How many people can say they lived within walking distance of multiple generations of their families? I am one of the few, and I loved every single minute of it.
This dynamic created a frantic environment when my sister ran away from home.
When I was growing up, there was a time when it felt like my entire family occupied the same apartment building—10 Manhattan Square Drive.
We lived in apartment 6A; my cousins were down the hall, my uncle and his family were on floor 2, and my great-grandma stayed in apartment 13C.
Our entire family gathered at the building's party room once a month for a game night and enjoyed potluck dinners.
My favorite memories in the building were with my great-grandma, Patricia Coleman-Jones. My sisters and I spent the night at her apartment most weekends and were never bored.
She told us about Mr. Cat, who lived on her balcony since my mom was a child. I've never seen him, but I'm pretty sure he was imaginary. She only mentioned him when we were in trouble—her way of gentle parenting.
I'll never forget when my youngest sister, Leilani, who was 4 or 5 at the time, got upset with our dad for giving cell phones to my middle sister and me. She declared she was going to run away due to the injustice. She entered her room, packed a bag, and left our apartment door.
My dad thought she was joking, so he waited a bit before looking out the door for her. When he did, to his surprise, she was gone. We called all our family that lived in the building and began a search party. The last person we called was Grandma Pat; she said Leilani had made it upstairs and thought we had sent her up.
The memories created there with my great-grandma and the rest of my family are unmatched. I hope to instill the importance of family and make similar memories with future generations.
Justice Marbury is the 19th Ward Reporter. She loves her energetic puppy, Hiro. Contact her on Instagram@justice_marbury and by email atjmarbury@gannett.com.
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