To Katherine a Daughter

This is my story me, Katherine Fountain, Jon's wife, Olivia's mum. Grandparents are involved and Sabre.Granny Angel told me, "Your daughter talks to horses."Olivia was indignant, "Not any old horse, only Sabre."Why not me?The war was over but Jon, Germanophile, fluent in the language and an expert in the field had remained involved in the aftermath. Olivia was ten when he came back to us permanently, a man nursing a wounded soul after his experience of the death camps.There were good days and bad days but we would nurse him back to health – family therapy would restore his faith in humanity.But what was Olivia confiding to her beloved horse that she could not share with me? Had she too been exposed to sights she should not have seen? Was Jon making demands on her that I should have borne?This is a story of love and jealousy, of a vulnerable child and an angelic granny. It is my story of how the aftermath of awful events involves us all.