A Man Named Jennings

Mr. Jennings used to walk around town at night wearing a trench coat and brimmed hat. He was a tall man with a long, strong stride. A young girl watched him walk by her house each night, scared and intimidated by this stranger’s shadow. Then one day, when she grew up, the girl was looking for a story to tell. Her dad said, “You should talk to Mr. Jennings.” Remembering how he scared her as a child, the girl hesitated, but took a chance and called the man. She met him in person for the first time and listened as he shared his adventures of combat in Europe during World War II. He was a hero, she thought. A teacher, even, and a father. And more than that, he didn’t scare her one bit. In fact, the girl had found a friend in this man named Jennings.