Coin #1: A Nickel
"MAMA! MAMA! LOOK! LOOK!"
"Okay, Okay. Calm down. What is it honey?"
"Look at the puppies, can we get one?" The mother looked at the puppies then at her son, A sad smile spread across her face.
"Sorry, hun. You"ll have to ask papa when he gets home, Okay?" she handed the boy a nickel and pointed at the fountain. "Go make a wish, maybe that'll help." she winked at her son has he ran over to the fountain.
He closed his eyes and whispered to himself "I wish Papa could come home from the war soon so he and mama could take me to get a puppy" he smiled and threw the warn nickel in the fountain before running back to his mother.
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*KnockKnockKnock*
"Just a second!" My mother yelled as she ran to the front door, she opened it and there stood a man in a fancy military outfit.
"May I help you?" she had vary shocked expression on her face.
"Good Morning Ma'am, I'm Officer Warren Daan from The United States Army. Are you Mrs. Arwood?" The man had a letter in his hand and was a little fidgety. Two more officers walked up behind him as my mother nodded her head and motioned for them to come in.
"Sweetie," she crouched down by me "can you take your toys and play in your room? Mommy and these men need to have a grown-up talk." I nodded and took my toys to my room, but I didn't keep playing with them, I walked out into the hall and sat on the floor to listen to their conversation.
"Sorry for the wait, May I get any of you anything to drink?"
"No thank you ma'am."
"May I ask why you are here?"
The officer sighed and the other two men looked away from my mother.
"Mrs. Arwood, I am sorry to inform you, but your husband has passed. He was shot two times while we were over seas." my mother gasped and put her head in her hands, small sobs escaping her mouth. "We were able to retrieve his body, and would like to have a full service for him." the two men stepped forward and handed her a folded flag, along with my fathers dogtags. "We are very sorry for your loss. He was a good solider as well as a good man." Officer Daan placed a hand on my mothers shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before turning and leading the others out of the house.
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It has been about three months since the news arrived to my mother and I and since the funeral. My mother took her time to grieve but she has become better and now we are closer than ever. Today we went out shopping and when we passed the pet story she asked me if I wanted to adopt a puppy.
"Can we!?!"
"Of course sweetheart, but you have to take care of him." she stuck her tongue out at me while leading me into the shop.
The puppy I ended up picking out was the runt of the litter, he was a light gold color and three pounds smaller then his brothers and sisters. When we left a man sitting by building asked if he could pet him, while petting him he asked what it's name was, I thought of one right there on the spot.
"Sergeant" I looked at my mother and watched at her expression softened.
"Why do you choose that name?"
"It was my fathers rank before he had passed away" The man handed the puppy back to me and wished us a good day, my mother handed him some money, then we left to go back home.
YOU ARE READING
The Man in the Square
Short StoryA decorated war hero over 10 years ago. Now he is stuck living like many other vets around him... Homeless, without a job and sleeping on the streets. But he lives his life with a little twist, when he was no more than eight years old his father tol...
