Janet Carson had not moved from in front of her radio since she’d heard the first news bulletin. She thought of her late Aunt Abbi, who had visited all the nations involved in what had suddenly become a World War, and how she would have been fascinated by this turn of events. In fact, that wise old lady had even predicted there would be another war not long after Hitler had come to power in 1933.
Like her aunt, Janet was not blind to what was going on over there; she’d been reading between the lines in the newspapers and listening closely to political speeches. For those who wanted to acknowledge reality, it was obvious America had been inching toward this point for some time. It was just she didn’t expect the plunge into war would be due to an attack on an American base. She’d figured it would be the Nazis taking out an American ship. And it was a shame that it had happened so close to Christmas. She would have students whose fathers or brothers would be leaving for war just before Santa arrived. That wouldn’t make for a merry anything.
It was two hours after the first report aired that her phone rang. She immediately recognized her cousin Jim’s voice.
“Guess you know about what the Japanese did today?” She was surprised there was no sense of shock or sadness in his tone.
“Yes,” she replied. “It’s horrible.”
Jim agreed, “Going to mess up a bunch of lives, that’s for sure. Thank goodness I can’t pass a military physical. At least I won’t be putting my life on the line. But the good news is there should be some money to be made in it, too. I’ve been looking at which companies will likely be ramping up weapon production, and I think I have figured a way to make some real cash. I just called to see if you wanted to invest some of your savings, too. This could be a real opportunity!”
“You’re serious?” she asked. “The world’s falling apart, thousands, maybe millions are going to die, this country might not win the war, and you’re thinking about making money?”
“You’ve got to be logical,” he explained. “You’re a teacher—you know your history well enough to understand that fortunes are made by war. I want to be one of those making the big bucks.”
“James, how can you be so selfish?”
“Don’t lecture me,” he snapped. “Just remember when I come out of this living high on the hog that I gave you a chance to change your address, too.”
“You’re living pretty well right now,” she shot back. “Besides, what makes you think you won’t pass a physical? Except for being fat you look pretty healthy to me.”
He laughed. “I’ve got a doctor who’ll make sure I don’t pass my physical. I’m not going anywhere. The men with brains or wealth never go to war.”
“Some kind of man,” she sniped.
“I’m the smartest kind of man,” he answered. “I figure out the best thing for me, and I’m going for it. I don’t let little things like being a patriot get in my way like you do.”
He hung up before she could say anything else. His call had angered her, but it had also given her an idea. She picked up a notebook and started to writing down a series of questions. Tomorrow she was going to not just comfort her fifth graders about the devastating effects of the attack, but she would also challenge them to think about the cost of war.