Childhood

Toronto, Canada

It was a Friday when Marion’s father took her to midtown Toronto to officially move in with her aunt and uncle Jacob. Marion told her father “please, I want to stay with you please I don't want to go and live with them”. At first Marion had a tough time getting used to living with her aunt and uncle but overtime she became very close to them. She called her aunt Toby “Chocha” and call her uncle Jacob “Vuyak” which meant aunt and uncle in Polish. These were more than names to Marion, they were the names that meant love and respect to Marion and she never used them on anyone else. Throughout her childhood, Marion described her aunt and uncle as very hard-working people. They worked in a clothing factory however, her aunt and uncle always wanted to own their own business and would save as much money at a time as much as possible in order to buy their own business. They bought a three-story house on Concorde St and her aunt and uncle rented the rooms for other people to stay in. The living room would be transformed at night as their personal bedroom for Marion and themselves. Every morning after waking up Marion would always have to fold a sheet from the couch and put them away so that her makeshift bed would transform back into a couch. Growing up Marion had little to no friends and the only friend that she ever had growing up was a young girl that used to go to school with her. She used to live in one of their rented rooms upstairs and they would go to the movies together and hang out all the time. However one day, just after a few weeks of her and her father moving in they moved out and Marion never saw her again. As time went on her language skills improved and she was able to skip to the next grade. When she was in third grade, she had a kind and compassionate teacher named Miss Peas. Miss Peas was very curious about Marion and took her under her wing. She gave her a lot of attention and told her that it was OK to be different from everyone else. However, this didn't stop Marion from feeling lonely from time to time whenever the kids would play on the playground and she was left out. Marion and her aunt and uncle grew up on a strict budget Since every penny was being saved for their business many evenings Mary will walk along the streets to look at stores that we're selling TV's. Her aunt and uncle could not afford a TV so she would just stare at the window and watch the TV with no sound. She was fascinated by it and what it did. She would watch The Life of Riley and I Remember Mama. Around this time, her uncle asked her father if they could adopt Marion for themselves. However, her father refused to give up his daughter. As a child Marion knew of the situation and there were times when she felt uptight, stressed, and fearful that her uncle might kick their out if she did anything wrong. However, her aunt and uncle loved her deeply and always wanted to adopt her. Marion's father came by to the house sporadically and she never really knew when she would see him. It was every few weeks when Marian would see him. One time when she was 12, her father took her to State Fair and they walked side by side for hours looking at all the booths. Her father bought her a ticket on this little Kitty rise and to this day the thought of state fairs brings a smile to your face. At age 15 she finally had her own bedroom as both her aunt and uncle said that they did not need any more renters anymore for their house. They were able to get their own business and Marion was finally able to have her own privacy. Also, at age 15 she was able to take her first part time job after school and on Saturdays at a Department store. Her family was very happy that she was finally able to earn some money. While she was there, she met her lifelong friend named Gloria Lass.

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