The ship was severely crowded.
It took them all day to board the ship and for most of the day, they were standing in line. They were each given a number and a life jacket. Orders were, they couldn't take the life jacket off and they had to sleep in their clothes. It was risky crossing the Atlantic, they were under constant threat of prowling German U-boats.
Five thousand men and one woman stood up on deck, to watch the Statue of Liberty fade into the distance behind a setting sun. Mazel leaned against the railings between Blithe and Jackson. And she could feel an ache in her stomach and heart, knowing that there was a chance, she might never see home again.
The statue was met with a quiet audience, while each man got lost in his own thoughts.
And when the show ended, the men made their way down into the belly of the ship.
Down many stairs, is where the men slept and lived.
Down another set of stairs, was where they would eat.
It was extremely close, with barely enough room to get by. They slept on hammocks. And had to share because there wasn't enough for one between them. With no walls or sides for privacy, the entire 506th shared one space in the belly of the ship. While the officers slept above them, in similar conditions.
Mazel shared a hammock with Jackson.
They took the bottom hammock, with four hammocks above them.
With a tiny strip going between the hammocks, it meant each man would have to walk single file. Already, the conditions were terrible. After only living down in the belly of the ship for one hour, it already started to smell. And some men were beginning to get agitated by the lack of space. Mazel could sense the tension in the air already.
Sitting down on the hammock, Jackson sat next to her.
Shaking his head, he sighed;
"well…this is it, huh?"
Mazel nodded;
"yup – looks like it, Jack".
Liebgott, who had taken the hammock above them, peered over the edge to look down at them.
He smirked;
"lighten up, kids. Don't make me come down there".
Jackson chuckled and looked at him;
"Lieb…the hell are you doing? Try and not fall, huh?"
Liebgott winked;
"being as careful as I can be here, Jackson".
Lowery, who was sharing with Liebgott, peered down as well;
"are you complaining already? We've got ten days of this".
Sighing, Mazel looked up at them;
"oh, look here, Jack…two talking heads".
Jackson laughed;
"amazing, ain't it?"
Shaking her head, she mumbled;
"nah…get those dumb floating heads out of here".
"Aw come on, Mazey!" Liebgott said, "lighten up, huh?"
Frowning, Mazel looked away from them.
Shaking her head, she stared at the ground;
"man, I can't". She said, "when we ever 'gonna see home again?"
Jackson looked at her;
"don't say that". He scolded.
"What? I'm only saying facts, man".
"Yeah? Well, I don't 'wanna hear your shitty facts, Mazey". Jackson snapped, "we're 'gonna see home again. That's final".
Not wanting to argue or fight, Mazel gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.
"You're right, pal…I'm just in a bad mood".
With a sigh, Jackson gave her a soft smile;
"don't worry 'bout it, Mazey. Still love you, huh?"
She smiled up at him;
"same, you putz".
It wasn't a completely terrible first evening on the ship.
However, their meal was questionable.
The cooks served them fish and tomato out of an old oil barrel. And it didn't taste or look very nice. But they ate it, anyway, seeing as they were only going to be given two meals a day. After their meal, they walked back up the metal and slippery stairs and called it a night. There wasn't much else to do except sleep or gamble. Boredom put Mazel to bed early that night.
Lying down, with Jackson's toes by her feet, she said to him;
"goodnight then, Jack".
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Mazey".
Closing her eyes, she felt glad for the calm water.
The ship never rocked.
And Mazel didn't feel sick.
…
Come the next morning and Sobel tried to hold a PT session.
But it didn't work. There wasn't enough space. And the men thought he was insane for even trying. With a defeated sigh, Sobel left the enlisted men's quarters and walked back up the stairs to where the officers slept. After a failed attempt at PT, the men headed down the stairs for breakfast. And Mazel couldn't believe what she was seeing;
"fish and tomato again?"
The cook looked at her;
"you don't 'gotta eat it".
Sighing, she watched, while the cook filled her bowl up.
Stepping out of the line, Muck, who was in front of her, informed her;
"we get showers".
"That's great news". Mazel said, sounding relieved.
"Yeah but…it's cold". Muck said, "and it's saltwater".
She sighed heavily;
"fucking Christ, Skip". She muttered, "this ship is 'gonna suck the life 'outta us".
They found a spot on the bench where the men of Easy ate.
Sitting down, Mazel placed her breakfast in front of her.
Picking up her spoon, she swirled it around inside her bowl.
Mazel could see chunks of fish and tomato.
It was enough to make her stomach turn.
Mazel was sitting down next to Roe.
And she noticed that he was having a hard time swallowing his breakfast too.
With a sad sort of smile, she said;
"shame they didn't think 'bout bread, huh?"
Roe snorted;
"anything is better than this, Mazey. Even our K-rations".
"Agreed, Gene". Mazel mumbled, "boy, I miss that meat paste already".
He chuckled but it got caught between a groan;
"God…don't remind me".
Their mess hall was loud and extremely crowded.
Mazel wiped the sweat off her forehead.
It was beginning to feel warm down in the belly of the ship.
"You think Sobel's still trying to do a workout?" Talbert joked with the men.
Hoobler chuckled;
"hell, probably".
"What's he like, huh?" Guarnere grumbled, "he's trying to make our lives hell. It's shit enough on this damn ship".
Malarkey sighed;
"a ship isn't 'gonna stop him, Bill".
Lipton soon joined their table, with more bad news;
"guys, we've 'gotta start rationing our water. Fresh drinking water is only 'gonna be available between fifteen-minute intervals".
All the men let out collective groans.
It was as if things couldn't get any worse on the ship.
But they still had nine days left.
There was always room for more misery.
With breakfast finished, it was back to do almost nothing again. Men lazed around on their hammocks, reading, writing, playing cards or just staring at nothing and waiting for the time to pass. Mazel was sitting up and flicking through one of Jackson's comics. She wasn't a huge fan of superhero-type stories but would read pretty much anything to stop her from being bored.
"Hey guys, I'm glad I'm going to Europe". Toye said from his barrack. Holding up his knife, he said, "Hitler gets one of these right across the windpipe, Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye day and pays me ten grand for the rest of my fucking life".
Mazel smiled a little.
"What if we don't get to Europe? What if they send us to North Africa?" Smokey questioned.
"My brothers in Africa…say's it hot". Guarnere said.
"Really? It's hot in Africa?" Malarkey remarked sarcastically.
"Shut up…point is, it don't matter where we go. Once we get into combat, the only person you can trust is yourself and the fellow next to you". Guarnere said.
"Hey…long as he's a Paratrooper". Toye mumbled, "or she". He added, sending Mazel a tiny smile.
"Oh yeah?" Luz asked, while climbing up to his barrack, "what if that Paratrooper turns out to be Sobel?"
"If I'm next to Sobel in combat, I'm moving down the line". Christenson told them, "hook up with some other officer, like Heyliger or Winters".
Guarnere nodded;
"I like Winters, he's a good guy. But when the bullets start flying, I don't know if I want a Quaker doing my fighting for me".
"How'd you know he's a Quaker?" Muck asked.
Guarnere stubbed out his cigarette and got onto his feet;
"he ain't Catholic".
"Neither is Sobel". Malarkey pointed out.
Guarnere snorted;
"that pricks a son of Abraham".
Mazel frowned.
And inwardly groaned.
She thought he had stopped doing that.
"He's what?" Liebgott asked, who was still sitting above her.
"He's a Jew". Guarnere clarified.
Huffing, Liebgott got down;
"fuck…I'm a Jew".
And he stepped towards Guarnere.
"Congratulations". Guarnere muttered, pushing him back, "get your nose 'outta my face".
And then, Liebgott took a swing for him.
And of course, Guarnere took a swing back.
Soon, men were on their feet, trying to break up the fight.
Mazel was one of them.
Stupidly enough, she thought she was tough enough to break the fight up.
Managing to squeeze herself between them, her hands went to their chests.
And shortly after, she felt a sting on her right cheek.
Someone had punched her by accident.
And Mazel ended up biting down on the inside of her cheek while getting punched, causing her to bleed.
The fight immediately stopped after that.
"Ah, shit". Guarnere hissed, "shit – sorry, Mazey".
Pushing his way into the circle of men, Lipton took hold of Mazel's shoulder;
"you boys are stupid". He told them off, "there's no point in fighting down here. Sit yourselves down and cool off".
Liebgott frowned at her;
"sorry, Mazey…you okay?"
Nodding, she continued to hold her cheek;
"yeah, fine". She mumbled.
Guarnere sighed;
"don't I feel bad".
"I think I did that". Liebgott whispered.
Guarnere shook his head;
"it's her right cheek, Lieb. I did it".
Jackson sent the pair of them a glare;
"you should know better". He said, "don't ever hurt Mazey again…or you'll have me to deal with".
Mazel looked up at him;
"it's fine, man…it was my fault".
Giving her cheek a rub, she swallowed the taste of blood from her mouth.
And snorted;
"well, whoever got me…he sure has a weak fucking hook".
The tension slowly started to drop once they were certain Mazel was okay.
But Liebgott and Guarnere still felt bad.
While Jackson went off to see about a saltwater shower, Liebgott sat down next to her.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked;
"sure you're good?"
Mazel nodded;
"don't worry, man".
He sighed;
"I got so angry".
Mazel snorted;
"no, shit. I ain't ever seen you go for someone like that before".
Looking at her, he felt his lips twitch;
"guess I was trying to protect us, you know?"
Mazel nodded;
"I get it, man". She said softly, "don't worry, huh? Water under the bridge – or ship".
"You been up top yet? Could use some air".
Mazel smiled;
"sounds great, Lieb".
…
Mazel didn't know how much she needed fresh air, until she was standing on the top deck with Liebgott. The pair of them were right by the white railings, looking down at the endless blue below them. Nothing was around them. Just the ocean. It was a sight Mazel had never seen before.
Shaking her head, she whispered;
"this is crazy".
Liebgott smiled;
"pretty wild, huh?"
Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a cigarette.
"You ever wonder how deep it goes?" Mazel asked.
Lighting up his cigarette, Liebgott shrugged;
"not really". He said, "probably pretty deep, though".
Liebgott then handed her the cigarette;
"here".
"Thanks". Mazel accepted the cigarette with a smile, "you got enough?"
"Loads". Liebgott assured her, "been saving up since Kentucky".
The pair of them smoked in silence for a few minutes and admired the vast ocean before them. They were almost alone on that part of the deck, which happened to sit at the back of the ship. It was quiet and very peaceful. Just what they needed.
"You remember that night out in Toccoa?" Liebgott asked.
And Mazel stilled.
Of course, she remembered. She never forgot.
With a sigh, he asked;
"what happened?"
Mazel shook her head and was about to answer when he then asked;
"and that night you woke up covered in sweat…were you sick?"
Rubbing her lips together, she looked up at him.
Liebgott huffed softly;
"you a person with a lot of secrets, Mazey? Cause some secrets just eat you up".
Looking down, he met her stare.
And frowned a little;
"listen, whatever happened…and I got my ideas but…just know, that I ain't' 'gonna let nothing happen to you, Mazey. Cause your bullshit, is my bullshit. That's how it is, right? We're in the same squad".
Mazel frowned.
She looked away from his stare and faced the ocean.
"I 'dunno…I feel 'kinda stupid".
Liebgott shrugged;
"well…you were pretty upset that night in the bar, Mazey".
Chewing on her bottom lip, she tried to find the words.
And when she did find them, they came out very quickly;
"this guy attacked me".
Liebgott felt the colour drain from his face.
"He dragged me into this closet and…and he hurt me". Mazel whispered. "He tried to – well, you know but…I 'dunno, he didn't do it".
He stared at the side of her face.
In complete silence.
For over thirty seconds.
"You know who?" Liebgott eventually asked lowly.
Mazel shook her head;
"but he's in this Regiment".
His hand clenched around the railings;
"fucking Christ, Mazey". He hissed, "I can't believe…if you told me that night, I would have skinned that guy alive".
Mazel nodded;
"yeah…think that's why I kept it to myself".
Running a hand down his face, he sighed;
"has he hurt you again?"
Mazel shook her head;
"no". She mumbled.
"I'm sorry, Mazey". Liebgott whispered, "shit – that shouldn't have happened".
"Well, it did".
Mazel crossed her arms over her chest.
He frowned at her;
"are you…does it bother you?"
She shrugged;
"not always".
"Good". Liebgott said, "cause he won't ever go near you again, Mazey. I promise".
A sad sort of smile met her lips while she met his stare.
"Man…I wish I knew you back home, Lieb". She whispered, "cause I could have used a guy like you around".
Liebgott frowned in response.
Mazel shrugged;
"that guy in the bar, wasn't the first guy to hurt me, man".
His hand went on her shoulder;
"well, he's 'gonna be the last".
…
Waking up in the middle of the night, Mazel sat up.
Leaning over, she shook Jackson's leg;
"Jack". She whispered, "wake up, man".
With a sleepy little sigh, he mumbled;
"what?"
"I ain't going to the latrines alone, that's what".
With another sigh, Jackson eventually lifted his head to look at her;
"alright, Mazey. I'm coming".
Pulling the blanket off from their bodies, they slipped on their boots and got up.
This time, it was different standing up.
Because Jackson saw Mazel sway.
He frowned;
"you dizzy?"
She shook her head;
"it's the ship, Jack…we're hitting a rough patch I think".
The ship rocked again.
And this time, Jackson fell into Mazel.
Because she was a lot smaller, they ended up falling back into their hammock.
"Sorry". Came Jackson's apology into her neck.
"It's fine". She mumbled, "get up, would you?"
Back on their feet once again, they carefully walked down the small strip and towards the latrines, which were located at the back. Passing by sleeping troopers, the two friends aimed to be as quiet as possible during their short journey. However, that became impossible, when the waves got stronger and the ship rocked harder.
Losing her balance, Mazel fell forwards.
She crashed into Jackson's back, who lost his balance.
The pair of them ended up on the floor, with Mazel lying on Jackson's back.
He groaned;
"this was a mistake". He told the floor.
Mazel sighed;
"yeah…it was, huh?"
"Get off me, would you?"
With a tiny smirk, Mazel got off his back.
One their feet again, they tried to find their sea legs.
But it was impossible. The ship was rocking from side to side. The men on the hammocks were being blissfully rocked while they slept. However, for Mazel and Jackson, it was almost like a tragic story, while they tried to keep their balance.
It was like an episode of Laurel and Hardy.
One of them always fell into the other.
And the other would grumble and complain from the floor.
When they did reach the latrines, they felt extremely proud of themselves.
However, while Mazel was in one of the stalls, Jackson reminded them;
"we've still got the journey back, Mazey".
With a sigh, she mumbled;
"shit".
When they made it back to their hammock, the rocking didn't stop.
Mazel managed to fall back asleep but woke up two hours later with intense nausea.
She knew it was going to happen but after three days of not feeling the effects of being on a ship, Mazel hoped she'd remain sick free. Though, it wasn't just her who was feeling slightly sick from the rocky waves. Some of the guys couldn't lift their heads from feeling so sick. And the mess hall wasn't as busy that morning, with most men not being able to stomach food.
Very quickly, the Regiment ran out of anti-sickness tablets.
Unfortunately, Mazel and a handful of men from Easy didn't get them.
"I'm sorry". Roe told her, "other medics got into our stash".
Sighing, she shook her head.
Mazel was lying on her back, hand over her face.
It wasn't Roe's fault. She wanted to tell him that.
But felt too weak and sick to open her mouth.
Seasickness was horrible.
Typically, motion sickness goes away four hours after stopping the motion.
But they were trapped in the middle of the ocean with harsh waves.
There was no relief from the feeling. Not for Mazel, anyway, who already suffered from motion sickness.
The sound of guys puking upset her stomach further.
Mazel's legs began to shake.
She became restless.
And breathless.
And soon, she was puking into a bucket.
There was only a short period of relief for Mazel once she finished vomiting.
By the time someone had handed her a new bucket, she was back to puking again.
And that routine didn't appear to be stopping any time soon.
Jackson had placed a cold and damp flannel on the back of her neck;
"this ain't right". He mumbled, shaking his head.
Roe frowned;
"it'll pass".
"You said that ages ago". Jackson muttered, "it ain't passing, doc. What else can we do?"
The medic unscrewed the canteen;
"Mazey, try and take a drink".
Lifting her head from the bucket, she nodded.
Mazel leaned back against Jackson's chest and took a sip of water.
Her lips were cracked and dry.
Nothing seemed to be staying down.
And Roe did grow worried that she'd become dehydrated.
For three sweet moments of relief, she sunk back into Jackson's chest and closed her eyes. Mazel's breathing evened out and she could have easily fallen asleep. But then, she felt that cold water rush back up her throat. Quickly leaning forwards, she spewed the water into the bucket.
Frowning, Jackson gave her back a rub;
"it's alright, Mazey…it ain't 'gonna last".
There was nothing else to bring up.
Mazel was painfully dry heaving.
When she got a tiny break, she whimpered into the bucket;
"this is it, man…this is how am 'gonna go".
Jackson shook his head;
"no, you're 'gonna be fine, pal".
Roe observed the pair of them fondly.
It gave him comfort knowing that Mazel had a good friend within the Company. And better yet, Jackson was in the same squad. His eyes soon moved away from Jackson, when he heard Mazel sing a familiar song very quietly into the bucket. Mazel was a terrible singer. That much was true, but she sang the song to lift herself up.
"Somewhere over the rainbow", reminded Roe when they both went to the cinema and watched the Wizard of Oz together.
With a groan halfway through the song, Mazel mumbled;
"what fucking rainbow?"
Roe smiled softly at her;
"you'll see it soon".
