Forgiveness in War

“RING” Came the sound of the school bell from the top of the gym; it was that bell that let everyone know it was time to go home. Kyle Jones had heard that same bell for nine years. Kyle now just turning nineteen having all the features of a handsome, sandy haired blue eye young man as he turned down the hallway towards the front door and the parking lot where his beat grey mustang sit there. “Night under the stars” Proclaimed the school posters, advertising the senior prom that he had seen all over school, it was his senior year at Kaimer High school named after the man who established the first school in the town. He sighed and tried to keep his pace up against the on coming traffic as each student freshman or senior was trying to get out of their in a hurry. “Finally” He thought as he reached out and grabbed the bar to the parking lot exit. He opened the door and took a deep breath of the cold November air. As he headed to his car he looked over towards the football feild, where his best friend was finishing practice.

Joshua Cromwell bent over at the running-back position wait on the snap count

“BLUE 88! RED 79!” Shouted Steven Kingsley the quarterback, “HUT, HUT… HIKE!” Heads slammed as both lines collided quickly. Steven turned to Joshua who had already started moving toward the left side to take the hand off the coach said to run. Joshua opened his hands and grabbed the ball as Steven pushed it into his chest, Joshua watching everyone around him as his blockers gave him a hole he drove through it. Legs churning as he poured over an unsuspecting linemen and continuing his consumption of yards on the field. Until the stocky safety Alex Yang came from behind and jumped on his back as they both stumbled to the one-yard line.

“No!” Shouted Coach Grobly, “No, No, No! Why the hell is it that no one can stop the runner on that play?” he asked rhetorically as every defensive player looked at his toes trying not to make eye contact with their angry coach. “I mean Johnston he ran right over you. You just looked up and there he was what was that?” he continued rhetorically. “Defense you just doesn’t seem to get it! The Championship game is tomorrow and you guy’s are still unable to stop the run.” He shouted at the team as he threw his school hat in the muddy field. “Alright,” coach Grobly shouted, “Another play up the gut, we’ll be out here all night if it doesn’t get stopped!” He turned to some linemen who were standing off waiting for him to make use of them. “You four go in for Johnston, Carle, Cunningham and Foreman.” Then he pointed to the tackle machine and said, “And you four who have been relieved can go over there and show me what real pushing is! After this play the rest of the offense can go hit the showers while the defense can stay and show me the other one –hundred percent that they haven’t given me yet!” He barked at the team. Joshua stood under the shower as the warm water poured down his aching body,

“What am I going to get Kyle for his birthday?” he thought to himself as Steven Kingsley the tall, cocky red head who never really grew out of his freckles but would always call them battle scars because of how much he hated them.

“So Cromwell” he jeered, “You had a god practice out there.”

“Yeah” Joshua replied, “What’s it to ya!”

“Oh …” Steven continued, “No reason couldn’t help seeing how much the coach was in love with how you were playing today.”

“Well,” Joshua responded in a calm and quite manner as he turned the water to his shower off, “I try to give one-hundred percent no matter what the circumstances.”

“Yeah… well…” Steven fumbled through his word trying to find real stinger as he washed himself off, “Just don’t expect to be number one forever. One day someone is going to out do you. And that someone is me” he said in a firm manner as he hit himself in the chest with his fist. Joshua rolled his eyes trying not to turn and knock Steven’s cocky attitude from here to Hong Kong where it belonged. Joshua continued down the hall toward the locker rooms where he kept muddling over what to get his best friend for his birthday. As he opened his locker and reached for his underwear a wonderful idea hit almost instantly.

“One Big Foot and a side of chili?” Kyle asked a customer

“That’s right.” The out of Towner replied.

“Alright it will be about ten-minutes.” Kyle said with a smile.

“Thanks” the dark haired man who was probably in his fifties Kyle thought as he left the table.

“Here’s your tip from table six.” Said the owner’s son who worked there as a bus boy.

“Thanks.” Kyle said with a smile. “Hey George,” He shouted over the sound of a busy kitchen at Joe Shmoe’s the local diner in town. “One Big foot and a heartburn!” he said as he laughed at the irony of what he just said. He sat down for a quick minute because things were a lo slower today than a lot of other days. He got up to go grab a tray for one of the tables he was working He glances up to the TV to hear a news reporter say,

“We will return you to your regularly scheduled program … But now we are gong to take you to Washington D.C. where the President has just declared War on the European Terrorists and calls them to step up and accept the swift justice that will come to them…”

“We as a Nation must come together and combat this new threat as soon as Possible,” Came the booming voice of the President of the United States, “ This sect that calls themselves “Hitler’s children” they will soon discover the fate of their so called father. I call all those who stood against Hitler and his beliefs before to stand with us against is “Children” as the time for us as a nation to eliminate all forms of anti-Semitism in our nation and through out the world. This act of violence and the men who caused this tragedy have been caught and will be punished for their actions as swiftly as they carried out their evil deed.” Applause followed the ending of the president’s speech both on the television screen and in the small diner. Kyle finished serving the family that he had just gotten their meals for earlier, and as he began to bring the dark haired stranger his meal his head began to fill with questions.

“Her you go, sir” Kyle said as he faked a smile to the stranger.

“You’re wondering why we’re going to war Huh? The stranger asked with a sly grin seeing how curious Kyle looked.

“You know what is going on?” Kyle asked the man.

“Course.” He said as he pulled his plate close to him and set his napkin on his lap. “But I’m guessing that you’re still on the clock and I would love to finish my meal before I tell a story.” The man reached for his spoon and began to eat his chili as Kyle turned towards some other customers and helped as he thought to himself,

“I better finish my work fast, but I guess it’s a good thing I’m getting off in eight minutes.” He started towards the kitchen when his boss Mr. Bentley the owner of Joe’s Shmoe’s.

“Kyle what are you still doing here I told you to go home.” Mr. Bentley demanded.

“Well, I wanted to work.” Kyle answered his boss sheepishly.

“It’s your birthday kid. Go home and celebrate it.” His boss commanded his employee.

“Alright… Alright.” Kyle relented as he took off his apron and turned to see that the stranger had finished his meal and was sipping his water. The stranger saw Kyle looking at him and acknowledged him and motioned him to come take a seat with his glass, nearly spilling it on himself. Kyle flashed a smile and tossed his apron towards his boss.

“Hey!!!” shouted Mr. Bentley as he caught the apron then paused and rolled his eyes and returned the apron to its place and went back to his office shaking his head.

“So what’s going on?” Kyle asked eagerly.

“Well, really interested in current events aren’t we.” The man said with a chuckle, “Ok,” he continued, “You know what Anti-Semitism is?”

“Yeah, it means anti-Jewish, right? Kyle replied quickly.

“Exactly right.” The man answered the extremely interested boy, “Now there are many Jewish people in America. Also there are churches for their religion in many different states. But one thing that we as a country didn’t expect is that almost everyone of those churches would be blown to kingdom come.”

“What?” Kyle asked in astonishment.

“Yep,” the man said, “These “Hitler Children” are very well informed and they have a lot of American operatives here.” He paused to take a drink from his glass. “Well, they did what they set out to do. They destroyed fifteen Jewish churches around America killing almost one hundred thousand deaths. We caught three of them one was a woman and they all three killed themselves in their respective jail cells. That’s when the news channels all over the states started playing this tape that told the world to eliminate the Jewish people and their supporters or their would be devastation like this everywhere. Thus here we are going to war over the same thing we went to war over ninety three years ago.”

“Wow” Kyle said as he ran his hands through his hair.

“Yeah, long time since we’ve had to deal with this problem.” The stranger continued, “Thought that we had finished that battle and resolved the issues at home as well… but we were wrong” he paused and looked up at the TV as the newscast ran the names of the people that had died, “VERY WRONG!” he said with a heavy grief.

“Well, maybe we’ll do a better job this tie around, huh?” Kyle said trying to sound optimistic about the situation.

“Son, their will always be some threat whether terrorist or not there will always bee a threat…” The stranger said as he shook his head at Kyle ignorance. “On us or any other part of the world. These kind of people don’t ever learn from their predecessor before them.” The dark haired man stood to his feet and finished by adding, “They always find some reason to fight, some reason to end an innocent person’s life…” the man’s voice drifted off as he grabbed his coat and turned to leave. Joshua bumped into the stranger and apologized as he held the door open for the man, he then turned to his friend.

“Hey!!!” he called out to Kyle who was in somewhat of a trance then suddenly jumped as if he had been in another galaxy.

“Oh… hey” Kyle said back to his really eager friend.

“Happy birthday dude!” Joshua said with big grin and a pat on his friends back. “Alright…” he said with confidence, “I don’t fully understand your obsession with this team but…” he paused as he looked for a hint of excitement from his friend but failed to see any, in fact, Josh almost thought that his best friend was ignoring him. “ Hey,” he said as he waved his hand in front of Kyle’s face.

‘Oh, man…I’m sorry I was thinking about what happened today.” Kyle said in an apologetic manner.

“Oh the bombings and us going to war you mean.” Josh said, “I heard the news on the radio while I was driving over here.”

“Pretty crazy, huh?” Kyle said as he motioned toward the TV where the views station was showing video of the bombings from all over the country.

“Yeah…” Joshua paused thinking how he was going to get his friend out of this thought process and back to reality where he could give his friend his gift.

“Well, how about we celebrate a birthday and get back to the discussion of war later.” He said.

“Alright.” Kyle replied in a lighter tone as if really interested in what was going on in the moment. Joshua pulled out a gift bag and handed it to his friend,

“Now like I was saying earlier I don’t understand your obsession with this team but, I was able to get the official baseball cap for the Minnesota Twinkies.”

“No way!” Kyle shouted.

“Yep, I even was able to get your favorite player to send you an autographed poster.” Josh continued.

“You mean you got Kirby Puckett to sign a poster and he sent it to my house?” Kyle nearly shouted out loud.

“Absolutely!” Joshua said with a smile as he watched his best friend take out the hat and put it on.

“Kyle I know your probably worried about how the war is going to affect this town and what it might do to you and me. But don’t it will all work itself out and we’ll still be best friends and we will always live right across the street from each other.” Joshua said with confidence as he walked with Kyle out to their cars.