Day 355. The persistence of memory again. (21/12/13)

And after yesterday's self pity session we return once again to the subject of the subjectivity of memory.

The news channels today have included coverage of the services commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie Bombing. Obviously the shocking images from the event are seared somewhere in the back of your mind and the name has a resonance that will forever link the place to the event. But my memory is playing tricks with me on this a little.

J and I had a holiday once, years ago, somewhere in the sun. Early in our time together it seems, early enough that the holiday was one of those where you would be seated at dinner in the hotel with strangers that you'd never met; something that I've not experienced in many years.

This one night we sat with a Scottish couple roughly our own age. We made the usual small talk, nice resort isn't it? Good weather, good resort. Then the obvious well whereabouts in Liverpool are you from? Well Jeanette's from Netherton, just outside Liverpool and I'm from Fazakerley, how about you? Whereabouts in Scotland are you from?

Lockerbie.

A chilling moment, so well known, so obvious what had happened there, so recently, so fresh in the memory, small talk became pointless, wrong. The conversation petered out. We didn't see them again.

The thing is; I remember that as being one of out first holidays together, possibly our very first. I know that we went to Tenerife on our honeymoon, I know that the year before was Newquay, the year after as well (we ran out of cash in the way back up no money for food, no money for petrol, long drive back to Leeds) so I know that this must, absolutely must have been one of our first two holidays, Majorca or Minorca.

The problem here is that we visited Majorca in 1987 and Minorca in 1988; both clearly prior to the Lockerbie bombing taking place.

So what am I remembering? Something that happened later, people that actually came from somewhere else where something else terrible had happened? Am I just imagining the whole thing?

And J?

Quite notably she remembers nothing about this at all.

[On a very serious and much more important note; all thoughts to the bereaved Lockerbie families and their ongoing fight for the truth behind the loss of their loved ones as the UK, US and Libya have finally pledged to work together to seek justice. After quarter of a century]

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