  Colin Farrell (Michael Peake, Sun Media)
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TORONTO - Where's Colin Farrell's good buddy Stress?
Perhaps not surprisingly, the "loner" homeless man who went on a shopping spree with a generous Farrell on Tuesday seemingly took the day off yesterday. Normally a fixture in Yorkville selling Outreach papers or asking for change, the elusive Stress proved difficult to track down while the global media ate up the story about the Irish actor with the big heart.
Stress, whose actual first name is Dave, was taken Tuesday afternoon in Farrell's car to Europe Bound on Front St. E., where Farrell reportedly spent over $2,000 after encouraging Stress to get whatever he wants. Stress proceeded to fill up on a $500 jacket, some boots, pants, and socks.
Farrell also handed Stress a wad of cash to cover at least the first and last month's rent -- possibly as much as a year's worth of rent, some reports said -- so that he could get off the streets and rent a room.
For Farrell, who was in town this week for the Toronto International Film Festival, it was his second time hanging out with Stress. The two paired up four years ago after a radio host offered $2,000 to anyone who could bring Farrell to the studio. Farrell heard this, found the first homeless person he saw, who happened to be Stress, went to the station, and Stress pocketed the two grand.
But the reporters scouring Yorkville and some of the spots rumoured to be Stress' hangouts yesterday were told by the street people he'd be hard to find.
In his absence, the rumours about Stress swirled among his panhandler friends. He was at Casino Rama, somebody said. Somebody else heard he was at Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls. Perhaps he crossed the border. One homeless man claimed to have seen him walking through Yorkville around 5:30 p.m.
COMING SOON
"He should be around here soon. If not, he's probably hidin' out a little bit. Everybody thinks he's in Niagara Falls, but he ain't in Niagara Falls, he's in Toronto," said a homeless beggar called Shorty, 41, who has known Stress about 10 years.
A few blocks away, at Old York Lane and Yorkville Ave., street person Steven Lomoth said Stress prefers to keep a low profile.
"You guys aren't going to find him," said Lomoth, 41, who was selling Outreach newspapers.
Lomoth compared Stress' good fortune this week to winning a lottery ticket, and couldn't help but praise Farrell for giving Stress a chance.
"I don't want him back on the street," Lomoth said. "He got a lottery ticket and it's the best thing in the world for him. I know him personally, and he needed it. Thank God for Colin Farrell. He did a great thing."
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