Adette and Arno

Adette was the child of her father's autumn. A native of Dresden he had fought as a common soldier in the war. He never forgave the allies for their occupation of Germany. He taught his daughter that it was utterly unjust and when she came to study in England she told the other students. She was so angry. I couldn't say anything. The war was something my grandparents dealt with and was history to me. I didn't want to get emotional about it. One day she went too far and our Greek friend snapped.

"My great uncle had to walk across Greece with no boots because of the Germans! Everyone suffered."

I don't remember Adette's reply.

Years later my friend Arno told me that his father had a British first name.

"His father was in the first world war and captured by the British. He liked the guards in the camp so he gave his son a British name."