Vargo's Suitcase

About the Book

The story is about a former Puerto Rican boxing contender who now works as a gas station attendant to support his wife, Maria, and their baby. Vargo daydreams about the time he was a fighter and how close he came to being a champion.

While fixing a flat he forgets to put a suitcase back in the trunk from which he had taken the spare tire. The burly stranger then speeds off without the valise. Vargo discovers the suitcase is full of money. He hopes he can take the money and buy a new life for his sick Maria and their baby. They flee toward Florida where Vargo is sure he can get a boat and take his family to Puerto Rico.

About the Author

The author was born in New York and is a graduate of The Bronx High School of Science. He received his B.A. degree in English and Journalism from Hunter College and worked as a journalist for the Paterson Morning Call in New Jersey before attending Downstate Medical Center School of Medicine and the University of Bologna Medical School where he received his M.D. degree. Internship was at Nassau Hospital (now Winthrop Hospital) in Mineola, N. Y., followed by a psychiatric residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division. He is board certified in general psychiatry and in geriatric psychiatry and is an attending physician at St. Vincents Hospital in Westchester. He has been Director of the Mature Adult and Geriatric Division at St. Vincents Hospital. Cover by Anne Moros-Cohen