A missed opportunity

This morning I heard a radio review of the movie 'City of Life and Death' which will soon be showing locally. It reminded me of an afternoon long ago in Cape Town when I sat in our chiropractor's waiting room. (fyi, it's years since I went for this type of treatment).

There was an older woman there, and we started chatting. Soon she was sharing a life story with me, one I've always regretted not writing down afterward because it was so striking. The gist of it was that she was in Nanking when the city was attacked by the Japanese in 1939. It was the first time I ever heard of this historic invasion. She was on the sidewalk when a bomb hit, killing all the people in her vicinity except for her and a baby girl. They were both unharmed.

Her immediate reaction was one of wonder and question. Why had she been spared? It struck her that it was so she could care for the child. Which she did. Somehow or other she managed to escape, taking the baby with her... but how she did is the part I don't rememberl.

Her remarkable story has stayed with me over the years as one of destiny. What a pity I didn't write down the details at the time.