Have you ever had the experience when someone makes a passing comment about their past that TOTALLY surprises you? It happened tonight to me
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When I was in my early 20s, I met a man through an older great-aunt. I saw him twice at her house when she'd have dinner parties and such and invite people from her church groups. Very nice man. I knew he was in the air force but I didn't really know what war, where or if he fought, etc.
One night I heard him say something about "my love for Gay." I thought I misunderstood him and later asked my aunt if he was married to a woman named Gay. She thought for a second then said, "No. But his mom's name was Gay. That's why his plane was named that."
"His plane?"
She stared at me for the longest time then said, "Rachel, do you not know who Paul is?"
"Just...Mr. Tibbets. Who is he?"
She smiled and said, "The pilot of the Enola Gay, honey."
"THE Enola Gay?!?!?! OH MY LORD!"
All this time, sweet Mr. Tibbets, who spoke of books and travel and how he hated his garden that year, was the man who dropped the bomb.
My aunt moved to Arizona soon after and I didn't get to see him again or I would have asked to talk to him about the experience, if he was willing to talk about it.
Actually,now that I have thought about it, this story doesn't actually fit what you asked. I didn't really have conversations with this guy, mostly just listened to him talk to other people. And the news wasn't actually from him, it was from my great-aunt.
When I was in my early 20s, I met a man through an older great-aunt. I saw him twice at her house when she'd have dinner parties and such and invite people from her church groups. Very nice man. I knew he was in the air force but I didn't really know what war, where or if he fought, etc.
One night I heard him say something about "my love for Gay." I thought I misunderstood him and later asked my aunt if he was married to a woman named Gay. She thought for a second then said, "No. But his mom's name was Gay. That's why his plane was named that."
"His plane?"
She stared at me for the longest time then said, "Rachel, do you not know who Paul is?"
"Just...Mr. Tibbets. Who is he?"
She smiled and said, "The pilot of the Enola Gay, honey."
"THE Enola Gay?!?!?! OH MY LORD!"
All this time, sweet Mr. Tibbets, who spoke of books and travel and how he hated his garden that year, was the man who dropped the bomb.
My aunt moved to Arizona soon after and I didn't get to see him again or I would have asked to talk to him about the experience, if he was willing to talk about it.
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But, still a "Oh! I had no idea" moment.
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