Four months after their first date, Winters proposed to Ethel and she accepted his hand. They were planning a small church wedding, with close friends and family. Dallin was invited and Liebgott came as her plus-one. It was a beautiful wedding, filled with love and shared happiness. After the ceremony, a small reception was held with food and a live band. While watching the bride and groom share their first dance, Liebgott took Dallin's hand.
Looking at him, she smiled.
Smiling back, Liebgott asked;
"you 'wanna do that?"
Dallin frowned;
"dance?"
Smile widening, Liebgott shook his head;
"you 'wanna get married?"
Rubbing her lips together, Dallin hummed;
"do I want to marry you? Yes…I think that would be lovely, Joey".
"Great". Liebgott said, "I'm glad you said that…cause I already asked for Winters's blessing and he's all for it. Couple of days after, I went out and bought this".
Letting go of her hand, Liebgott reached into his suit pocket and brought out a velvet box. Opening it up, Dallin was soon faced with a beautiful ring. It was nothing flashy, it was simple and perfect. The silver band sparkled under the lights. Taking the ring out of its box, Liebgott took her left hand and gently placed the ring on her finger.
"Suits you". He said, "brings out…everything in you".
Eyes filling with tears, she looked up at him;
"it is funny…we were both so lost, Joey…and now, we find each other again".
Smile softening, Liebgott kissed her tenderly on the lips;
"I love you, Dill". He murmured, "and I'll love you forever".
With Winters and Ethel married, Dallin moved out of the home with Felix and they moved in with Liebgott. He had purchased a lovely three-bedroomed house, just a few houses down from Winters and Ethel. It was perfect for their first home together. And seeing as they didn't move far, Felix settled in quickly. Liebgott worked six days a week, from nine until five. He got Sunday off, much like everyone else and finished earlier on a Saturday. Dallin took night classes at Rutgers University and decided to one day become a schoolteacher. She wanted to teach History. With her GI money taking care of her education, Dallin got part-time work in a bookstore. She worked three days a week and contributed whatever she earned to the house.
The young couple's life was on track.
They were engaged, they both worked, and they had goals.
When Spring came around in 1948, Dallin planted seeds in the garden. She worked hard in the garden, by getting rid of weeds and tidying the place up. Dallin dug a hole in the back and decided to create a pond, where'd she'd hopefully keep fish. The garden already came with an apple tree, but Dallin wanted more life. And while Dallin was busy in the garden, Liebgott would tend to the house. He'd paint the walls; put in new carpets and he'd often make supper. Dallin wasn't the best cook, so, Liebgott did most of the cooking.
When the time came for their wedding, Dallin left her house and spent the night with Winters, Ethel and Nixon before the big day. She had sent out invitations and hoped her friends could all make it. Dallin had invited Sobel, but he didn't respond, she even invited Peacock. Strangely, he accepted the invitation. It was going to be a big wedding, a lot larger than Winters's because Dallin wanted all of her friends to be there and that included most of Easy Company and 2nd Battalion.
A church couldn't hold all those people, so the wedding would take place outside. Dallin found a beautiful spot in Princeton – Nixon's back garden. Getting settled into one of Nixon's spare rooms, she found herself unable to sleep. She paced. Her feet creaked along the wooden flooring. The noise disturbed Winters, who found himself in her room at two in the morning. When Dallin spotted him, she grimaced;
"sorry…".
Closing the door, Winters shook his head;
"it's fine…I didn't sleep much before my wedding either".
Rubbing her hands together, she whispered;
"I just…I think about my life, you know? And…and where I was and where I am now".
Nodding, a soft look reached his eyes;
"you've come through a lot to get here, trooper".
"Yes…and it is very…it's a lot, Dick".
Smiling, Winters took her hand;
"let's sit down, Dill".
"Okay". She breathed out.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Winters gave her hand a squeeze;
"I'm so proud of you".
Dallin sighed quietly;
"you always tell me that…".
"Yeah, I do, because you always remind me how far you've come in life. Dill, I think back as well. And I'll never forget the day you came into the officer barrack in Toccoa, you looked frightened and you couldn't look us in the eye. We were worried that Toccoa would eat you alive. We were worried the men wouldn't respect you. But we had no reason to be worried, you were always meant to be there. And we were all meant to know you".
Heart feeling full, Dallin almost lost her breath, when telling him;
"I just feel…I'm scared".
Dallin's voice cracked.
Tears filled her eyes;
"I'm so scared…because I am so happy and…and I don't want it to go away".
Letting go of her hand, Winters wrapped his arm around her shoulders;
"it's not 'gonna go away, trooper". He mumbled, "you know, it's not always 'gonna be easy but you'll be happy again. Because Joe loves you and you'll always have family and a place to call home. And that's all you've ever wanted, trooper…you just wanted a safe place to live".
Nodding, she leaned into his side;
"yes…I do".
"And you've got that". He reminded her, "and you'll always have that".
Tear rolling down her cheek, Dallin swallowed back the lump in her throat.
With a tearful smile, she whispered;
"I will be Filipina Liebgott tomorrow".
Winters kissed the top of her head;
"yeah, you will…you're a Polish Jew, with a German name".
Dallin snorted;
"it's Austrian…you jackass".
…
It was odd, wearing white.
The dress hugged her figure and covered her feet. And the train was long, it was seven and a half feet from her waist. Her veil covered her face and the back of her head. But she could still see. Looping her hand through Winters's arm, the backdoors opened, and a string quartet started to play. People rose to their feet, while Dallin and Winters slowly walked down the aisle.
They all turned to look at the bride.
And Dallin got stage fright.
A blush appeared on her face. And she ducked her head for the first few seconds, before hearing a familiar chuckle. Raising her head, she spotted George Luz grinning from ear to ear. Dallin felt her lips twitch, trust George Luz to find her stage fright funny. However, he soon winked and softened his smile. Because next to him, Frank Perconte gave the man's side a firm nudge. Talbert didn't turn up, but Christenson and Albert Blithe did. They were sitting together, with Joe Lesniewski tearing up beside them.
Soon, she passed Robert Rader, Rice and of course, David Webster.
Dallin gave the three of them a tiny smile. Before she looked towards McClung, Popeye and Shifty. Dallin didn't hate Shifty, she was happy for him, they respected each other enough to hold no ill-feelings towards one another. Shifty's wife Dorothy was sitting next to him. And in front of them, were Toye, Guarnere and Malarkey's, wives. Heffron, Eddie Joint, Sal Bellino, Jay and Wally were right at the front, near Lipton, Speirs, Nixon and Sink.
Wally and Jay looked nervous to be sitting near their old Colonel.
Because Dallin didn't have a lot of close friends who were girls, she decided to have her three closest friends up there beside her. Malarkey, Guarenre and Toye made exceptional bridesmaids. Of course, they weren't wearing dresses. The three of them wore lovely matching suits. But still, Dallin had to hand over her flowers to someone.
Shaking his head, Guarnere muttered;
"give me the damn flowers…you look beautiful, by the way, Dilly".
Standing by a beautiful archway of flowers, Dallin and Liebgott were soon holding hands and facing each other. Her eyes moved over to the left side, where she saw Liebgott's family and other friends. Fred showed up to the wedding, as did Carl's younger brother, Walter. There were people Dallin wished to turn up, she had written out a lot of invites, but some refused to go. It wasn't personal, they were still trying to get their lives back together. Men were so scarred by war; they couldn't face seeing their old comrades again.
University was hard, work was sometimes hard. But saying "I do", was easy. Liebgott picked Dallin up and kissed her passionately in front of their family and friends. They cheered the newlyweds and released the doves. Looking up towards the blue sky, Dallin watched their white feathers flutter in the air. A large grin split across her face; she was married.
Married.
Dallin could hardly believe it, it felt like a dream.
It was a miracle.
Another miracle.
Smiling at Liebgott, she felt like the luckiest person alive.
For not only had they survived the war, but they had survived the war inside their heads. It was her first dream with Liebgott, to see the end of the war. And now, they made room for a new dream. To live in peace, for the rest of their lives. Taking his hand, they headed back into Nixon's home for the reception. And because it was Nixon, there was plenty to drink. Pouring herself a glass of wine to celebrate her marriage, Dallin walked around the room.
And she almost dropped the glass when she saw who walked into the house.
"Lowery!"
Dewitt grinned and waved;
"hey, Dill!"
Running over to him, a few men almost tripped over her train.
When she reached her old friend, Dallin put her glass down and hugged him tightly;
"you came!" She beamed, "you're here!"
Dewitt hugged her back tightly;
"sorry I missed the ceremony…not been feeling too hot but I couldn't miss the party".
Pulling back, she grinned up at him;
"I am so glad to see you, Lowery…I miss you a lot".
"Missed you too, bud".
"Lowery!" A few guys came rushing over to greet their old comrade.
Creating a small circle, Dewitt told them what had happened after his wound in Carentan. He still suffered from seizures and memories often triggered them, so, he took a risk going to Dallin's reception. But his wife was by his side to care for him. Dallin was thrilled to see Dewitt but wished Buck had shown up. Grant couldn't make the wedding; he was still in and out of the hospital.
Dallin missed the friend who couldn't make it, but she was happy to see the friends who turned up. They were all doing well and settling into civilian life.
"Dill, Peacock's been giving me glares all day". Webster told her lowly, "I'm scared he's 'gonna order me to sweep the floors".
Dallin chuckled;
"he is not allowed, Web".
She poured Webster a glass of whiskey and handed it to him;
"well, Web…I thank you for coming to my wedding".
Webster smiled;
"happy to be here, Dill". He said, "how's college going?"
"It's a four-year course". She told him, "I've also been taking a course to better my English".
"Yeah, I can tell". Webster complimented, "it's really improved, Dill".
"Thank you, Web". She smiled, "and how is writing for the Wall Street Journal going?"
He huffed;
"it's going…but I'm thinking of writing a book about sharks. I've been studying a lot of oceanography and marine biology".
Dallin nodded;
"you'll never stay out of college, will you?" She joked.
Webster chuckled;
"the mind was made for learning, Dill. Why waste it?"
"Agreed".
"So…where's the honeymoon?"
Sighing, Dallin leaned against the bar and told him;
"there isn't one".
Webster frowned;
"why?"
She shrugged;
"we're too busy, Web. I need to finish this course so I can teach History and Joey's swamped at work. Besides, we'd rather save our money for other things".
"That's fair enough". He said, "I have to ask though…why History?"
Dallin grinned;
"it will be an easy job one day".
"It will?"
Nodding, she faced him;
"yes…when I tell the kids about the war, they'll get it right from the horse's mouth".
Webster chuckled;
"I knew you were smart".
Looking down at his glass of whiskey, Webster noticed she wasn't holding a glass;
"so – uh – what am I toasting to, Dill?"
"I'm glad you asked, David". She smiled, "I'm pregnant".
His eyes widened;
"really?"
Dallin nodded;
"and you're the first to know".
"Oh, God…". He huffed, "I mean…I'm so happy for you, Dill but…why haven't you told Lieb yet?"
"I'm going to". She smiled, "I'll tell him tonight. It means something, that I tell you first, Web. Maybe it has something to do with that train ride we shared together in 1942".
Downing his glass of whiskey first, Webster soon pulled Dallin into a gentle hug;
"this is great news, Dill".
She hugged him back;
"thanks, Web".
"You did it, Dill". He mumbled, "you got yourself a happy ending".
Dallin smiled into his chest;
"we all did, Web".
"I knew you could do it". He whispered, "right from the start".
When the hug ended, Webster grabbed a knife and lightly tapped it against a glass.
Taking a small step back, she frowned at him;
"what are you doing?"
He grinned;
"speech!" He called out, "Dill's 'gonna give a speech!"
Pulling a face, Dallin grabbed a hold of his arm, stilling his movements;
"I am not going to give a-"
"let's hear it, Dilly!" Guarnere cheered.
Sighing, she pulled out a chair with her foot and with Webster help, climbed onto the chair. Facing her friends and family in the room, she was soon handed a glass of wine. Clearing her throat, Dallin tried to think of words to say.
"I'll start by thanking everyone for coming". She said, "thank you for coming".
Most of them smirked and chuckled.
Smiling, Dallin told them;
"I'm not going to talk about the war…we all know what happened, I don't think we should be reminded tonight. But I would like to say, that you've all made me incredibly proud. When we got home, we were mostly unsure and maybe lost…we didn't have a direction to go in because we weren't used to this life. But with time, patience and probably a lot of alcohol…we found our wings and we soared into this new world. You have done the world a great service. And people can live in peace because we did something extraordinary. So much life is going to be brought into this earth because of people like us…who sacrificed a normal life, so they could live a normal life. But personally, I'd like to…".
She searched around the room.
And she took in her friends faces.
For a moment, she could see them before their drop into Normandy. With paint on their faces, chutes and gear placed heavily on their backs. A frightened, yet excited expression.
Nodding slowly, Dallin told them sincerely;
"thank you".
