An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque
I wipe tears from my eyes as thousands of boots march away to war. Both Melvin and Norman make a brave show in the parade. They look swell as they march past me in their khaki suits to the sound of Alvin and all of his class mates waving flags and singing, “The Maple Leaf Forever.”
Gloria dabs her eyes with her handkerchief as the train pulls out amongst tumultuous cheers. A man of about forty to fifty years old looks at them and says, “You should be proud that your men are wearing the uniform. I tried to join, but due to injuries from the last war, I couldn’t be accepted in the first draft. The medical examiner told me that I may be called later. There is still hope for me yet,” he says as he limps away from the crowd.
“As Alvin, Gloria, and I walk to St. Michael’s cathedral, I hope that they will soon have Hitler where he belongs and Nazism dethroned. As we walk in the church, I note that it is full of mothers and wives and children praying for peace to be restored and for their men to come back home. I pray for leaders and government, for those suffering the agonies of war, for the soldiers on the battlefields, the sailors on the sea, and for the airmen, but most of all I pray for the safe return of Melvin and Norman.
As I walk home with Alvin and Gloria, it seems that all my problems of everyday life are insignificant in the face of the awful threat hanging over civilization.
If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:
Austin Macauley Publishers™ (my publisher)
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble
Indigo
Walmart