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“Yes, your teacher has been a good friend to me,” Cade said, as he moved to the front of the class. “You may have noticed that I walk with a slight limp. It was a lot worse when I first came home, but it’s better now.” He hesitated before he continued. “You see, not all injuries in war are visible or physical. Compared to my friends here, my physical injuries are minor. You wouldn’t have been able to see all the damage that was going on in my head, or the way I looked at the world. Two of my best friends were killed, and for a long time I regretted that I hadn’t died with them.”
For the next forty minutes each man spoke in turn, telling of their experiences. Shelley spoke last. Hope was proud of her class, proud of the attention they paid and how intently they listened to each veteran’s story. Shelley got the most questions from the female students in the class. When the bell rang, calling for the end of class and the end of the school day, not a single student got up to leave.
“Do we have to go?” Angela pleaded. “I have another question.”
“Me, too,” several others called out.
For the following thirty minutes, those who didn’t need to catch a bus remained in their seats, their curiosity and wonder apparent. They would have stayed longer if Hope hadn’t put an end to the discussion. Groans of disappointment followed.
“I’ll invite them back another time,” Hope promised.
It was obvious by the reluctant way her class got up from their desks how much they wanted to continue. Even then, they lingered in the classroom, gathering around the men and Shelley with more questions. With respect and awe. With an understanding and appreciation of what it meant to be a veteran and to sacrifice for honor and freedom.
Before Cade’s friends left, Hope personally thanked each one. She didn’t need to tell them the impact their stories, their sacrifices, had made on her U.S. History class. Until that afternoon, the teenagers had viewed Veterans Day as a holiday. A day they didn’t need to attend classes. A morning to sleep in and not worry about homework or pop quizzes. Their understanding now went much deeper, thanks to the bravery of the stories they’d heard.
Cade silently stayed behind to accompany Hope to the teachers’ parking lot. Hope could tell something was on his mind. She wondered if it’d been talking about the loss of his two closest friends.
“Cade?”
He shuffled his feet back and forth and placed his hands inside his pockets before blurting out, “I reached out to my mother.”
So that was it. She had thought he would, especially after the regret he felt when she’d sought him out. Hope carefully weighed her reaction. She didn’t want to appear overly excited, although she was, for fear the conversation didn’t go well. Nor did she want to downplay the significance of what he was telling her.
“How’d it go?”
He shrugged. “All right, I guess. I wanted to tell you earlier. I guess I probably should have.”
“It’s fine, Cade.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was doing this behind your back.”
He didn’t owe her any explanation.
“I just wasn’t sure how it would go. Naturally, I was hopeful. We talked a lot about my dad. We’ve both been angry and bitter, not that it’s done either of us any good.”
“It’s a step in the right direction.”
Cade nodded. “Mom read about what happened with Coach Simmons in the paper and was proud of the role I played. She asked about you, and I assured her we were good.” He lifted his head so he could look into her eyes. “We’re good, aren’t we?” he asked.
Hope smiled. “Very good.”
His smile broadened. “I think so, too, which brings up something else.”
“Oh?”
“Mom asked us to come to dinner on Monday. She made sure I understood that the invitation came from my father, too.”
Veterans Day. That had significance, as if his parents were telling Cade, as best they could, they were proud of the fact that he’d served his country.
He exhaled a long sigh. “I don’t know what to expect. Would you be willing to come with me?”
“Of course.”
“Not as a crutch,” he was quick to explain. “I want you with me because Mom invited you and because you mean everything to me. Any healing between me and my parents would never have happened without you.”
Hope could tell he meant every word. “I’d be honored.”
—
