The woman at the bakery with the confederate flag in a heart tattoo on her wrist.

She saw me looking at it and told me when she was a teen in the 90s she got into line dancing nights in her village hall. She had lots of fun nights and met a guy who she was married to for a time. “Now Americans have decided it’s racist. It’s a bit awkward”

I didn’t know what to say, so I asked if she was going to keep it. She shrugged and said it just reminded her of dancing with her friends. So I smiled, paid for my sausage roll and bag of crisps and left.

I suppose if we live long enough someone will tell us that something from our past is not okay anymore, and we have to make own decisions what to do about it. Based on her reasons I respect hers.