All's Fair in Love and War... Yeah Right
Chapter 4
A New Meaning for Handball.
I was getting to know the others when Jason Becken ran up to me.
"General. Nazis. Two miles."
"We don't have any time to organize anything. Tell everyone to get ready."
He ran to tell the others. I got my gun and ammo, I found Dwayne Jensen, the Sniper from our troope, and got him into a tree about the field. Not too long afterward, the Nazis showed up. It was a massacre. i was killing people left and right. One man was about to kill Zachary, and I lost focus for a minute, but still managed to kill the man. Zachary got up and pointed his gun toward me, killing the Nazi behind me. Next thing I know I was hit in the head and knocked unconscious. When I came to, I looked around, everyone appeared dead, other than two... five.... eight Nazi soldiers. What are they-- that's disgusting. They're playing baseball with a-- head for a ball and for a bat, I swallowed hard, they had an-- arm. My stomach cramped and I lost my breakfast lunch and dinner from the past week because of what I saw and the stench of the dead. I loaded up my gun with eight bullets and I stood up. I fired and missed their heads and hearts on purpose, just to watch them die.
"No one messes with me and lives, you Nazi bastards," I said watching them die.
When they were all dead. I grabbed a revolver and a pistol, and some ammo, just in case I ran into trouble. I hid them under my jacket, and I walked. I walked west, for a week, looking for an Allied camp. A few people stopped, but I kept walking. During that week was when the flashbacks began, they were quick, but all of them were of the battles I had been in. I hadn't eaten in a week, and I thought I had heard American voices, and then I saw an camp, with American, British, and Russian men. Then, I passed out. When I awoke, I was in a tent. I heard some movement next to me. I stood, and began to put up my hair as I looked around the curtain. The man turned and saw me, dropping all the bandages.
"Jo?"
"Gooz!"
He hugged me and swung me around.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm starving, I haven't eaten in quite a while, but other than that, I'm fine."
"Okay, come with me."
"Wait, I've got to put my shoes on."
I slipped on my boots and followed Gooz to another tent to eat. I sat down and they passed out Sloppy Joes. I took mine, and bent over it, shoving it into my mouth. I didn't notice everyone starting at me. When I was done, I looked up and saw them all looking at me.
"Jo? Are you okay?" asked Gooz.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey y'all."
"Wonder Woman, you amaze me," said Red.
"Hello to you too, Red. And I haven't eaten in a week, I think I'm allowed to eat like this. Are you going' to finish that Gooz?"
He shook his head.
"Not after watching you eat," he replied, putting his Sloppy Joe on my plate.
I stuck my tongue out at him and ate the Sloppy Joe.
When we were done, well, when I was done, Red, Gooz and I went for a walk.
"So, where's Rafe?"
There was an awkward silence.
"Uh... he was kinda shot down, separate from us," explained Red.
"Kinda?"
"Yup," said Gooz.
I yawned.
"I'm tired. Where do I sleep?"
They led me to a tent with cots, they showed me an empty one in between their's, I took off my jacket and shoes and went to sleep. The next day, I wasn't hungry, I just wasn't. I knew I needed to eat, I weighed about eighty pounds. I went to the mess tent and sat next to Gooz.
"Hungry?" one of the men asked.
"Not really, to tell you the truth.
They seemed surprised.
"Jo, don't do that, you did that when Danny died, don't do that. You have to eat something," said Gooz.
"I don't have to do anything."
"Jo, don't be stubborn. Please eat something," pleaded Red.
"I'm- not- hungry. Are- y'all- deaf?" I said slowly.
"O- kay, "said the man across from me.
The day went by with Red and Gooz begging me to eat, but I kept telling them I wasn't hungry. When they weren't on my back, I prayed for Rafe. The next afternoon, before lunch, Gooz, Red and I were staring at he sky. I was in need of flying. We heard the sound of footstep and we looked at a large group of men walking toward us, all of them staring at me.
"Why do men do that?" I asked, standing up and dusting myself off.
"Do what?" asked Gooz
"Stare."
"Because you're beautiful," said Red.
I rolled my eyes and looked at them, seeing if I recognized any of them. Than at that moment I saw the man I'd wanted to see for a month. I ran to him, and jumped and he caught me, I hugged him both my arms and legs around him, holding onto him for dear life, and began to cry.
"Rafe. Oh God, I was so worried."
"Jo, I'm glad to see you're all right."
He carried me back to Gooz and Red. I ignored all the whistles I was receiving.
"Rafe, don't ever leave me again."
"Okay, Wings, I won't."
Then he dropped me on my butt. I stood up and smacked his shoulder jokingly.
"Hey McCawley, is that your girl?" asked an Irish man walking up to us.
"Hell no, Ian. This is my little sister, Jo."
"Nice to meet you," I said, sticking out my hand.
"The pleasure is mine," he said kissing my hand.
"Right."
Then he left, although he seemed reluctant. I personally was kinda glad.
"He's such a ladies man," said Rafe.
Red and Gooz let the laughter loose that they had obviously been holding in.
"Yeah, okay."
"What?"
"He's obviously happy that I'm your sister."
"That's because you're the most beautiful girl anyone has ever seen," came a deep Brooklyn voice.
I turned around. It was Tony and Earl. Gooz stood behind Earl and Tony and Red stood behind me.
"Hi," I said.
"Aloha," said Earl.
"Y'all pilots?"
"We're workin' on it," said Gooz.
Red, Tony and I looked at each other.
"We're the Pride of the Pacific, who're you?" asked Earl.
I looked at Red and Tony and smiled.
"We're the Terrors of the Skies," I said. Danny had told me about that conversation. I took his place in it. "Hey Tony, hi Earl. And Tony, your flattery doesn't work on my, or that clover oil stuff. How are you two?"
I hugged them both.
"We're doin' good. And Tony's right, you are beautiful, just don't tell our girls back home," said Earl.
"Girls? Who?"
"Remember those two nurses from Pearl? Martha and Barbara? Well, I'm marrying' Martha and Tony's marrying' Barbara."
"Really? Tony's gettin' married? I thought she hated you."
"She said she did but she really didn't," said Tony.
"Ooo, lunchtime, let's go."
We went to the Mess tent and we caught up and we ate. Earl pulled letters out of his pocket.
"Found them after the raid began, on the carrier," he said, handing them to me.
Most of them had been crumpled.
"Joe? Who's Joe? This one's yours Earl."
"Sorry."
I handed him his letter from his little brother Joe, and read the rest. 'Dear Jo, I love you, you are the light of my life' I was crumpled up. 'Dearest Jo, I know this is random, but I have to tell you some thing. I love you.' Crumpled. 'To my dearest love Jo' 'Jo, I love you' 'Hey Jo, I love you' All were crumpled up. I finally got to the last one, which was folded neatly in an envelope, addressed to me. My hands trembled slightly, as if I knew what was written. I opened it and I read.
'Your laughter takes away the winter night,
And turns it into the spring light.
Your eyes dance when you smile,
I love you even when you're hostile.
Even when you first awake,
You make my heart and hands shake.
You are beautiful, kind and brave,
And if you ask me to, I'll be your slave.
I'd do anything and everything for you.
And I can only pray you love me too.
I hope you like it. It's not easy to rhyme, especially the word smile. I just wanted you to know, that I love you, even thought I didn't make it through the mission (I asked one of the guys to get this to you if I didn't make it) and that you should move on.
Yours always and forever,
Danny.'
I folded it back up and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Jo? Are you all right?" asked Rafe.
I handed him the letter, when he was done they passed it around.
"I didn't know he could write poetry," said Gooz.
"And it's very well written," said Red.
Rafe hugged me.
"McCawley!" said Major Fellicetti.
"Yes sir?"
"Message for you. Here."
He handed me a telegram and left.
'J. McCawley, return immediately STOP.'
"I'm not going."
"You have to go," said Tony.
"No I don't, they didn't use my position, and there wasn't a signature."
"That's true," said Gooz, looking at it over my shoulder.
That night, I dreamt of the battle between my troope and the Nazis. I woke up, screaming. Gooz, Rafe, and Red were falling all over each other to get their pants on and get to me. A French man began to shout at me, as Tony and Earl made their way over. Rafe sat on my bed next to me.
"Va te faire voir!" the French man shouted.
"Non, toi! Toi!"
He paled a bit.
"What did they say?" whispered Gooz.
"He told her to go to Hell and she said no you."
Gooz laughed.
"Je suis une Generale," I said to him.
He paled even more.
"What did she say now?" asked Gooz.
"I told him I was a General."
"Are you all right?" asked Rafe.
"Yeah, I'm fine, how's Evelyn and the baby?"
"They're good, now go back to sleep."
"Okay."
I rolled over and went back to sleep. Over the next month, Germans were pressing harder on Poland, and we were trapped there. We had to be on guard 24/7. One morning, I had come out of the tent early but was hit in the head. When I awoke, I didn't know anyone around me. They shouted at me..... in German.
Chapter 4
A New Meaning for Handball.
I was getting to know the others when Jason Becken ran up to me.
"General. Nazis. Two miles."
"We don't have any time to organize anything. Tell everyone to get ready."
He ran to tell the others. I got my gun and ammo, I found Dwayne Jensen, the Sniper from our troope, and got him into a tree about the field. Not too long afterward, the Nazis showed up. It was a massacre. i was killing people left and right. One man was about to kill Zachary, and I lost focus for a minute, but still managed to kill the man. Zachary got up and pointed his gun toward me, killing the Nazi behind me. Next thing I know I was hit in the head and knocked unconscious. When I came to, I looked around, everyone appeared dead, other than two... five.... eight Nazi soldiers. What are they-- that's disgusting. They're playing baseball with a-- head for a ball and for a bat, I swallowed hard, they had an-- arm. My stomach cramped and I lost my breakfast lunch and dinner from the past week because of what I saw and the stench of the dead. I loaded up my gun with eight bullets and I stood up. I fired and missed their heads and hearts on purpose, just to watch them die.
"No one messes with me and lives, you Nazi bastards," I said watching them die.
When they were all dead. I grabbed a revolver and a pistol, and some ammo, just in case I ran into trouble. I hid them under my jacket, and I walked. I walked west, for a week, looking for an Allied camp. A few people stopped, but I kept walking. During that week was when the flashbacks began, they were quick, but all of them were of the battles I had been in. I hadn't eaten in a week, and I thought I had heard American voices, and then I saw an camp, with American, British, and Russian men. Then, I passed out. When I awoke, I was in a tent. I heard some movement next to me. I stood, and began to put up my hair as I looked around the curtain. The man turned and saw me, dropping all the bandages.
"Jo?"
"Gooz!"
He hugged me and swung me around.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm starving, I haven't eaten in quite a while, but other than that, I'm fine."
"Okay, come with me."
"Wait, I've got to put my shoes on."
I slipped on my boots and followed Gooz to another tent to eat. I sat down and they passed out Sloppy Joes. I took mine, and bent over it, shoving it into my mouth. I didn't notice everyone starting at me. When I was done, I looked up and saw them all looking at me.
"Jo? Are you okay?" asked Gooz.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey y'all."
"Wonder Woman, you amaze me," said Red.
"Hello to you too, Red. And I haven't eaten in a week, I think I'm allowed to eat like this. Are you going' to finish that Gooz?"
He shook his head.
"Not after watching you eat," he replied, putting his Sloppy Joe on my plate.
I stuck my tongue out at him and ate the Sloppy Joe.
When we were done, well, when I was done, Red, Gooz and I went for a walk.
"So, where's Rafe?"
There was an awkward silence.
"Uh... he was kinda shot down, separate from us," explained Red.
"Kinda?"
"Yup," said Gooz.
I yawned.
"I'm tired. Where do I sleep?"
They led me to a tent with cots, they showed me an empty one in between their's, I took off my jacket and shoes and went to sleep. The next day, I wasn't hungry, I just wasn't. I knew I needed to eat, I weighed about eighty pounds. I went to the mess tent and sat next to Gooz.
"Hungry?" one of the men asked.
"Not really, to tell you the truth.
They seemed surprised.
"Jo, don't do that, you did that when Danny died, don't do that. You have to eat something," said Gooz.
"I don't have to do anything."
"Jo, don't be stubborn. Please eat something," pleaded Red.
"I'm- not- hungry. Are- y'all- deaf?" I said slowly.
"O- kay, "said the man across from me.
The day went by with Red and Gooz begging me to eat, but I kept telling them I wasn't hungry. When they weren't on my back, I prayed for Rafe. The next afternoon, before lunch, Gooz, Red and I were staring at he sky. I was in need of flying. We heard the sound of footstep and we looked at a large group of men walking toward us, all of them staring at me.
"Why do men do that?" I asked, standing up and dusting myself off.
"Do what?" asked Gooz
"Stare."
"Because you're beautiful," said Red.
I rolled my eyes and looked at them, seeing if I recognized any of them. Than at that moment I saw the man I'd wanted to see for a month. I ran to him, and jumped and he caught me, I hugged him both my arms and legs around him, holding onto him for dear life, and began to cry.
"Rafe. Oh God, I was so worried."
"Jo, I'm glad to see you're all right."
He carried me back to Gooz and Red. I ignored all the whistles I was receiving.
"Rafe, don't ever leave me again."
"Okay, Wings, I won't."
Then he dropped me on my butt. I stood up and smacked his shoulder jokingly.
"Hey McCawley, is that your girl?" asked an Irish man walking up to us.
"Hell no, Ian. This is my little sister, Jo."
"Nice to meet you," I said, sticking out my hand.
"The pleasure is mine," he said kissing my hand.
"Right."
Then he left, although he seemed reluctant. I personally was kinda glad.
"He's such a ladies man," said Rafe.
Red and Gooz let the laughter loose that they had obviously been holding in.
"Yeah, okay."
"What?"
"He's obviously happy that I'm your sister."
"That's because you're the most beautiful girl anyone has ever seen," came a deep Brooklyn voice.
I turned around. It was Tony and Earl. Gooz stood behind Earl and Tony and Red stood behind me.
"Hi," I said.
"Aloha," said Earl.
"Y'all pilots?"
"We're workin' on it," said Gooz.
Red, Tony and I looked at each other.
"We're the Pride of the Pacific, who're you?" asked Earl.
I looked at Red and Tony and smiled.
"We're the Terrors of the Skies," I said. Danny had told me about that conversation. I took his place in it. "Hey Tony, hi Earl. And Tony, your flattery doesn't work on my, or that clover oil stuff. How are you two?"
I hugged them both.
"We're doin' good. And Tony's right, you are beautiful, just don't tell our girls back home," said Earl.
"Girls? Who?"
"Remember those two nurses from Pearl? Martha and Barbara? Well, I'm marrying' Martha and Tony's marrying' Barbara."
"Really? Tony's gettin' married? I thought she hated you."
"She said she did but she really didn't," said Tony.
"Ooo, lunchtime, let's go."
We went to the Mess tent and we caught up and we ate. Earl pulled letters out of his pocket.
"Found them after the raid began, on the carrier," he said, handing them to me.
Most of them had been crumpled.
"Joe? Who's Joe? This one's yours Earl."
"Sorry."
I handed him his letter from his little brother Joe, and read the rest. 'Dear Jo, I love you, you are the light of my life' I was crumpled up. 'Dearest Jo, I know this is random, but I have to tell you some thing. I love you.' Crumpled. 'To my dearest love Jo' 'Jo, I love you' 'Hey Jo, I love you' All were crumpled up. I finally got to the last one, which was folded neatly in an envelope, addressed to me. My hands trembled slightly, as if I knew what was written. I opened it and I read.
'Your laughter takes away the winter night,
And turns it into the spring light.
Your eyes dance when you smile,
I love you even when you're hostile.
Even when you first awake,
You make my heart and hands shake.
You are beautiful, kind and brave,
And if you ask me to, I'll be your slave.
I'd do anything and everything for you.
And I can only pray you love me too.
I hope you like it. It's not easy to rhyme, especially the word smile. I just wanted you to know, that I love you, even thought I didn't make it through the mission (I asked one of the guys to get this to you if I didn't make it) and that you should move on.
Yours always and forever,
Danny.'
I folded it back up and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Jo? Are you all right?" asked Rafe.
I handed him the letter, when he was done they passed it around.
"I didn't know he could write poetry," said Gooz.
"And it's very well written," said Red.
Rafe hugged me.
"McCawley!" said Major Fellicetti.
"Yes sir?"
"Message for you. Here."
He handed me a telegram and left.
'J. McCawley, return immediately STOP.'
"I'm not going."
"You have to go," said Tony.
"No I don't, they didn't use my position, and there wasn't a signature."
"That's true," said Gooz, looking at it over my shoulder.
That night, I dreamt of the battle between my troope and the Nazis. I woke up, screaming. Gooz, Rafe, and Red were falling all over each other to get their pants on and get to me. A French man began to shout at me, as Tony and Earl made their way over. Rafe sat on my bed next to me.
"Va te faire voir!" the French man shouted.
"Non, toi! Toi!"
He paled a bit.
"What did they say?" whispered Gooz.
"He told her to go to Hell and she said no you."
Gooz laughed.
"Je suis une Generale," I said to him.
He paled even more.
"What did she say now?" asked Gooz.
"I told him I was a General."
"Are you all right?" asked Rafe.
"Yeah, I'm fine, how's Evelyn and the baby?"
"They're good, now go back to sleep."
"Okay."
I rolled over and went back to sleep. Over the next month, Germans were pressing harder on Poland, and we were trapped there. We had to be on guard 24/7. One morning, I had come out of the tent early but was hit in the head. When I awoke, I didn't know anyone around me. They shouted at me..... in German.