Eddie is wearing his birthday gift, a red cowboy hat and a toy holster. He gets up and runs from one group to the next, pulling out the toy gun and going, "Bang, bang!"

He is five years old. It is a Sunday afternoon at Ruby Pier. Picnic tables are set along the boardwalk, which overlooks the long white beach. There is a vanilla cake with blue wax candles. There is a bowl of orange juice. The pier workers are milling about, the barkers, the sideshow acts, the animal trainers, some men from the fishery. Eddie's father, as usual, is in a card game. Eddie plays at his feet. His older brother, Joe, is doing push-ups in front of a group of elderly women, who feign interest and clap politely.

"C'mere boy," Mickey Shea beckons from a bench.

"Bang, bang," goesEddie.

Suddenly, Mickey's large hands are under Eddie's he is hoisted up, then flipped over and dangled by the feet. Eddie's hat falls off.

Mickey Shea works with Eddie's dad, fixing the rides. He is fat and wears suspenders and is always singing Irish songs. To Eddie, he smells funny, like cough medicine.

"C'mere. Lemme do your birthday bumps," he says. "Like we do in Ireland."

"Careful, Mickey!" Eddie's mother yells. Eddie s father looks up, smirks, then returns to his card game.

"I saw," she says.

"I was upside down," he tells her.

Mickey lowers Eddie gently, until his head brushes the floor.

"Are you all right, my darling birthday boy?" She is only inches from his face. He sees her deep red lipstick and her plump, soft cheeks and the wave of her auburn hair.

Upside down, Eddie is not sure who is who. His head is getting heavy.

"Ho, ho. I got 'im," Mickey says. "Now. One birthday bump for every year."

"Ho-ho! What was that for, little man?" Mickey says. Everyone laughs. Eddie turns and runs away, three steps, before being swept into his mothers arms.

She puts his hat back on his head. Later, she will walk him along the pier, perhaps take him on an elephant ride, or watch the fishermen pull in their evening nets, the fish flipping like shiny, wet coins. She will hold his hand and tell him God is proud of him for being a good boy on his birthday, and that will make the world feel right-side up again.

"One!"

Eddie is flipped right-side up and put down. Everybody claps. Eddie reaches for his hat, then stumbles over. He gets up, wobbles to Mickey Shea, and punches him in the arm.

Mickey lifts Eddie back up. The others join in, laughing. They yell, "Two!… Three!"

"Four!…" they shout. "Five!"