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July 2023
“How are you doing today?” Levi Cranston asked his best friend, Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman, over the phone. “To be honest with you, not great,” Rhody replied. “I can hear it in your voice. Everything okay?” “I woke up to an anxiety attack, and I can’t get my heart to stop pounding.” “Oh yeah, that’s gotta suck. I know how that feels,” Levi replied. “I’ve tried every breathing exercise in the book, and I can’t calm myself down. And it’s stupid because I don’t know what caused me to have an anxiety attack,” Rhody said. “Did you have any plans today?” “As a matter of fact, yes. Zach, Brett, and I were going to see a friend and his band perform. And, since I threw up at least twice today, I don’t feel up to going out. He’s going out with just Brett.” “How’s your cat, Topaz, taking care of me?” “She hasn’t left my side. Right now, I can feel my heart pounding so hard, that it might as well just pop out of my chest, and it’s really pissing me off.”
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February 2023
“So, we all booked our tickets to San Francisco for May,” Levi Cranston said to his former neighbor and good friend, Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman, over the phone. “Very nice. Wish I could join, but my friends and I are going to Orlando that same week,” Rhody replied. “Who all is coming with you?” “Zach, Brett, your sister Olivia, Audrey, Graham, Ayaan, Allen, Jerome, David, and my girlfriend Ally. Who’s coming with you to San Francisco?” “Jack, Asad, Savino, Kevin, Jing, and Wong. Mackenzie, Shanti, and everyone else are having a girls’ weekend,” Levi replied. “You’re visiting a few friends there, right?” Rhody asked. “Yes, two of Brett’s brothers live out there. And a couple other friends as well. Savino lives in San Jose, and he is going to meet us there.” “Very nice. I love San Francisco.” “I do as well. How are you feeling after last week?” “Much better, I tested like five times to see if I had Covid, because my throat was on fire. It was just a bad cold. But now Zach has a bad cold, and we were going to see Brett’s band perform at a pizza place nearby.” November 14, 2022
“Best 33rd birthday ever,” Matthew Rhodes Bacaluso-Leyman (Rhody) said to his friend, Levi Cranston, over the phone. “Yeah, I wish I was there. Your family is awesome. But I talked to my sister, Olivia, and she told me she had a good time,” Levi replied. “Yeah, Zach and my family discussed a surprise visit, and they absolutely overdelivered.” “Who all came in for the surprise visit?” “My parents, and Jayne and her wife. They came in on Friday and stayed until a couple hours ago,” Rhody said. “Which of your friends came?” “Olivia, of course. Graham, Kevin’s brother, and his boyfriend, Ayaan. Also, Zach, Allen, Jerome, and my girlfriend, Allison.” “What about Brett, David and Brody Ingram’s brother?” “He had a gig, so sadly he couldn’t make it.” “Oh yeah, he’s in a garage band.” September 2008
Matthew Rhodes Bacaluso-Leyman (Rhody) spent the weekend in Evansville, Indiana with his dad, since he went on a college visit. They decided to make a foodie trip out of this, and had planned to spend time in southern Indiana, northern Kentucky, and they had even planned a day in St. Louis to try out some barbecue places there. It was Saturday morning, and they had planned to go to St. Louis for the day. Around 8 am, Rhody woke up to his heart pounding really hard in his chest, and he could hear it in his ears He also had some slight nausea, and his breathing was relatively shaky. He had realized that he had a panic attack in his sleep and did what he could to calm himself down in order to enjoy the rest of the weekend. October 2019
Matthew Rhodes Bacaluso-Leyman (Rhody) spent the morning out on a run with a couple of his friends. He had been feeling a little under the weather for a few days but started to feel worse today. He did not feel bad enough to stay home but did not feel well enough to stay out for too long. About halfway into their run, Rhody had to stop because he had a horrible cough and couldn’t catch his breath. “Rhody, you alright?” One of Rhody’s friends asked him. “I will be. Just need to catch my breath is all,” Rhody replied, breathless. “Rhody, you sound horrible. You need to go home.” “I’m going to be okay I think.” “You have no business being here. Your cough is horrible, and that will make things worse if you’re not too careful,” his friend told him. “Okay, fine. I’ll head home,” Rhody said. “I’m going to be honest, it sounds like pneumonia.” “Oh boy. Then fine, I’ll go get checked out.” “I definitely would.” “I’ll head out now, and I’ll see you guys later.” August 2023
“So, I had a dream last night that Jayne, my sister, got pregnant,” Matthew Rhodes (Rhody) Bacaluso-Leyman said on the phone to his friend, Levi Cranston. “She doesn’t even want kids, does she?” Levi asked. “She is not opposed to it, but it’s not a priority.” “Kinda like my sisters, Olivia and Evelyn Maeve, and my half-sister, Liz. My girlfriend, Mackenzie, and I agreed that we do not want children.” “Honestly, same. I never really saw myself as a dad, and it’s nice knowing that Ally isn’t stuck on the idea of having kids, unlike a few other girlfriends I’ve had,” Rhody replied. “Oh god, I can only imagine how that would feel,” Levi said. “How many kids does your sister, Vicki, have now?” “She has five kids, and I have no idea how she does it.” “And they’re all girls, right?” “No. Four girls and one boy.” Christmas 2015
Jayne and Rhody Leyman were back home in Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. They were celebrating with their dad and their stepmom, Estrella. Rhody was living in Wicker Park, Chicago at the time with a couple friends. Jayne, his older sister by two years, was living in Grayslake, Illinois with her girlfriend, who was currently in LA area visiting her parents. Rhody fell asleep on the couch in the living room while watching TV. He was so sound asleep, that when Jayne tried to wake him up, he wouldn’t budge. His head was turned to the right, into his pillow, and his breathing was very steady. Jayne lay on the couch next to him, and, out of curiosity, placed her ear against her younger brother’s chest so that she could listen to his heart beating. Fall 2017
“Hi, I’m Olivia Cranston,” Olivia said to a potential new friend. “Hi, I’m Kylie Ferris. I’m one of Ally Byers’ best friends from college,” Kylie replied. “Yeah, I know Rhody, Brett, and Zach from back home.” “Where are you from?” “Originally, I’m from Rhode Island but grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana. How about you?” Olivia asked. “I’m originally from Los Angeles but grew up in Evansville, Indiana. I went back to California for school but got a job here in New York City,” Kylie replied. “Very nice. How many siblings do you have?” “I have an older sister, Karyn, who is 30. And I have a younger sister, Marilyn, who is 13. Karyn lives in San Diego with her best friend from high school, Megan. And of course Marilyn is still in grade school. What about you?” “I have two half-sisters, Louise and Elizabeth. I have an older sister, Victoria, who is 29 and lives in northern Indiana. I have a younger brother, Levi, who is 25 and lives in Boston. I have a younger sister who was adopted also and wants to go to school in Boston when she graduates high school.” “Very nice.” September 2008
“Hi Rhody, how are you doing?” Matthew Rhodes Bacaluso-Leyman’s (Rhody’s) best friend, Zach Niornski, asked over the phone. “Like complete shit. This started a couple days after my dad and I came back from our college visit in Evansville. Literally one of the worst colds I’ve ever had,” Rhody responded. “Sorry to hear that. But how was the weekend getaway?” “We were gone from Wednesday night to Sunday evening, and we had a blast. Didn’t realize how awesome the college is. As of now, that one is my top choice.” “And you’re planning to go into engineering, right?” Zach asked. “Mechanical engineering. And you’re planning to do something in computer science, right?” Rhody responded. “Yes, I think so. Just not sure where I’m going yet.” “Yeah. I just can’t think that far ahead right now.” “Did you go to school today?” “No.” |
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