Papa and Eva and Me

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>Papa whose given name was Armando was born at home the fifth son in his Italian immigrant family and the first of the family to be born in America. His mother Graziella was ill and unable to nurse him and the doctor told Papa's father Vincenzo that the baby wouldn't survive the night. Vincenzo held baby Armando and said If you're going out of the world tonight little one I want you to go happy. He took a crust of bread and dipped it into wine and put it to baby Armando's mouth again and again and again. </span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>And in the morning the crisis had passed. Armando had survived. </span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>What became of him?</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>In winter it was Armando's job to meet his father after the work day at the trolley stop and to run ahead of him all the way home scattering ashes on the sidewalk so that his father would not fall in the snow or ice.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>Armando was an excellent student but was reprimanded in school for wearing a turtleneck sweater his mother had made for him because turtlenecks were worn by tough boys and forbidden at his school.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>From his teen years on he was called Pat.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>He loved opera boxing Shakespeare arguing and playing the ponies.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(13 13 13 1)>And was an extraordinary grandfather.</span></p>