00-01.The Heart Mender - Andy Andrews

10 Andy AndrewsThe first photograph wasa simple head and upper bodyshot of a man in militaryattire. I didn’t recognize theuniform, but saw immediatelythat the buttons in thepicture were the same ones Inow had in my possession.In fact, I counted them.Eight silver anchor buttonsin the photo . . . and eighton my porch. I reallycouldn’t tell if the man inthe picture was twenty orforty, and in that way, hereminded me of old picturesI have seen of collegekids in the nineteen thirties or forties. They all lookedyears older than they actually were.The man was not smiling. It was as if he was not entirelycomfortable with the idea of having a photograph made. Hewas not thin or fat, though “thick” might have been anaccurate description of his body type. The same eagle thatappeared on the ring was also on display on the right breastof his uniform jacket and the top of an odd, beret-type cap.Stitched in large, Gothic script along the lower brim of thecap was the word Kriegsmarine.The second photograph was smaller and had a decorativeblack border framing the print. In it were three figures: ayoung woman in what struck me as the best dress she owned,a man in a suit and white shirt with no tie, and a baby in awagon between them. Whether the child was a boy or girl, I