Tracie Peterson by Tidings of Peace

bells on the inside handle. The melodic sound caused theother customers to look up as David and Rachel entered the store. David thought the sound rather pleasant and festive—maybe there was something to this holiday celebration.
    “Why, hello, Rachel,” a kindly matron declared. “I see you’ve brought us the war hero.”
    David cringed inwardly but remained stoic. Rachel appeared undaunted. “We’ve come to shop for Christmas, Mrs. Simpson.”
    The woman smiled. “Wonderful! I’m so glad. How are you, Mr. Cohen? I doubt you remember me, but I was at the church fellowship after the play.”
    David nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
    “Well, let me show you around. What did you have in mind for gifts?”
    “Do you have boxes of candy?” he asked, remembering Rachel’s suggestion for her mother.
    “We have some very nice boxes. A little pricey, but the contents are heavenly.”
    David thought of the money he’d managed to put together. He’d brought every cent with him. “Let’s see them.”
    He busied himself with the selections, settling on candy for Ruth, a copy of David Copperfield for Helen, a plaid wool muffler for Grandpa Bennett, and a special just-in-from-Seattle set of wrapped cheeses for Marion.
    “While you finish up with Mrs. Simpson,” Rachel told him, “I’m going to run next door. I need to talk to the Vandercamps about the greenhouse.” She bit her lip momentarily. David sensed her discomfort at having mentioned the Akimotos’ livelihood.
    “Oh, Rachel, tell your mama to bring me by a couple more poinsettias. Those other two pots sold so quickly it took my breath away.”
    “I’ll tell her,” Rachel replied. She flashed David an apologetic look, then added, “I’ll be right back.”
    As soon as the bells had jingled in declaration of her departure, David turned conspiratorially to Mrs. Simpson. He felt his pulse pick up a bit. Nervously he shifted from one foot to the other. “What should I get Rachel for Christmas?”
    Mrs. Simpson smiled, reached on the back shelf behind the counter, and grabbed a small bottle of perfume. “She’s always admired this scent. I know she’d love it.”
    David nodded. “I’ll take it too.”
    He paid for the purchases and waited while Mrs. Simpson sacked them in such a way that they would remain hidden from view. “Thank you,” he said, taking the sack in his good arm.
    “You come anytime, Mr. Cohen. We’re mighty glad to have you here. Mrs. Bennett told us what a good friend you were to Kenny. He was one of a kind.”
    “He sure was,” David agreed.
    He managed the door without spilling the sack out onto the floor, then waited outside for Rachel. He noticed the hardware store next door and figured that was where Rachel had gone, but he wasn’t in a hurry to rejoin her. Sitting down on a bench outside the Simpsons’ shop, David struggled with his thoughts.
    A lifetime of anger and bitterness seemed to come up against a new and most curious roadblock: love. Ruth Bennett had shown him such loving compassion, as had the others. Her love disarmed his anger and made him feel almost silly for his bitter thoughts. Ruth had lost her only son, yet she felt confident that God was still worth worshiping and honoring. Not only that, but she felt that there was no good reason for assessing blame and punishment. She wanted the war ended before other mothers’ sons were killed. She had told him that all sides stood to lose their hope for a productive tomorrow as they killed off the children of today.
    He then thought of the Akimotos and their bond to the Bennett family. He could remember Kenny talking about his friend Willie, but he’d never heard a last name associated with the first. David had never even guessed that Willie might be of a Japanese lineage. It had never been an issue.
    The longer David sat and thought about it, the more he had to face the truth. He wasn’t nearly so mad at the act of war dealt Pearl Harbor. They had known it was a