All it took was a late
night email to the Alessi Brothers and 'Just Like That' I found myself with a friend named Bobby!
Just Like
That...
The year was 1977 when I became enamored with a pair of twin singers with strong chiseled features, perfectly feathered hair, and sweet harmonious voices. I never took that 'bold' step to write them a fan letter. A year earlier at age 9, my little heart was smashed to bits when Donny Osmond never replied, so I just didn't want to risk that disappointment again.
Skip ahead 30 years later. I'm in the midst of a health crisis. My doctors are running a multitude of tests on me, trying to figure out why I am in constant pain, can't sleep and losing weight. One especially long night, after I'd exhausted looking up everything I didn't need on eBay, I started doing general searches on the Internet, looking up my former heartthrobs. One of my first searches was the Alessi Brothers.
After reading up on their current doings and getting reacquainted with their music via audio and video links, I decided to send them an email, telling them how special they had made my pre-teen years. You can imagine my delightful surprise when I received a reply the next day from none other than Bobby Alessi himself! This got me to thinking that somewhere I was certain that I had saved my old Alessi pin-up posters. I leafed through all my binders and, yes, low and behold, I still had them all. A little love-worn with scotch tape, they were mostly still intact. As a surprise, I scanned them, built a gallery and sent the link to Bobby. He was so happy that he featured a link to the gallery on the "News" section of their site and also gave my website "yesterdays-paper.com" a plug as well. But what thrilled me the most was that Bobby was calling me his friend - and was telling that to the world!
All For A Reason...
When I finally was diagnosed and was presented with my options of treatment I confided my fears in Bobby. He met me with encouragement, a totally positive attitude, and promised me prayers from both he and his wife. Back in my pre-teen years it would have blown my mind to realize that all these years later I would be blessed with such an outpouring of kindness. Truly, that late night when I was led to find the Alessi website it was definitely 'All For A Reason...' - to help me weather one of the most difficult storms in my life.
Long Time Friends...
Although I have been fortunate enough to make many acquaintances through my rekindled interest in Billy & Bobby's music and career, one person in particular is very special. Out of respect for her privacy, I won't reveal her name. However, her emails, chats and phone calls were instrumental in getting me through the final stages of my illness, surgery and recovery. We've become so close that I consider her to be more than just a friend, but actually my long lost sister in Christ. I always will be eternally grateful to her for helping me through so much. I'm looking forward to one day being able to call her one of my very best 'Long Time Friends!'