is an amazing dad and step-dad to my three children.  And now lets talk about food.  One day, just a few years ago, Michael sent me a video of a dish being made that he thought might be something we would like.  We not only like it, we LOVE it.  I now make this sardine, pasta dish a few times a month. Just watch the video to follow the recipe.  Eating this pasta dish kind of makes you feel like you are in Italy!!!

Tags: Emmy nominated writer Michael Barrie, fredde duke, Freddy Duke, great coats as gifts, great scripts, michael barrie, sardine and pasta recipe, song plenty of money and you, writer

This entry was posted on Friday, June 15th, 2012 at 11:47 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.