Artifact 7: Raynor, the War Hero

In this part, we see a little into Raynor's actions during the war.

Artifact 7: Raynor, the War Hero          

 

In the few minutes of Raynor taking in the idle chatter of the diner, Ethel brought his breakfast chewing hard on her cud�"Juicy Fruit Gum�"asking amid chew if he needed anything else. He didn’t diving right into his hardy breakfast taking a big bite of the eggs followed by a hunk of flapjack without syrup. Suddenly, he realized he was famished and for the short while he ate hardily, he forgot. He dumped some syrup on the flapjacks, stabbed a slice of bacon, and bit it in half before finishing it off. Nothing like a hardy breakfast, he thought cheerfully. 

About halfway through his meal he started to let up on his eating and the numerous concerns bubbled back up. His father’s worsening conditions continued as a constant concern, the boys out mending fence line unsupervised was a concern, unless�"his father had gotten involved which would create a greater concern. There was the task of the newest heifers to brand, the market cattle to fatten up, and the other herd to go into summer pasture that wouldn’t last long under heavy grazing. Then, on top of these normal ranch concerns, John’s possible predicament and the noise the other night�"were they possibly related? A meteorite fell nearby? He shrugged the possibility off, but these concerns spun around in his head simultaneously. Raynor paused in his eating when John and the others got up.

            John strolled over and squeezed Raynor’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Ray,” He said and left it at that as he continued on. 

            “Always, and you too, John. Hope all goes fine.”

 Besides the gentlemanly talk, both John and Rusty looked a bit grim while oddly eying the cattle buyer as they headed to the cash register to pay the bill. The three men left together and departed in a nondescript sedan and not in John’s truck that remained parked across the street. The whole situation puzzled Raynor.   

            Raynor switched to his own situation on the ranch, but sorting it out with a sated stomach, he felt that all his concerns remained pretty much under control despite his previous anxiety. Ethel came by to top off his coffee, asking how he was doing and if he needed anything else. He didn’t and realized he had finished his meal rather quickly. Raynor chewed the last few chunks of flapjack and chased them down with coffee that was too hot for his throat. He gulped it down and got up with a squawk of his chair on the floor. He felt self-conscious, glancing about the diner not really knowing why because no one in the diner seemed to notice at all.

            Mabel stood at the cash register when he went up to pay. “Raynor did you miss me being your waitress?” She asked with a wink. The fact of the matter was that he usually sat on the side Mabel worked but ended up on Ethel’s side today because of John. “Are you feeling well, you look a little pale? I hope it wasn’t the food.”

             “Oh no, the food was as great as always and you can pass that along to Del for me.  I ‘spose that I have a lot of things on my mind today.”

            “Well take care of yourself and don’t over fret yourself. Nuthin’ is worth it and you ain’t twenty anymore.”

            “You don’t have to remind me about it,” he said, forcing a smile. 

Raynor laid out a few coins for the bill Mabel had scribbled on a scrap of paper and directly headed out to his trusty old truck. 

Raynor’s first stop was to the veteran’s office on the far side of town in the converted big fine house that doubled as office and home for a few disabled veterans. He pulled up with a slight squall from the brakes in the quiet neighborhood and parked the truck along the trimmed lawn. A large and shady oak sheltered the front of the house where Raynor recalled always felt several degrees cooler during the sweltering midday. As a result, the vets often sat out there on the hotter days. A tidy, whitewashed picket fence surrounded the house or office depending on your intended business there.

Jim Murphy keeps things straight around the place and lives upstairs with four other veterans. Mrs. Kratz who comes by every day for cleaning, laundry and meals happened to be out on the porch beating a rug to an inch of its life with an energetic vigor despite the early morning heat when Raynor walked up. Raynor mused that he was glad never to be on the receiving end of that vigorous swing during Mrs. Kratz’s bible studies he attended as a preteen.

            “Morning Raynor,” she called in mid-rug beat as he stepped up the porch steps. The dust drifted off the end of the porch to show the sunrays flickering through the oak leaves.

            “Morning Mrs. Kratz, how are you today?”  Raynor turned his head so his right ear toward her.

            “Oh, just fine and chipper on this lovely day,” she said, taking a break from her rug beating.  “Seein’ I’m out here, I’m bettin’ that Jim snuck in the kitchen taking another breakfast with the fresh cornmeal biscuits. Have him give you one and make sure he takes no more than two for himself.”

            “Okay, thanks,” Raynor said, flashing a knowing grin and opening the screen door and stepping through.

            Raynor doesn’t really lend much attention to it all anymore, but he is the home town war hero and the greatest part of the converted houses’ foyer is dedicated to him.  His medals from the war including his Purple Heart and damaged Army issue helmet complete with dents and torn netting were on display. Two newspaper articles encased under glass hang on the wall feature Raynor and his tribulation. 

            The first one shows a photograph in a front-page spread of a frail Raynor in an Army hospital bed, his head half-bandage covered along with both hands covered in bandages and both legs in casts. Two politicians looking to generate votes for an upcoming election cheese it up with Raynor for the photograph.

The headline read “Local Boy Heroically Saves Five in Decisive Battle.” The article goes on to describe Raynor’s actions and the servicemen’s names that Raynor saved, then his injuries and the details on his slow recovery.   

            The second reads: “Local Veteran Advocates speak out for Award of Medal of Honor” and showed a picture of Raynor standing sometime laterwith fewer bandages while being presented a local award by the Mayor and Veterans Officer.

            Raynor walked right by his display and the other displays though they’re are not as extravagant as his. The smell of Phyllis’s early morning cornmeal biscuit baking finds his nose, and he turns into the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Just as Phyllis had predicted, Jim sat and ate a corn meal biscuit while reading the morning’s newspaper. He looked up as Raynor walked in, putting everything down and standing up.

            “Raynor, always good to see you, you need to come by more than once a month to see us.” He extended his hand and the men shake without regard to Raynor’s damaged hand.

            “Pull up a seat, have a cornmeal biscuit.” Jim said pulling out a wooden press back chair and then picking up the plate of still warm biscuits. “So how’s everything with you?”

            “Oh you know how it goes on the ranch, always something to do, having to keep a close eye on the boys along with my pa.” Raynor grimly smiled picking up a cornmeal biscuit and taking bite out of it just to be sociable.

            “Anything new in the paper?” Raynor asked, waving his corn meal biscuit back and forth in midair. 

            “Not much ever happens around here as you know. The most excitement was that someone saw a shooting star with a flash and a bump last night. From what I heard, no one knows what it was,” he said with a shrug.  

            “Well, that is big news.” Raynor smiled taking another bite. “The town seems to be a buzz about it�"even on the radio.”    

            “Well, ain’t that something? I’m bettin’ it was nothing to get all riled up about,” Jim said, with a gaze out the window. “Anywho, thinking about staying for a while to visit with the guys today?” Jim asked, meaning the four other veterans who resided there. He held up the plate of biscuits which Raynor waved off.   

            “Sorry I’d like to stay, but I was just going to grab my mail and head back to the ranch.” 

            “Sorry on my side too,” Jim said. “I’d like to chat with you, but I have a visitor coming in to see the guys this morning. Anyway, hold on and I’ll get your check.”

            Raynor looked over the newspaper until Jim returned.  He carefully shuffled the pages looking for an article about the bump in the night but found none. He folded the newspaper closed again, noticing the date on the front-page header, it was yesterday’s paper. Of course. Raynor remembered that the paper was delivered in the early afternoons so today’s paper hadn’t arrived yet. 

            When Jim sat down, he said. “I almost hate to give you this pittance every month, you did so much�"you gave yourself as well, and this is what the government gives you, peanuts.” He obviously looked at Raynor’s damaged left side of his face when he handed Raynor the check.

“Like I’ve said in the past, this check is completely unnecessary because I was just doing my duty,” Raynor said. “But I know you’ll throw a fit if I don’t come and pick it up.” Raynor took the check with his third and fourth fingers and immediately folded it up and put it in his rear pocket without looking at it. 

“Damn right ‘cuz you deserve more.” Anywho, I spoke to Senator Smythe last week about your medal, and he didn’t forget you. He said that you’re not the only “honest-to-God” hero who deserved a Medal of Honor, so you and the couple other fellers shouldn’t give up.”

            “Well, thanks for all the hard work on that, but you know how I feel about it.  I rather not make it a big thing, ya’know? Just seeing those men alive and getting a letter from them once in a while is all I need. That makes me feel good.”

            “I know, I know, but what you deserve you should get.”

            Raynor just smiled with that nod in agreement. “Well Jim, I’ll make an effort to stop by just to talk instead of waiting another month.” Raynor said, standing up.

            “That’ll be great, but I know you’re busy out there on the ranch. Give me a ring, and I’ll buy you dinner some night. How’s that sound?”

            “That’ll be fine, just fine. Well, until then. In the meantime, don’t eat all Phyllis’s corn meal biscuits, she’ll string you up.” He said with a smile, shaking Jim’s hand again.

            Phyllis had put the runner-rug back in the foyer and was back out on the porch sweeping up when Raynor walked out.

            “So I take it you’re not staying today?” She asked.

            “No, too much business at the ranch to take care of, but I made a promise to Jim for a dinner one of these nights, perhaps you’d join us.”

            “That would be grand Raynor, take care of yourself, hear?”

            “Same to you Phyllis and give my best to your sister Martha.”

            Taken slightly aback, she answered. “Yes of course, I will. Drive careful now.”

            Raynor turned and left without another word. He paused, stood at the bottom step, waved his three-fingered hand at those inside looking out. He turned back to the sidewalk and the truck. As he walked down the sidewalk, he became aware of the early morning breeze just beginning with a whisper in the oaks and the voices of children playing down the street. Focusing on the sounds for a few seconds in his good ear, he was pleased that he had decent hearing in one ear at least. He walked around the front of the trusty truck and saw a couple children run after a ball that was bouncing into the quiet street and smiled to himself recalling his own happy childhood.

Raynor got in the truck, fired off the engine, and released the hand brake. With an unaccustomed focused drive, he headed back to the ranch quicker than the trip into town.

Raynor drove straight toward a destiny he could have never foreseen.