Standing at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, Rory listened to an older Frenchman go on about the number of nuts and bolts the tower had. She was having a hard time standing still. Her legs felt restless and her feet felt sore from standing in one place for so long. It was a free tour the officers had arranged for themselves. Most of them looked interested, while a few others would probably much prefer to be around young women and booze. The weather didn't help either. It was raining and cold.
She yawned.
For what felt like the hundredth time.
Winters looked down, giving her a knowing look.
With a sigh, she shifted her weight onto her other foot.
They were standing on the wet and muddy grass. Rory could hear her boots squelch into the soggy ground every time she shifted. She did try to pay attention. But her mind was captivated by other sights. Such as a man taking around six dogs for a walk and all dogs had a different lead attached to it. She watched, with amusement, while two dogs sprinted off. The man ended up getting tangled up around a tree. The dogs were still trying to run off.
And at the same time, the tour guide stopped talking.
Rory laughed.
The man looked deeply offended;
"you'd rather the Germans destroyed our Tower?"
She stopped laughing.
Eyes widening, Rory looked towards the tour guide and shook her head.
"But…you laughed". He said, still sounding appalled.
"Uh – I was laughing at something else". She mumbled, embarrassed.
With a roll of his eyes, Winters hand fell onto her shoulder;
"excuse us". He said.
Pulling them away from the tour ground, Winters stopped walking.
He looked a little annoyed at Rory.
While she stared up at him, with a sheepish smile;
"I wasn't laughing at…at that, sir".
"I was under the impression that you wanted to see Paris, Rory". Winters stated firmly, "was Lieutenant Cox wrong in giving his pass away to you?"
Sighing, Rory shook his head;
"sorry, sir…I just…well, I ain't interested in bolts".
Winters hard stare softened slightly;
"it's – uh – I guess I can understand why you're bored, Rory". Winters would never admit that he was finding the tour dragging on to.
Her shoulders dropped.
She still looked guilty.
With a tiny smile, Winters suggested;
"why don't we head back into town? Saw a few stores I wanted to check out. And, I heard they've got a nice place that sells heavenly cakes".
Looking up at him, Rory smiled;
"alright, sir".
Winters headed back to the group and gave them an excuse for leaving;
"Private Doe suddenly doesn't feel well…I'll take her back to the hotel".
"Oh, that's too bad". One of the officers said, "it was just starting to get interesting".
Winters sighed;
"yeah…well, perhaps you could tell me what I've missed?"
He smiled;
"of course, Captain. Enjoy the rest of your day".
Winters and Rory turned around and left the group. They walked back long the grass and made it to the path without slipping. From there, it was a short walk into the town where Winters found the stores and the café. Rory couldn't remember ever going to a café for a slice of cake. And she couldn't remember the last time she went into a proper store, where it sold clothing and souvenirs.
During their walk down the streets, music reached her ears.
There, she saw a lone Frenchman playing an instrument Rory hadn't seen before, but it made such beautiful music. Staring at the instrument, she continued to walk. Not watching where she was going, the girl tripped and almost fell. Winters grabbed her arm;
"Rory?"
She nodded towards the instrument;
"what's that, sir?"
Winters followed her stare and smiled;
"the accordion…pretty nice, huh?"
She nodded;
"yeah…it's weird, sir".
"I suppose it is, if you haven't seen one before".
The music made Rory want to sway from side to side.
And she did for a few seconds, until realizing what she was doing.
Frowning, Rory stopped the motion.
Winters let out a tiny chuckle;
"oh, by all means…continue".
Rory's frown deepened;
"I ain't no dancer, sir".
The pair continued along the street, until they reached one of the stores Winters had wanted to check out. It happened to be a mixture of clothing and décor. Paintings, ornaments and sculptures as well as clothing, all had a price tag. Rory didn't see much that took her fancy.
But Winters did end up purchasing some items of clothing.
Socks, mainly.
After taking his new socks, they left the store and walked into the next.
It was a book/stationery store.
Rory's eyes immediately landed on all the different kinds of pencils, paper and charcoal. Leaving Winters side, she wandered towards the items. First, she picked up some sticks of charcoal. Rory wanted to give those to Christenson, seeing as he had given her a stick. And she was about to pick up a set of coloured pencils but then noticed the price. Eyes widening, she took a step away from the pencils.
Winters smiled;
"oh, you're buying something?"
Rory nodded;
"they're for Pat, sir…I owe him a stick".
"That's nice of you". Winters said, "why not buy something for yourself?"
She shook her head;
"I don't need nothing, sir". Rory mumbled.
"I'm 'gonna take a look at the books". He told her, "why don't you purchase those?"
"Alright, sir".
Rory had a difficult time purchasing her charcoal sticks.
Not knowing how to handle French money, she then decided to place some notes onto the table and hope for the best. The shopkeeper took one note and placed it into his till. With a little nod, he gestured for her to move along. Rory left the counter and spotted Winters near the back of the shop, purchasing his items from another till. She hadn't been inside a shop that would require two tills and two cashiers. But then again, Rory hadn't ventured into many retail stores.
With the items paid for, they left the store.
And soon, it was time for cake.
Sitting inside a small and cute café, Rory decided to have a hot chocolate with a slice of double chocolate fudge cake. The waitress chuckled to herself while taking her order. Winters decided to go for something lighter. A jam and lightly creamed cake, with a coffee.
Rory's hot chocolate was decorated with whipped cream and shredded chocolate.
She was in heaven.
Winters chuckled;
"good luck, Rory".
"Thanks, sir".
She was hardly paying attention to what he had just said.
Grabbing the fork, Rory made a small dent into her slice of cake.
Winters watched her for a few seconds with an amused smile.
Sighing in content, he picked up a fork and made a small dent into his own cake.
For the first few minutes, they ate and drank their hot drinks, in a comfortable silence.
"You ever seen a live band, Rory?" Winters asked her curiously.
Rory shook her head;
"no, sir".
"They're showing a pianist tonight at our hotel". He said, "would you like to see him play?"
"No drums, sir?"
Smiling, he shook his head;
"no, not this time, trooper".
With a shrug, Rory nodded;
"okay, sir".
She would agree to almost anything, with chocolate around her.
Rory wiped the cream from the top of her lip;
"you seen a pianist, sir?"
"Yeah". Winters replied, "my dad plays the piano too".
Her eyes lightened up;
"that's cool".
"You think?"
She nodded eagerly;
"yeah…wish I could play, sir".
Winters was about to suggest some lessons.
But then he remembered the war.
With a tiny frown, he looked down at his cake.
Rory watched the smile leave his face.
Scratching the end of her nose, she said;
"one day…I'll play the drums, sir".
That made him smile small again;
"really? The drums, huh?"
Rory nodded;
"love the drums, sir…they're noisy".
Winters chuckled;
"they are, yeah".
"I used to hate noise". She told him, "but then I joined the army and got used to it".
Looking back at her, he asked;
"how are you finding things after Holland?"
Rory shrugged;
"alright". She mumbled. "I mean…sure is different but…I don't think 'bout it too much, sir".
Winters silently agreed.
He didn't think about it too much either.
…...
Inside their hotel, they shared a room. Only, the room had two separate bedrooms. Rory's room was on one side, Winters was on the other. And in the middle, was a small seating area, with couches which faced a stone fireplace. They saw the lone pianist play music. It was moving and stunning. He placed a variety of songs. Even some of his own compositions. Rory much preferred the man's own music. When the show ended, the two Paratroopers retreated to their room and decided to call it a night.
Only, Rory was having a hard time falling asleep.
Leaving the bedroom, she walked into the living area.
The stone fireplace was lit, and Winters was seated on the couch.
Leaning against the coffee table, the Captain wrote out a letter.
"Sir?"
Winters almost jumped.
Turning to the side, he spotted Rory.
"I thought you were sleeping". He said.
Shaking her head, Rory sat down next to him;
"can't sleep".
With a sigh, Winters said;
"me neither…so, I decided to write someone a letter".
"Parents, sir?"
With a shake of his head, he replied;
"no…a woman".
Rory looked a little shocked;
"really?"
Winters frowned a little;
"why is that so hard to believe?"
A tiny smile reached her lips and she shrugged;
"just…I 'dunno, sir. You're my Captain. Ain't ever thought 'bout you being in love with a girl from home".
"She's not from Pennsylvania". Winters corrected her, "I met her when I was stationed in Camp Croft, South Carolina".
"What's her name, sir?"
"Annie DeEtta Almon. From Alabama". He replied softly, "I've been writing to her since I was a buck Private".
Rory felt her smile soften;
"you 'gonna marry her someday, sir?"
Winters huffed out a laugh;
"oh, I'm not sure, Rory. I've got other things on my mind…".
"Like what, sir?"
With a sigh, he replied;
"war, mostly". Winters mumbled, "and all these men to watch over…they're hoping our next jump will be in the Spring. But it's just something you can't predict".
"You think it'll be sooner?"
"I hope not". He said quietly, "I hope our next jump is in the Spring. But like everyone else, we just want this war to end. And the quicker we make that next jump, the quicker it'll be over".
Frowning, Rory looked down at her hands.
She didn't like thinking about when the war would end.
Because Rory hadn't planned that far ahead.
"I didn't want to tell you in Holland". Winters said to her quietly.
Eyes leaving her hands, Rory looked up at him.
He frowned;
"Mr Barnes passed away, trooper".
A sad frown reached her lips.
With a long sigh, she asked;
"is Mrs Barnes okay?"
"I think she'll be alright, Rory". Winters said softly, "she's a strong woman".
Rory nodded, agreeing with that.
"Still". He added, "he'll be greatly missed".
With a tiny smile, she whispered;
"he reminded me of Grandpa sometimes".
Winters smiled sadly at her;
"I thought he did".
Rubbing the back of her neck, Rory looked into the flames from the fireplace.
Feeling warm, she leaned back against the couch.
And curled her legs up.
Eventually, her head rested against the armrest.
While Rory made herself comfortable on the couch, Winters read over his letter. But was pulled away from the words he had written down when Rory said quietly;
"I lied before…I think 'bout Holland a lot".
With a tiny frown, Winters again silently agreed.
He tried to forget.
They all did.
But some moments were harder to erase than others.
"Maybe we're meant to think 'bout it". Rory whispered, as an afterthought.
"Well". Winters said quietly, "I hope you remember how proud you made me and everyone else out there, Rory".
She was silent for a few moments.
And then, revealed something concerning;
"I wonder…how come I tried to hard to stay alive out there". She said quietly, "James had a mom and dad back home…so did Vernon. That ain't fair that they had to go…".
Shaking his head, Winters said;
"war isn't fair, Rory. But you keep fighting, to one day save the world and live in peace".
Feeling her bottom lip tremble, she mumbled;
"I wish…it were me instead of them".
Winters face formed into a deep frown;
"don't say things like that, Rory. Your life matters a great deal. Not only to yourself but to others. And in order to respect your friends who didn't come home, you must learn to live life as you always wanted it".
Family.
That's all Rory wanted.
A family.
Her eyes looked over at Winters.
He gave her a tiny smile;
"all storms come to an end, Rory. And when this storm passes, you're 'gonna have a brand-new life and a new place to call home. Just remember that next time you wonder why that bullet wasn't for you".
…...
On their last night in Paris, Winters and Rory boarded the Paris Metro in the centre of the city, intending to ride it to the end of the line and back again. Getting themselves comfortable, Rory sat by the window and leaned against the glass. It was a pleasant and sleepy journey. Rory liked the silence and could appreciate reflecting on what she had seen in Paris.
Looking up, she saw Winters staring blankly ahead.
She wondered if he was thinking about their short break in Paris as well.
But Rory watched, while he took in a deep breath.
And exhaled slowly.
Frowning, she then watched him look behind.
Following his stare, Rory saw a boy, who was probably her age, if not a year younger. He smiled at Winters and soon met Rory's stare. There, his eyes locked into hers. His smile widened and he winked at her.
Giving him a shy smile back, Rory quickly turned back to face the front again.
And much preferred watching an older woman knit.
Frowning, she then heard giggling.
There, she found a young couple sharing sweet words and small kisses.
They were smiling. And happy to be young and in love.
Rory felt her shoulders sink into her body. While she thought about Miller, Jim and Vernon, who would never get to marry their sweethearts and start a family like they always wanted. Jim had a wife and a baby, and he'd never see his son grow up.
With those gloomy thoughts, Rory looked up at her Captain.
And was shocked to see that his eyes looked a little watery.
Winters remained to stare out into nothing for the rest of the journey.
When the train stopped, it had reached the end of the line. And didn't plan on turning back. They had gotten the last train, which had taken them to the outskirts of Paris. In order to get back to the hotel, they'd have to walk. Frowning a little, Rory gently tugged on Winters jacket sleeve. He blinked a few times and looked down.
"This train ain't going nowhere". She whispered.
Nodding, Winters put on his hat and got up.
Rory followed him off the train.
As they exited the underground station, a man was locking up.
And outside, standing by the entrance, was the boy from the train.
He smiled at the pair of them and saluted Winters.
Before he winked at Rory.
A tiny smile lifted Winters face.
And he was almost grinning, when he saw the look of embarrassment on Rory's face.
With a small groan, she grabbed onto Winters's sleeve again;
"we've got a lot of walking, sir".
"We do". He agreed quietly, "good thing it's not raining".
Rory huffed softly;
"guess, sir".
Walking away from the station, they stepped onto a road.
It was quiet. And there was a slight breeze in their air.
For the first five or so minutes, they walked in silence and simply took in all the closed shops and large buildings and statues. But that silence was broken, when Rory asked;
"do James's parents know?"
"They will now, Rory". Winters replied, "you can send his personal belongings back".
With a frown, Rory nodded;
"I'll do it when we get back to camp, sir".
After another moment of silence, she asked;
"sir?"
"Yeah?"
"How come you didn't yell at Liebgott when he snapped at you?"
Winters frowned a little;
"when did he snap at me?"
"The crossroads battle". Rory said quietly, "if I snapped at my old CO back in training…I'd be eating maggots for breakfast".
Winters snorted;
"it's different, Rory. I've known Liebgott since Toccoa. I had a feeling the man would snap at me when I told him to stop. You have to learn your men's strengths and weakest points. Not for your own advantage though, it's in order to help them. Sometimes, rank gets the better of an officer. And they believe to have this power over their men. That's not why I wanted to be an officer. I always believed to lead by example".
Frowning a little, Rory said quietly;
"how come Lieutenant Dike don't believe like you, sir?"
Raising an eyebrow, Winters looked down at her;
"you don't think he's fair, trooper?"
She shrugged;
"he ain't like you, that's for sure".
"Well, he's new". He reminded her, "he's still finding his feet…I'm sure come the next jump, Lieutenant Dike will be a strong leader for Easy".
Rory hoped Winters was right.
Thinking back to the train ride, Rory wondered what Winters was thinking so deeply about. She could only assume it was to do with combat. She wasn't sure what the man needed. She wasn't sure if her words were enough to lift his morale again. But Rory would try.
"Don't matter who are new CO is, sir". She said, "you're the best I've ever known".
A tiny smile met his lips.
Rory saw that smile.
And she felt herself sigh with relief.
"Still no Easy without you, sir". Rory added quietly.
Winters sighed a little;
"I don't deserve those words, Rory".
She frowned;
"sure you do, sir".
Shaking his head, he mumbled;
"wait and see what the outcomes like after the war. Then maybe you won't be thanking me".
Rory's frown deepened.
She'd never heard Winters sound so doubtful about himself as a leader.
It was strange.
And it hurt.
Her frown soon turned into anger;
"no!" She all but snapped.
Blinking, Winters looked down at her;
"no?" He murmured, "I never asked you a question, Rory-"
"I ain't taking that, sir!" She said firmly, "cause it ain't just 'bout the war, huh?"
Frowning a little, he asked;
"care to explain?"
"Fine, I will!"
Rory stopped walked.
They were halfway across a bridge.
Winters stopped as well and stared down at her.
And with his stare, she almost lost her nerve.
The anger vanished from her face.
And she was left frowning;
"I ain't ever felt like I had a family…'till I met you".
Winters stare softened a little.
And he waited, for Rory to continue.
Sighing, she mumbled;
"I feel like…like you talk to me, like my dad should've done. He never told me he were proud…or held my hand when Grandpa died but…but you did, when I lost James and Vernon".
Tears filled her eyes;
"cause I felt like…like you care 'bout me sometimes". Her voice broke, "and no grown-up has cared 'bout me…not since I lost Grandpa".
Clearing her throat, she mumbled tearfully;
"so…thanks, sir. For caring and…and getting me through Holland".
Sniffing, she whispered;
"that's all I've 'gotta say 'bout that".
With a sad sort of smile, Winters crouched down a little.
Hands going on her shoulders, he said;
"you've never given me a reason to doubt the respect I have for you. The men trust you, your reliable and kind. And I'm sorry, that I was the first adult to treat you kindly after your Grandpa passed away, Rory. Children are our future and they shouldn't be deprived of love, comfort and good parents. I'm sorry you didn't get to experience that".
Taking in a shaky breath, Rory nodded slowly.
"You're still a kid, Rory". Winters went on, "and you'll still be a kid when this war ends, probably. And when that day comes, I promise, you'll never have to go back to Indiana".
Shrugging, she mumbled;
"couldn't if I wanted to, sir".
"They don't deserve a kid like you anyway". Winters said.
Lips twitching a little, Rory said;
"tell that to them".
Winters raised his eyebrow;
"oh, I will, trooper. If you want me to?"
Rory shook her head;
"don't get caught up in my drama, sir…it ain't worth it".
Giving her shoulders a squeeze, he asked;
"you okay?"
She nodded;
"sorry I yelled".
Winters huffed out a tiny laugh;
"well…at least I know your weak point, huh?"
"Yeah, just don't go saying bad stuff 'bout yourself, sir".