Backstory 1

Trebor Hall grew up in a traditional Irish Catholic family. Lots of Sunday family dinners after eleven o’clock Mass, fish on Fridays. And strictness enforced by the hand and the belt. One know deviating the proscribed path had consequences. Like the Jewish families in his Brooklyn neighborhood there was expectation of achievement for the children born of first generation of immigrants, especially the eldest. Something he and his best friend Josh would bond over competing in high school for the top honors expected for future lawyers or doctors. The only two professions that seemed acceptable to both their striving parents. Trebor the oldest of five all rambunctious boys except the final surprise of a baby girl his little sister Anne (Fiona was the first name choice but not considered sufficiently American for his assimilationist parents.) Trebor’s friend Josh (English short for Joshua of course) also comes from an assimilationist obsessed family from Lebanon. Josh’s family were secular Jews, but like some Irish, culturally Jewish, not much for temple just the high holidays. Trebor and Josh were typical high schoolers studying together, horsing around, and training stories about the mysterious world of girls, now that they were feeling the stirrings of wanting something different than than pulling their pony tails. Joh’s family was very liberal , especially compared to Trebor’s strict Irish family, so he was the source of some knowledge of the forbidden area of sex, especially with three older sisters Josh knew more about girls. Trebor had a crush on Josh’s middle older sister Hannah, five years older than Josh when would baby sit for his mother. Hannah thought Josh’s little friend was cute, and Josh felt something latently undefined stirring inside him around Josh’s buxom older sister, who was unlike the many skinny Irish girls at St. John’s, his local parish.

For Trebor the whole notion of girls and sex was fraught with such mixed and complicated feelings from his family experiences. Especially the shocking experiences he had visiting his Aunt Clara and her twin daughters in Clonakilty, County Cork Ireland for the summer, which left some formative marks on Trebor, especially on his psyche.

Josh and Trebor navigated high school without much incident. Both boys were pushed hard to succeed by their families and brought home academic honors, and did well in the obligatory NY State Regent’s exam and SAT. Trebor had his first kiss with one of his few dates Junior year, Josh more a confidentLady’s man” ever tried to be Trebor’s wing man. Though Josh having dated more was “more experienced”, both boys were so busy with academic achievements they were both virgins as they received their college acceptances, Josh to Fordham Pre Law, and Trebor to Brooklyn College’s pre med program, the only one Trebor’s family could afford. Attending there carried a full scholarship and he could live at home and be a day student. It was similar for Josh but his family managed to make the extra cost of the more prestigious institution work, despite the generous scholarships Josh received.

It was a blur with all the work, but some laughs over beers at a local pub on Saturdays became the escape valve most Saturday nights. And in the fall of Junior year one of those Saturday outing held a turning point in Trebor’s life.

He serendipitously met the girl who would not only become a friend and central to Trebor’s future life, but the one who would introduce him to his future bride, a feisty Swedish girl named Elsa.