Would you like to know some trivia?

That is how all of this started. The photographs. The tea. An old woman turns to me on the bus and asks, would you like to know some trivia?

So I said, Of course I would like to know some trivia.

Well, she said, when I was a young girl… Do you know the stables back that way?

Yes of course they give pony rides for children on Sundays.

Well when I was a young girl in high school, my girlfriends and I would go horseback riding from that stable. And, do you know the buildings that are back up in the forest preserve that way?

No. I did not know there were buildings in the forest preserve.

Yes, well when I was a young girl it was a POW camp and there were all these young beautiful German boys in the camp. It was a work camp and so they were strong and handsome. And, well, my girlfriends and I would ride our horses over to the camp and blow them kisses.

Why did she tell me this story… this bit of trivia? Actually, that’s what started all of this. I can’t understand why she told me this story. Was it just chance? Did I remind her of something? Did she somehow know? Did I remind her of a German prisoner of war? A German soldier?

Do I remind you of a German soldier?

Above Image: "World War Two German POWs in the United States" Photograph source unknown.