Darby Lyons, who hopes to break into the film business some day, survived a chaotic childhood.
HYANNIS – Last month, Darby Lyons, a 31-year-old man from Marstons Mills, was working a camera as a volunteer at a local cable access television studio when he saw something that transported him back to his chaotic childhood of 20 years ago.
He has been volunteering at the Cape Cod Community Media Center in Dennisport for almost 10 years, something he is happy to do because it earns him the right to use their equipment. He is working on his own short film, a Star Wars parody starring his friends and complete with lots of computer-generated special effects.
“I’m seeing a woman talking in a living room and I’m thinking, I’m pretty sure I used to play in that living room. So many flashbacks. I’m thinking back to when I was 13 and playing with my brother. I just couldn’t believe it,” Darby said.
Whenever the media center puts out a call for volunteers, Darby always makes himself available. “Anytime they need me, I come. What they give is so much opportunity to use the equipment. I have no problem volunteering,” he said.
On this day in December, he was the operator on camera 3 helping to film a fundraiser. He didn’t know what the fundraiser was for. He only knew it was a holiday telethon.
He remembers Angel House as a place where the chaotic life his family was living calmed down for a time.
On the set, decorated with colorful Christmas trees, a dozen people were seated on a two-tiered riser answering red phones and others were being interviewed about the cause at hand, the Shelter Cape Cod Telethon for Housing Assistance Corporation. As Darby stood behind camera 3 filming, he watched as a video was shown as part of the telethon. In the video, women were speaking in a room.
The room looked familiar to Darby. Really familiar. Old-home familiar. His mind started racing.
“I’m seeing a woman talking in a living room and I’m thinking, I’m pretty sure I used to play in that living room,” said Darby. “So many flashbacks. I’m thinking back to when I was 13 and playing with my brother. I just couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Remembering Angel House
The video bringing back the flood of memories to the operator of camera 3 was about Angel House, a shelter in Hyannis where Darby lived with his family for almost a year when he was 12 and 13 years old while his parents were recovering from drug addiction.
That was back in 1997 and 1998, about 19 years ago.
Angel House is a shelter in Hyannis for women recovering from substance abuse and their children.
“The whole reason I moved to Cape Cod was because of Angel House,” he later recalled.
He remembers Angel House as a place where the chaotic life his family was living calmed down for a time. It’s a place where he met friends who have become like family for him.
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