Marco Junior took out his cigarette and then threw it in the trash. He hadn't planned on spending Christmas alone, but over the past two years, he's gotten used to being alone every holiday. This year will be no different. That's what he said to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around the park. As he watched a woman nearby play with a boy on a nearby slide, he remembered his own mother - Danielle Gustilo. He imagined his mother holding his knee and checking it, to make sure he hadn't suffered any injuries from the slide he carelessly slipped on at the age of one. He remembered falling...