Childhood Memories

#1

The basis of some of my memories are a mix of memory of the real thing.. and seeing pictures that remind me of them.

When I was four I went to live for a week with Grandma Wilson while my mom went for some surgery at the hospital. She lived in a little house behind the Catholic School in Renton. Aunt Mary, being slightly retarded, still lived with her. I don’t remember doing much that week with either of them. I have vague memories of Aunt Mary walking around saying ‘No’ before and after any sentence she said so I think she rather scared me at that age.

It must have been a pleasant week as I don’t have any memory of crying. I can only remember wearing a dress but not anyone dressing me. I wandered around her house looking at all her trinkets. She had them everywhere. The house was rather dark, and every shelf and table had some kind of object on it..usually several. One thing she had that fascinated me was a wooded box with various drawers in it. I would spend many minutes at a time looking into each drawer and replacing the little objects in it.

It must have been arranged for me to call every evening to see if Mom was back home or not. After those calls I would feel rather empty and lonely but I don’t’ remember crying. By the end of the week when I called Mom was finally home. I was so excited to be going home the next day. I don’t remember who came to get me although I assume it was Dad. I wore a dress with a suit type coat over it.

I walked into the house calling, “Mom’ as I went down the long hallway stopping at the corner to the front-room. I peeked my head around the corner and looked right down the next hallway. The turning to the left I saw her trying to hide against the wall smiling huge. I ran into her arms. That was one time I felt very secure with her.