The Wolf and The Moon Ch. 02

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As we gathered in front of the Public Library, I noticed that the awning over the door was covered with a tarp. The Public Safety Complex stopped their tours momentarily, and an increasingly large crowd gathered at the Library.

The Mayor, Head Librarian, and the High School principal came around to the doors. And then from inside stepped the United States Army Chief of Staff, General Alexander McFarland.

The principal talked about Mildred, who was Sergeant Wilkins's sister, telling us of her over four decades of schoolteaching, her charity works with her late husband, and her volunteering of her time at the Library. Then they asked me, Your Iron Crowbar, to come up and tell how Mildred had helped me and Jack Muscone by telling us Teresa's story (Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Story'), and I did. I also mentioned my sadness that Mildred had died before her time, and before my most recent visit here.

I don't know why, but I was asked to help pull the tarp down. Along with the head librarian, I did so. The sign we uncovered read 'WILKINS MEMORIAL LIBRARY'. They were naming the Library after the brother and sister.

Then General McFarland said "As some of you know, Sergeant Wilkins was from this town, and Mildred was his sister. We were recently asked to review the circumstances of his last mission and his death. And I am pleased to say that Sergeant Wilkins was recommended for a very special award. Attention to orders!"

Everyone in uniform came to attention, including us Police Officers, whether through training, habit, or instinct. General McFarland read the citation, which ended with the words "...Wilkins is awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross!"

Everyone applauded strongly for some moments. Then Carole tugged my hand and nudged her head at the group of Green Berets. One of them was crying unabashedly. It was the man whose grandson was with him. Carole moved away from me, and went up to him and asked "What's wrong, sir?"

"It should have been me. I should have died, not him," the old man wailed. I could sense some long-held-back anguish coming up to the surface and out of him.

He then said "I was the radioman on that mission. He took my radio and made the call himself. The Charlie's shot him while he was calling the 173d in. It should have been me making that call, not him---"

"No sir, it couldn't have been." Carole said loudly enough for all of us nearby to hear. "Don't you see? You didn't know the radio frequency. He did. And it was what it was. It happened like the Universe meant it to. Besides, you had to come home so your grandson could be born. He's going to do something great one day."

The old man tried to regain his composure as his comrades said words confirming Carole's. "You're right, young lady." he said. "Thank you. So what great things will my grandson do?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure I can talk about it." Carole said. "It's Green Beret stuff. Secret stuff."

"That's exactly right, Carole." Laura said harshly. "You should not say another word. At all."

"I'm sorry." Carole said to the soldiers. "I was only trying to help."

"Don't be sorry." said the old man. "You helped very much."

The head librarian said "We're going to have the military personnel and Police Officers come in to see the display, and everyone else can sign up for a time to come in and see it after lunch."

As we got into the line, Laura whispered angrily: "I'm going to take Carole aside. I cannot believe how rude she was---"

"No," I said coldly, looking my wife square in the eye. "She's staying with me for the time being. You're too angry right now. I'll handle her."

Laura's look at me was as angry a look as she'd ever given me. "You do that, then!" she hissed, then turned and stalked off. I watched her go over to Paulina and Tasha.

I was watching them, and did not notice the old man in khaki pants, white shirt, red sweater, and a plaid golf/beanie hat like the late Payne Stewart used to wear while playing golf. He came up to Carole and saluted. She returned the salute, then asked "Why are you saluting me, sir?"

He replied "I'm not a 'sir', I'm a sergeant. And Army Sergeants salute Army Officers."

Carole said "Thank you for helping my daddy and Aunt Treesa."

"It was my duty, and also my pleasure." the man said. "Now it's your turn, to fulfill your destiny, and your Greatness."

I became aware of what I was hearing. I turned back to make sure Carole was next to me, and I saw him as he began walking away. He turned and winked at me, and then disappeared behind a group of people. I did not try to follow him, and I couldn't have if I wanted to, since the group was surrounding us and we were being ushered into the Library.

I said to Carole "Who was that?"

"That was Sergeant Wilkins, Daddy." Carole said. "Didn't you recognize him?"

Yes, I'd recognized him. He was the man who'd spoken to me and then disappeared into a bathroom he somehow was spirited out of (Author's note: 'Secrets of Apple Grove', Ch. 03), and he was the man I'd dreamed I'd talked to when we were last here. (Author's note: 'Centuries', Ch. 02.).

But why was he saluting Carole? I asked myself. I didn't have time to contemplate; I put that into a compartment of the mind as we were ushered into the Library...

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When one went inside the Library, the desk was along the left wall, which also had the offices, a reading room, then the door to the restrooms and audiovisual rooms, where Cindy and Tim Jenkins had copied the videotapes of Teresa's race. (Author's note: 'Home For The Holidays', Ch. 01-02.)

To the left of the door as one looked at it from inside the large room was a plaque, with the faces of Sergeant Wilkins and Mildred in bronze relief against a black background. Words underneath told their stories. And to the sides of the plaque were half-finished drawings/paintings of them. Sergeant Wilkins was wearing a Green Beret. Mildred's showed her a little older; perhaps it had been taken from a school yearbook.

"Those look suspiciously like Marie Steele works." I said.

"That's because they -are- my paintings." said Marie Steele, who was standing next to Carole.

"Not much gets past you, Don." said Stephanie Steele. Then she said quietly "Your nephew Todd commissioned them. He paid Marie $200 for them, which we promptly put into the bank account we opened for her." I just nodded.

Other photos of the Wilkinses as youngsters and her over the years also hung on the walls. And underneath the plaque and paintings was a wooden cabinet with glass windows on the top, front, and sides. On the top row, the newly-awarded Distinguished Service Cross in its open box was on display, next to the framed citation for it. To it's right was the framed citation given to Mildred upon achieving 40 years as a schoolteacher, as well as the six engraved plaques for Teacher of the Year awards she'd been awarded.

"It should have been the Medal of Honor." I heard Admiral Leonard R. Cordell say quietly to General Alexander McFarland.

"We tried." said McFarland. "We tried hard. It was taken into account that he gave his life to get the message out. But they were comparing it to what Teresa's father did, which was considered to be a higher level of heroism. I thought getting Wilkins a DSC instead of a Silver Star was doing well."

"You're right." said Cordell. "And I'm not ungrateful. I appreciate your efforts."

Meanwhile, the old radioman went over to the Head Librarian. "Would you put this in the cabinet with his medal?" he asked. It was his green beret, with the same 5th SF group patch and the Green Beret regimental crest on it that Wilkins's green beret had had. The librarian nodded, took the beret, and put it into the cabinet...

Part 7 - Tributes

We headed to the south end of the huge grassy square, where lunch was being served. I thought to myself that it was a great idea to put the serving table down there, as it drew everyone in that direction, where the next events would be held.

I was offered two cheeseburgers, and I accepted that offer. I put lots of fixins on them, took my bag of chips, and went to a nearby table. I was soon joined by my kids, all of them. Marie was sitting next to Carole, who was on my right side, and her parents sat down to her other side. Laura and Paulina sat on the other side of Tasha and Ian, and Jim and Ross on down the line.

Across from us were Todd and Teresa and their boys, Tim Jenkins and Benjamin, Cindy, Callie, and Betsy. Down the line, across from Laura, sat the Muscone family, Clarissa Belvedere sat next to Tanya, and my mother, the Sheriff, Chief Moynahan and this county's Sheriff sat further down the line.

Townspeople were trickling in. Some may have been at church, and some just decided to come for lunch and the afternoon events. Some went and signed up for the tours, and those that came out of those tours came down to get food. As they did, many of them gave us looks of curiosity.

Cindy said to me: "Don, do you remember when we went to Augusta National, and all those people were just standing there, watching the Members and their families eat?"

"I sure do." I said. (Author's note: 'Four Square', Ch. 03.)

Cindy replied "I kinda feel that same way now, with all those people watching us."

"I hear ya." I said. "But it's all good. I'm just glad they're not coming over and getting selfies while we're eating."

Todd asked "What did you think of the statue of your father, Teresa?"

"It was nice." Teresa said with no emotion in her voice. "The sculptor used that photo of him and Admiral Cordell in Viet Nam. I remember him when he was a good bit older."

"So what else is left today?" Cindy asked.

"You are ready to go home, arentcha?" I asked, meaning it humorously to tease my first cousin. But Teresa's face showed a slight scowl.

Cindy said "Yes, I am. We've got dogs at home now. Seth and Joanne Warner are feeding them, since they live nearby, but otherwise the dogs are alone. By the way, who's keeping Bowser and Buddy?"

"Myron and Mary Milton." I said. "Mary has been coming to The Cabin or The Mountain Nest on the way to looking over the construction on their new property, two doors down from your house and next to the Steele's new home. So they've been getting to know Bowser and Buddy. They'll throw down some food for the cats, too."

Teresa said to the Steeles: "Your new home... it's all but completed, isn't it?"

"Yes." said Stephanie Steele. "With good weather, we're looking at it being done by May 1st. We've already changed our official address, and Edward has been living in the truck camper several days a week to be in compliance..."

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After lunch, people who had volunteered to help host the lunch began asking everyone to move towards the Cemetery for the next event. We headed over to the front gate (actually just an opening in the fence). The florist had brought several wreaths, and they were waiting to be laid at gravesides.

Clarissa Belvedere Esterson took the microphone that broadcast over mobile speakers, and said that she was going to lay a wreath at her sister's grave, which was not very far inside the main gate. But she was struggling to get out of her wheelchair, and walking over the uneven ground did not appear to be a promising proposition.

And then an amazing thing happened. My daughter Carole showed why she was wearing all white with the Clan Troy logo on her sweatshirt. She came up and stood in front of Clarissa, bowed formally, and said loudly, "Hello, Aunt Clarissa. I'm Carole Troy, daughter of the Iron Crow-bar. I would be hon-urrrred to assist you with laying the wreath."

To me and Teresa, it was a wonderful thing. But not to Laura. She had a furious look on her face, and I thought I was going to have stop her from going after Carole and dragging her back into the crowd. Perhaps seeing me shuffle my position in anticipation of stopping her, Laura did not move.

"Heh heh heh heh." chuckled Clarissa. "Thank you, Child. I would be honored to have your assistance." She remained standing, assisted by my mother Phyllis. Carole took the all-white wreath and carried it to Teresa's mother Sarah's grave, and leaned the wreath against the pink marble of the headstone. Then Carole backed up to the foot of the grave, bowed formally, then walked back to the gate.

"Young lady," said one of the Green Berets, who were in a group with Admiral Cordell and the Veterans that had served with Teresa's father, "would you mind helping us, too, and laying this wreath on our Captain's grave?"

"I would be hon-urrrred." Carole said. She took the wreath, which was about as large as her, and was white but adorned with tiny American Flags, red, white, and blue ribbons, and patches of the 173d Airborne Brigade, and carried it over to the grave marked with Teresa's father's name and the words 'Medal of Honor'. She placed the wreath properly, then reached into her white jeans pocket, brought something out, and held it up for all to see.

It was a penny, bright and shiny and copper-colored. She went up next to the headstone and placed the penny on it, next to the glued-down quarter Teresa had left in the past, and the glued-down Challenge Coin that Admiral Cordell had left when he visited. I could sense the crowd's approval of the gesture, and the emotions in the hearts of the Veterans who had known the war hero.

Teresa then asked Carole to put the third of the four wreaths on Alexis's grave. Carole did, then added the gesture of going to her knees, Japanese-style, at the foot of Alexis's grave and bowing low. Teresa, Todd, and I also bowed (standing up).

As Carole came back to the gate, Jack Muscone and I came up and moved to the left of the gate. "Carole," said Muscone, "would you lay that last wreath at Mildred's grave?" Muscone had been with me when we talked to Mildred years before, and obtained Teresa's story, and he had wanted to make this gesture. (Author's note: 'Teresa's Christmas Story'.)

"I would be hon-urrred, sir." Carole said, taking the last white wreath. Jack and I moved over to where the Wilkins family graves were, but Carole already seemed to know the correct location and headstone to lay the wreath. She did so, bowed formally, then came back to the front gate. Teresa fist-bumped her, then her sister Tasha and her brother Ian fist-bumped her.

As we were herded over to City Hall for the final event, I said to Carole "You did very well, Carole. I was very impressed. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Daddy." Carole said, very pleased with my compliments. Then her little face took on a worried look. She said "But Mommy's even madder at me now."

"Don't worry about it." I said. "I'll talk to your mother. You just keep doing what you do, and being what you are."

Part 8 - Souls of Iron

As we walked towards City Hall and the tarp-covered statue, I noticed heightened anticipation in a number of people. Todd's brilliant grin was growing even more brilliant despite his attempts to be solemn and serious. Sheriff Griswold's big mustaches were twitching most merrily. Admiral Cordell also had a gleam in his eyes, though that gleam did not match the sparkle in Tanya's eyes. Clarissa Belvedere Esterson had a bemused smile on her face, and my mother Phyllis was composed, but I could tell that events were a couple of steps behind her vision.

The sculptor Henrique Fallon was on the platform that had been constructed to the statue's right as we looked at it from the front. Next to him, another tarp covered several smaller objects.

The Mayor ascended to the platform and stood behind the microphone on the lectern. "Thank you for coming, everyone." he said. "It's been a great weekend. I want to thank BOW Enterprises, the Midwest & Pacific Railroad, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the US Defense Department for their generous contributions."

Everyone applauded, and then the Mayor said "All of this... all of it, the growth, the new businesses, the revival and blooming of this town... none of it would have been possible without the actions of two great individuals. I'd like to ask Mr. Todd Burke, CEO of BOW Enterprises, to come up and unveil our tribute to them."

Todd went up onto the platform and everyone applauded. As he and the Mayor took the ropes attached to the top of the statue, and began pulling off the tarp, I pondered the Mayor's words. That they were honoring Teresa was the obvious deduction, but who was the other person? Her father again? Todd himself, maybe?

As the tarp fell away, I saw that one of the persons was indeed Teresa. Her bronze likeness was standing erect, her arms to her sides, looking at the eastern horizon over the cemetery, and I'd later learn that it was aligned to the point where the sun rose on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

But it was the other person cast in bronze that elicited a gasp of shock from me. It was Your Iron Crowbar... me.

On my last birthday, Marie Steele had given Teresa and me drawings. (Author's note: 'No Show', Ch. 01.) They showed Teresa standing with her hands on her hips, like the Superman statue and now like the statue of her father; and of me, showing me with my trenchcoat flowing behind my right side, and my left arm holding out my crowbar towards the front.

The bronze image of Teresa here showed her looking forward, but with her hands to her sides. My image had the trenchcoat behind Teresa's back, not unlike how I'd enveloped Susie Haskins with my trenchcoat at the Hospital (Author's note: 'Who Watches The Watchers', Ch. 04.), and how Alexis's angel wing was behind Amy on the statue at Ward Harvester Park.

It also had my left arm pointing forward, and holding a crowbar vertically in my left hand. The crowbar had been painted red, and I instinctively detected the mischievous aspects of Todd Burke at work, there.

The plaque on the six-foot-high stone base said:

'THE IRON WOLF
AND
THE IRON CROWBAR'

It was followed by wording denoting how we together had cauterized the Evil of the Beltons from this town (though, thankfully, not how), and how I'd discovered Teresa's inheritance and that she'd used it to create her Trust to help sick children.

"What the..." I gasped out loud as I saw it. Teresa also gasped in surprise. Todd was grinning at us.

Sheriff Griswold came up to me and said "Admit it, Crowbar. They got you. They got you good."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah they did." I said, my voice connoting my disbelief.

Todd took over the microphone and announced our names and pretty much repeated the words of the plaque that told of what we'd done. Then he asked Teresa to come up and 'say a few words'.

Teresa was still clearly stunned, and said "I... I really don't have any words right now. I need Commander Troy to come up and bail me out. He always knows what to say." I came onto the platform and exchanged handshakes with Todd and the Mayor, then a hug with Teresa.

Stepping up to the microphone, I first looked at the statue for a second, then turned and said "I am honored to just be thought of in the same breath as Teresa Croyle, much less be on this statue with her. And it's only meet and right that she be recognized this way."

Me: "You see, it began here. Teresa's story began here. Her journey to become the most decorated Officer in the history of the Town & County Police Force... began here, where she grew up. It was not easy for her, but she never quit, she always pushed forward, and she did so with integrity, and with honor."

Everyone applauded, then I continued: "Teresa inherited her limitless bravery from her father, and she has shown that bravery time and again as we've worked together as Police Officers. I will always be grateful to her for saving my daughter's life, at great risk to her own life and enduring much pain in doing so."