It’s Wednesday morning. The year is 1950, the place is a three decker on 21 Mayberry Ave. in South Medford, the time is 4 a.m. On the first floor, Lucy DePasquale is making 24 cups of coffee in her two coffee pots on the stove. She pours them into an urn on the floor and starts on 24 more cups. Neither of her two little girls are awake yet. Neither is her husband, Joseph.

On the second floor, Uncle Peter and Grandma are still asleep, but Aunt Celia is up making 24 cups of coffee in her two coffee pots. On the third floor, Aunt Mary is still asleep and so are her two young sons, but Uncle Salvie is making 24 cups of coffee in his two coffee pots.