Happy 2023! I hope that you have a wonderful year and that you stay happy and healthy! :)
Chapter Twelve: Christmas at Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley buzzed with the excitement that only Christmas could bring. Yet, the view from the infirmary did not share the same sentiment. After a delicious breakfast, Richard convinced Suzie to tell Stone about what happened in the showers. Not wanting to bring attention to herself, Suzie refused at first but Richard promised he would be her unofficial lawyer.
The unofficial lawyer did a tremendous job and earned Garcia and Lemay permanent bathroom cleaning duties and regular check-ins with the Military Police. Lieutenant Stone spent the first half of the morning lecturing Richard and Suzie about the importance of speaking out against misbehavior. Stone berated Garcia and Lemay for their actions and how to act like proper soldiers while Stone sent Suzie to the infirmary. The infirmary set Suzie's broken nose back into its proper place and gave her medicine for the pain.
Other than a few bandages across her nose for three weeks, Lemay and Garcia did not leave any lasting injuries on Suzie. The bruises would heal soon enough and the nurses decided that Suzie could leave the infirmary in time for a large Christmas lunch.
Wincing from the bruises around her throat every time she swallowed, Suzie took her time eating the ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Richard babbled beside her the whole meal, explaining how his mother and sisters would always throw a huge feast for Christmas. Granted, with a family of seven children, Richard's family meals were probably always feasts.
"So, I was thinking," Richard said, his fork posed with a piece of ham speared on the end. He waved it around as he spoke. Suzie watched the ham with concern, anticipating for it to fly off the end of the fork and send Stone, Hassen, or one of the cooks marching over to lecture them about food waste. "I wanted to see a movie and I heard Camp Barkeley has its own theater, so we could see a movie together."
"Sounds fun," Suzie muttered and let out a small sigh of relief when Richard finally stopped flailing his fork around and ate the piece of ham.
"I heard there's a special show for the troops tonight. Something to do with that new actor guy who's working for the government and raising war bonds. I don't know much about him but my sisters think he's a dreamboat. They won't shut up about him."
"I can't imagine," Suzie mumbled to herself. The constant talking must run in the family. After Bucky shipped overseas, Suzie thought that she would have finally earned a break from his incessant talking, singing, and guitar playing. Bucky must have made a deal with a demon or something to annoy his little sister by sending Richard to do the talking in his place.
"So, whaddya say, Riley?" Richard asked. He leaned over the table and gave Suzie a wide grin. "Wanna see what the fuss is all about? I doubt he's that attractive. My sisters swoon over any man who happens to walk by. Me, I'm pickier. Take, for example, my lovely Helen. Imma marry her when the war's over and we're gonna have a bunch of little babies running around…"
He continued rambling about his future family with this supposed 'Helen' and how he would have his own law firm that he would pass down to his children. Suzie stopped listening halfway through, focusing on her meal instead. Richard, for some reason, felt like a combination between Steve and Bucky. The skinniness and stupid bravery reminded her of Steve. The nonstop talking, dreaming about having a family, and cheerful personality reminded her of Bucky. Even so, at least Richard had a stable relationship instead of running around with a million different women like Bucky.
Richard's one-sided conversation about starting a family reminded Suzie of her Ma and home. A surge of homesickness washed over her. The pumpkin pie caught in her throat as a lump formed, worsening the pain from the bruises that Garcia left last night. Tears started forming in her eyes so she squeezed them shut to ease the stinging.
Richard noticed Suzie's quietness and, for his credit, stopped talking. He leaned forward, his face showing concern.
"Hey, are you okay?" Richard asked, setting down his fork and staring at Suzie like how Ma used to whenever Suzie felt sick or upset.
"Just homesick," Suzie muttered, trying to ignore the image of her mother sitting in Richard's place.
"I'm homesick, too," Richard said. "I chose to be here, though. Did you or were you drafted?"
"Enlisted," Suzie replied and took a sip of water to clean her throat. It stung a little as it slid past the bruises but it helped clear the lump away.
"Me too," Richard said. "Everyone's got their reasons for being here, either to serve our country or to kill some Nazis."
"Why did you enlist?" Suzie asked. Although Richard stood as tall as Bucky, the ginger did not seem like someone in shape to fight. He looked like a twig and probably weighed a little more than Steve. Tall and skinny, Richard did not look like he could last long in a fight, let alone on a battlefield.
"I've got a younger brother," Richard replied, his voice sobering. "We're the only boys out of seven and you know how women aren't allowed to enlist. Anyways, I don't like hurting people but if I didn't enlist, my little brother would've and I don't want that. He's eighteen and I'm twenty-one so it's only fair that I enlisted instead of him. Gotta take care of my little brother, you know?"
"That's nice of you," Suzie said, unsure of what else to say.
"Yeah, well, if both of us went, I don't know how my mom would have handled it. I told my brother that he has to be drafted to join since I don't want him running around overseas and getting hurt."
"Are you the oldest?" Suzie asked. Richard's decision reminded her of Bucky's decision to enlist to keep Travis home. A lot of good that did, considering both of them were either dead or missing.
"No, I've got two older sisters, then it's me, my brother, and three younger sisters," Richard answered. "One of my younger sisters did join to become a nurse, but she's not going to be fighting on the frontlines like us." He paused a bit for adding, "What about you? Why did you join?"
"Revenge."
The short answer appeared to shock Richard. He leaned back in his seat and blinked a few times in surprise. "What? Why? What happened?"
"Those Nazi bastards killed my Ma and brother. My other brother went missing overseas," Suzie said, her eyes narrowing in anger as images of Travis lying dead on the church floor flashed through her mind. She still had nightmares because of that, images of her family lying dead around her became a recurring dream. "I want to bring my brother home and if I can't, Imma make those people pay for what they did."
A few minutes passed by in silence. Richard sat with wide eyes, staring at Suzie in shock and sympathy. Suzie glared into the remains of her pumpkin pie and imagined the pie being the heads of the Nazis she planned to put a bullet through. She only glanced up when Richard made a clicking sound with his tongue and sighed, breaking the silence.
"Weeellll," Richard drawled, unsettled by Suzie's proclamation. "I'll, um, be there to help, uh, if you want. We can take care of those Nazis together."
"Really?" Suzie asked, her eyebrows furrowing in surprise. She had never thought that she would find someone to help her like that. Sure, Uncle Henry, Aunt Ida, and Becca supported her decision, and Dr. Peterson allowed her to enlist but she assumed that she would be fighting her personal battles alone.
"Yeah," Richard said, sounding sincere. He forward in his seat and snapped his fingers. "But first, we celebrate! It's Christmas!"
Soldiers, it turned out, liked drinking—a lot.
After the movie, which turned out to be a propaganda film starring that insufferable knucklehead, Captain America, somehow achieved a full house. For some reason, she hated Captain America and the way people praised him for doing nothing but putting on a show like some cheesy caricature of American soldiers. The actor's lack of ability to actually act also ruined his grandeur.
Suzie only sat through the whole film because Richard wanted to see what Captain America looked like under the mask. Unfortunately for Richard, the actor never revealed his full face. Despite that, Richard left the theater debating Suzie whether his sisters were right about the actor being a 'dreamboat.' Suzie did not care but thought that the lack of seeing the actor's full face put a hitch in the debate. Richard concluded that he would have to consult his sisters again to see if they ever saw the actor wearing something other than the ridiculous headgear and costume.
Of course, the night did not end there, much to Suzie's disappointment. The brass allowed the soldiers to drive to the nearest town, Abilene, to celebrate with the locals. Their version of celebrating involved heavy drinking, blaring music, off-key singing, and showing off dancing skills worse than Steve's.
Because of the noise and rowdiness, Suzie found herself in a corner of the local bar, drinking beer while Richard tried to have a conversation over the racket of the crowd.
Suzie had been out drinking once in her life. On her eighteenth birthday, Travis took her out to a bar. Even though the beer tasted like dirt, she and Travis ended up stumbling their way home, giggling their lungs out like schoolgirls over something stupid. Ma lectured both of them the day after about safety and other 'motherly anxieties.' In retrospect, Suzie understood her mother's worry. In a city full of criminals, getting publicly drunk and having her drunk brother walk her home at midnight was a stupid decision.
In light of that, and the terrible hangover she experienced that night, Suzie stuck to the weaker, less alcoholic drinks. Garcia and Lemay were not allowed to leave the camp, but that did not mean that other people at the bar were completely harmless.
Or annoying, like the young, brunette woman who walked up to Richard and Suzie, her white teeth flashing behind her red lipstick. She twirled her long locks around her finger, making Suzie jealous and very aware of her own, nearly bald head.
"Can we help you?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow but still somehow sounding polite, unlike how Suzie would have responded to unexpected and unwanted guests.
"Care for a dance, soldier?" the woman replied and took a seat next to Richard, angling her body toward him in a seductive posture.
When she reached out to touch his bicep, Richard pulled his arm from her grasp and leaned away from the woman. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a relationship," Richard muttered, visibly uncomfortable with the woman sitting too close to him.
The visible discomfort did not stop the woman from leaning forward, her mouth almost brushing against Richard's ear. "Your girl isn't here, so why does it matter?"
"He said he's in a relationship," Suzie cut in, fed up with the woman's actions. "Back off."
The woman shot Suzie a nasty glare. "What, are they letting little boys join the army? Go back home to your mama, child."
"No means no. Go find someone else to bother," Suzie snapped, ignoring the woman's jab at Suzie's appearance. Being a woman meant that Suzie appeared younger than the men her age because they had facial hair while she did not. Having no need to shave in the mornings made Suzie stand out a little bit, but she did, at least, have more time for herself.
The woman sneered and finally stood up to leave. "No one likes you, baby face. At least I don't have to see your stupid nose. Have fun playing dress up in the army. I hope you get shot." With that, the woman sauntered off, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.
Once the woman disappeared into the crowd, Richard turned to Suzie and raised his eyebrows in minor shock. "Wow, she seems…fun," Richard muttered, letting out a long sigh. "You didn't have to do that."
"Yeah, well, I owe you one after the shower incident," Suzie said and shrugged nonchalantly, trying to act like the woman did not leave a bitter taste in Suzie's mouth. The woman's comments caused Suzie to absentmindedly rub at her smooth jawline and the bandages covering her broken nose.
"I'm sure Helen would appreciate it, too," Richard said, a smile starting to form on his face again.
"How'd you two even meet?" Suzie asked, curious about their relationship.
"Oh, we're high school sweethearts," Richard replied, all thoughts of the sleazy woman appearing to disappear as he dug through a pocket on the inside of his jacket and pulled out a picture. "Wanna see her?"
He handed the small photograph to Suzie, a grin finally breaking out across his face. The black and white photo had some wear on the edges but the image of the young, light-haired woman smiling stood out strongly against the minor aging. Helen had a heart-shaped face, plump cheeks, and thick glasses that made her eyes seem bigger than they were. She was cute and even though Suzie had never met her, Suzie could tell that Helen probably had a pretty laugh.
"She's pretty," Suzie said and handed the photo back. She watched Richard hold the photo in both of his hands, his eyes lighting up like the fireworks on Independence Day. It was adorable seeing how Richard reacted whenever he talked about his girlfriend. It made Suzie a little jealous how Helen managed to score a man who loved her unconditionally while Suzie had never been on a date.
"Do you have anyone?" Richard asked, tucking the photo back into his jacket.
Taking a sip of the now-warm beer, Suzie shook her head. She never had any interest in dating, preferring to admire the men around her instead. However, witnessing Richard in love with his girl made a pang of loneliness tug at Suzie's heart. One day, Becca would run off, find a man, and start a family of her own, leaving Suzie to live by herself. If Suzie found a man as loving and caring as Richard, who would not tie her down to household duties, then maybe she would not spend the rest of her life alone. "No. I prefer to just look."
"We all gotta start somewhere," Richard said. Setting down his beer after a quick sip, his grin spread wider across his face. "Hey, you can be a groomsman at my wedding!"
"We just met yesterday," Suzie pointed out, blinking in confusion at Richard's sudden eagerness.
"So?" Richard rested his right elbow on the wooden table and held up his pinky finger. "Promise me you'll be at my wedding."
"What are we, twelve?" Suzie teased, but she consented and looped her pinky with Richard's and shook. "Where's your wedding going to be?"
"Somewhere in New Jersey. Either at Helen's farm or my church."
"Jersey?!" Suzie shook her head and scoffed teasingly. "Gee, I don't know. I might have to pass on that one."
"What's with New Yorkers and hating Jersey?" Richard questioned, frowning in mock offense.
"Nothing good ever came from Jersey."
"I'm from Jersey," Richard pouted.
"I stand corrected."
A few moments passed as the two stared at each other in a silent standoff. Richard broke the silence by letting out a snort, causing Suzie to burst into a fit of giggles. That sent Richard into a laughing fit, which in turn, increased Suzie's giggles into breathless gasps of laughter.
Banging his fist against the table, Richard wiped tears from his eyes while Suzie tried to breathe through the bandages on her nose. It felt freeing to laugh again, after everything that had happened, and even better to finally have made a friend.
"Merry Christmas, pal," Suzie wheezed out, raising her glass of beer in cheer.
"Merry Christmas to you, my friend."
The legal drinking age in the United States was 18 instead of 21 up until the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. Before that, the legal drinking age varied from state to state but most states made the legal drinking age 18. So that's why Travis was already an alcoholic before his tragic death at age 20.
SIDENOTE (Feel free to skip this part):
If you don't want to read this, you can skip it, but I'm adding this because I cannot reply to reviews if the person is not signed in to their FFN account.
That being said, I'm writing this to explain a few things.
First of all, I want to reiterate that this story is a rewrite. Other than the summary and contents of the chapters, I have not changed anything regarding the information that FFN provides for this story. That means that it was still marked 'complete' from the original story/upload. I did not notice that error until someone pointed it out. I changed that now, but I also explain in my author's notes in each new chapter that this story is far from over. I do not know how many chapters there will be, but currently, there's going to be a lot after the previous chapter I posted.
I would like to thank the reader/guest who posted the review. I also apologize for any confusion and for making this statement a little public (again, I cannot reply directly if there is no FFN account). I appreciate any constructive criticism; it helps me grow. Sometimes, I do not notice something until someone points it out, and that's fine. Everyone makes mistakes.
However, if a minor misunderstanding and something that could be easily fixed by a simple, kind review changes your viewpoint and makes you want to stop reading, then that is your choice, but again, it was a minor misunderstanding and not a life-changing issue. If the notes at the end of the chapter say that there will be another chapter, there will be another chapter, even if the story says it's complete. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion. I'm always open to any constructive criticism and will fix anything if someone mentions it or if I do not notice right away. Still, I do prefer having kind reviews. (I would like to mention that if the last sentence in the review was not there, then I would have not needed to add this paragraph. Everything else in the review was helpful but the last sentence made me a little disappointed.)
Thank you for your understanding and patience. I hope you have a wonderful day and a blessing-filled 2023. The next chapter will be soon. If you have any questions, kind comments, and/or concerns, feel free to leave a review. Thank you. :)