down on Michael’s bed for a while. Frankie went over to the dresser and got out two polo shirts and dressed his brother and himself. I was so proud of him. I had to finish dress- ing the two of them but I just melted watching them. Another moment like that occurred when the boys were outside playing cowboys and Indians with some older neighborhood boys. There was Michael, all dressed up in his cowboy outfit, ready to take on the Indians. But before he could ride off to battle, one of the older boys had to help him down the front steps. A brave, little cowboy with his miniature rifle, but not yet able to get down the stairs by himself. One night Michael asked his Daddy to tell him a bedtime story. Herman was just too tired to do it and suggested that Michael tell himself a story. So there was Michael, under the covers, telling himself a bedtime story.
Kids Birthday Party
THE MIX MASTER
MELTING A MOTHER’S HEART
Dora told me that when Frankie was staying at her place she was making roast beef and potatoes, something Frankie had really enjoyed at his Aunt Sylvia’s. He watched Nana Dora very carefully while she was cooking to make sure she made it the same crispy way Sylvia made it. Dora showed him how she put papri- ka on the meat. When Dora put the paprika on the stove and left Frankie alone for a moment, she noticed how quiet he was and knew he was up to something. She found him mixing paprika in a glass of water. When he was caught Frankie told her “Nana, I sneaked one up on you, didn’t I.” And then, “I knew I was going to do this when you left it there.” Paprika wasn’t Frankie’s only specialty. One evening after he had been put to bed for awhile he came back downstairs with his pajamas all wet. He had taken baby powder, mixed it with water, then spread it all over everything in the boys’ bedroom – both beds and blankets.
Despite pushing his luck to the limit, Frankie could do things so sweet that you would forgive him anything. One Sunday morning, Mae’s day off, I told the boys I was just too tired to dress them until I lay
Frank and Michael eating ice pops on the beach.
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