Maid’s Daughter Helped an Old Man Every Day — Until a General Walked In With 5 Military Officers
Chapter 9
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Emma wasn't looking at her mother. She wasn't thinking about the impossible numbers. Her eyes were fixed on the dark green metal box on the floor:E. Carter.She traced the stenciled letters. It was a name, but it felt like a mirror."My great-grandfather," she said, her voice full of wonder. "He knew him.""They were more than friends," the general said. He crouched down, a movement surprisingly graceful for such a large man. He tapped the heavy latch on the footlocker. "May I?"Emma nodded. The general worked the latch. It was stiff, but it finally sprang open with a loud clack. A smell wafted out: the smell of old canvas, old metal, and something faint and dry, like old paper.Mary moved closer, her own shock momentarily forgotten, her curiosity pulling her in.Inside, things were packed with military neatness. On top was a thick wool blanket; it was dark green. Emma touched it; it was rough, not soft. Beneath it, a small dark blue velvet box.General Sinclair lifted it out. "Hank told me about this." He opened it. Inside, on a bed of faded white satin, was a medal: a star hanging from a blue ribbon."The Medal of Honor," the general said, his voice heavy with respect. "It was Elias's. He was awarded it after he died, for the action that saved Hank's life. Hank kept it for him. He said he was just holding it until he found his family."He handed the box to Emma. It was heavy."My great-grandfather... was a hero," Emma whispered. The story she had heard her whole life was not just a story; it was real."The very definition of one," Sinclair agreed.Mary was crying, but this time, the tears were not for herself: they were for a man she had never met, a man whose picture hung on her wall.Beneath where the medal had been, there were two items left. The first was a small, leather-bound book; it was worn at the edges, its cover soft with age. The second was a small, heavy, brass-colored coin.Emma picked it up. It had an eagle on one side and some kind of emblem on the other."Mr. Hank gave me one," Emma said, her hand flying to her pocket. She pulled out the coin he had given her in the hospital. It was not the same, but it was similar. "He said it was junk.""That," the general said, a small smile touching his lips, "is a division challenge coin. It's not junk. Soldiers carry them. They're a symbol; they prove you were part of the unit. You show that coin in a room of old soldiers, and you are family. He gave you his." He pointed to the one in the box. "That one was Elias's. Now you have both."Emma held one in each hand. They felt important.Finally, she picked up the leather-bound book: a journal. She opened the cover. The first page was written in beautiful, old-fashioned cursive:September 4th, 1944. Still raining. I hope we move out soon. I have a feeling this is it.