... and nothing but the truth

Remembering Gloria

Remembering Gloria

My first child, a son, was born in 1979. He was a lovely baby. The Paediatrician at the hospital where he was born told me that he had been well nourished in the womb. I felt proud of myself. She also said he was handsome. He was. Very.

My second child, a daughter, was born in 1982. She was equally as lovely, I could hardly keep my eyes off of her. I remember taking my son to Play School which was in a building in the local park, or rather a playing field. It still is a lovely open space with two football pitches and a little enclosed area as a playground for little ones, with swings, slider, climbing frame etc. It is high up and there is a lovely view of the surrounding area.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had collected my son from his Play School and we were walking along the path towards the playground. My baby daughter, just four weeks old lay in her pram sleeping. I must say here, that this was unusual, she cried for a whole six months during the day, not the night, thankfully! Even rocking her in the pram did not stop her crying. As soon as she was six month's old and sat up, the crying stopped. I think now that she had gastric reflux which was later diagnosed when she was older. It is most common in babies, I was told.

A strikingly beautiful young woman, who looked like a model, walked beside me along the path.  Her two boys, also collected from Play School, walked beside her. She looked into my pram and said "Isn't she gorgeous? How old is she?" I told her and she said "I would have liked a daughter, but I've got two boys and that's enough."

Her boys were very handsome, dark hair and eyes and olive skin. I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them.  I remarked at their good looks. They were also nice, quiet boys unlike some of the unruly types to be found in every Play School, disrupting others and making a nuisance of themselves.

The years passed and the children left Play School and went to Primary School.  I never saw the young woman again. I later found out that her name was Gloria.  She was South American and she had taken her boys there to visit family. The plane they were travelling on crashed and she and her boys were killed. Her body was never found. There were no survivors and as the crash happened on the journey out to South America, they didn't even get their holiday.  A plaque was placed in the local Primary School where they went as a memorial to them.

I can't imagine how awful this was for her husband, who lived locally, losing his family like this.

I shall never forget how horrified I felt when I learnt of this awful accident and I shall never forget our encounter in the park when I met her and her beautiful boys.

May 2019