大象传媒

Every summer holiday during the war, the family used to take a house for six weeks either in Tenby or Saundersfoot. This particular year we were staying at Saundersfoot and most of the large houses and hotels had been requisitioned by the Americans who were training for the Normandy Landings. I was about 3 years old and was being taken down to the beach in Saundersfoot by my Great Aunt Beatrice. As we were passing one of the occupied houses, there were two sentry boxes, with two young soldiers on duty. They saluted me, which seemed great fun, because I thought they looked like toy soldiers. In their American accents, one shouted 'Hello Blondie!', and the other said 'See you in 20 years time!' I said to my Aunt, 'What a silly man, why does he want to see me in 20 years time when he can see me now?' My Aunt's grip on my hand tightened.
I believe in fate. Many years later, in 1990, I'm leaning over the rail of a liner in the Caribbean, admiring a beautiful melon-coloured crescent shaped moon. I say aloud, 'Is that the moon, or is it a Christmas decoration? It is so incredible a colour'. The gentleman standing next to me says, 'Lady, that is a Caribbean moon'. I reply 'Oh, you are an American'. And he says 'Certainly not, I'm a Canadian, and I fought for you in your War'. I ask him where he had been stationed, and I know the answer before he says 'Oh, a little place in Pembrokeshire - you wouldn't have heard of it'. I enquire 'Was it Tenby or Saundersfoot?' 'Saundersfoot' is his answer. I tell him the story of the comments of the two soldiers back on that summer's day, in August 1944.
As it transpired, he was one of the soldiers in the sentry boxes.
So, we did meet, not 20 years, but almost 50 years later. Too late... OR WAS IT?

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