Lev Shlyakhter: Toys

It appears that you didn’t have any toys in your childhood? Did you have your personal toys?

Toys?

Yes. Such toys as children are given nowadays: cars, teddy bears.

(Laughing).

Weren’t there any toys?

No, we didn’t have toys at home. If one made something, then he had a toy. We used to make toy boats and sailed them on the river, with a sail cloth.

Weren’t there any cars, anything?

Nooo! What cars! Well, for example, my aunt had her own boat with oars.

And what about a bike?

They had two children. Her elder son was three or four years younger, he was 28. He was three years younger than me. He was a bit lazy. But father loved him. He exploited me more. So in spring they usually calked the boat. «Lyovka, come to help or I won’t lend it to you anymore!» Everything was set up: if you helped he would lend it, if you didn’t help he wouldn’t lend it.

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Researcher: Natalja Ivashchanka, Sviatlana Silava, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno