The weekend had arrived and everyone with a pass was itching to leave. Too bad for Easy Company; their wonderful leader, First Lieutenant Sobel, had revoked every last one of their passes.
This didn't bother Richard Winters. He never really felt the need to leave Camp Toccoa, there was always somewhere to be on the property, something new to look at. Ever responsible, always thinking ahead, Dick had made it a point to know every corner, since it would be good to know wherever Sobel made them run, hike, train. So, on the Saturday morning, bright and early with the rising of the sun, Dick found himself wandering the grounds.
Dick's weekend plans caught the attention of his new shadow, Lewis Nixon. Nix had met the man only a few weeks prior, at Fort Benning, and, for some reason, he had found a strange affinity for the ginger. They had had a few conversations, but nothing extensive. Nix wanted to know if they could be friends, but he couldn't exactly ask outright. When he saw him leave the barracks, having been awoken by some movement, he decided to follow.
Dick was walking ahead by a few paces, Nix was dragging his feet behind. He was starting to think that he should have waited a few more hours to try to test the waters. Neither of them had spoken a word, aside from a "Good morning" and a polite "Mind if I joined you?" They had been walking for about 20 minutes, quietly. Despite the oddly comfortable nature of their noiselessness, Nix broke the silence.
"Why in the ever loving hell did you decide to get up and walk at this time, especially since Sobel didn't order us to get up and walk?"
"Why did you decide to follow me? You know very well that you didn't have to."
"I – uh – I'm an intelligence officer," he answered, "I'm supposed to know where I am." Smartass. Maybe that wasn't such a good question to break the ice. He wanted to befriend the guy, not interrogate him on his schedule.
"That you are, Nix. It still doesn't answer why you decided to follow me, now."
"Well, you still didn't answer why you decided now."
"I thought it'd be nice. Enjoy the quiet morning with my new friend." Winters was a smart man. He had known the entire time, from the very beginning of their acquaintances back in Officer Candidate School, that they'd get along, despite their obvious differences. That's why, on that morning, he lightly brushed the side of Nixon's foot as he got up and ready to go for his walk.
"You knew I'd come along?"
"See, Lew, that's why you're an intelligence officer."