My earliest memory takes place in what I refer to as the 1700 building. Unsurprisingly, that's its street number. It's a large, mostly white, very rectangular apartment building that I still live near today. I spent my early childhood there (though I'm not sure exactly how many years).
It was a friendly building from what I remember. We had friends in the building and the employees of the building were kind. Perhaps this is because I was a very cute child (yes, I can say that), but I remember the people there pleasantly.
The top floor (at least I think it was the top floor, but now I'm not sure why I think that at all) had a party room that I had many a party in. It wasn't a particularly remarkable room, but it fit large groups of children well enough and to me always had a festive air to it (perhaps that's because it was simply called the party room and every time I went in there it was decorated, but still).
Anyways, my earliest memory takes place in the elevator. We lived on the 26th floor (or so I remember) so we always took the elevator (although with my little kid legs we probably would've taken it no matter what floor we lived on). The elevator had mirrored walls and large brass (I think?) railings in it. I remember it having dark carpeting, but I'm not 100% sure that's right, but it did have a dark floor.
I remember standing in one of the back corners (the right one if you were facing the doors) and looking up at an old woman. I don't remember much about the woman other than she had white hair and was stooping down a bit to look at me, but given that I was only two at the time, most people would stoop to look at me so that's not much of a helpful descriptor. I feel like I remember her wearing a white cardigan and a dark red skirt, but that could be made up. Regardless, she leaned down and asked me how old I was. I imagine there was more of a conversation than this, but this is the only part I remember.
I swayed back and forth the way little kids do when they're a bit shy or nervous--I remember seeing myself in the cornered mirrors as I did so--and answered simply, "Two." The woman smiled and told me that was "a good age," before getting off of the elevator. I vaguely remember someone else helping her out of the elevator, but that's not the clearest part of the memory.
The reason I attribute this as being my earliest memory is because I gave that age. Other than that, I'm not sure I have any memories before going to preschool. Though maybe if pressed I could recall another. But still, being asked how old I was grounds the memory in a point in time.
I remember ages ago telling my mom this story and her vaguely having a guess as to who the old woman was, but I don't remember her name now. Perhaps my mom still does? Though the last time I told this story--just a matter of months ago--my mom didn't mention knowing who the old woman was.
I also remember a different time telling this story and my mom saying that I couldn't possibly have remembered something from that age or that, perhaps, I had remembered it but I had answered wrong. Meaning, that I would've been three or so but answered two. I'm certain that this happened, though it is definitely possible I wasn't actually two at the time, but merely answered two.
That's the funny thing with memories though, we can be absolutely certain that something happened one way and then be completely wrong. I know I thought I remembered getting my fingers smashed in door hinges when I was even younger, but now I know that that was just my brain piecing stories together of hearing it. Which, looking back on it, I should've known since the "memories" involved seeing my face--something I couldn't have done as there were no mirrors in the story. I also was simply too young to have actually formed a memory of it (thank goodness to be honest).
I think my next earliest memories are in preschool, which would put me at three, but I don't remember which came first and, since I was in the same room for preschool and kindergarten, I can't be sure that they didn't come from kindergarten. A lot of my memories from school are like that since we would be in the same room for two grades.
Anyways, what's your earliest memory? How do you know it's your earliest?
(Prompt provided by Amelia Sacco)
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