...
Lieutenant Meehan from Baker Company arrived to replace Sobel as Easy Company's Commander on the day of the 506th Regimental basketball team tryouts. Nora met their new CO just two hours prior to try-outs. And it wasn't until she got there, that the nerves finally smacked her right in the stomach. Outside on a grassy field, the tryouts were being held. A series of small games would take place where Winters, Strayer, and another Officer would pick the best out of the bunch. Only twelve men could be picked from the two hundred who were trying out for the team. Hoobler, Gordy, and Nora were the only three from Easy who decided to try out. Winters was pleased to see at least three from his Company at the try-outs…
"You three feeling alright?" Winters asked them.
"We're good, sir". Gordy replied. "I'm ready to join the team".
Winters smiled. "I like your optimism, Gordy". He said, "Take off your jackets and get warmed up. You guys will be on in fifteen minutes".
"Yes, sir".
Taking his leave, Winters moved back toward the spectator's spot. Shrugging off her jacket, Nora placed it atop a pile Hoobler had created for their coats. Her stomach was beginning to feel queasy. Nora took a sip of water from her canteen, hoping that would soothe the nauseous feeling. Once the water was successfully swallowed, she followed Hoobler and Gordy to a quiet spot where they could warm up. They did their stretches first and kept one eye on their competitors who were currently playing.
"We've got this in the bag". Gordy didn't sound worried.
Hoobler reminded Nora, "And even if we don't make the team…".
"We get credit for trying". Nora cut Hoobler off with a tiny sigh. "I know, Hoobs".
"She's nervous". Gordy accused. "It's good to feel nervous, Nora. Nerves keep you sharp".
"But not too many nerves". Hoobler added. "That'll just make you puke".
Gordy snorted out a laugh. "Yeah…".
"Holy shit…". A new voice appeared. "Looks like they don't give a shit about height".
Hoobler and Gordy looked toward the new voice and spotted a group of six men from Fox Company standing close by. Nora, like always, kept her head down. It was clear the men were poking fun at her height, seeing as she was tiny compared to everyone else…
"Looks like they don't give a shit about talent either…". Gordy shot back. "Get your useless ass 'outta here…before I kick it out myself".
"Jesus, Carson…". The same man snorted. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day…you've got yourself a girlfriend".
"Back off, Williams!" Gordy snapped. "You're an asshole back home, and you're an asshole here. You ain't changed a bit, have you?"
"You've changed". Williams sneered. "At least you don't dress like a damn street urchin now. But I guess that's 'cause the army provides you with decent clothes…unlike your drunk parents".
Gordy clenched his fist and shot Williams a glare. "Fuck you, Williams…".
"You're all talk, Gordy". Williams taunted. "You think you're so tough, don't 'ya? But we all know you're still that lost little boy from New York…".
Sensing that things were about to exasperate, Nora stood between Gordy and Williams. If Gordy started a fight, Winters wouldn't let him try out for the team. There were rules to follow, and one was no fighting during tryouts. At her bold move, however, Williams and his friends burst out into laughter…
"This is brilliant!" Williams laughed. "Look at this, Gordy…your little girlfriends sticking up for you 'cause you're too much of a wimp to fight your own battles. No wonder your dad beat you up so much…".
Gordy didn't get the chance to fight back, and neither did Hoobler because Nora took that first step and pushed Williams away. She couldn't reach his chest, so, Nora opted for Williams's belly. And the man stumbled back but didn't fall. Once more, Williams and his friends laughed at Nora's feeble attempt at defending Gordy from a fight. But Nora didn't care if they were laughing at her. She pushed Williams again. And again…
"Okay, okay!" Williams held up his hands and laughed. "Now you're just being stupid".
However, Nora pushed Williams again. This time, his friends stopped laughing. It was no longer funny; they grew tired of Nora. However, Williams was beginning to take offence because there was no laughter coming from behind him…
"That's enough". The amusement had dropped from Williams's voice. He sounded firm, angry. And perhaps a little embarrassed at being pushed around by a girl…
"Don't talk to my friend like that". Nora kept her voice firm and steady.
"Or what?" Williams challenged with a snort. "What the hell are you 'gonna do about it?"
Nora pushed him in the stomach again. "I will keep doing this…because I don't have a plan".
Hoobler sighed and began moving toward Nora. "Okay, that's enough". He took hold of Nora's arm and pulled her away from Williams. "I'm not so sure you can knock a fella out like that, pal".
"What a waste of time…". Williams snorted. He told Gordy, "I guess I'll put a new shiner on your face another day".
Williams and his friends turned around and left. Hoobler stared down at Nora, trying his best not to grin. He was torn between amusement and feeling somewhat proud of his friend for fighting back – even though it wasn't her battle. Drawing out a sigh, Nora turned around and looked over at Gordy. Only to find him smiling at her…
"Thanks, Nora". He said, "Thanks for sticking up for me…even if you are a lousy fighter".
Nora huffed out a faint laugh. "Right".
Hoobler chuckled and said, "That was the least intense fight I've ever witnessed".
"Oh, I save my energy for basketball…". Nora jokingly defended herself. "These hands will only be used to shoot hoops and dribble today…tomorrow, I knock Williams out".
Gordy chuckled and gently clapped the back of Nora's neck. "Come on…it's almost our time…".
…As fate would have it, the three troopers from Easy Company were pitted against Williams and two other men from Fox Company. No one had been aware of the tension up until that point. The whistle was sounded, and the court came to life with vast movements and quick tackles. Nora learned early on that basketball was a fast-paced game, where players were often switched out. Injuries happened and fights occurred. Insults were shared between competing players which often resulted in a short shoving match. Gordy had a hard time controlling his anger toward Williams's insults, but he managed. With his head and heart in the game, Gordy won them their first point.
There was a thin line between playing rough and following the rules of the game. Because they moved so quickly, fouls often went unnoticed. When Nora had possession of the ball, she saw Hoobler was open and made to throw him the ball. Just as the ball left her hand, something solid slammed into her shoulder and forced Nora onto the ground. That something solid was Willams. His elbow pushed into Nora's shoulder so hard, that it almost popped out of place. Lying on the ground, it took a few moments for the pain to finally course through Nora's body. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. But the game came to a stop because a player was down. With Hoobler having to hold Gordy back from punching Williams, Winters was the one to cross the court and check on Nora…
"You okay, kiddo?" Winters asked quietly, once he was crouched by Nora.
"I think so, sir". Nora replied back quietly. "Did everyone see me fall, sir?"
"Don't worry about it". Winters assured her. He asked, "Can you get up?"
"Yes, sir".
"Good girl". Winters grabbed a hold of Nora's arm and helped the girl up. "Let's continue the game. You're doing really well".
"Thanks, sir". Nora sent him a smile; she appreciated the compliment – especially after being tackled to the ground…
When the whistle sounded, the game resumed. It only lasted another ten minutes before coming to an end. Gordy won the game for Easy Company, having scored most of the points. Hoobler and Nora had two each. Even just scoring was enough for Nora to feel a little proud of herself. It was a fast-paced game, after all, and men moved quickly to dominate the ball. Nora was lucky to have scored. Plus, beating Williams and his friends was a great feeling. Nora almost shot them a smug look as they walked by to gather their jackets…
"No one likes a smug winner, Nora…". Winters told her off with a faint smirk.
Staring up at Winters, a smile met Nora's lips. "Did you see me score, sir? I've never jumped so high".
"I did, yeah". Winters smiled back at her. "You were great, Nora".
"Gordy thinks I'll make the team". She said, "I guess we'll see, sir".
Hoobler and Gordy had left long ago but, Nora decided to wait around for the tryouts to end so she could walk home with Winters. It seemed Williams and his friends wanted to watch the rest of the tryouts to see what the rest of the competition was like…
"Clopper". Strayer greeted with a broad smile. "Good turn-out, right?"
"Brilliant, sir". Nora agreed.
"It was nice of you to come along and show your support, Nora".
Nora frowned softly, confused by his comment. "Sir?"
Strayer gave a nod toward the court. "Only two men from Easy decided to try out. It was good of you to help them out today".
Oh. Nora felt her heart begin to sink. "Right, sir".
Winters shot Strayer a frown. "Lieutenant Clopper was here to try out, sir". He explained.
Strayer said, "Officers aren't allowed to try out for an enlisted sports team, Dick. Surely, you know that".
Winters admitted, "I thought Nora's case would be different, sir…seeing as she's treated much the same as an enlisted man".
"I'm afraid we can't allow exceptions, Lieutenant Winters". Strayer said while checking the time on his wristwatch. "I have to get going. We'll discuss the team later this week, Dick".
"Of course, sir".
It wasn't the end of the world, but Nora still felt slightly disappointed. When Strayer walked off, Winters cast Nora a frown. He set his hand on the girls' shoulder and began leading them away from the grassy field and toward the road back to Aldbourne. There wasn't anything Winters could do but be there for Nora and though she wouldn't be a part of the basketball team, Nora realised she was a part of a team again…Easy Company, that was her team.
…
With basketball tryouts behind them, November came to an end. Christmas was upon them, and it was the men's first Christmas away from their country. Nora hadn't celebrated Christmas since her brother's death. But the Barnes's had put up a tree, with gold tinsel, red baubles, fairy lights, and of course, the angel proudly presented at the top. Nora and Winters were gifted an orange and an apple from the Barnes's – Nora loved apples and appreciated her first gift in many years. But an unexpected gift came from Winters…
"Open it". Winters prompted with a gentle nudge to Nora's side.
The gift was flat, thin and large. Nora eagerly tore the wrapping paper off and immediately met a familiar face. It was Jimmie Rodgers – a Jimmie Rodgers record. Memories came flooding back, while she remembered sitting around the radio with Boris and listening to their favourite artist from America. A smile met Nora's lips. She stared up at Winters. "This is the best, sir – thank you so much, Lieutenant Winters".
Winters smiled; happy she accepted the gift. He gave a nod toward the record player in the corner of the living room. "Put it on, Nora".
Soon, Jimmie Rodger's song "In The Jailhouse Now" filled the room. Winters sat back on the couch and watched with amusement as Nora's foot tapped on the ground. Soon, she began to dance in front of the fireplace. Mr Barnes cheered and clapped, while Mrs Barnes decided to keep Nora company. Taking the older woman's hands, Nora began dancing with Mrs Barnes.
"I haven't seen you move like that in years!" Mr Barnes said over the music.
Winters chuckled but felt a warmth spread through his body. He had dreaded his first Christmas away from home, but there was nothing to dread at all. Not with Nora dancing around the small living room. However, Nora wasn't a particularly good dancer…
"Good grief, pet!" Mr Barnes exclaimed. "What kind of dance is that?"
"Mr Barnes, I cannot dance". Nora admitted with a grin.
"That much is clear, dear". Mrs Barnes smiled. "But it's good to see you smile, Nora".
With a Christmas filled with happy memories to keep them going, they went to bed with full bellies and plenty of smiles. Nora hadn't expected much celebration, seeing as there was a war going on. But the Barnes's had put magic back into a special day for some. Nora had a lot of nice and quiet Christmases with her small family back home. Her mother put up a small tree and gave Boris and Nora two presents every year. It wasn't the presents Nora looked forward to the most, it was the meal. Nora loved her food. Winters didn't love his food quite as much as Nora, but he did eat a lot on Christmas Day…
"Lieutenant Winters?"
His eyes opened at the call. Turning on his side, Winters looked over at Nora. "Yeah?"
She was lying on her back, staring up at the dark ceiling. "I really like my gift, sir".
"I'm glad, Nora". Winters gave a sleepy smile. "It's a good song, huh?"
"Yeah, sir". She agreed quietly. Nora said, "I don't mind about not being on the basketball team, sir. But can I still watch the games?"
"Of course, Nora". Winters assured her. He offered, "You can even help me out at games if you want?"
A smile met Nora's lips. She nodded, liking that idea. "I'd like that, sir".
Silence fell upon them once more and thinking Nora was finally sleeping, Winters closed his eyes and could already feel himself drifting off into a blissful food coma…
…Jimmie Rodgers was known for his hit country music. His listeners enjoyed his twangy voice and story-telling lyrics. But Jimmie was also known to be a good yodeller. In most of his songs, he would yodel to break up lyrics, or he'd yodel just for the sake of it. It's part of the reason why Nora and Boris liked Jimmie so much, because of his yodelling. Nora, however, was not good at yodelling. And Winters found out about her lack of talent at midnight…
Eyes snapping open in both surprise and amusement, Winters sat up and turned to face Nora. She was lying down, yodelling the part of one of Jimmie Rodger's songs. "Shouldn't you not do that while others are trying to sleep, Nora?" Winters called out over her yodelling.
Nora promptly stopped yodelling. A tiny smile met her lips. "Probably, sir".
Winters huffed out a laugh and said, "You're excited this evening, Nora".
Nora's lips rubbed together for a moment in thought, while she tried to wonder just why she was so happy that night. Rolling onto her side, Nora could just make out Winters among the dimly lit oil lamp. She said, "I know we have combat ahead of us…but things just feel…good, sir". Nora tried to explain. "I miss my family, my home…". She admitted softly. "My friends…but I have my friends here also, and that makes me feel good inside, sir".
A smile met Winters's lips. "I'm glad, Nora". He sounded pleased, relieved to hear Nora was genuinely happy in Easy Company now. "You deserve to feel good". He told her, with a note of seriousness to his voice.
For whatever reason, Winters telling Nora she deserved to feel good, caused Nora's stomach to knot with guilt. Perhaps she wasn't as happy as she thought. A tiny frown formed on Nora's face. She rolled onto her back again, staring back up at the ceiling. The guilt came from leaving them all behind – her mother, friends, comrades. Then there was the guilt for doing nothing to stop all the brutality she had witnessed. What those monsters did… was unforgivable, and it would forever be burned into Nora's mind.