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Show 11-2 Andrew reached out to take it from me and then nodded. "No, it's hardly a birthday present. Go ahead and open it." I looked at him again to be sure he wanted me to open the box. He was looking up into the bright morning, the smoke from his cigarette wrapping his face in whirls. I opened the box carefully and saw a medal, lying upside in the box lid as if it had been thrown there. I lifted it out and it untangled itself and swung from my hand. I held a bar covered in purple silk edged in white. Below the ribbon was a black heart bordered in gold. On the heart was the gold profile of a man. "What is it? It's so beautiful." I reached out and touched the heart. Smooth and cool. It swung heavily from the ribbon. "The Purple Heart." "What?" "Purple Heart. Don't you know about it? Your uncle probably got one. They hand them out like penny candy. Everybody here has one, that's for sure." Andrew's voice was too loud and he stamped out his cigarette on the ground. Then he got up, shoving his good hand into his pocket. "Some general came around today and gave them out to all the guys in my unit. They must have brought a wagon load." He tapped out another cigarette. I looked at the little heart black against the palm of my hand. "Does it mean you're a hero? Why did they give it to you?" "Don't you know? I was a hero. A sure-fire hero. A dumb sure-fire hero." His voice cracked. "And that's all . . . " He waved at the medal with his bandaged hand. Then he stopped and held his hand to his face for a moment. "I'm sorry, Annie. That's mean. Even if you are twelve." He sighed. "They give these to anyone wounded or killed in battle. That's why they have so many of them. Everybody has one." |