“C’era una volta,” there once was a sweet elderly lady who lived in the neighborhood. Lucia was her name. The poor lady lived in the alley behind our home. It was an awful road and, quite honestly, not the best of locales. It wasn’t even paved! Instead, the alleyway was peppered with gravel; yet she liked it and the privacy it provided.

No other person lived in this red brick offshoot, although there were a few businesses close by. There was an auto mechanic shop, a beer distributor, and an Italian grocery store. At the end of the short alley stood the Mother of Good Counsel Church, where she was a frequent visitor.