Carter

Sergeant Schultz slowly opened the door to the Barracke 2. Poking his head inside the door he took note of where everyone was. Kinch, Newkirk and Carter were at the table near the stove playing cards with their blankets around their shoulders. Addison, Brotten, Davis, Edwards, Harper and Hanson were watching the game. LeBeau was stirring something that smelt very good in a pot on the stove. Hogan wasn't in sight. But, Hammond, O'Brien and Mills were in the far point of the barrack on their various bunks huddled up and reading. Saunders and Garth were at the other end of the barrack talking quietly on Garth's bunk. That only left Olsen and Williams…Ah, there they were! They were also playing cards. Hanson and Edwards were blocking Schultz' view. Schultz gave a big sigh. There was no avoiding it. He had to go in and face them.

Taking a deep breath, Schultz pushed in the door and whispered, "Mail Call!" Suddenly there was a stampede of men racing after the large sergeant. "COLONEL HOGAN, COLONEL HOGAN! HELP ME!" screamed the poor man.

"Okay, okay men let him up," called Hogan as he rushed out of his office. It said a lot for the colonel that the men instantly backed up and let him pass through to the cowering sergeant on the ground. Hogan held out his hand, but instead of helping up the sergeant he took the mail bag.

He held it in his hand and mentally weighed it. "Heavy, you krauts must have missed some of our Christmas packages. What's wrong? Wrong size or wrong color?" Hogan raised an eyebrow.

"Jolly Joker! We have not touched your packages. Besides most of the clothing was in red, white and blue. Not very stylish for this season," Schultz sniffed then walked out the door leaving Hogan to sort out the packages. Schultz then stuck his head back in the door.

"I'll be back for my bag. You were the last Barracke anyway." He turned his head and looked hopefully at LeBeau, "Maybe you will have some strudel to put in the bag?"

"Depends on how I feel after I read my letters from my girlfriends. If they are not too badly censored, I will consider it."

Schultz sighed, "No strudel today." Then he was off.

Hogan read off the names from the various packages and letters while the men came forward and took them from the colonel. Suddenly, when he came to one package he stopped. "Sorry, Carter, it seems the krauts have gotten whatever was in the package for you." He shook the package. "It feels and sounds empty."

Carter got up from the bench next to the table and took the package. After reading the return label, he remarked, "its okay, Colonel. I know what it is." Smiling to himself, he went back to his bunk and placed the package under his pillow and returned to the table. The package would keep until later.

It was Williams who remarked, "Hey, Carter. Aren't cha going to open the package? Don't cha want to know what's in it?"

Amid the "Leave off, Williams!" and "Shut it, Williams! He can do anything he wants with any of his mail!" from his friends, Carter simply replied, "I have a hunch what's inside. I'll take care of it later."

The barrack was quiet when Carter picked up the rest of his letters and began reading. Occasionally, a voice would pipe up, "Hey get this, I'm a father! Rosie had twins!" After congratulations had dwindled another voice would chime in with news from home, "Great, I got a note from the censor: 'Your girlfriend still loves you, but talks too much.' Like I didn't know that! Patty was always a talker!" Guffaws followed and again died down, until the next man felt he had to remark about something he had read from his letter from home.

Packages too carried things that could be shared; although these were shared with more restraint. Cookies and baked goods could be used for bartering. Clothing also, although many times these were used by the receiver without a thought of bartering because the receiver was in need himself.

This was one of Carter's favorite moments. Yeah, all the guys would be feeling bad again once the mail was finished and they were all stuck in the prison camp, but they were all experiencing it together. They were all homesick together. "For example," thought Carter, "take the mail: they all shared the good news and bad news. If someone didn't get any mail that time, someone would share the letters with them." You can bear almost anything if you're sharing it with someone.

"It's all comparative: take the 30s," Carter lectured to himself, "why, in Bullfrog, 'most everyone was going through tough times. Didn't matter though, no one knew anything different. Guess it would have if there were some rich people in town…" Carter snorted a small laugh. Rich people in Bullfrog, North Dakota? Well, there were families that had a little more than the others, but rich? Not like you saw in the movies; always dressing up and going to nightclubs, parties, and such. The social life Carter saw in movies wasn't far off from the fairy tales he read in books.

In fact it was the 30s when Carter first received the package.

"Sorry, I couldn't afford to get you anything," 13-year-old James Carter told his younger brother Andrew. They both shuffled their feet.

"It's okay. I know you were buying Mom something and …" Andrew broke off. What could he say? It was rude to say he was expecting something and besides, James looked bad enough that he didn't get anything for Andrew.

"Yeah, it just cost more than I thought," James was trying to explain. "Here, this is what I wanted to get you." He awkwardly shrugged then shoved an old wooden cigar box to Andrew.

Andrew looked at the box puzzled. "Cigars? Gee, I don't even smoke!"

James huffed, "no, not cigars, look inside!" Impatiently he opened the box and showed the picture torn out of a magazine and placed inside the box.

"WOW! A bike! That was for me?" Andrew gushed.

"Well, not that bike, I was arranging to buy Billy Burkle's old bike. But," James' voice faltered and sank almost to a whisper, "you know…"

"Yeah," Andrew sadly replied, "we could 'a gone places… I bet we could even beat Bobby Crowe on his bike!"

"Yeah," replied James envisioning the two Carter brothers on their bikes. Unbeatable. "I bet we would've been able to beat anyone in Bullfrog on a bike."

Andrew was caught up in his brother's vision, "Yeah, I bet we could 'a beat anyone in Crabapple Junction too! On that bike we could go to Boontown!"

Now James had caught Andrew's enthusiasm, "Naw, further than Boontown! I bet we could go all the way to Fargo! Just to see the governor!"

Andrew was laughing, "See the governor? What for?"

James was laughing too and shrugged, "I don't know. To say howdy?"

Now both boys were laughing. It was funny, funny peculiar, not funny ha ha, that in a few minutes, both boys were sad because they couldn't afford to give each other gifts, now they were laughing and trying to top what they would do if they ever had such things. Eventually, their younger siblings, Donnie and Robin joined in. This had continued throughout the day and into the night, until bedtime.

"You know, Andy," the elder brother looked down from his bunk bed to his younger brother in his lower bunk, "I think this was one of the best Christmases we've had!"

Andrew looked at his brother and smiled, "Yeah it was." As his brother lay back down on his upper bunk Andrew added, "might have been nicer with the bike, but this was a good Christmas."

And so through the years, the box was used to fill in important dates between all four siblings until finally, the Christmas after James graduated high school. "Here, Jimmy, a late graduation present."

James looked at the box Andrew held, "Gee, cigars? I don't even smoke!"

Andrew smiled at the old joke, "go ahead; take it. It won't bite"

James took the box warily, and then opened it. A world atlas? He looked at his brother in askance. "What's this for?"

"Well, I know you got a chance to go to college," Andrew started. "You don't want to because you think you've got to take care of Mom and all of us. Well, I'm saying that I'm going to take care of Mom, Donnie and Robin and you're going to college. You've got a chance to get out there in the world and you're going to take it. I'm not going to take no for an answer!" Andrew swallowed and hoped his face showed how determined he was.

The two brothers stood there facing each other, both with the same determined mirrored on both faces. Except for a few slight differences, in spite of the year and half between them they could have been taken for twins. Finally, James looked down at the box and whispered, "Thank you." He then looked straight into his brother's eyes, "are you sure?"

Andrew's small smile got larger and slowly spread across his face, "Yeah, I'm sure."

The box wasn't seen until two years later when it was the Christmas after Andrew had graduated. Donnie, the next in line gave it to Andrew. Smiling Andrew opened it up and frowned, a map of the United States? He looked at his younger brother, "How come I give Jimmy the world and you only give me the United States?"

Donnie smiled, "have you considered the condition the world is in lately? I think I'm giving you a good bargain. James got a chance to leave Bullfrog and now it's yours. It's my turn to take care of Mom and Robin. I'm more settled here anyway. You and James always had itchy feet."

Andrew smiled at his brother, "what about Mary Jane? She's going to graduate next year and we're planning on getting married eventually."

"So, you go and get a job and you settled. Then you send for her when you've got enough money to support both of you," Robin told him. "She'll wait, if it's meant to be."

It was also Robin who decided how to figure out where Andrew would go. "Stick a pin in the map and go there."

The three siblings huddled around the map while Andrew closed his eyes and pushed the pin into the map. "And it's…Muncie?" Andrew drew the map closer to his face. Yep it was Muncie. What in the world was in Muncie?

"It's a big city. So, many people must find something nice about Muncie," said his sister trying to find something good.

"More chances to find a good job," added Donnie his brother. "You'll find some adventures too, I bet!"

Donnie was right; he found a job at a druggist shop almost right away. Stocking shelves, working the soda fountain, and such. Mr. Horster was the druggist and encouraged Andrew to study for a pharmacy license. After that he'd be able to send for Mary Jane.

Unfortunately he never had a chance to send for Mary Jane because the war came and he had joined up.

Carter sat in his bunk trying to figure out the next few times the box was used. Oh yeah, when he sent the eagle feather his grandfather, a full Sioux Indian had given him to Donnie. His brother was trying to decide whether or not to get married. Carter had sent the feather hoping it would grant his brother the courage to propose. He was also in the process of buying a turkey farm. Carter figured that he'd need courage for both.

He'd heard that Donnie had sent Robin the box when Teddy, Robin's beau proposed. Donnie had sent her a pearl for wisdom, and it worked. She turned down Teddy and eventually married Calvin Winstead, who the entire Carter family considered a much better match.

And now the box was sent to him again. He went back to his bunk to look at it again when he noticed it was missing. "Hey who took my box?" It was then he noticed Williams with the box in his hands opened.

"What's the matter? It's just an empty box," Williams snarled.

"It's mine!" Carter faced him toe to toe. "Give it back, now."

The rest of the barracks had gathered around the two men. Carter's eyes narrowed, "I said give it back, Williams."

Williams looked around at the other men, if there was going to be a fight he'd have no one in his corner. Also, Carter may have looked wiry, but Williams had seen him in the rec hall working out. There was muscle there; controlled muscle. "Here I just wanted to look at it." Williams shoved it into Carter's hands.

Hogan came back through his office door where he had disappeared after mail call. "What's going on? Carter? Williams?" He looked at Carter, never seeing him so mad, then at Williams.

Holding his box, Carter then turned to his commanding officer and said, "Nothing, sir. Nothing."

"Yeah, nothin', sir," replied Williams.

All the men gathered around agreed, "nothing, sir."

Hogan sized the men up and decided this time to let it drop. He'd find out later what was going on and what to do about Williams. He was sure Williams was the problem; again.

It was later when Carter was settled in his bunk rereading his letters from home, when LeBeau tentatively asked Carter if he had an empty box. He wanted to send something he had made back to his sister in Paris.

"Sorry LeBeau, but my box is full. I can't spare it." Carter felt he wasn't lying as he patted the box on the wall shelf next to his bunk. Yep, the box was chock full of Christmas memories past.

Finis.