Mazel was just a normal kid from Lancaster.
Most of the young men on the train were normal kids from the same State. They laughed, talked and got to know the fellow sitting next to him. For Mazel, it was the longest walk down the aisle, while she tried to find a compartment that wasn't overly crowded. Mazel considered it luck, that she found one compartment, which only housed two guys. Hand grabbing the door, she slid it open. The two young men looked up towards the new person. And their eyes went a little wide.
But neither of them said anything.
Not right away.
Pursing her lips, Mazel found a seat next to the guy with light hair.
He was sitting by the window, a piece of paper and a pencil on his lap.
It was awkward. The silence was thick and long. Mazel almost couldn't stand it. Scratching behind her ear, she looked over to the guy sitting opposite her and his eyes quickly looked away from Mazel, as if he had been staring. Her eyes lingered on his face for a few seconds, until she eventually looked away.
The silence felt like it lasted for an eternity.
When the train began to chug back down the tracks, the guy opposite them said;
"where'd you say you were from, Alby?"
"Philadelphia". He replied, "what about you, Jackson?"
"Arnold".
Licking his bottom lip, Jackson looked towards the girl;
"you – uh – you from Lancaster?"
Mazel lifted her eyes and looked up at him.
She nodded;
"yeah…I am".
Jackson's lips twitched;
"didn't think Quakers did the fighting?"
Mazel felt her eyebrows twitch;
"I'm not a Quaker". She mumbled, "I'm Jewish".
"Ah…right. Shit – sorry".
Mazel raised an amused eyebrow.
"I just met you, man". She said, "and you're already insulting me?"
Jackson quickly shook his head;
"no…I wasn't, I-"
"calm down". Mazel sent him a tiny smile, "I was kidding".
Reaching into her pocket, Mazel brought out her packet of smokes. She brought one out of the packet and lit it up, with her father's lighter. Taking in a drag, she blew out the smoke and nodded towards Jackson;
"what'd they call you?"
"Eugene Jackson". He reached for her hand, "you?"
"Mazel Gorski". She took his hand and gave it a shake.
"Gorski?" Jackson asked, "where's that from?"
"Poland. My dad's Polish".
"Cool". Jackson commented when the handshake ended.
Mazel turned to the guy next to her;
"what'd they call you?"
He smiled and shook her hand;
"Albert Blithe". He replied, "friends call me Alby".
"Good to meet you both". She said smoothly.
Ending the handshake, Mazel took another drag from her cigarette.
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck before asking;
"so – uh – you heading for camp Toombs?"
Mazel nodded;
"yup…just like everyone else".
He sent Blithe a nervous sort of look.
And Blithe shook his head.
Rubbing his lips together, Jackson looked back at Mazel;
"not that it matters much…but how'd you get in?"
A small smile reached her lips;
"you wouldn't believe me if I told you, Jackson".
"No?"
Mazel shook her head;
"no…but I got lucky".
Blithe nodded;
"that's good, Mazel. It don't matter how you got here".
"Yeah, as long as you can keep up". Jackson added.
Mazel raised an eyebrow;
"keep up? And I was worried you'd never keep up with me, man".
Jackson huffed out a tiny laugh;
"right…sorry". He said, "you must have heard that before, huh?"
Mazel shook her head;
"I haven't but my Uncle warned me you boys would get worried 'bout that".
To prevent them from asking questions about her Uncle, Mazel asked Jackson;
"any brothers or sister?"
"Yeah, one sister and one brother". He replied, "sisters younger, Rob's older than me".
"Did he enlist?"
"He did, yeah". Jackson responded, "Navy".
"Both my cousins are officers". Mazel told him, "Lieutenant's. West Point graduates".
Jackson huffed;
"heard that's a tough school".
She shrugged;
"I wouldn't know. I hardly see them".
He smirked;
"yeah? Well, when you see them again, it's all they'll ever talk about".
Mazel grinned;
"you think they'll get a big ego?"
"Fuck, yeah". Jackson said, with a tiny chuckle. "Wouldn't you?"
She shrugged;
"didn't 'wanna be an officer".
"Me neither". Blithe said, "I'll be happy with being a Private for a while".
Mazel stubbed out her cigarette with a tiny yawn. She barely got any sleep during the night, feeling too nervous about going to Toombs. Though Mazel was confident she was meant to join the army and fight, she knew the men wouldn't think that. It gave her a sickening feeling in her gut, knowing that she might not be accepted by the men. Mazel had never experienced rejection before, her parents were both loving, kind and she got along with the kids at school.
Jackson checked his watch;
"we've got sixteen hours to kill".
"Sixteen?" Blithe asked, with slightly widened eyes.
"Yeah, Georgia's almost seven hundred miles away".
"How're we 'gonna kill the time?"
Jackson shrugged;
"well, I ain't much of a card player. So, I didn't bring any cards".
"Me neither". Blithe said, "did you, Mazel?"
She shook her head;
"I don't play cards either".
"I brought food". Jackson told them, "my mom packed loads".
Blithe looked a little brighter;
"yeah? What'd she pack, Jack?"
Jackson opened up his duffel bag and took a look;
"sandwiches…candy…chips…coke and apples".
He brought out three glass bottles of coke;
"you two want one?"
"Yeah, I'll have one". Blithe accepted happily, "thanks, Jack".
With a smile, Mazel took the other bottle;
"thanks, Jack".
Jackson chuckled;
"let's sip on this for sixteen hours, huh?"
Blithe and Mazel shared a tiny chuckle.
After taking her first sip, she asked the guys;
"what'd you guys do before this?"
"I was a crane operator in Westinghouse". Blithe replied, "Pittsburgh".
"Never been to Pittsburgh". Jackson said, "you move there, Alby?"
Something shifted in Blithe's eyes.
Mazel took note of it straight away.
With a tiny frown, she shrugged;
"I was 'gonna move out at one point".
"Yeah? What stopped you?" Jackson asked.
Blithe looked relieved that the attention left him.
Mazel smiled;
"couldn't leave those damn horses, Jack".
"You own horses?"
"Nah, mom boards them". She said, "I get along with the owners, but I prefer those horses".
Blithe smiled;
"you ain't much of a people person, Mazel?"
"People can be great, Alby". She said softly, "but some are assholes – straight-up assholes".
Blithe raised his glass a little;
"cheers to that".
Mazel looked at Jackson;
"what 'bout you, Jack?"
He sighed;
"not much…I did a lot of jobs, you know? Just took what was going around".
"That's how I got my job". Blithe said, "looked around and took the first option".
"It's all you can do". Jackson commented.
Mazel shrugged;
"or, like my mom, start your own business".
Blithe and Jackson chuckled.
"What about your dad, Mazel?" Jackson asked, "what's he do?"
"He's a dairy farmer". She said, "sells his milk all over Lancaster".
"That's good". Blithe approved, "good money in that, Mazel?"
"Yeah, it's decent". Mazel confirmed, "enough to put food on the table, huh?"
She then asked;
"take it no one went to college?"
"Nope-"
"couldn't afford it".
They both answered.
Mazel smiled;
"yeah, me neither".
Mazel learned that Jackson was twenty and Blithe was nineteen. She told them she turned nineteen on the twenty-first of October. And she felt comfortable being around two people her own age. Mazel was used to spending time with her mother and cousin Molly, who was twenty-four. The conversation turned light. When they talked about home.
"I had this neighbour". Jackson explained, "she had the biggest damn nose".
Blithe pulled a face;
"physically?"
"Nope. She was just nosey, you know?"
Mazel smiled;
"we have a word for that in Yiddish…a yente. Like, a gossip, you know?"
Jackson snorted;
"well, she certainly liked to gossip".
Mazel shrugged;
"some gossip ain't all that bad".
"Yeah?" Blithe asked, "which part is good?"
Smiling, she unwrapped a Hershey's bar and said;
"my Abba told me once of a woman who lives in Lancaster. He told me she was strange, you know? So, we hook the horse to a cart and start delivering the milk. He stops in front of this woman's house, hands me the milk and tells me to hurry up".
Taking a bite of chocolate, Mazel continued;
"I knock on her door and she answered. And I scream and drop the glass of milk".
Jackson, looking amused, asked;
"why?"
Swallowing the chocolate in her mouth, she said;
"because…she had a sheep head".
"Like, in her hands?" Blithe questioned.
Mazel shook her head;
"no, man…she had a sheep's head".
Clearing his throat, Jackson asked;
"in her house or…".
Mazel let out a tiny laugh;
"no…her head, looked like a sheep's head, man".
Letting out a tiny laugh, Blithe said;
"no way".
"I'm serious". Mazel told them, "I'll prove it to you".
"Me too, huh?" Jackson smirked, "cause I don't believe you".
She smiled;
"can't wait to prove you both wrong".
"That ain't the weirdest thing I've heard". Blithe said, "we had this story going around where I lived, 'bout an old lady who was buried alive".
Jackson and Mazel's eyes widened;
"no, shit". She whispered, "seriously?"
"Well…she wasn't actually buried". He said, "but close enough. She started knocking inside the coffin when they started lowering her".
Jackson barked out a laugh;
"Jesus Christ!"
Blithe chuckled;
"pretty crazy, huh?"
He then added;
"what's weird…is that she died two days later".
Mazel shuddered;
"that's sick…I hate those kinds of stories".
Jackson smirked;
"oh, I've got plenty of them".
"Yeah? Well, keep them to yourself, man". Mazel told him, "cause I don't 'wanna hear it".
…
Time was getting on.
Outside, the sky was growing darker by the hour. A large pale moon greeted the starry sky that night and it shone through their window. They had a little lamp on inside their compartment, creating a warm and comforting setting. The three of them were getting tired. Not just from tiredness but from the long journey. With the constant rocking motion, Mazel was starting to feel sick. It was clear she wasn't well; her face had turned three shades paler.
Jackson sent her a sad sort of smile;
"you've done well for not travelling much before, Mazel".
She sighed weakly;
"I'd feel alright if we stopped for a few minutes".
"Don't think that's 'gonna happen".
Mazel sighed again;
"oh, well".
Blithe gave her a tiny smile;
"try and sleep it off, Mazel. No use in staying awake when you feel like crap".
Jackson gave him the nod of approval;
"he's right".
Shrugging, Mazel looked to her left and saw a heap of candy wrappers next to her.
With a snort, she said;
"don't think all that candy helped".
Jackson grinned;
"hey, don't go blaming the candy, Mazel. It does nothing but make us feel good".
She let out a tiny chuckle;
"mom hates me eating candy…or drinking beer".
"Yeah?"
"Yeah…tells me it's toxic".
Jackson frowned;
"boy, that's a real shame".
"Jack's mom packed some apples". Blithe pointed out quietly, "you didn't take one".
Mazel smiled sleepily;
"moms not here to tell me off, huh?"
He chuckled;
"true".
The sound of something tapping on the window caught their attention.
It had started to rain.
Blithe frowned;
"hope it ain't raining in Georgia".
Jackson shrugged;
"they'll make us run in the rain I bet".
Mazel smiled;
"course they will, Jack. Fellas fight in all weather, don't they?"
"Yeah, that's true". He said, "in the Great War, they fought in the freezing cold".
"Hope that ain't us". Blithe mumbled.
Mazel frowned;
"yeah…and I thought Lancaster was cold in the winter".
"They might not even send us there". Jackson pointed out, "we could be fighting the Japs".
"In a jungle?" Mazel raised her eyebrow, "I'd rather fight in Europe, man".
"Well…that's 'cause your families from Poland".
"Yeah". She agreed, "and 'cause I fucking hate snakes".
Jackson laughed;
"you're 'gonna be scared of snakes and not the enemy?"
"Man, snakes bite, don't they?"
He shrugged;
"so could the-"
"don't say it, Jack". Mazel grinned, "the natives ain't 'gonna bite…just the snakes, huh?"
They chuckled quietly and shortly.
And then Blithe suddenly went a little serious;
"no matter what the fellas say, me and Jack have your back, Mazel".
She smiled and shook his hand;
"thanks, Alby. I appreciate that".
Jackson smiled at them;
"I think you'll be fine, Mazel". He said lightly, "you know, you ain't bad".
Mazel looked amused;
"yeah? Well, you ain't too bad yourself, pal".
Blithe yawned;
"should probably catch a few hours".
"Yeah, you're right". Jackson said, "maybe we'll wake up and be there, huh?"
Blithe smiled;
"boy, I sure hope so".
Mazel smiled at her two new friends.
Leaning back against the seat, she closed her eyes.
And allowed the train to rock her to sleep.
…
When they arrived at the camp, Colonel Sink had changed the name from Toombs to Toccoa.
Georgia was a hot State and Toccoa was a very warm and humid place. It was like swimming in hot air; Mazel had a hard time breathing against the heat. She was already sweating, and she had only walked away from the station. Buses were there to greet the new recruits. Blithe, Jackson and Mazel managed to get the three seats right at the back of the bus.
The journey to camp only lasted ten or so minutes. And from there, everything was done in a great big rush. The recruits barely had time to take in their surroundings, before they were ordered to run over to Post Exchange to collect their new belongings. Inside the barrack, Mazel and the men were handed their uniforms, mess kit and toiletries. After, they were told to pay the barber one dollar for a very quick haircut.
A sharp pair of scissors took off her long hair in a matter of minutes. The barber tidied her hair up, making sure it was short and neat. The men all wore the same haircut. And Mazel ended up looking like one of the guys. She was in a small state of shock. And ended up coughing, when the barber dusted her cut hair off her shoulders. Mazel was still coughing when they were back outside again. Her shaky hands reached into her jacket pocket, where she felt for her bottle of pills. But as she grabbed the bottle, someone bumped into her and Mazel fell to the ground.
It was the first time she had noticed the mud.
And the red clay mixed in, like a bad cake mixture.
Nose twitching, Mazel pulled her face away from touching the mud.
Someone leaned down and grabbed her jacket;
"are you okay, Mazel?" Jackson asked, with a tiny amount of amusement.
Nodding, she was soon pulled onto her feet.
Clearing her throat, she mumbled;
"muddy down there".
Jackson smiled;
"come on…it's time for our physical".
Mazel quickly brought out her bottle again.
And without anyone noticing, she swallowed down two pills.
"Do you see that mountain?" Blithe told them both.
Following his stare, Mazel whistled;
"if we run up that, then someone hates us, man".
The mountain loomed over camp Toccoa like a heavy blanket. It glared down on the enlisted but shone for the Lieutenant's, who'd order their men up that mountain almost daily. Mazel pulled her gaze away from the mountain and joined a line. They each had a quick physical examination with the army doctor. Once again, Mazel checked out with a clean bill of health and proceeded to their next order. The barracks around them were newly built. But Cow Company offered them tents and more mud. Someone sorted them into squads and put them into a tent. There, they'd spend one night in Cow Company until they were sorted into a Company. Mazel had stuck close to Blithe and Jackson, they ended up sharing a tent with two other men.
Mazel gave Jackson a nod;
"'wanna give me a hand, man?"
"Sure. With what?"
"Hold up this blanket. I'll change behind it".
The two other men raised an eyebrow each.
And soon, glared.
"What the fuck…". One of them muttered, "they let a girl in?"
Not saying anything, Jackson held up the blanket.
And Mazel got behind it.
The stranger snorted;
"Jesus Christ…hope ya'll pray each day…cause that bitch is 'gonna get you all killed".
Jackson sent him a glare;
"shut your mouth". He warned him, "or I'll shut it for you".
"Come on…don't stick up for her". He said, "she'll be the first one gone".
Blithe shook his head;
"no, she won't".
The guy huffed;
"I don't fucking believe this".
"Nothing you can do about it". Jackson told him, "better just go along with it, huh? You don't 'wanna start your first day here with a black eye. Do you?"
"Jack". Mazel mumbled from behind the blanket, "don't be a putz, huh?"
"I've got your back, Mazel". He told her, "don't worry, alright?"
"Man, I ain't worried 'bout me". She said, "I just don't need you getting into a damn fight".
Jackson rolled his eyes;
"I can handle it, Mazel".
"Yeah? Well, so can I, Jack".
Mazel stepped out from the blanket.
Now in her uniform, she dropped her muddy clothes into her duffel bag.
She then gave the two guys a nod;
"you got a problem with me being here? Tell it to my face, huh? Not when I'm behind a damn blanket, boys".
The two guys were twice her size. They were built like tanks. While Mazel was on the smaller side, with not much muscle to her but she didn't let that stop her. Mazel had to stick up for herself here, otherwise, the men wouldn't accept her.
One of them took a step towards her.
Crouching down, so they were eye level, he said;
"I got a problem with you being here".
Mazel almost lost her nerve;
"okay". She mumbled. "So…what'd we do 'bout that?"
Blithe and Jackson eyed her nervously.
Though their hands balled up into fists, ready to start a fight.
"How about you pack up and go home?" He suggested, in the meanest way possible.
Mazel gave her head a tiny shake;
"no, thanks". She told him quietly.
And then, he gave her shoulder a little push.
It was enough to set Jackson off.
Rolling up his sleeve, the guy almost looked red in the face with anger.
"Right – that's it!" Jackson snapped. "You asked for it!"
If it wasn't under those circumstances, Mazel might have laughed.
But Jackson was deadly serious.
The other man straightened himself up.
He raised an eyebrow at Jackson and punched him.
Right on the nose.
Jackson's head flew back, neck almost snapping.
He fell into one of the beds, almost taking it down.
With his nose now bleeding, Mazel's eyes went wide;
"Jack!" She whispered loudly, "you fucking idiot!"
Mazel got down on her knees and helped Jackson sit up.
The guy continued to glare at his attacker;
"are you done?!" Jackson questioned, "are you done?!"
Mazel gave him a sad sort of smile;
"I think the winner says that, Jack".
He groaned;
"my damn nose, Mazel".
It was at that moment when Mazel wondered why Blithe wasn't by their side.
"Shit!" Someone yelled.
Looking towards the sound, Jackson and Mazel were completely surprised to find Blithe punching the guy who punched their friend. The guy fell back, close to sleeping. Mazel didn't know whether to feel impressed or concerned. Either way, Blithe had a great punch. And the guy who was with him took a step outside the tent. Mazel snorted;
"Goddamn, Alby". She said, "you sure know how to clear a room, huh?"
Jackson grinned, showing off bloody teeth from his nosebleed;
"man…it's always the quiet ones, Mazel".
"Yeah, we've got a damn good fighter on our hands, Jack".
But Blithe didn't look very happy when he turned to face Jackson and Mazel.
His eyes looked distant and unhappy.
Mazel frowned;
"okay, Alby?"
With a tiny nod, Blithe sat down on the bed Jackson almost tipped over.
"You guys are fucking nuts". The guy on the ground mumbled.
Jackson smirked;
"mess with one of us, you mess with all of us".
"Yeah…we did a lot of bonding on the train". Mazel added.
Blithe ended up smiling again;
"sure did, huh?"
"Yup". Jackson said, "with three cokes that lasted almost sixteen hours".