Aldbourne hadn't changed much since they left for Normandy.
Instead of sleeping in Nissan huts, Privates were billeted into the stables. It offered them more privacy, where four men shared a block. The NCO's moved into houses just outside of the village. They had the same rules to follow but the Sergeants were happy with the freedom. Promotions were handed out when they got back too. Men like Malarkey, Skip and Shifty went straight to Sergeant from Private. Buck and Welsh were both promoted to 1st Lieutenant. Diel was recommended for Battlefield Commission and was soon 2nd Lieutenant in Able Company. Taking Diel's place as 1st Sergeant, was Lipton.
Replacements would join Easy. But they didn't arrive right away.
"I know we've just come off a long, difficult time". Winters addressed his men, "but that doesn't mean you can go to London and act like fools. Remember you are Paratroopers and be proud of the uniform you are wearing. Keep your feet on the ground, stay out of trouble and don't embarrass yourselves. You represent the best of the United States Army, so act like it".
The men were given a seven-day furlough. They could anywhere they liked, so long as they were back with their Company in seven days. And of course, they were planning on raising hell. They wanted to drink themselves silly with alcohol, meet a lot of women and paint the streets red. Dallin planned on meeting up with Malarkey, Toye, Grant and Skip in a few days' time. She figured it would be better to give the men space before she joined in on the celebrations.
By nine that morning, Easy cleared the village. Dallin waved a few of them off at the bus stop and headed back into the village. With no plans set for the next three or four days', Dallin had trouble figuring out what to do with herself. She ended up walking away from the stables and into the village square. And after walking on her own for a few minutes with her head down, Dallin bumped into Mrs Barnes and Elaine. It was nice to see them again. Mrs Barnes was happy to see Dallin looking well and invited her over for tea.
"I think…Captain Winters has seen enough of me, Mrs Barnes".
"Nonsense, dear". Mrs Barnes argued kindly, "the man will be thrilled to see you".
Elaine pipped in brightly with;
"we made muffins, Private Gorski".
Dallin sent the kid a soft smile and agreed to go;
"well…I never say no to muffins, Elaine".
Walking back into the house above the grocer, Mr Barnes was sitting on his armchair, drinking a cup of tea and reading the newspaper. He got up and shook Dallin's hand when she entered the living room. He was happy to see her unharmed. And though she still looked a little weary and thin, Dallin seemed okay. She looked a lot better than Mr Barnes.
"Are you…well, Mr Barnes?" Dallin asked, helping the man sit back down.
With a kind smile, he assured her;
"I'm quite alright, Dallin…now, is Mrs Barnes getting tea?"
Nodding, Dallin took a seat on the couch;
"yes, Mr Barnes".
"Good". He continued to smile, "your Captain is resting in his room…leg wound".
Dallin frowned;
"it's still sore, Mr Barnes?"
"He won't go into great detail…I don't think the man likes the fuss". Mr Barnes said, "but, my dear wife only wants him to be as comfortable as possible".
"Can I…see him?"
He nodded, with a soft smile;
"upstairs, Dallin…second door on the left".
Before she could head up the stairs, Mrs Barnes handed Dallin a tray with two cups of tea and two raisin muffins. Dallin took up their refreshments and knocked on the door. Winters called for her to come inside the room and he was surprised to see Dallin, instead of the Barnes's.
"Hello, sir". She greeted softly, "I have feeling you prefer ice cream but…Elaine is very excited that we try her muffins".
Huffing out a little laugh, Winters nodded;
"I'm sure they're great".
The Captain was sitting upon his bed, leg propped up and resting on a small mountain of pillows. He was wearing his white top and a pair of trousers. Dallin had never seen the man look so casual and relaxed before. It was nice to see Winters that way, instead of covered in mud back in combat. Setting the tray down on a dresser, Dallin picked up a muffin and a cup. She handed it to Winters, who smiled and told her;
"you didn't have to do that, Dill".
Shrugging, Dallin went over to collect her tea;
"you do a lot for us, sir".
"You didn't 'wanna raise hell in London with the men?"
"Not right away". Dallin replied, "I don't want to…cramp their style".
His eyes lightened with amusement;
"but…your an enlisted woman, Dill…pretty sure you'd fit right in".
"I will let them see a lot of women first". She mumbled, "then I join them for quiet drinks in a pub".
Winters huffed;
"yeah…that's probably a good idea".
She took a seat on a wooden chair by Winters desk and turned it around to face him.
Taking a sip of her sweet tea, Dallin took a bite from her muffin afterwards.
Chewing it slowly, she nodded in approval;
"Elaine is very good at making muffins".
Winters's room wasn't large, but it was big enough to fit two beds inside. One for him, the other was for Welsh. Their window looked towards St Michael's Church. Dallin wondered if the ringing of the church bells would annoy Winters, seeing as he was so close to the building. She decided to ask him;
"the church bells…are they annoying?"
A distant look crossed his eyes;
"no…not annoying". He mumbled, "they remind me of when I dropped into Normandy. I heard church bells ringing in Sainte-Marie-Eglise…when I was alone with only my jump knife".
Frowning, Dallin whispered;
"I didn't have time to hear the bells…you found me seconds after I dropped".
Lips twitching, he said;
"guess I got pretty lucky there".
Shaking her head, she added;
"it feels…very long time ago".
Dallin wasn't sure he heard that because when she looked at Winters, he was in the room, but his eyes were miles away. She wondered what he was thinking so deeply about. And Dallin let his mind drift away for a few minutes. When Winters did blink, he was brought back into the room. With slightly watery eyes, he met Dallin's soft but concerned stare.
"Pardon me, Dill". He mumbled, "my mind…it ran off".
Shaking her head, she whispered;
"it's okay, sir".
And then suggested;
"would you…like to go on walk with me?"
…
Outside, the Captain and the Private walked down the village streets and ended up on a country dirt path, which brought them passed the field Sobel cut the barbed wire from. The memory of the incident brought a spark of life back into Winters's eyes. And he even smiled a little. Looking up at him, Dallin shared that small smile;
"do you know who told him to do that?"
Sighing, Winters shrugged;
"I have my suspicions". He said, "and…if my guts right, then it was George Luz".
Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Dallin rubbed her lips together, before asking;
"Captain Nixon…he calls me kiddo, sir…why?"
"He calls a lot of the enlisted that". Winters said, "but…your ages with his sister, Dill. I think you remind him of her".
"Yes…he spoke about her to me once". She nodded, "Blanche…she sounds like strong woman".
"She is". Winters confirmed, "a bit like Captain Nixon".
"Do you have sister, sir?"
"I do". He replied, "Ann…she's fourteen now". Winters told her, "a lot younger than me".
Smiling, Dallin said;
"she will miss you, sir".
"Yeah…I try not to think about home too much".
Frowning a little, she nodded.
"I understand, sir". Dallin said softly, "I don't think about home a lot".
"If we spent all day missing home…we wouldn't get anything done".
When they reached the next field, Dallin noticed horses grazing. Walking towards the fence, she stood still, to admire them. Her heart ached when she remembered all those poor dead horses in the fields and roads of Normandy. Still, the sight before her gave her a small sense of hope, that not all creatures were touched by wars cruel hand.
Winters stood next to her.
They both admired the horses.
"This is…better". She whispered.
"Yeah". Winters agreed quietly.
"We did enough, sir".
"What do you mean?"
"In Normandy". She explained quietly, "we did…more than enough".
Biting down on his lip, Winters shook his head and whispered;
"maybe…if I had done things differently…more men would be here with us".
Dallin frowned deeply.
Because she knew that's what he had been thinking about before.
Her heart felt heavy at his words, while she imagined the great weight on her Captain's shoulders. And it was Winters, who had to write all those tragic letters back home to their fallen friend's parents. Winters deserved to be a Captain because he was a brilliant leader and because he knew his men and cared for them.
Through a lump in her throat, Dallin told him;
"the parents…if I was their mother…I know a letter that came from you, came from the heart, sir. Rob's parents…they knew his son had a great man leading him, sir. He spoke very…highly of you to his mother and father".
Winters's hand clenched around the barbed wire.
Swallowing first, he said;
"it wasn't an easy job…".
Dallin shook her head;
"no…it wouldn't have been easy".
Eyes looking down at the damp grass, Winters whispered;
"I signed up for the Army…because I wanted to do my years' service and then get back to my normal life. During officer candidate school in Fort Benning…that's when I first saw the Paratroopers and I knew then, I wanted to fight alongside those men. They looked tough. They looked like the best. You could tell they had worked hard".
With a tiny snort, he added;
"my parents had the whole neighbourhood against my wishes to join the Paratroopers. But I went with my head and my gut on that one…I'm glad I did".
Nodding, she mumbled softly;
"me too, sir".
Winters went quiet again.
Dallin ducked her head to catch his eyes. And they looked far away, like back in his room. Frowning a little, she gently placed a hand on his arm;
"would you like to have lunch, sir?"
Clearing his throat, Winters met her stare;
"lunch?"
Dallin nodded;
"yes…we have lunch in bakery, sir? The soup is…very nice. No mutton in it".
Winters almost laughed;
"alright, Private. We can have lunch".
Letting go of his arm, the pair of them walked back onto the country path and headed for the village again. Because Winters walked with a limp, their pace was slow and comfortable. It was nice to walk and not march for a change.
Looking up at Winters for a second, Dallin faced the front and told him suddenly;
"me and Shifty had small affair".
Winters's eyes widened a little;
"pardon me?"
With a sigh, she mumbled;
"yes…it did not work out…Shifty is very kind but…his heart is very young. We will always be friends. And it was wrong to do silly things…we are in the war".
Blinking a few times, Winters tried to mask his shock;
"well, thank you for telling me…I think".
Dallin's lips twitched;
"I feel…a bit better now".
"Oh, you do?"
She nodded;
"I don't hide anything anymore, sir". Dallin said, "and now, Shifty can go back to whorehouse".
Winters almost choked on air;
"Dill…I really don't need to know what the enlisted get up to in London".
"They have big warehouse in London…a lot of prostitutes live there-"
"Dill". Winters cut her off, but with a small amused smile, "as long as the men stay out of trouble, they're free to do whatever they want".
Smirking, Dallin corrected him;
"whoever they want…sir".
And though his cheeks turned a light shade of pink, he chuckled.
Winters might have been their Captain, but he was twenty-six and entitled to laugh at stupid jokes. In training and out in combat, Dallin sometimes forgot that Winters was only six years older than her. She forgot that Winters was round about the same age as Kacper. Only, Kacper wasn't fond of her blunt and sometimes inappropriate humour.
The last time Dallin stepped into the bakery, she was with Toye, Guarnere and Martin. Taking their seats in a beautifully decorated café, they ordered the soup of the day with freshly baked crusty bread and butter.
"Replacements are coming after our furlough". Winters informed Dallin.
She watched, while Winters tucked the napkin into the collar of his shirt.
Placing her elbows on the table, Dallin rested her chin on her hands;
"I am sure the men will…feel strange about them, sir".
Winters huffed;
"yeah, probably". He agreed, "I'm glad I decided to put the NCO's into a private house".
"Which leaves me…and my Private friends with the new boys". Dallin almost grumbled.
And he smiled, looking amused by her response;
"they'll look up to all of you". He said, "and you might even make a new friend, Dill".
Rolling her eyes with a smile, Dallin shook her head;
"oh…stranger things have happened…I suppose".
Winters chuckled and pointed out;
"you're getting better at jokes, Private". He said, "do I detect sarcasm?"
"Yes…you Americans are very sarcastic". Dallin smiled, "especially Wild Bill".
After a small pause, Winters said lightly;
"this almost feels normal".
Nodding, she agreed;
"yes…eating is very normal".
With a small chuckle, Winters explained;
"what I meant…was having lunch, around civilians".
Smiling, Dallin said;
"last time I was here…our table was very noisy".
He chuckled again;
"I can imagine…who were you with?"
"Joe, Bill and Johnny".
"Well…it's never quiet with Wild Bill around".
"Bill and Johnny go to Edinburgh". Dallin told Winters, "and Joe will come back from hospital in a few days".
"I thought you always wanted to see Scotland?" Winters asked, "why didn't you go with them?"
Dallin huffed out a laugh and shook her head;
"no…I'm sure Edinburgh has whorehouse too".
His eyes widened a little.
And Winters looked around the quiet bakery, hoping no one heard that comment.
Dallin added;
"they will have more fun without me there".
After scanning the room, Winters looked back at her and said;
"I went back in February. I saw Edinburgh and Glasgow".
Eyes softening, she asked;
"is it…nice places?"
He nodded, with a smile;
"yeah, it's nice, Dill. I think you'd like it there".
"Then I will go".
"You'll meet Bill and Johnny there?"
Dallin shook her head;
"no…I should go alone…I don't want to ruin their fun".
Before Winters could say anything, the owner put down their bowls of soup in front of them. In the centre of the table, she put down a plate of bread with a small corner of butter. Dallin picked up her spoon and blew into the soup before taking a sip. Watching her for a few moments in silence, Winters rubbed the back of his neck and grabbed his spoon.
"Do you – uh – you want some company?" He asked.
Swallowing what was in her mouth, Dallin asked;
"when, sir?"
Clearing his throat, Winters said;
"in Edinburgh? It's not as big as most cities in America but…it's different".
Licking her bottom lip, Dallin nodded;
"yes…okay, sir".
"They have a lovely hostel there-"
"no, please". She cut him off softly, "we stay in hotel…I pay, sir".
Winters raised his eyebrow;
"you'll pay?"
Dallin nodded, confirming her decision;
"yes…I have a lot of money, sir". She replied, "I save a lot…it was supposed to be my moon travel fund, but I use some for hotel now".
Smiling, he questioned;
"your moon fund, Dill?"
Dipping her spoon into the vegetable soup, Dallin said;
"Kacper…he wanted to be first Jew on the moon…but he's dead now, so, I'll be the first Jew on the moon".
Winters smile saddened;
"pretty far to the moon, huh?"
Sighing, she mumbled;
"one day…they'll have big powerful plane to take me there".
His smile widened;
"they'd invent that plane…just for you, Dill?"
"They should". Dallin mumbled, "I'm helping win the war, sir. They owe me trip to the moon".
Chuckling, he nodded;
"that sounds reasonable enough".
"Yes…I think so too".
And what made him laugh again, was not knowing if Dallin was being serious or not.
Dallin was dipping a piece of bread into her soup when Winters suggested;
"why don't we leave for Edinburgh tomorrow morning?"
"Yes". She agreed, "is it…far?"
He smiled;
"we should reach Edinburgh by three in the afternoon".
"Train, sir?"
Winters nodded;
"yeah". He replied, "you could stay with the Barnes's tonight. It'll save us some time".
The piece of bread slipped out of her fingers and landed in the soup.
Frowning, she fished around for the piece of bread with her spoon;
"okay, sir…they won't mind?"
"No, not at all". Winters assured her, "you can take my room, I'll hunker down on the couch".
When he said that, Dallin lost her piece of bread again.
Clearing her throat, she briefly looked at Winters.
"Are…you sure?" She asked quietly.
With a nod, he smiled;
"very sure, Private".