What a beautiful story. My mother has a similar aversion to black riding boots, since she spent 4 years in a basement in Holland. She spent YEARS seeing the German boots at eye height as a young girl.
How lovely that the connection people make STAYS WITH US. They can be shared and the feelings somehow DO reverberate and echo always.
Tony's parents sound amazing and remind me somewhat of mine - they also met in a resettlement housing area in Holland after the war (my father a white Indonesian interned by the Japanese). And yes, like Tony's family they emigrated to give us a better life in Australia.
How strong are symbols right? That the sight of something like the Mao cap can evoke horror. Funnily enough here in Thailand, they have to have public announcements explaining to people that dressing for Halloween as Hitler is bad taste for ex-servicemen - Thai people simply have no connection or interest in WW2, having had no active role other than to create a Treaty of Passage for the Japanese.
Life is rich and fascinating and I'm glad Tony learned how to play and became a good defensive lineman. 😍
!ENGAGE 25