A SAD ANNIVERSARY
This month marks a sad anniversary. It’s been nineteen years since my friend Mike Sormanti passed away. It’s still a little hard to believe. I met Michael back in grade school, when we were both attending C.W. Holmes on Mountain Avenue in Malden. Mike was fun to hang out with and had a great sense of humor. We lost touch our senior year in high school. I sure wish he was still around. Even though we went separate ways I think we would’ve reconnected and it would have been fun reminiscing about our youth. We didn’t do any major crazy things but with Mike we almost always laughed and had fun.
I remember him giving me a hard time when I became a big Elvis fan. He used to make fun, saying Elvis sucked on guitar and so on. That didn’t stop me, though. I knew the misperception came from what he’d seen Elvis do in his movies, using a guitar mostly as a prop. I remember him discovering Led Zeppelin and deciding to learn how to play guitar because of what he’d heard by Jimmy Page. Redemption came my way in 1985 when HBO played outtakes of Elvis’ 1968 TV Special (“Comeback Special”). Mike came by for a visit and told me and my family how impressed he was that Elvis could actually play guitar. You should’ve seen the surprised expression on his face when he talked about having seen the HBO special, seeing Elvis not only play guitar, but play it well! He also got a big kick out of all the girls screaming in the audience.
When it came my way to discover and appreciate Led Zeppelin, I made it a point to reach out to Mike and tell him. I finally got why he’d became such a big fan. We were both fans of Eastwood movies and the last time we got together was to watch Heartbreak Ridge. I was glad we got to hang out but I noticed something different about him but wasn’t sure. It just seemed he wasn’t as happy as I’d known him when we were kids. Still, 99% of the time I’d seen him I was always greeted with a smile and it was always great catching up with what was going on with him. The last time we talked, I was coming out of Showcase Cinemas in Revere as he was heading in, both of us with friends. I noticed he seemed a little down then, too. What’s weird is I remember the very last time I saw him but it was in passing. We drove by each other, but no chance to say hello.
Not long after I’d learned of his passing, Mike came to me in a dream. This was in June, a couple of months after he was gone. I can’t explain the elation I felt in the dream over seeing him again. I was so happy but Mike barely acknowledged me. He said hello and knew who I was but was preoccupied and in a hurry. I tagged along like an excited puppy, talking all the while. He went to an apartment and packed a bag. He was leaving. The next thing I knew I awoke in tears. An old friend was gone and I never had the chance to say goodbye properly. After all this time, even though we knew each other briefly, I can’t hold back the tears as I type this now. That’s how strong an impression Mike Sormanti left on me.
God bless you, Mike. I still miss you and will always love the friendship we had.
Clint Eastwood Forums
Author