While Captain Speirs led Easy up to Hitler's Eagles Nest, Dallin stayed in the town. She wasn't ready to face such a sight. There wasn't much else to do in town, besides sight-seeing. Dallin figured out where Winters was billeted and decided to pay her old officer a visit. But the man wasn't home, it seemed he had decided to take a trip to the nest as well. Walking back to the Sergeant's house, a surprise greeted her on the way.
Malarkey.
With a grin, Dallin rushed over to him;
"Donnie!" She cried out happily.
Dropping his bag, Malarkey held out his arms to catch Dallin into a fierce hug. The two friends held each other tightly, happy to finally be reunited. Malarkey spun her around, laughing into her wild and bushy hair.
"God, I missed you, Dill". He said, "you've 'gotta tell me everything".
Back on her feet, Dallin smiled softly up at him;
"well…Easy have taken the Eagles Nest".
He huffed out a laugh;
"no, shit…really?"
Dallin nodded;
"yes…they are there now".
Malarkey frowned;
"how come you ain't?"
She shrugged;
"oh…I don't like Hitler's house".
"So, mess it up". Malarkey told her, "drink his wine, break his furniture…piss on his bed".
She pulled a face;
"what-"
"it doesn't matter, Dill". He smiled, "but you've 'gotta be there…come on, we'll go together".
Dallin sighed and agreed;
"yes, okay".
Malarkey took her hand;
"great, I'll fetch us a jeep".
Pulling him back, she said;
"wait some minutes…I have to tell you stuff, Donni".
Malarkey turned to face her again;
"is it serious?" He asked and soon paled, "oh God…are you pregnant?"
Shaking her head, Dallin told him softly;
"Donnie…you are not ever alone, okay? Please, no more trips to London alone. I lost my Uncle, you lost your brother…so, we don't be alone anymore".
Malarkey frowned.
She was sure his eyes looked a little tearful.
But it might have been the bright sun.
Nodding, he gave her hand a squeeze;
"come on…before all the good loot goes".
Smiling small, Dallin reminded him;
"Speirs is with us, Donnie…there is no loot left".
He laughed;
"take it he got worse?"
"The man would make a fine burglar".
After a short drive up to the top of the mountain, they soon reached Hitler's old holiday home. Dallin couldn't imagine the deluded man spending a lot of time there, he was afraid of heights. Stepping into the house, it wasn't like stepping into somewhere evil because the villa was filled with her friends and everyone was smiling and joking around. She could admire the beauty of it all. Dallin and Malarkey explored each room and took in the views at the same time.
When they got into a bedroom, Malarkey smirked at Dallin.
Shaking her head, she mumbled;
"I will not urinate on the bed, Donnie".
Despite an entire Company running around, the villa was open and airy. Each room was large, even the bathrooms were huge. But Dallin soon found the best spot, the patio on the top floor. She leaned against the bannister, enjoying the magnificent view around her. She felt as though she was in a castle on the clouds. It was like magic. Dallin could think of a lot of people who would have loved to have seen the view.
"You made it".
Turning around, Dallin gave Nixon a nod;
"yes…Malarkey convinces me".
Nodding in approval, Nixon was soon standing next to her;
"nice place, huh? This Hitler guy was spoiled rotten".
Shaking her head, a tiny smile met her lips;
"so spoiled…that he kills himself".
Snorting softly, Nixon stared out at the snowcapped mountains surrounding them. With a small sigh, he leaned back and stared down at Dallin. It was strange, he felt a little tug on his heart at what he was about to tell her, for whatever reason. It shouldn't have made him feel anything but overjoyed because Dallin had only dreamed of this day. And for some reason, they picked Nixon to tell her.
Dallin stared up at him, slightly confused by his conflicting expressions;
"sir?"
Placing his bottle of wine down, Nixon licked his bottom lip before straightening himself back up;
"Dick thinks I should tell you this".
She frowned;
"tell me what?"
Nixon huffed, which sounded torn between a laugh and maybe a sob;
"well…wars over, kiddo. German armies have surrendered. Wars over in Europe".
Her eyes widened a little;
"okay…". Dallin whispered.
Nodding, he agreed with her;
"yeah, it's a shock".
"I didn't say that".
"You didn't have to". He said, "it's written all over your face".
Rubbing her lips together, Dallin's head tilted to the side.
Nixon was right, she was shocked.
But soon came this breath of relief, which almost brought her to her knees. Dallin let out a tiny laugh, which sounded broken and tearful. Taking a step towards Nixon, her face was soon buried into his chest, when her body rattled with tiny sobs. After a few seconds of just standing there, Nixon soon wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm not…sad". She chocked out.
A tiny but tearful smile met Nixon's lips;
"I know, kiddo".
Closing her eyes, she whispered;
"it has been…so long, sir".
"I know". Nixon whispered back, "you've been waiting for this day, kiddo".
Dallin's hands gripped onto his jacket tightly;
"thanks for telling me".
Clearing his throat, Nixon told her;
"I offered Dick a job back in New Jersey…there's a spot for you if you want it".
Pulling back from the hug, she looked up at him;
"I live with Shifty…in Clinchco, sir. We will get married".
Sighing, Nixon rubbed the back of his neck;
"you sure?" He asked, "I mean, you're young, you know. Plenty of time to figure all that out".
Nodding, Dallin told him;
"I am very sure, sir".
"Christ". He mumbled, hands going on his hips, "out of everyone, it's 'gonna be tough not seeing you every day, kiddo. But listen, you ever change your mind…you come to New Jersey, alright?"
Mopping the tears off her cheeks, Dallin smiled small;
"I will miss you too, sir".
Now that the war had ended, the Eagles Nest didn't seem so bad on May 7th. It was V-E Day, Victory in Europe and everyone celebrated hard. When gathering up all the officers from 2nd Battalion, Winters had them all out on the patio, where Nixon and Dallin still currently stood. The Major smiled and handed Dallin a camera;
"would you do the honours, trooper?"
Nodding, she stood back by the entrance and waited until all the officers got into position. There were twelve men, with six sitting and six standing behind the chairs. Two bottles of wine and two bottles of champagne sat on a small woven table, along with two glasses. For a moment, they all looked at the camera, faces serious and hardened.
It didn't fit the mood.
Clearing her throat, Dallin said;
"everybody say…Hitler's a minikin bastard!"
Soon, smiles and laughter broke out.
Dallin took the photo.
…
After shooting their pistols to celebrate the end of the war, Easy shared out mountains of alcohol. Popping champagne bottles and drinking that stuff like water, the men got drunk quick. Music was blaring on the streets, Dallin and Shifty danced on the road under a full moon and a starry sky. They didn't plan on getting that drunk, but men continued to shove full glasses of something strong their way. The last thing Dallin remembered was jumping into a car with Luz and Webster.
Come the next morning, the streets were quiet and empty.
Speirs stepped outside, looking sick and hungover. He wasn't fully dressed; his shirt wasn't buttoned up or tucked into his trousers. But it was reveille, and everyone had to show up. When he gave his whistle a sharp blow, Speirs cringed at the noise. And he might have laughed when he saw how his Company turned up, but he was too hungover to laugh.
Most men were only in their underwear, some had tried to get dressed but failed. Dallin was wearing nothing but a long shirt and one sock. Standing next to her was Shifty, who was only in his underwear, hand clutching an empty bottle of champagne. Dallin was the best dressed that morning, funnily enough, but she wasn't the best functioning.
Before Speirs could dismiss them, Dallin fell flat on her face.
"Jesus…get her up, clear off". Speirs grumbled.
After a few more hours of sleep, men could function better. Dallin wasn't only nursing a terrible hangover, but her neck and shoulder hurt. Rubbing her neck, she sat at the table. Luz handed her a cup of strong coffee;
"that'll do it, Dill". He said, with a wink. "Some night, huh?"
Shaking her head, Dallin mumbled;
"I don't remember…".
Smirking, Luz told her;
"you got into a car with me and Web…I drove us into a wall".
Frowning, she looked at him;
"why?" Dallin whispered.
Luz shrugged;
"I was drunk…we all were".
Staring down at her black coffee, Dallin promised herself to never get drunk again. And while she made that vow, Luz informed her;
"we're leaving this joint tonight, 2200".
"To where?"
"Austria".
Dallin snorted;
"Hitler was born there…why do we follow his footsteps?"
Luz smirked;
"we've been trying to follow that maniac since the war happened, Dill".
Taking another sip of her coffee, Dallin soon stilled.
Bells were ringing.
May 8th marked the official end of the European war.
Placing her coffee cup down, Dallin had never heard a sweeter sound.
Smiling, Luz leaned against the counter, a tea towel over his shoulder;
"sure love the sound of bells to mark the end of the war".
Looking at him, Dallin asked;
"are you excited?"
"For what? War in the damn jungle?"
Dallin shrugged;
"it will end before we jump to fight Japanese".
"You ain't going there, Dill". Luz told her softly, "Christ, ain't you done enough?"
"George…we all deserve to go home". She said, "especially all of you…you have parents and family who all need you back now".
Luz pulled out a chair and sat down.
Hands clasping together on the table, he mumbled;
"I wish I knew you better, Dill".
"Well, you are funniest man in Easy". Dallin said lightly, "and, you have very nice face".
He grinned;
"better than Shifty's?"
She smiled back at him;
"no…Shifty is God".
Luz barked out a laugh;
"a God, huh?"
"Yes…he is very handsome and beautiful, George". Dallin told him, "and we will make beautiful babies".
Luz stopped laughing but continued to smile;
"how many you 'gonna have?"
She smiled back at him;
"I see how the first birth goes, George. Because I see Ruth give birth and it is very strange".
Luz looked interested;
"strange how?"
Leaning forwards, Dallin said;
"there is…a lot of faecal matter".
He pulled a confused face;
"what-"
"yes…I was shocked to see shit too, George. But maybe…it happens a lot".
Luz's face scrunched up in disgust;
"oh…oh my God, Dill...".
"Blood". Dallin listed, "but we see blood all the time…and shit-"
"it's different". Luz cut her off.
"Pain". Dallin added to her list, "Ruth screams a lot from pain…and I see baby's head come out-"
"alright, cut it out!" He exclaimed while getting onto his feet. "You know, Dill…maybe I shouldn't know you better, huh? Christ, I just wanted to know where you grew up, not what happens when a woman shits out a damn baby!"
Staring up at him, Dallin frowned;
"women do not shit babies out, Luz…".
He ran a hand down his face;
"yeah, I know…".
With an amused smile, Dallin nodded towards the chair;
"George, sit down, please? I stop talking about that, yes?"
"You promise?"
"Yes…I promise".
Luz sat back down on the chair.
Staring at her for a few moments, he then cracked a grin;
"you're fucking nuts, Dill".
Slowly, the smile softened on her face. Reaching out, Dallin squeezed Luz's hand;
"I say thank you, George".
"For what, Dill?" He inquired quietly.
"For finding Uncle Skips rosary". She said, "and giving it to Donnie. There is only that he has left of Skip, other than memories".
Luz placed his free hand on top of hers;
"couldn't tell a joke for weeks after that". He admitted to her, "not even to the new fellas".
"But now…you tell jokes again". Dallin reminded him, "and you make everyone laugh, like back in training. You make us all laugh when cows escape field, George".
He smiled and chuckled;
"I think that's my best joke yet, Dill".
"Yes…and those cows almost run me over".
They both cracked up at the memory.
Laughing as though it had only just happened.
After finishing her coffee, Dallin left the house when she felt more human. Checking in with her squad first, she soon grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two small glasses before heading towards another grand looking house. Knocking on the door with the bottle first, Dallin soon entered. It was quiet inside the house. Dallin walked into the sitting area and spotted the man she was looking for, Webster.
He looked up from a letter he was writing and smiled;
"Dill". He greeted brightly, "what brings me the pleasure?"
"Well, David". She said, while sitting next to him on the couch, "I find you at the beginning, I see you again before Normandy and now…we celebrate the end together".
Webster's smile softened;
"I like the sentiment". He approved, "very poetic".
Pouring out a small glass of whiskey, she warned him playfully;
"don't tell my boys…they think I grow soft".
Webster chuckled;
"I won't tell them, Dill".
Handing Webster, a glass, she clinked her glass against his;
"to health-"
"and victory".
Smiling, Dallin nodded and drank that shot of whiskey down with her friend. Her body didn't need any more alcohol. She could already feel her stomach burn. With a shiver, Dallin put her empty glass down and mumbled;
"I should not have drunk whiskey today…".
Webster chuckled;
"it was necessary". He said, "we beat the Germans. Now, we're going to beat the Japanese".
Dallin didn't want to think about jumping into combat again.
And decided to ask her friend;
"you go back to college?"
"Oh, yeah". Webster eagerly confirmed, "and I was thinking, you should go to college".
"Web…they would never pick Polish girl to study". Dallin mumbled.
"But you're not just some Polish girl, Dill". He told her, "you're a Sergeant in the Paratroopers. And you're smart. Any college would be lucky to have you".
Webster then added;
"if you 'wanna go to the moon, you're 'gonna need college".
That piqued her interest;
"I would?"
He almost grinned but kept a serious face;
"Dill, when the time comes, they'll want smart and tough people…with a college degree".
Staring off into the distance, she whispered;
"I will be first Jew on the moon, Web".
Webster smiled;
"you will".
Blinking, Dallin looked back at Webster;
"we need big plane to take me to moon, Web".
"Dill, I think you'll need something a lot bigger than a plane".
Pushing her dreams to the side, Dallin asked him;
"what will you do after college?"
"I like sharks".
She frowned;
"oh…so, you will study sharks?"
Webster shrugged;
"something like that, yeah".