Chapter One Summary

The novel opens with Casey visiting her father, Barney, in the hospital. She isn't allowed to be there, and has sneaked her way in with the help of Barney's friend, Morey, who is distracting the nurse. Barney has been beat-up by some men outside the bookie's and he has lost a large sum of money to the muggers. Casey acknowledges that she and her father have an unusual relationship. She calls him Barney, after all, but the two belong together. Throughout Casey's life, Barney has told the same stories over and over, about how he's going to strike it rich and move them into a big penthouse. Of course this never happens, and Casey works two paper routes and occasionally washes dishes at a local restaurant to make extra money for groceries and rent. Even so, she loves her father. Her...