A tale of two Italy's

I hope Pea never forgets.

I remember being told this incredible story once. It's an amazing tale and well worth the read.  Here we go...

A young man named Alec, barely 17 years old, decides to drop out of high school. He has ambitions that go far beyond the walls of a classroom and while the logical thing to do is finish school, he's itching to see the world and make a name for himself.  

Not long after dropping out of school, Alec decides to leave everything behind in Canada to travel to Europe. He joins up with another group headed in that direction and in no time he finds himself in the heart of old Europe - beautiful Italy. 

Despite being surrounded by strangers, Alec manages to befriend many of his fellow travelers.  They take in the sights together, share stories from back home and find comfort in knowing that they aren't facing an unknown land alone.   

Anyone who's been to Italy knows that it's a country full of love, romance and beautiful women. While in the country, Alec and one of his new found friends meet a couple of young Italian women and despite the language barrier, they hit it off quickly. Soon after meeting, the guys decide to treat the women to a movie at the local cinema. 

When the couples arrive at the theatre, Alec heads to the back of the cinema with his date, and his friend heads to the front. Boys will be boys! 

The lights go down, the movie begins, and the boys are as happy as can be. 

Shortly after the movie begins, a terrible roar can be heard coming from outside the cinema. As the movie patrons scramble to see what the fuss is all about, a loud screeching can be heard and suddenly, the entire front half of the cinema collapses. 

Everyone in the front of the cinema, including Alec's friend and his date, are buried beneath the rubble. None of those trapped will make it out alive.   

After finding a way out of the cinema, Alec finds a safe place to leave his date and rushes to get back to his travel companions.  Upon his return, Alec advises his Captain that he is safe but that his friend was not so lucky.  The Captain then gives the group their orders and they fan out to protect the city. 

There's no rest for the weary.  This is World War II.  

It was about 8 years ago that my maternal grandfather, Alec, told me that story about how his friend died during the war.  You'd have to have known my grandfather to understand that he never spoke about his experiences in Europe and as he told me this story it was evident why; recalling that memory clearly brought him to a place he did not want to visit again.

When I asked my mother about the story, she told me she'd never heard it before.  In fact, she said her father never spoke about the war... not to her, nor to her sister and two brothers.

But he told me.  And now, many years after his death, this remains my favourite memory of him.

I remind myself of this story every November 11th.  Lest I forget.  

I may now know what I want my Pea to become, but I hope she doesn't forget.