Living In Brooklyn

Flatbush . . . Bedford Stuyvesant . . . Saint Jerome's . . . Our Lady of Good Counsel School . . . The Sisters of Mercy . . . The Franciscan Brothers. Double features at the Farragut movie on Saturday A.M.: The Mummy's Curse and Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein. Lotsa shorts, cartoons and Nyoka, the Jungle Girl, Or maybe Dick Tracy or Superman if we were lucky. Jangling trollies, "Hoodlums" Ma called em, pulling electric sprockets off The aerial line as the trolly rounded Rogers Avenue. Paul Chilcott, Roger Scott, Gerard Meyers. Did I do my homework for tomorrow? The stinking barn on East 28th Street where we pulled Drags on Chesterfields and played Caught-Caught Ringaleveo and punchball On the dirt side of the old barn. Eggies no halvsies and aggies and yo-yo's and 'territory' With a big fat pen knife. Flipping cards in the afternoon: Ralph Branca, Gil Hodges, Pee-Wee Reese. Vic Rachi was hard to get -- even though a Yankee. Pop taking Billy and me to Prospect Park Zoo. Always the seals first. Had to be back by Four. Sunday dinner was always at Four. "Pass the bread, Jerry." I threw a loaf to my brother. Grandma, all eighty pounds of her, quivering in her raspy Sicilian voice, "Don'ta throw God."