Lady at Land of Nod at Northbrook Court...

I was at the cash register and I didn't realize that you and your daughter were standing right behind me. I almost backed into your daughter - stopped myself and apologized - and you rolled your eyes in indignation. God, you suck...

Mr. Beyers, my sixth grade homeroom teacher...

You would never survive as a teacher today, Mr. Beyers. You bullied the nerdy kids like some oversized, ridiculous jock and you were no more smart than the average eleven-year-old. You were pathetic and sad. I hope you know that.

Forgotten name #1: the guy with the bright blue eyes

You thought that the FBI was after you and I made fun of you even after you told me that I looked like Elizabeth Taylor. One day, your last, you stepped in front of a speeding freight train. I’m sorry.

Vic the Barbarian...

You practically lived at the bar on top of the hill just off campus. You seemed ancient in that crowd, a chivalrous biker with a heart of gold and a land-dwelling pirate. You always told me that I looked pretty.

Aunt Phyllis was a beautiful force of nature...

I always remember Aunt Phyllis, a woman I thought of as a bohemian version of my mother, with her smooth skin and radiant smile, soothing me as a child. She loved me fiercely, as if I were her own daughter.

The now-deceased Pigeon Man of Lincoln Square...

Today, I spread some popcorn kernels near his final perch, and I meant to save some for later, but the hole in the bag kept getting bigger until it all came tumbling out. “Don’t hold back,” he seemed to admonish.

My First Crossing Guard

He was an old man who helped the throngs of hyperactive children get to Romona School. I imagined that he was Santa in disguise so I always gave him a knowing smile, even though he wouldn't be visiting my family.

My first friend: Suzanne

We played together from sunrise until sundown all summer like a couple of crazed otters. We played Charlie’s Angels, kickball, jump rope, Ghosts in the Graveyard and freeze-tag with skinned knees and pink cheeks. My love for you was absolute.

My first roommate...

Was a blonde girl named Michelle. She had a boyfriend still in Oklahoma and she would sneak into the suite bathroom to have phone sex with him once a week or so. Once word spread, I was tainted as well.

A first recollection: My brother...

I remember you crying in the middle of the night. It was dark and I could see through the perspective of my crib. We were in that apartment in Chicago; Mom whisked in the room to care for you, Larry.