Carol was playing with Lincoln Logs under the dining room table. It was snowing and sleeting against the south windows. Suddenly, she heard the telephone ring, and paused in her building. Carol’s mommy Laura answered the phone that hung on the wall in a small closet at the foot of the stairway. It was call from Laura’s sister-in-law Marie. John and Marie lived several miles to the west. They were parents to Laura’s oldest nephew Eldon. Eldon was coming home from his station in Germany for a visit. There was to be a celebration supper in his honor. It would be on Saturday evening at John and Marie’s farm. Marie invited Laura, Gary and Carol to come to this special supper.
Later that night at the supper table, Carol listened while her mommy and daddy talked about this upcoming get together. She learned that John and Marie’s oldest son Eldon was serving in the United States Army. He worked at an Army hospital in Germany. Gary and Laura talked about heroes. They talked about the Army, and the men and women who helped America safeguard the freedom of the USA. Carol wasn’t sure she understood what this all meant. She kept eating and listening.
Suddenly, she realized her daddy was talking right to her.
“Carol, do you know what it means to be a hero?”
Carol was startled to be asked this question. She knew that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were heroes. Heroes did big, important things to help people. But she really didn’t understand. She shook her head.
Gary and Laura explained about soldier heroes. They talked about living in a free country and why being free was so important. They talked about the 4th of July-Independence Day-and why it was important to be thankful for the men and women soldiers who were heroes. There were many soldiers not only in America but in other countries. Gary spread out the world map on the big table and showed Carol the far away country of Germany. Eldon had sailed on a ship from America to Germany to work in a hospital for soldiers.
“All soldiers are heroes”, Daddy said in his most serious voice. “They protect our lives and our freedom to live and to farm here in Kansas. You will meet your own hero cousin Eldon this Saturday. Remember this: That man Eldon is a hero.”
Carol was curious and awestruck.
Carol had a small American flag that set on the dresser in her room. That night, she looked for a long time at that flag before she went to sleep. The next morning, she brought the American flag with her to the breakfast table. She was very careful not to let it touch the ground. She wanted to treat the flag with grave respect.
Seeing Carol with the flag, Mommy asked her as she put scrambled eggs and toast on the table for breakfast, “Are you still thinking about Eldon and heroes?”
Carol nodded. For the remainder of that day and all the days until Saturday, Carol steadily thought about Eldon and the other soldiers keeping her and her family safe on the farm in Kansas. She was trying to think of something she could do to let Eldon know she was grateful. She was outside playing on her sled when she had an idea. She knew exactly what she would do when she met her him.
Finally, Saturday evening arrived. Carol sat between Laura and Gary in the front seat of the ’58 Ford Fairlane. It was cold. The tires made a dull crunching sound as they moved through the snowy gravel to turn west onto Highway 36. Carol was holding her little flag in her mittened hand, safe inside her coat pocket. Carol felt shy and excited at the same time. She had a secret surprise she would share with Eldon. Even her mommy and her daddy did not know this. Carol could hardly wait to get to John and Marie’s farm. She would finally meet Eldon.
There were already many cars parked at John and Marie’s farmyard when Carol and her parents arrived. As they stepped from the car and up to the yard gate, the house door flew open, and there was John, waving them to come in. “Come right on in! Sure glad you could make it!”
Marie met them at the kitchen. “Go put your coats in the bedroom and then come out to the living room to see Eldon!” She turned back to stir something on the stove. Carol hoped it would be meatballs. She loved Marie’s meatballs and spaghetti. There were so many different dishes waiting on the serving tables. The aunts were some of the best cooks and bakers in America. This would be a wonderful celebration meal!
Slowly, Carol and her parents made their way through the happy, talking people into the bedroom. They laid their coats on the bed, along with the piles of coats, mittens, hats and scarves already there. Carol quickly retrieved her flag from her coat pocket. She was ready to meet Eldon.
Laura guided Carol into the living room. There, seated on a large, soft chair was Eldon.
Eldon the Hero.
Carol was surprised that she suddenly felt like crying.
Her mother Laura spoke quietly to Eldon, telling him it was so nice to see him. He stood up and shook her hand. Laura moved back nearer her sister Tillie. Carol was disappointed. Her mother had not introduced her to her hero cousin.
Taking things into her own hands, Carol walked right up to Eldon.
“Hello, Eldon. Thank you for being a hero.” She planted a little kiss on his right cheek. Then she handed him her small flag.
“Oh my! She kissed him.” Carol heard this hushed message go around the room. In her family, hugs and kisses were reserved for only special people. For this reason, Carol felt it was appropriate to kiss a hero. At the same time, she was embarrassed by the talking in the room. She backed away from Eldon into an anonymous space in the crowd of relatives.
Eldon was a bit confused by this small cousin. He put his hand to his kissed cheek, and looked at the little flag Carol had handed him. Very kindly he said to the place where she had been standing, “Why, thank you!”
All at once, Carol’s mother entered the scene. She was moving quickly. Her high heeled shoes were clicking dangerously.
“Shame on you, Carol!” Carol felt Laura grab her hand. She found herself being dragged to the bedroom. Carol was scared. She had done something very wrong.
“My land. Why would you ever do such a thing?” Laura was so angry.
Carol felt her face turn hot and red. She had made a terrible mistake. She wanted to hide. Without another word, Laura gave her a little shake. Not sure what she had done, Carol knew it was a big mistake.
It was time to pray before the meal. Holding her hand too tightly, Laura led Carol to the dining room.
Everyone gathered at the several long tables and chairs. Standing between Gary and Laura, Carol listened to the prayer of thankfulness to God for His care for everyone. There was a special thank you that Eldon was able to be with the family for this wonderful supper. Silently, Carol added her own prayer of thankfulness for the hero Eldon, and asked for forgiveness for being bad.
After the prayer, Laura plunked Carol onto a wooden chair set between Gary and Laura. She brought a small plate for Carol. There were meatballs and other good things to eat. Carol couldn’t eat. Her throat felt closed up with shame. If she did not talk and did not eat, she was sure she could keep from crying. She wasn’t going to risk adding “being a big baby” on top of her other mistakes. She sat without a word and without a bite all through the meal. Laura thought she was pouting. Everything was all wrong. Except that she was sitting right across the table from her hero cousin. That was just right.
“If you aren’t going to eat, then go along and play with your cousins.” Laura was impatient with Carol’s inexplicable behaviors this evening.
Carol never understood what grownups meant by “go play”. This was not her own house. She wasn’t sure what she would be allowed to play with. Instead of trying to figure it out, she went into the living room with the many other cousins and sat on a little round hassock. She watched the other children talking and laughing together. Her twin cousins, just six weeks younger than she, came over to the hassock. They showed her the dolls they were playing with. Joanie and Janet were very nice. They both let her hold their dolls. Carol had never seen two people who looked so much alike. Their pretty dresses were exactly alike, too. She decided she liked these twin cousins. After awhile, the twins put away their dolls and brought out a box of paper dolls. There were many paper doll dresses to choose from. Janet showed Carol how to fasten the dresses onto the dolls’ shoulders by folding over the little paper tabs. Carol and the twins played together until it was time to go home. She was having so much fun, she had forgotten about doing that wrong thing she had done.
“It’s late. We must be going.” Carol heard her mother speaking. Laura was holding Carol’s coat out to her. The twins and Carol stood up from playing. Together, the three girls carefully laid the paper dolls and paper clothes inside the big, flat box. Jonie placed the lid on the box. The three girls told each other good-bye. Carol turned to her mother, still waiting with her coat. Carol slid her arms into the coat sleeves and buttoned up the three big buttons. She put on her mittens. She had given her flag to Eldon, so her pockets were empty.
“Good-bye!” “Good-bye!” was called over the frosty night air.
As Carol went with her mommy and daddy out the door into the cold night, she turned at the doorway to see her hero cousin Eldon. He looked right at her, and raised the little flag up and waved at her. It seemed that he liked Carol’s present after all!
Daddy lifted Carol onto the front seat of the car, then climbed in behind the wheel. Mommy was still closing her door when Daddy started the engine.
“Carol Jean. What in the world was the matter with you? Why were you so naughty?” Laura was using her sternest voice and frowning.
Gary was waiting for the engine to warm up a little. He looked surprised. “What? What is going on? What did she do?”
Laura started to cry. “I am so ashamed I can hardly tell you. Carol kicked Eldon.”
When she heard this, Carol began to sob. She cried and shook her head. She could hardly talk. Her mouth felt sticky and her face burned hot again.
“I didn’t kick Eldon. I—I kissed him. On his cheek. And I gave him my little flag. I thought that would be good for a hero.”
Carol hiccupped. Her nose was running and her eyes were red and swollen.
“What!” Laura stared at Carol. “Oh honey, I am sorry! Gary, what shall I do! I am so embarrassed. I apologized to Eldon. I thought he looked confused but I didn’t know why. Oh no!” Big tears were rolling down Laura’s cheeks.
Gary turned off the car. “Oh no is right. Come on you two. Let’s get this patched up.”
He pulled Carol out with him and lifted her up. She laid her head on his shoulder. When Laura came around the back of the car, Gary put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
Together they made their way back to the friendly front door. Gary was carrying Carol. He kept his arm around Laura as they walked. People were still saying their good-byes. They quit talking when first they saw Gary looking stern; then Laura and Carol, their faces red and puffy from crying. John and Marie both came to the door.
“Oh, my goodness! What is the matter?” Marie’s voice sounded worried.
“Is somebody sick?” John asked.
“These two need to talk a minute with Eldon. There has been a misunderstanding,” Gary answered. He stood in the hallway and waited with Carol and Laura. Carol was not hiccupping so much now. The shoulder of her daddy’s overcoat where she had been crying was soaked dark with tears.
Eldon hurried into the hallway, followed by John and Marie.
“I want to apologize for my mistake. I misunderstood what was going on.” Laura spoke in a croaky voice. She kept dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I thought they said that Carol had kicked you, not kissed you. I am so sorry, Eldon.”
Eldon looked relieved. “That makes a lot more sense. Now I see why you were so upset, Aunt Laura. I surely do understand. Don’t worry about it at all.”
Then he talked to Carol, draped over Gary’s shoulder. Carol was able to see Eldon, eye to eye.
“But I do want to talk a minute to this little girl. Thank you, Cousin Carol, for bringing me your flag. And thank you for giving me a welcome home kiss. I appreciate it.”
Sniffling only a little, Carol nodded her head. She felt so much better. It was alright. She was not a bad girl, after all.
She felt very shy, but managed to say to Eldon, “Thank you for being my hero cousin.”
Eldon nodded and patted her hand. The grownups seemed to be wiping their eyes or blowing their noses on their handkerchiefs.
After shaking hands once again with everyone, Gary, Laura and Carol made their second trip to the car. When they were settled in the front seat, Gary said, “It all worked out fine. Laura, stop crying. Carol, stop crying. It was just a mistake.”
Gary drove south out onto the snowy gravel road that would meet the highway. Carol was drowsy. She leaned against Laura who was already asleep. Carol closed her eyes. She heard Gary sigh deeply.
Her eyes closed, Carol thought she heard Gary softly say, “And it will be a long time before I take either one of you two to meet any more heroes--if this is how it works…” And then she was asleep.
-For Eldon, the hero cousin
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