Finding fatherhood in the square down the street

This story is by Julio Franchi, as told to staff writer Erika Page.

At the time my only thought was to help. I just followed my instinct. Only now am I realizing what it means to be a father. 

It was 2019. I would meet up with a group of neighbors and our dogs at the square around 10 o’clock at night. We were always the same people. One night a little boy appeared. 

He was just there, playing with a stick, and you could tell he was alone. He looked abandoned. It was 11 o’clock, 12 o’clock at night. That was late for a 7-year-old. I asked him what his name was, what he was doing there. We got