When they learned cold saltwater ran from the showers, men gave up on hygiene. It was almost like a strike and a very easy to follow one, for no one liked having a cold shower. Unless that man was Popeye, who claimed having a cold shower was great first thing in the morning. No one shared his enthusiasm for a saltwater shower from Easy, but they still washed. However, it didn't stop the place from stinking up from sweat and old socks. Because only a couple of Company's from the 506th were dedicated to showering.
Mixed in with the stench of sweat, was whatever the cooks were cooking down in the mess hall. It was usually fish soup. The men were served fish soup twice a day, breakfast and supper. It was a meal no one looked forward too and after just two days, some men decided to look elsewhere for food. On top of fish soup, they had to ration water. There wouldn't be enough fresh water to cater for all the men if they didn't ration their supplies.
And lastly, with living in terrible conditions, it was also very cramped below deck. They didn't have enough hammocks for everyone, so, a lot of men took it in turns to sleep up on deck. They didn't get cold on deck because they leaned against the bulkheads and had their blankets to keep warm. Below deck, men had to live among the awful stench. Sleeping outside was probably a more sensible idea.
Sobel tried to do callisthenics but found they didn't have enough space. So, he handed out garrison duties instead. Which involved a lot of cleaning, especially in the latrines. With five thousand men sharing one latrine block, conditions were horrible. Living on the SS Samaria was anything but luxurious. It was very miserable most of the time. To pass the time, men played craps, poker or just talked their time away.
For the first six days, things were fine for Dallin. She got used to the smell and got used to seeing her friends get as sick as dogs. Most of the sickness came from the smell alone but they were soon steaming deeper into the ocean and the ship hit a few rough patches along the way. During those rough patches, it gave them the sensation that they were going upside down. And with their bellies full of fish, or chocolate, it didn't sit well. Dallin was living off cookies. She couldn't eat the fish soup; it made her sick just thinking about it.
But soon, Dallin didn't have to think about hot chow to make her feel sick, she started to feel sick all on her own. Pale, clammy and extremely nauseous, Dallin climbed up on deck. Her knees buckled together, and her hands shook. She was hoping the fresh air would help. Because Dallin really didn't want to get sick. She was the type of person who'd do almost anything to stop herself from vomiting.
Noticing her first, Shifty got onto his feet;
"Dallin?" He called out.
She gave him a tiny wave while heading towards the railings.
He frowned;
"you okay?"
Dallin stuck up her thumb.
She leaned heavily against the railings, while her legs buckled from under her and wobbled around like a plate of jelly. Dallin gripped onto the metal, trying to pull herself up. After taking in some deep breaths through her nose, Dallin had managed to lean over the railings. Her eyes watered and glared at the ocean because she knew she'd have no control soon. But still, she tried to hold onto control.
"It comes to us all, Dallin!" Popeye told her where he sat.
Head resting on the railings, she mumbled;
"shut…up".
Shifty ended up standing next to her. With a sad sort of smile, he asked;
"you want me to go?"
Dallin gave her head a tiny shake.
Eyes closing, Dallin held her breath.
Frowning, Shifty's hand went on her back;
"you'll feel better after, Dallin".
But Dallin refused. She managed to take back some control. Her mind won against her stomach. And for a few seconds, she looked relieved. Looking up at Shifty, Dallin opened her mouth;
"I won that – shit!"
Quickly, Shifty guided her over the rails.
And Dallin lost the battle with her stomach.
Somewhere between vomiting, Dallin gasped and exclaimed;
"it comes out my nose, Shifty!"
Finding what she said a little amusing, Shifty bit back a chuckle and continued to rub her back;
"you're doing great, baby".
She spat a few times and shuddered;
"it burns…Shifty".
"Just let it happen". He soothed her, "it ain't 'gonna last long".
When the first round of vomiting ended, Dallin continued to lean over the railings. She licked her dry lips and tried to get rid of the taste in her mouth by spitting. Dallin thought she'd rather eat fish soup than have the taste of vomit in her mouth. And thinking of fish soup, while suffering from seasickness, was a very stupid idea.
Groaning, her hands began to shake again.
Popeye was soon by her other side;
"drink some more".
She shook her head.
"You 'gotta". Popeye told her, "cause it won't hurt much coming up again".
Dallin groaned again;
"Popeye…stop".
Shifty sent his best friend an apologetic smile;
"don't worry, Popeye…I've got it".
Lifting her head, a little, Dallin took in a deep breath through her nose and clenched her jaw. She was determined to win the next battle against her stomach. She soon opened her eyes when her concentration was broken by a napkin scrubbing the sides of her mouth. Eyes looking towards Shifty, he smiled with a wink. Corner of her mouth twitching, Dallin closed her eyes again. Her stomach was beginning to settle down.
"Swirl your mouth around with water". Shifty told her, "that'll help".
After getting rid of the terrible taste in her mouth, Dallin's stomach no longer churned up a storm. But she felt weak. Making her way back down into the belly of the ship, Dallin found her hammock and lay down. With Lowrey's feet almost touching her face, she fell asleep.
…
With still three days to go, most of the men had either gambled all their money away or had more money than they set sail with. Games of poker and craps were now scarce, with men not having enough money to put down a bet. And with boredom seeping in, fights broke out. Though Easy were like one big dysfunctional family, some didn't see eye to eye. Guarnere would say something, Liebgott would take offence. And a fight would ensure. Because Lowrey had a hot temper at times, he'd end up getting into a few fistfights as well. Dallin wasn't sure who had started it, but she wanted to end it.
She made the mistake of getting between a fistfight against Lowrey and another guy. Dallin didn't know the man's name, but she ended up getting punched in the face, by accident. Falling to the ground, her nose started to bleed. Her getting punched brought Toye and Malarkey into the fight. Now, it was three against one. It was a screaming match. And eventually, Lipton put an end to it.
First, he pulled Dallin onto her feet and then, he shut the men up;
"that's enough!" He snapped, "you're all on latrine duty!"
The men quietened down.
Lipton wrapped his arm around Dallin's shoulders and led her away from Easy and towards the latrines;
"you alright, buddy?" He asked her.
Dallin nodded;
"yes…I have worse".
Inside the latrines, Lipton pressed paper towels up to her nose to stop the bleeding. She hadn't broken anything, Dallin got lucky. And Easy was lucky to have a Sergeant like Lipton. Dallin's nose didn't bleed for long, not with Lipton taking care of it. And it didn't look very bad. Though, she did have some marks under her right eye. Lipton sighed, before telling her;
"it might turn black tomorrow".
She gave her head a little shake;
"it's okay, Sergeant. I have worse".
Dallin didn't go into any more detail. Which left Lipton with a lot of questions. But knowing a little of what she went through before joining Easy, he figured it was still hard to talk about. It must have been bad, Lipton thought, because of the nightmares she sometimes had.
He wasn't sure if he had jinxed anything because that night, Dallin woke up screaming in Polish. The only difference was, they were sharing the belly of the ship with everyone from the 506th and they all woke up.
For the men from Easy who hadn't heard her scream, they woke up startled.
"What the hell's going on?" Talbert mumbled.
"Is that Gorski?" Another asked.
Lipton jumped down from his bunk and saw Dallin on the ground. Her back was pressed up against Toye's chest, while he tried to calm her breathing down. Crouched in front of them was Skip, who had a cigarette between his fingers. Looking around at the curious faces staring down at Dallin, Lipton was quick to order;
"get back to sleep…we've got it under control".
Moving closer, Lipton could hear Dallin whimper and whisper;
"there are none…there are none".
"Sh…come on, kid. You're alright". Toye murmured into her ear. "Joe's 'gotcha".
Lowrey, who was sharing a hammock with Dallin, sat up and grimaced. But he didn't put up much of a fuss. Instead, he pulled off the wet blanket and looked down at his legs, with a tiny sigh.
"Guess I'm having a cold saltwater shower". He said, more to himself.
Getting onto his feet, Lowrey gave Lipton a tiny smile;
"don't worry, Sergeant. Dallin will be alright in a few minutes".
But when looking down at Dallin, Lipton noticed the pain across her face. She was squirming against Toye's secure hold, her body shaking. Taking in tearful gasps, Dallin's tearful eyes stared at her fingers. She ended up choking out a tiny cough, with sounded close to a sob. Toye hushed something soothing in her ear but she ended up shaking her head, softly crying;
"nie…nie…".
"It's okay, squirt". Skip decided to try, "you're safe, huh?"
Again, she cried out;
"nie…nie…".
It just so happened that Bill Kiehn decided to spend the night inside the ship. And after hearing Dallin whimper in pain, he soon came over with a paper towel soaked in cold water. Toye and Skip gave Kiehn a curious look, while the man knelt beside Dallin and pressed the paper towel against her fingers. Instantly, she relaxed.
Toye looked at Kiehn and smiled small;
"good job, kid".
Kiehn shrugged one shoulder;
"did the same back at Shifty's place…figured it was the same dream".
Pushing himself towards Dallin was Carl.
Worried, he stood next to Lipton;
"someone better tell me what the hell is going on".
Like always, when Dallin came out from her state of terror, she felt a great amount of shame. With a shaky sigh, she scrubbed the tears out from her eyes and took the lit cigarette from Skip. Toye gave her arm a pat;
"good girl…just relax right now, huh? We'll deal with everything else soon".
Because Dallin's screaming had stirred up a lot of noise, she managed to grab the attention of the officers, who were one floor above them. While Company leaders told their men to shut up, Winters walked over to his Company, already having an idea on what might have happened. He didn't yell for his men to shut up, most of them remained in their bunks. But Dallin's barrack mates and a couple of others surrounded her.
They cleared a space for the Lieutenant.
Winters assessed the situation before he crouched in front of Dallin;
"come with me, trooper".
Taking one last drag from the cigarette, she handed it back over to Skip. Once on her feet, Winters placed his hand on her shoulder and led her towards the metal spiral staircase. It was a very quiet walk up the stairs. The officer's quarters weren't much better than the enlisted. It still smelt the same but was less crowded. Dallin could see Sobel sleeping in the back of the room, but Nixon soon blocked her view of Sobel. He lit up a cigarette and mumbled;
"okay?"
She gave a quick nod.
"Want a smoke?" Nixon offered.
Dallin shook her head.
Her shoulders dropped a little;
"can I…clean up, yes?"
Winters gave her shoulder a squeeze;
"hang on". He said, before walking towards his hammock.
Nixon gave her a nod and asked;
"what was it this time?"
Dallin's hand moved up towards her head, where her fingers soon gripped her hair. It felt as though she couldn't breathe again like her heart was about to burst out. She could feel her chest begin to tighten; her legs begin to tremble. That burning pain on the tips of her fingers was back, as well as the burning tears in her eyes.
Shaking her head, she choked out;
"przepraszam…prszepraszam…".
Tears soon rolled freely and fast down her cheeks. Dallin coughed out a soft sob.
"Sorry…sorry". She cried out quietly.
Taking in a tearful gasp, she then said;
"it hurts…please…it hurts me".
Nixon's face fell.
Dropping the cigarette onto the ground, he looked around for Winters.
And very quickly, his redheaded friend rushed over to Dallin. Nixon was never good when it came to emotional support. He was more comfortable handing out whiskey, rather than dealing with tears. Winters's arm went around her shoulders and he led her out of the officers sleeping quarters before she could wake anyone up. Nixon followed after them. And they ended up inside the latrines. Closing the door, Nixon turned around to face his friend and their distraught soldier. He lit up another cigarette.
"What hurts, trooper?" Winters asked her kindly.
Dallin sniffed;
"they…they burn my fingers with fire". She croaked.
More tears rolled down her face;
"there were no more, sir". She cried out softly, "no more…I promise, no more".
Crouching in front of Dallin, Winters placed both hands on her shoulders;
"it's okay, Dallin…you're here with us…with Easy".
Her face crumbled again;
"my fingers…sir".
Getting up onto his feet, Winters carefully took her hands before turning on the cold tap. There, he guided her fingers under the water. Dallin let out a tearful sigh, sounding relieved. And once again, the phantom pains disappeared. And Dallin was almost back to herself. Sniffing, she watched her fingers under the cold tap and Winters large hands on her wrists.
It might have been the worst physical pain she had gone through. It left a scar on her soul, where she feared feeling that pain again. Because it didn't matter how many times she screamed, the Gestapo only took that flame off her fingers when he wanted to. That physical pain broke her the most. And she still had some damage to the tips of her fingers. Old scars, mostly. Dallin was sure they melted the skin off her fingers.
But she was calm now. And very aware of how she acted.
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin whispered;
"sorry…sir".
Winters shook his head;
"it's not your fault".
He let go of her wrists and Dallin pulled her hands away from under the cold water.
Turning the tap off, Winters then placed a pair of trousers in her arms.
"Get cleaned up". He ordered softly, "we'll wait outside".
When Nixon and Winters left the latrines, they checked the time. It was nearing three in the morning. Another disturbed night aboard the SS Samaria. But they didn't mind that Dallin had been the one to wake the entire ship up, Winters was used to other matters waking him up. Like fights, worries or an officer succumb with seasickness.
And just like the men, Winters was eager to reach Liverpool.
…
With little sleep, Dallin decided to head up to the deck and watch the sunrise. Leaning against the rails, her eyes could see nothing but the endless ocean and a golden sky. It was chilly, Dallin had her jacket on. The weather was turning cooler now that they were heading into Autumn. When Dallin reached into her jacket pocket, she brought out the picture of her and Shifty in Clinchco.
Smiling, her eyes stared at the picture for a few minutes, where she was brought back to fond and tender memories with Shifty. Allowing herself to feel something other than embarrassment, Dallin soon carefully put the photo back inside her pocket. Dallin felt confident that she'd have many more memories with Shifty as time went on. And she prayed that they'd both make more memories after the war.
She wanted that for all of her friends.
Even Sobel.
Dallin smiled. Because she felt eyes on the back of her head.
With a tiny chuckle, she said;
"I feel you stare…Darrel".
Dallin was met with a chuckle.
And soon, Shifty was standing next to her. Looking at her, he asked;
"how'd you know it was me?"
With a shrug, she mumbled;
"you stare…more than anyone".
"Well, I like looking at you".
Eyebrows twitching, she asked;
"why?"
Shifty shrugged;
"cause you're beautiful".
With a small blush, Dallin rubbed her lips together.
But Shifty wasn't finished;
"hell…you're the most beautiful creation on God's green earth, Dallin".
And he let out a shaky breath as if he'd been meaning to tell her that. Dallin eventually looked at him, meeting his soft but slightly nervous eyes. With a small smile, she reached for the side of his face and whispered;
"not me…you are".
Hand leaving his face, she reached into her pocket and brought out the trout she had carved during a field exercise. With a smile, Dallin placed the small wooden animal into Shifty's hand and told him;
"last time…you kiss my cheek, yes?"
Shifty smiled.
Leaning towards her, his lips met her cheek.
Like last time, Dallin blushed but couldn't keep the large smile off her face. Shifty was going to compliment her creation and thank her for the gift but Dallin soon brought out a bear. Shifty ended up laughing before kissing her cheek again.
"You don't 'gotta make me presents to get a kiss, Dallin". He told her softly.
Dallin shrugged;
"I like…making you gifts". She said, "but…I like you kissing me more, Shifty".
"How many did you make?"
"A lot". Dallin replied, "more in my bag".
Shifty chuckled again and found the whole thing adorable.
But that chuckle soon stopped and Shifty looked more serious.
Taking her hand, he mumbled;
"Bill tells me you had a rough night".
Dallin stared down at their hands;
"yes…". She whispered, "but…I am fine today".
"I wish I was there with you". He said, "I felt real bad 'bout it".
Frowning, Dallin squeezed his hand;
"no, Shifty…you are kind and…I am lucky to have you. Please, don't feel bad".
Looking at her, he whispered;
"you're lucky? Hell, I've hit the jackpot with you, Dallin. You know…I sure am glad you got here, Dallin. And I know things are getting serious with the war and all…and maybe I'm just a stupid small-town boy from Virginia but…I might not be able to give you much, Dallin but I sure as hell will try to give you what I can".
Shaking her head, Dallin took a step closer to him;
"Shifty…you did the most incredible thing, yes?"
"I did?" He whispered, clearly confused.
Though she smiled, it was brittle and tearful.
With a nod, she told him;
"you make me laugh…and smile…and I feel, safe with you". Blinking, she added, "that is more than enough, Shifty Powers. That is more than anyone has ever done for me since I leave Poland. When I join Easy, I do not think I would…meet someone like you. And I was not prepared to feel the way I do for you, Shifty. You are very special to me".
Shifty could feel his eyes start to sting.
"You got such a pretty laugh and smile". He murmured, "I always 'wanna hear and see that".
"Then…don't doubt yourself". Dallin told him softly, "when you be yourself, that means the world to me".
When he smiled, a tear rolled down his cheek.
Dallin wiped it away with her thumb.
And stood up on the balls of her feet, to kiss his cheek.
Shifty was full-on grinning.
Wrapping his arm around her, Dallin leaned into his side.
And the pair of them watched the sunrise together.
Both excited to get off the SS Samaria.