Fanny Robbins
We addressed my maternal grandmother's sisters as Tante (tan'-ta), from the old country …
Tante Fanny was a towering figure. After her husband's death, she took over his business — a wholesale toy store, on Forbes Avenue, near downtown Pittsburgh.
My earliest memories of her consist of visits to her store — which she ran with autocratic authority. The place seemed like a magical castle filled from floor to ceiling with the most fantastic toys!
I was probably five or six when I spotted a shiny new toy car on one of the higher shelves. "I must have that little car, mommy," I must have shouted a few times, as my mom explained it that I wasn't getting it.
I began to throw a full-throated tantrum. [Of course, I don't remember this, but my mom told me this story so often that it seems real, even today!]
Tante Fanny:
"Get that child out of my store, and never bring him back again!"
Well, sometime later, mom and Tante Fanny must have withdrawn the severe decree, because I did indeed finally get my precious little car.
But mom was still going to teach me a lesson. After unpacking it, she insisted that every kid in the neighborhood would get to ride in it before I got my turn.
Here I am with my next-door neighbor riding backwards:
