Meredith liked fishing and being on a boat, but she hated swimming. One of the requirements to pass basic training in Croft was to swim across the lake and reach an island in the centre. In a vest and trunks, she waited her turn to enter the water. Slusher wanted to get the swimming test out of the way before they got further into September. Winters's only weakness in camp was the swimming test but he still managed to reach the island and swim back to shore. In order to give her some time, Meredith waited in the back of the line.
With wet hair and a towel over his shoulders, Winters approached her;
"you ready?"
Shaking her head, Meredith admitted quietly to him;
"hate swimming".
"Can you swim?"
"Wee bit".
Grabbing his canteen, Winters took a drink of water and then said;
"I'll go with you".
She looked up at him;
"you don't have to".
"It's fine, Meri". He assured her, "I don't mind doing it again. It'll be good for me".
With a nod, Meredith ran a hand down her face.
She looked pale and stressed, Winters noticed. But she put aside her towel and walked into the warm water. When it got waist deep, she leaned forwards and started swimming. Winters was right next to her and stayed at her pace. She was slow, while she tried to kick her legs and move her arms at the same time. Meredith swallowed mouthfuls of water during those few minutes of struggle.
"Try not to swallow". Winters told her kindly, "I'm not sure if it's drinkable".
"Sorry".
"It's okay, don't be sorry". He said softly, "keep your head up, you're doing fine".
The look of panic on her face was obvious and Winters did his best to keep her calm. It took her five or so minutes to start swimming properly. However, the further they swam, the deeper the water. At some point, Meredith tried to use the bottom to bounce herself up and give her some speed, but her feet didn't touch the bottom. She went right down instead. Winters grabbed her arm and pulled her back up. Meredith coughed and spluttered. His arm went around her waist while getting her back on her stomach again;
"almost there, Meri".
Winters was under the impression she could swim because of her previous training. But he soon reminded himself that she only had to submerge herself in freezing water and the water wasn't even deep, it reached her waist. Coughing again, she croaked;
"can't do it".
"Yes, you can". Winters told her, "we're almost at the island".
Shaking her head, Meredith muttered;
"nah, I can't…it's too deep, Dick".
"I'm here". Winters reminded her, "I've got you. You're not 'gonna drown".
"I'm tired".
"We're both tired". He said, "and we're both 'gonna reach the island and swim back again, side by side".
Winters realised when Meredith got scared, she got a little angry and frustrated. Her face was scrunched up, a picture of upset. And he wasn't sure if it was just water or tears rolling down her cheeks. With a groan, Meredith choked out;
"fuck sake…this is fucked up".
"You're doing great-"
"I told you, I can't fucking do it, man".
"You're doing it, Meri". Winters told her calmly, "almost there, come on".
"I can't do it, I can't do it!" She yelled while swimming towards the island.
Winters might have found it amusing, with her screaming that she couldn't do it, despite actually doing it. But his friend seemed distressed by the whole thing. And he remained calm while encouraging her along. Meredith calmed down once they reached the island and started the swim back. She was quiet, fully concentrating on getting back to shore in one piece. And once on the shore, Winters wrapped a towel around her when she sat down.
Crouching in front of her, his hand fell on her shoulder;
"you did it".
Shaking her head, Meredith mumbled;
"I acted like a right idiot".
"You were scared, it's okay". He assured her, "main thing is, you did it".
Looking at him, she sighed and pointed out;
"you didn't leave me".
Winters smiled softly at her;
"no, I didn't".
"Thanks, Dick".
It was an exercise that only brought them closer. Winters saw a different side to Meredith, and she saw true leadership potential in Winters. After drying off and changing, Slusher had them march back to camp for lunch and then an hour's free time. They had bacon sandwiches for lunch and roamed around camp during free time. Meredith wanted to nap but Winters convinced her to walk with him. They ended up in the woods and decided to follow a man-made path towards the waterfall.
Hiking up a hill, they eventually reached the top of the waterfall.
"If I toss in a penny, can I make a wish?"
Winters snorted and shrugged;
"no idea".
"We used to do that in Faskally". Meredith said, "make a wish at the waterfall".
Staring down, she watched the rushing water meet the stream at the bottom. It was frothy at the bottom. The water created white frothy clouds. With a tiny sigh, Meredith looked straight ahead and stared at the trees on either side, which connected and made an archway.
"We should go somewhere this weekend". Winters said, "maybe see a movie, grab a bite to eat".
"Sounds good".
"Yeah, you need to see more of America".
"I like what I'm seeing so far". Meredith said quietly, "but the heat can fuck off".
He smiled;
"great. We'll do that then".
Meredith looked up at him, small smirk playing on her lips;
"what? Fuck off?"
He chuckled and shook his head;
"no…how about we just watch a movie and eat, huh?"
"Fair enough".
"If America don't join the war, what'll happen to you?" He asked.
Meredith sighed;
"no idea". She mumbled, "they'll probably send me back".
"Why?"
"Cause the wars still 'gonna be on regardless". She said, "and I've to see it until the end now".
"That's sad". Winters mumbled, "I like having you around".
Her eyes softened;
"yeah, same. I like being around".
When he looked at her, he smiled softly at her;
"good".
Rubbing her lips together, Meredith scratched behind her ear.
She could feel heat rushing to her cheeks.
In order to break whatever tension was between them, she declared;
"tell you, swimming in that water…haven't been that scared since I dove headfirst into a shark and punched it in the face".
Winters barked out a laugh;
"that never happened!"
Meredith grinned;
"nah, I'm kidding".
"I know, Meri". He said with a smile, "you never had me".
"Aye, I did…just for a second, eh? You believed me for a second".
With a shake of his head, his smile softened;
"not even a millisecond, Meri".
Hearing him laugh, only furthered her smile. Satisfied, Meredith faced the trees again. But then, she stuffed her hands into her pockets and softened her voice when telling him;
"last time I was close to being that scared…was when my brother drowned".
The smile slowly left his face.
"I was…eleven. He was only five. Wee Harry. Happened at Faskally. He's buried there".
"Jesus". Winters whispered, "Jesus…I'm sorry, Meri…if I had known, maybe I would have been a better support across the lake and-"
"nah, I'll stop you". Meredith looked up at him, "you – eh – I just couldn't have done that without you, Dick. I was acting like a kid but if it wasn't for you, I'd never have made it. And I'm telling you about Harry 'cause I yelled at you and I feel bad. You deserve the reason behind it".
He frowned sadly;
"Meri…".
"Aye, I know". She said, "heavy stuff, eh?"
"Yeah, it is".
"Destroyed my parents". Meredith told him, "but I kept them laughing, eh? I wanted them to be alright".
After a moment of silence, Winters said quietly;
"I lost my Granma three years ago. She was…one of my most favourite people in the world. Happened when I was twenty, I was a sophomore at college. It hit me hard. Really hard".
Licking his lip, he looked away from her;
"still does, sometimes".
"Yeah". Meredith whispered, while staring up at the side of his face, "I get it".
"She's laid to rest in the Strasburg Mennonite Cemetery".
"You visit her grave?"
"Whenever I get the chance". Winters said.
"It's why Faskally's always calling me back". She whispered, "cause Harry's there".
When he looked down at her, their eyes met.
"You'll go back". Winters said softly, "one day, huh?"
Nodding, a tiny smile met her lips;
"yeah…one day, Dick".
…
At the weekend, Meredith saw "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time. It was her first movie theatre experience and Winters made sure she tried the popcorn to better her first time. It was a decent movie, but Meredith wasn't keen on the flying monkeys. Though, she did like the cowardly lion and the tinman. What she didn't like, however, was the music. Despite it not being a live performance, Meredith cringed when they started singing and dancing. Winters found it very amusing. And he planned on taking her to a live musical performance; without telling her.
The highlight of her night was the meal.
Meredith had a cheeseburger. And she loved it.
"Trent and Eugene will be pleased to hear you like it". Winters commented, "it's good, right?"
"Oh God…it's the best". She praised, "what God do I thank for this?"
He chuckled;
"whichever one you want, Meri".
The small diner was a twenty-minute bus journey from camp, with the movie theatre a few blocks away. Meredith could have licked her plate clean. The meat was cooked perfectly, and the cheese was melted. For her drink, she had a strawberry milkshake. Winters advised her to get a milkshake instead of a soda. It was the right decision. Meredith thoroughly enjoyed her supper.
Both Privates dressed in their Class A uniforms for the occasion. Meredith received strange looks from the locals, and she did a fantastic job of ignoring their stares. Inside the diner, fewer people stared. Not that Meredith would have noticed, she was too busy eating. Wiping a napkin across her face, she soon belched into her hand. Winters chuckled quietly under his breath, while she gave her chest a rub and apologised;
"pardon me for being so rude. It was not me; it was my food. It just popped up to say hello, and now it's gone back down below".
With a grin, Winters laughed;
"aw, I like that".
Meredith smiled;
"a polite wee song, eh?"
"Very polite". He said, "you make burping very sweet, Meri". He smirked.
Looking down at her empty plate, she said;
"I ate too much".
Winters nodded to her milkshake;
"have you finished that?"
"Not yet".
She took another drink through a straw;
"ice cream in that, eh?"
"Yeah". Winters confirmed, "nice sugar rush".
Meredith shrugged;
"it's got fruit in it – strawberry".
"Well, it did…until it was crushed up and made into ice cream".
"Still counts"
"I'm not sure…".
Meredith sent him a playful glare;
"it does, alright?"
Winters chuckled;
"alright, you win this one, Meri".
"Going to the toilet". She said while getting up, "be right back".
"I'll pay the bill while you do that".
Meredith brought out some dollar bills and placed them on the table;
"half and half?"
Winters nodded;
"yeah, sure".
"Right, sound. See you in a bit".
When she left, Winters called for the waitress to come over.
"Enjoy your meal, hon?" She asked kindly.
"Yes, thank you". Winters replied, "uh – keep the change, ma'am".
"Thanks, hon".
Collecting the empty plates on a tray, the young waitress asked Winters;
"you got pockets in that uniform, hon?"
He looked confused;
"uh…yeah, yeah I do".
Placing the tray down, she brought out a pencil and a piece of paper.
After writing something down, she put it on the table;
"my address, hon. Don't be shy now".
Eyes widening a little, Winters nodded slowly;
"thanks".
She winked and scurried off with the tray and her tip.
Huffing, Winters stared down at the address. Just as he was about to pick it up, Meredith came rushing over to the table. Grabbing her jacket, she urged him;
"we have to leave – right now".
"Why?" He frowned.
"Put your jacket on". Meredith whispered urgently, "come on, Dick. Don't let me down".
That same waitress who had given Winters her address soon walked into the bathroom. Moments after, the entire diner heard her scream;
"what in God's name happened?!"
Eyes widening with amusement, Winters grabbed his jacket;
"yeah…let's go".
With the address left on the table, Meredith and Winters ran out of the diner. They didn't stop running until they reached the back of the movie theatre. Hands going on her knees, Meredith tried to slow her breathing down. Still looking amused, Winters asked;
"do I even 'wanna know?"
"I 'dunno". She panted, "but they've got some serious plumbing issues, Dick".
He chuckled;
"you flooded the bathroom?"
"I flushed, right?" Meredith said firmly, "I flushed and then water just came rising up like a fucking tsunami. I tried to stop it…but there's no stopping a tsunami, Dick. Once it starts rising that's it – game over. Fucked. Evacuate the fucking city".
"Right". Winters grinned, still amused. "So…you blocked the toilet?"
Licking her bottom lip, Meredith straightened herself up and placed her hands on her hips. After a few moments, she eventually nodded;
"aye – yeah, I blocked the toilet".
Winters chuckled;
"can't take you anywhere, huh?"
Meredith simpered;
"piss off".
His smile softened slightly when their eyes met. Winters realised that there was never a dull moment with her. She was funny. And she made him laugh. He made her happy. But Meredith broke eye contact and Winters suddenly remembered the address he had left on the table. It might have bothered him in the past. However, he realised he didn't want it now.