I guess history and the recollection of it begins on day two... I think I can remember back the late 40's when our family lived on Lexington Street in Grand Rapids. I have driven there since; about 7 or 8 years ago, to see if standing in front of the house; just down the block from the fire station, would jar or enlighten my fading memory of life there.. I wandered with the woman who lived around the corner as a child and we explored the back alley and her old front porch.. She and her twin brothers lived there with their parents... I lived with my older sisters Jane and Rebecca, and our parents.. At this moment I don't remember the girl/ woman's name, but know she goes by what sounds like a child's name to me now.. She is nearly 78 as I write this. I may later change her name as I recall it. There are times that a name; especially one from 73 years ago, is hard to dredge up..( I have it now; Lorraine Hoffman. She goes by Lorrie now).
I do rememember that even as a 2-year-old, I was a charmer of sorts. And children; at least this child, were allowed to wander around the neighborhood unbridled. And by neighborhood, I mean a block each way from house. On those treks I often turned the corner of Lexington and onto Fulton, a busy street with cross town traffic. I walked several doors past the Nelson's restaurant to Adams' Junk store (perhaps antique store without any pretenses).. I would look through the stuff he'd collected, but don't remember what they were or whether I ever took any of them home.
I do remember stopping at the restaurant and stretching up to meet the lips of the waitress who then rewarded me with a piece of candy,, I can't tell you if that cemented my attraction to kisses or to candy..

Jane, "Bec" and I shared an upstairs single room.. I don't remember the arrangement or division of space in that dark room. But, I remember one night we were talking and playing way past our bedtimes.. I was 2. Bec was 4, and Jane was 6.. Up the stairs came Dad who was intent on quieting us and punishing us for breaking the rules, I think.. In any case, I was clever enough to pretend I was sound asleep. The pure picture of innocense. And my sister's both got spanked.. As I remember it, this was one of the few times that age or perhaps gender played in my favor... 4 years later our younger brother Tom came along and all bets were off.