· The Last Journey

The Angel Gabriel has one last pickup to make before changing assignments. He takes the reader back to the old neighborhood and finds his passenger—an Old Man waiting in the park with his baseball glove, watching the kids jump off the swings.

· Lost and Found

After her death, I journey back to my mother’s apartment in the old neighborhood to clean out her things. The physical elements of the neighborhood (e.g. the holes in the park fence, the kids on the stoop, the old five and dime, etc.) kindle in me remembrances of my mother’s life. I discover, among her treasures, my old toy box—my life laid out before me in layers.

· Raising the Bar

Just like my hero, Davey Crockett, I aspire to be a hero to my kindergarten teacher. But, in my attempt, things go terribly wrong.

· Mi Amor

How do I get up the courage to tell a beautiful little girl with marble brown eyes that I love her and want to marry her?

· The Park

Away from the rules of school and Ma’s sharp eyes, my friends and I enjoy the freedom of the park. I’m presented with a challenge though, which I accept.

· Bilby and the Bridge of Sorrows

The workings of a Catholic grammar school, how to survive, and what happens once you fall into trouble, constitute the backdrop for this story.

· Twisted Minds, Impure Thoughts

Mind games unfold between my grade school teacher, Brother Leo, and myself. Although I win a skirmish, I lose the war.

· True Confessions

A surprising occurrence during the sacrament of Penance turns a routine Thursday upside down at St. Paul’s.

· Saturdays

The men’s club meets on Saturday mornings in the corner garage, and I’m allowed to enter. The Sheik, the neighborhood barber, reveals some interesting tidbits about Da.

· Skating

Ma has a different side to her as she teaches me how to roller-skate in the park. Her fascination with roller derby leads to a memorable evening for my friends and me.

· Buddy

I discover courage is hard to come by as we deal with the neighborhood bully. I also learn nobody is always as bad as they seem.

· Tigers and Wolves

The eventual confrontation of good against evil, weak against strong, arrives by way of the big grudge game.

· Home

A man reflects on his life, and where it all started, as he spends time in his old park.