Becoming a Family
The Parsons helped Ronnie find a job as a binman and took him shopping for new clothes. “It felt like getting a child ready for their first day of school; we were like proud parents,” Rob laughs. “When we left the shop, Diane whispered to me, ‘He’s a refuse collector, but we’ve dressed him like the general manager of the Dorchester Hotel!’”
Rob, a lawyer, would wake up early to drive Ronnie to work. One morning, Rob asked Ronnie why he looked so happy. Ronnie replied, “Rob, the other men ask who drops me off in a car like this. I tell them, ‘Oh, that’s my lawyer.’”
As the years passed, Ronnie became an essential part of the household. He had his rituals, like unloading the dishwasher every morning. “He’d ask the same questions every single day,” Rob says. “For 45 years, I had to act surprised so I wouldn’t let him down.”
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