Two Hearts, One Soul
This is something I've been working on for awhile now. I realize this is a fairly common theme and that several writers are writing stories along similar lines, but it is a theme I enjoy. Hope you all like it and let me know what you think!
Winters
Two days after Easy Company returned to England from the drop into Normandy, Dick Winters found himself sitting outside the local pub in Aldbourne, listening to the loud, raucous noises coming from the drunken paratroopers celebrating inside.
He could have gone in and joined them, but somehow that held little appeal, especially since he didn't drink. It was never fun for him to be the only sober one at a gathering; it made him feel too much like the odd man out. So, he chose to remain there on the bench, by himself, thinking about nothing in particular.
"Is this seat taken?" a gentle voice broke through the fog that had wrapped itself around his mind.
He looked up and saw a young woman standing a few feet from him. She was of medium height, with brown hair and blue eyes; there was nothing remarkable about her appearance but she had a pleasant, open face.
"No, please, go ahead," he responded, immediately a bit uncomfortable as usual in the presence of the opposite sex.
"Thank you," the woman replied. "I'm just here to wait for my sister Jane and didn't feel like going in after her."
Winters gave her a soft smile. "That's understandable. It's a little wild in there. I'm Dick, by the way, Dick Winters."
"I'm Michelle Adams," she responded with a smile. "So, Dick, why aren't you in there with the rest of the soldiers?"
"For the same reason you're out here-I'm enjoying the quiet. Though, I must say, your company is a welcome treat." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his face begin to heat up; he was never this forward with women.
"As is yours," she said, looking down at her lap as if she, too, were unsure of herself.
"So, you live here in Aldbourne?" he inquired.
"Yes, I have for the last few years. I was born in the States but when my parents moved here, I came with them. England is such a beautiful place, I can't imagine ever wanting to leave."
He smiled at her, listening as she spoke.
"Ah, so that explains why you hardly have an accent. I didn't think I'd been here long enough to get used to it so quickly," he told her.
"Are you an officer, Dick? Forgive me, but I'm not all that good at knowing Army rank."
"Yes, I am. I'm a Lieutenant in Easy Company, part of the 101st Division."
"Oh, yes, I've heard lots of talk about the different companies staying around here, but never really paid that much attention to the specifics."
"I don't blame you. There's so many of us, it can get confusing after awhile."
Just then, the door to the pub burst open and a laughing girl a little older than Michelle came stumbling out.
"Michelle!" the girl called out. "You know, you could come in and wait, you might actually have a good time if you just let yourself."
"Well, Jane, funny you should say that as I was just having a lovely conversation with Lieutenant Winters here."
Jane suddenly seemed to notice him sitting there and flashed him a smile.
"Come on, Michelle, let's get going. I have to get up early tomorrow," said Jane, turning to walk down the narrow, flower-lined lane.
"I'll be right there," she answered. Turning to Dick, she asked, "will you be here tomorrow evening? I'd like to talk to you again if you don't mind."
"Uh, yes, I'll….I'll be right here. How does 8:00 sound to you?" he managed to stammer out.
"Perfect. I'll see you then." Then, without further ado, she turned and followed her sister down the lane.
Watching them leave, Winters thought about what had transpired over the last half hour, and wondered if tomorrow's meeting could be considered a date. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been on a date.
He walked all the way back to his quarters with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, the likes of which hadn't been evident since well before he left the states.
Michelle
She hadn't even realized she'd been smiling as she walked home until Jane called her on it.
"So, Michelle, what are you so happy about?"
It took her a minute to answer and when she did her words came out soft and slow.
"I guess…I guess I have a date."
"A date?!" Jane squealed. "Are you serious? I never thought I'd see the day. My little sister is finally growing up."
"Cut it out Jane, I'm almost 20. I'm not that little anymore."
"Oh, I know, but this is your first date. I'm so happy for you. Wait until mother and father hear!" Jane was practically beaming at this point.
"Jane, Jane, it's just a first date. It's not like he proposed to me, so relax a bit."
"Fine, but promise you'll share all the details with me when you come home."
"If I share, will you quit pestering me?"
"I could do that."
"Then it's a deal."
A cool breeze was blowing through the hedgerows, sending the soft scent of roses and honeysuckle drifting through the air. It was such a perfect night; Michelle hated to go inside, even though the two had reached their front porch. Closing her eyes, she took one last deep breath, letting the night air wash over her face before turning and closing the door behind her.
Winters
He was sprawled on his bunk, lost in thought, pleased with the fact it was a Friday night, pleased that the whole weekend stretched before him, and pleased that he was meeting Michelle again the next evening.
He wasn't exactly sure what it was that drew him to her, but there was just a certain air about her that intrigued him. His head was still in the clouds when Nixon stumbled in half an hour later.
"Hey, Dick, how're you?" Nix asked, obviously drunk, but hiding it admirably.
"I'm good. I'd ask you the same question, but I think I already know the answer," he said with a smirk.
"You wound me, Dick. I'll have you know, I'm not that drunk, so don't look at me like that. Come to think of it, why do you look like that? If I didn't know better, I'd say you looked positively elated."
He rolled his eyes skyward before allowing them to come to rest once again on Nix.
"Can't I be happy?"
"Well, yes, I suppose you could be, but, come on, Dick, this is you we're talking about. You give a whole new meaning to the term serious and proper. So cut me a little slack if I act surprised to walk in here and find you grinning like a fool. Are you gonna tell me why you're so happy or do I have to guess?"
Sitting up with a sigh, Winters swung his legs over the edge of the cot and rested his elbows on his knees.
"I have a date tomorrow night."
"Ha, that's funny Dick. Now really, why are you all smiles?"
Winters gave him a long look.
"…You're serious? Damn, Dick, I didn't think you had it in you. Had all of us fooled into thinking you were never going to go after any girl. Good for you Dick, good for you. So, can I ask who the young lady is?"
"Her name is Michelle. I met her while I was sitting outside the pub tonight. We started talking while she was waiting for her sister and decided to meet there again tomorrow night."
Flopping down onto his own bed, Nixon peered over at his friend.
"You know, Dick, you have to be the only person I know who'd get a date while sitting outside a pub."
Winters just smiled and stretched back out against his pillow.
Michelle
Michelle had spent the day in a flurry of activity. Due to the fact there were so many American military forces quartered throughout the town and surrounding areas, there was a good deal of work to be had if one wanted it. Michelle herself had volunteered to act as a runner of sorts between the regimental and battalion headquarters in the camp for the 101st, which was the only reason she'd known what division Dick had been talking about the night before. The job was something she found enjoyable to do, even though she knew very little of what was going on.
It was while she was delivering a message to Colonel Sink that she overheard the officer lamenting over a shortage of translators in the regiment. She had been just about to leave when this statement made her stop in her tracks.
With a bit of uncertainty clouding her features, she turned to face the Colonel.
"Sir? Permission to speak?"
"Certainly, go ahead."
"Sir, I apologize, but I couldn't help but overhear you saying you were in need of translators. German translators, I assume?"
At his nod, she continued.
"Well, sir, I realize this is probably a bit unusual, but I speak fluent German and if you will accept me, I'd be willing to act as an interpreter."
"How old are you, miss," Colonel Sink inquired.
"I'll be 20 here shortly, sir."
"I have to say, that under normal circumstances, there is no way I'd consider your offer. After all, you are a woman and we are heading into a combat zone."
He paused for a moment.
"However, I am admittedly desperate. If you are willing, the job is yours. Can you come by here tomorrow, around 0900 hours so we can discuss this further?"
"Yes, sir, I'll be here."
"Oh, and if it eases your mind any, you can tell your loved ones you won't be on the front lines. We can use your skills at HQ where we'll need you to analyze German intelligence."
"Yes sir, thank you."
As she headed out the door, she couldn't believe how the last five minutes had completely changed the course of her life.
Winters
The day dragged on slowly, filled with mundane tasks such as straightening out supply issues, censoring mail, and inspecting equipment. No training was going on and the camp was fairly peaceful which at least made his job, no matter how boring, at least a little relaxing.
Before he knew it, evening arrived and he began to get ready to meet Michelle.
Rummaging through his footlocker, he found his good dress uniform and put it on, peering into the mirror to see if he looked alright.
All he could say was that he was glad Nix was somewhere else at the moment and that he had the quarters to himself. He had a feeling if the other man ever saw him fussing over his appearance for a date, he'd never hear the end of it.
Finally satisfied he was looking as good as he was going to be able, he picked his hat up off the bed and headed outside, walking the dusty path into town.
Michelle
She had arrived early and was sitting on the bench in front of the pub by a quarter to eight waiting for Dick to arrive.
The sun was starting to dip below the horizon when she heard a pleasant voice ask, "is this seat taken?"
Remembering her own words from the night before, she smiled up at him and shook her head no. She scooted over to make room for him as he sat down next to her.
"You look very nice tonight, Michelle. It's wonderful to see you again."
She blushed at his words, unused to hearing such things from a man; somehow knowing that Dick was sincere when he said them.
"Thank you. You look very nice yourself."
He gave her a small smile in return.
Standing up, he held out his hand to her.
"Would you like to take a walk for a bit? I feel a little odd having everyone stare at us as they go inside."
"Yes, that's sounds just fine."
Reaching out, she grasped his hand with hers as he gently pulled her to her feet. Turning toward the sitting sun, they walked hand in hand toward the edge of town.
Winters
As much as he was enjoying being with Michelle, his nerves were driving him up the wall. He searched his mind frantically, casting about for anything that would make for good conversation.
As it turned out, Michelle ended up saving him from having to come up with anything.
"Dick, I want to ask you something and I hope it doesn't affect this….friendship we're developing."
"What is it?"
"Well, I have been working as a runner for the 101st, going between regimental and battalion HQ. Today I had to deliver a message to a Colonel and overheard him saying there was a shortage of translators."
He just nodded his head; what she was saying was true. They were incredibly short handed when it came to having people who spoke enough German to be of assistance.
"Dick, I speak German. And I volunteered to act as a translator. And he accepted my offer." Her words all came pouring out in a rush.
He furrowed his brow.
"What? I didn't realize they were going to be using women as translators; we're going to be in a combat theater, it's dangerous," he said.
"I know, I know, I was surprised he accepted my offer. However, he did say I wouldn't be on the front line but rather up at HQ, working with intelligence."
"Well….well….if this is what you want to do and are okay with it, I am sure you'll do a wonderful job. I have faith in you; I'd just hate to see you get hurt."
"I'll be careful; I have every intention of living and coming back home to those I love. I just thought I'd mention the situation to you because…well, because…."
Her voice gradually trailed off.
"Because of what?" he asked in a gentle voice.
"Dick, I like you. I really do. I don't know how to explain it but I feel drawn to you. I've never felt like this before." She looked so nervous standing there, waiting for his reaction.
He felt a smile spread across his features.
"Michelle, I want you to know….I feel exactly the same way."
Well, that's it for the first part. There's more to come shortly, so, if you'd like, let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!