Who knows or can control whoever comes into your life? I was a kid, didn’t know any better, and became friends with Stevie Colavito. Had no idea what his last name was. Didn’t care. My mom knew Carmen, who was Stevie’s mom. That’s all I knew.

Mom and Carmen had been best friends before they ever became teen-agers. Grew up in Reading PA, before I was ever around. Mom and Carmen never separated and they both ended up having kids around the same time.

Mom and Carmen both had boy, girl, boy.

I was the same age as Stevie; my older sister, Gretchen, was the same age as Marisa; and my older brother, Bob, was about the same age as Rocky Jr. I wish I could tell you the first moment I realized we were friends with Rocky Colavito and his family, but I can’t. He was just Uncle Rock, and she was Aunt Carmen.