Always Remember Us

Book excerpt: Frankie Desimone is born into a violent world. He is growing up on the dangerous streets of Larimer, outside Pittsburgh. He lives in an apartment with his mother, two sisters, and his mother's abusive and drug-fueled boyfriend, Joe. Joe routinely locks Frankie in his room, beats and demoralizes him, and denies Frankie food. Frankie's hatred for Joe consumes him, which frequently causes him to start fights and seek out trouble. The irony is that he is becoming more like Joe without realizing it. Then, Frankie befriends an old hobo named Honeymarmo. Honeymarmo saves Frankie's life twice. Once from some boys who had violently attacked him, and then from a treacherous hobo named Grub. With Honeymarmo's help, Frankie, for the first time, develops a sense of hope, self-worth, faith, and a moral compass through a growing relationship with God that starts to change him. He begins to understand the consequences of choices and learns the power of forgiveness. Then, unexpectedly, he betrays his new friend and becomes consumed with regret and guilt. Still, those Christian values he learned bears fruit. As Frankie struggles to rise above his circumstances, he is faced with his greatest test when forced to protect his mom at home by confronting Joe with a gun.