Martha and James Brighten where perusing the newly built Sears, Roebuck & Company that had opened up nearby. The department store had been open for just over a month now, but it was the first time the old married couple had gone inside. It was all so new to them as the quietly walked around on the white tile floor, exploring.
The store had a little bit of everything, all of it new and all of it exciting to look at. Everything had it’s own section in the store. Clothing, Kitchenware, Lawn and Garden, and Appliances.
Both James and Martha stopped first in the appliances section where they inspected the washer and dryers. The salesman in that department spent a good half hour with james, answering every single question he had. Then he spent another twenty minutes with him talking about refrigerators.
Eventually the old couple made their way through the whole store, stopping in every department along the way. From Appliances they strolled over to Lawn and Garden, from Lawn and Garden they walked through Clothing, and from Clothing, they made their way through Kitchenware.
Just as they were turning out of kitchenware to head out through the exit, Martha saw something out of the corner of her eye and she stopped. Her arm had been looped around James’ and he was forced to stopped too as he felt a pull. James turned and saw that his wife’s gaze was fixed on a small toy section that he didn’t recall seeing earlier.
“Do you see it, James?”
“What? Toys?”
“Yeah, but do you see it?” She ask, patting his arm.
“Well, I guess I don’t, Martha.”
Martha let her arm fall from James’ and walked over to the toy section like someone in a trance. James followed behind letting his wife guide the way. Martha walked right up to a been filled with stuffed animals. She extended her arms out and plucked a small light brown bear from the very top.
The face of the stuffed animal gave it away as a bear, but there was something almost human about it. He was posed sitting upright, his paws and snout were a lighter color brown than the rest of his body. On his face he had two brown glass eyes with black centers and a black glass nose which was a rounded triangular shape.
James walked up behind Martha and placed his hand on her back.
“Oh James, isn’t he lovely?” She smiled.
“He looks like quite the proud bear.” James said. “But I don’t understand why you think we need a stuffed bear.”
“It’s not for us, James.” she said looking up at her husband. “ It’s for our Emily, for our granddaughter.” she smiled, turning her attention back to the bear.
“Oooh.” he said, with a sound of realization.
“I think he will do a wonderful job keeping her safe.” She said.
James looked at Martha, then over to the bear, then across to the bin. It was filled will all manner of stuffed animals from cats to giraffes. No two were alike and James was somewhat impressed that Martha had pulled this particular bear from the bin. It was, he thought, one of the better looking stuff animal of the bunch. Finally, after thinking it over for a moment inside himself, he said, “He’s a fine looking bear, Martha.”
“He is, isn’t He.” She said again, still smiling.
And with a silent agreement made, the old couple found a clerk and payed for the stuffed bear before exiting the department store and driving away.
A few days later while James and Martha were visiting their granddaughter, Martha gave her the bear, placing him next to her inside the crib. Emily, who was not yet old enough to crawl, hugged the stuffed bear as if to say thank you, I have been looking all over for him. Martha and James smiled and kissed their granddaughter’s brow before leaving.
