A Celebrity in Malta

There was a famous Russian actor (I'm told he was famous by the film crew) who kept repeating a scene over and over-watching his parked car get smacked and then going over and conversing with the man who smacks his car. I watched about four takes. Each one lasted about one minute until the director would yell, "Cut!"

I was thrilled to see that after fifteen minutes preparation for a scene that lasted at most one minute the director would scream, "Quiet! Everyone quiet on the set."

I loved it; it felt like I was watching a movie being made. Well, in fact, I guess that's because I was watching a movie being made.

I have no idea if this movie will be a success or not, if the good-looking Russian actor was really anyone famous or not. But I do know that there was quite a crowd of people-including me-watching this guy doing something we all think is great-acting in a movie.

Then I went home to my place in Sliema-only about a ten-minute walk from the movie set. I had to talk to T., my neighbor across the street, to ask him to take care of my cat Egypt for three weeks while I went to England with Mr. S.

No one knows T., except his family, friends, neighbors, basically just the locals-as they say in Malta. He's certainly no international celebrity. But maybe he should be, would be if the world valued T.'s minor accomplishments.

T. is almost 65. He never married. He's now retired. And he's always on the go. All I really knew of him is that he takes care of his disabled brother, loves cats and takes in student boarders.

I finally cornered him and got him to sit down for five minutes and tell me his story, which he did so reluctantly. I wanted to know something about a man who's going to take care of my cat.

T. was 16 when his father had a massive stroke and survived at home for another 10 years. T. helped care for him. As soon as his father died, his mother became crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. T. and his sister took care of their mother until T's sister got married and left the house. Then T. continued with his mother's care until her death many years later.

Meanwhile, T. did manage a career while he did the other thing he's been doing since he was a kid-taking care of his younger brother who was born with a form of muscular dystrophy. It's rare for a young man to live past his 20's who has muscular dystrophy. Who knows why his brother has lived so long? Is it a rare case? Is it the excellent care he's received by his brother, T., for over 30 years?

T. would like a day off, or so he says. But his brother won't allow anyone else to take care of him.

How nice it would be if some director could yell, "Cut!" And the scene would be finished for just a bit before it was repeated over and over. Just a small break.

But it doesn't happen. And nobody stands around in rapt attention as T. does his act. He's not famous. He's not going to win any awards for the work he does.

But he's a celebrity to me. He refused to take any payment for watching my cat for three weeks. But I left it anyway. And I won't let him not accept it. He says his whole life has been volunteer work. That's what God meant for him, he says, sighing.

But this time, whether or not he thinks he deserves it, T. is going to get paid for the care he does.

Ilene Springer is is author of An-American-in-Malta.com.