The meeting was over. Mark stood up and said, “I like your sign,” pointing behind me. I turned around to see the CHOOSE PEACE poster that I had picked up at a peace vigil.
I was surprised by Mark’s comment, surprised that he would resonate with that sentiment, as he didn’t seem “the type.” Because I so often face ridicule for my anti-war stance, I said nothing, waiting for the “But……”
“I’ve got a son in Iraq,” he continued softly. “And another whose unit is being reactivated. I’m all for peace.”
“So am I,” I responded. “I’ll keep working for peace to keep your sons safe.”
“Thank you,” said Mark, as he left my office. “Please do.”
Mark unexpectedly died a few years later. I sent this story to his widow, hoping his sons had survived to read it also.
©Patricia Nugent
Journal Stories 