《At The Lions Gate》Chapter 10

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A father’s death can leave a life-long scar, a wound, a hole in a young boy’s life, one that only time can heal. For Josh, the months passed slowly after his father’s death. He lost interest in school, in football, in most everything. His mother sat alone for hours in the apartment, looking out the window, seldom speaking. At school he remained distant from most of his classmates except Vinny, until one day Bridget Harris walked over to the bench where Josh was seated eating his lunch.

“May I join you?” She sat down beside him and opened her lunch container. “The guys miss not having you on the team this year.”

“There are more important things to do than playing football.”

“I’m sorry about your dad, Josh. I know you two were really close.”

“Yeah, we were close.”

“I hope you aren’t going to follow in his footsteps…I mean, to become a policeman.”

Josh glanced sharply at the girl. “What’s wrong with being a policeman?”

She recoiled at the harsh tone in his voice. “I don’t…I mean…how he died…I didn’t think you’d want to carry a gun every day. It’s so dangerous.”

“He protected people.”

“Yes, he did.”

Josh looked more closely at Bridget. Her long blond hair was draped around her shoulders, her blue eyes appeared to sparkle in the sunshine. Her cute, upturned nose made her look like a Barbie doll.

“Where’s Jonesey?”

“Who?”

“Dan Jones, your boyfriend.”

“Oh, he found a new girl, Jocelyn Shoresman. She’s in the choir with Dan.”

“You two weren’t that serious?”

“For a while, but we didn’t really have that much in common.”

Josh and Bridget saw each other often after that. They went for long walks along the beach, talking about school, their dreams, their plans for the future. When they were together Josh could relax; he liked the girl, and he knew that Bridget liked him. She filled a hole in Josh’s life; he left football behind that year, did some sketching instead, and for a while the memory of his father’s death no longer consumed him.

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But the future, for them and for the country, remained uncertain. The war in Europe had spread across the continent. By 1941 Germany had occupied most of central and western Europe and threatened to do the same to England. Then came Pearl Harbor.

Josh and his mother gathered round their radio in the kitchen to hear President Roosevelt tell the country that the Japanese air force had attacked the Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

“They attacked from the air,” commented Josh. “I’d do the same to them, and to the Germans.”

His mother saw the look of anger, the look of determination on Josh’s face as he listened intently to the President, leaning forward in his chair, his ear pressed against the radio.

“Josh, you’re eighteen. You could be drafted to fight in this war. We lost your father; I don’t want to lose you too.”

Josh looked up from the radio. “You won’t lose me.”

“But if they want you to go you have to…unless you want to go on your own.”

“You mean volunteer?”

“Yes.”

“No mom…I can’t leave you here alone.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about me, Josh. I have friends, women from the church. I’ll be all right.”

“They pay wages to the pilots. If I go, I promise to send the money home.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a good boy, Josh. Your father would be proud.”

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