...
Lieutenant Lewis Nixon wasn't a bad guy. He was openly friendly toward Nora and eager to tell her all about Captain Sobel, Easy Company's Commanding Officer. Nixon was known to Winters as 'Nix'. And the pair were close friends. It was clear to see who the loudest among the pair because was Nixon did most of the talking. Much like Winters, Nora sat and listened to Lewis Nixon rambling on about why he left Easy Company for 2nd Battalion Staff…
"I couldn't stand the man…". Nixon was talking about Sobel. "I figured I'd end up killing him if I stuck around, so, I left".
"He sounds…". Nora tried to think of the correct English word. "Intolerable".
Nixon liked her response. "He is". He said, "But I'm sure you'll handle it…you'll be used to being around assholes by now".
Winters almost choked on his food. He gave Nixon a firm look. "While Nora is a Lieutenant by rank only, we should still talk as if we're around the men".
"Ah…got it". Nixon said smoothly. "So, no insulting Sobel in front of the kid?"
"That's right". Winters confirmed. Facing Nora, Winters cast her a smile. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, Nora?"
"Oh, okay, sir". Nora placed down her fork and knife. She cleared her throat first before talking, attempting to get rid of any hint of emotions. "I was born in Amsterdam". She began to tell the men. "And…I went to school. And I left school". Nora gave herself a nod as if confirming that she had said plenty. "What about you, sir?"
"Oh, pretty much the same…minus Amsterdam". Nixon joked with a smirk.
Winters drew out a quiet sigh. He was hoping Nora would share more. Masking his slight disappointment with a smile, Winters decided to tell her, "I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and I went to college there…after graduation, I enlisted in the army. And the rest is history".
Nora asked, "Lancaster…is that a city?"
"It's more or less a city, yeah". Winters replied. "We moved there when I was a boy".
"It's a nice place?"
"I think it is, yeah". Winters said, "It's a friendly place".
Nora retook her knife and fork. Lunch was served hot. They were having mince, carrots and potatoes. The British adored their mince and potatoes. Nora liked British food. She mashed up her potatoes and mixed them in with the mince and carrots. Having spent five or so weeks with the British Army, Nora learned a few tricks to make their food taste better.
Nixon leaned forward and asked Nora quietly, "How can you stomach this food so easily?"
She said, "Mix it all in, sir".
"I miss American grub…". Nixon said with a sigh while taking Nora's advice and mixing it all in. "Have you ever been to America, Nora?"
"No, sir". Nora replied. "That would be expensive to travel there, sir".
"Yeah, I guess". Nixon said, "But if you joined us earlier, they wouldn't have charged you for the travel across the Atlantic".
"Oh, I was busy…". Nora said to him quietly.
He asked, "Doing what, exactly?"
Nora simply replied, "Working, sir".
Nixon didn't beat around the bush, he asked her outright, "Killing Nazis?"
Winters sighed and faced Nixon; he didn't look overly pleased with his friends' eagerness. Unlike Nixon, Winters was willing to give Nora space to open up. After shaking his head at Nixon, Winters assured Nora, "You don't have to answer that, Nora. It's a very invasive question and I'm sure Lieutenant Nixon didn't mean to pressure you into saying anything".
Nixon bit back a smirk at his friends' polite approach toward Nora. But he did say, "I don't mean to pressure you, kid. I'm just eager to know".
Nora decided to answer Nixon's question. "I haven't killed Nazis, sir".
"You'll get your chance soon enough". Nixon reminded her.
Winters quickly stepped in, "Actually, they're not keen on having Nora as a fighting role. She'll more or less hang back from the action".
Nixon appeared surprised. "Oh, Colonel Sink decided that?"
"Yeah". Winters nodded.
"I thought he wanted to put her to good use?"
Winters sighed and told Nixon quietly, "He knows what he's doing, Nix. Don't get involved".
Scraping the rest of her food onto her fork, Nora enjoyed her last bite. Grabbing her tall glass of water, she took a large drink to get rid of the parched feeling in her throat. Water. Nora couldn't get over how easy she had it now. When just months ago, she had to beg and search for water…
"Translations?" Nixon questioned Winters. "He wants to use her for translation purposes only?"
Winters sighed again. "I mean…I'm sure more will come up when we're out there, Nix".
"This kid lived with the Nazis, for Christ's sake…". Nixon gestured toward Nora, who was giving her glass of water a tiny smile. She didn't look like a killer at that moment, she looked about as innocent as a kitten. "Of course, she can fight". Nixon didn't sound overly confident now that he was looking at Nora.
Winters warned his friend again, "Don't get involved, Nix".
"Fine". Nixon held up his hands in surrender. "I'll shut about it".
Having heard their conversation about her, Nora was relieved to know they didn't want her in a fighting role. Guns frightened Nora. And Nora didn't think she was brave enough for battle. She'd much prefer hanging around in the back, away from flying bullets and mortars. Nora didn't want to make any difficult decisions that could end in others getting hurt. So, staying away from all the main action was perfect for her…
"She wants to join the WAVES". Winters was telling Nixon. "As an Officer".
"Do you think DeEtta will make it as an Officer?" Nixon asked.
"I hope so". Winters smirked. "I gave her some stick about being another member of the Ferry Boat Command…".
Nixon snorted. "Christ, Dick".
Winters continued to smirk. "Just too lazy to walk so she makes sure she never has to by joining the Nazy". He said, "Don't worry, she knows I'm not serious. I'm proud of her, I truly am".
"Does DeEtta know about…". Nixon's eyes quickly looked toward Nora. Unknown to him, she was listening but appeared to be in a world of her own…
"No". Winters said, "But DeEtta doesn't have to worry about anything". He added, "For one, my new shadow looks about ten years younger than me…".
Nixon cast Nora a tiny smirk and asked, "How old are you, kid?"
"Seventeen, sir". Nora replied. Her eyes looked away from the glass of water.
"You must be the youngest Officer here, congratulations". Nixon joked.
"Thank you, sir".
It was Saturday, meaning they had the day off. So, once lunch ended, Winters and Nixon took it upon themselves to show Nora around. Men didn't venture off into the cities that weekend, so, Nora saw many enlisted men roaming the cobbled streets. Most were headed for one of the two pubs in Aldbourne, while others took to the country lanes for a walk in the sunshine. From the looks of it, it seemed the locals didn't mind having a bunch of American Paratroopers take over their quant village. Nora was no stranger to the English countryside, but she had never stepped foot into such a beautiful village like Aldbourne during her time in England…
"That's St Micheal's Church…". Winters pointed out the old building to Nora while they were passing by. "I'll be sure to attend their service tomorrow. Feel free to join me, if you want".
"Thank you, sir". Was Nora's response to the offer. Nora failed to mention she had never attended a church service before since she was a little girl in school.
"Dick's big on religion". Nixon told Nora. "Most of the men around here are. Judging by your response to Dick's offer, I'm assuming you're not the religious type".
Nora gave a small shrug. "Faith is personal, sir".
Winters cast Nixon a smile before facing Nora. "You're correct, Nora. It means something different to everyone".
Nora remembered vividly the night they set the Synagogues on fire in Amsterdam. She could still see the flames, even while staring at St Micheal's Church. It was awful. Some people were inside their place of worship, praying that would stop them from destroying their temple. But they continued to set the Synagogue on fire and those people died inside it…
"Shall we move on?" Winters suggested lightly. "I'd like to show you the post office next, should you ever need it".
"Yeah…". Nora whispered, still lost in her memory. Drawing out a quiet sigh, she blinked a few times to wash the fire away. Staring up at Winters, Nora gave him a nod. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir".
Following the cobbled road, they walked a small circle around the main centre of the village and found the post office building. Nora couldn't imagine ever using it. She wasn't allowed to send any letters. Plus, Nora didn't have anyone back home to send letters to. And with that depressing thought in mind, they moved on. Next, Winters showed Nora where to get her uniforms washed and pressed. It was a small cottage, where an older woman ran her laundromat business.
"She doesn't charge much". Winters told Nora. "Only a couple of bobbins or tupans…". Letting out a quiet sigh, Winters frowned softly. "Their currency still confuses me". He admitted.
Nixon sent Nora a smirk, clearly amused by Winters's confusion. "We should move on before Dick gives himself a headache…". He added, "And this man right here received a Bachelor of Science Degree in economics".
Nora's lips twitched at Nixon's comment, but she didn't respond. It seemed Nixon and Winters joked around with each other occasionally. Nora used to like making people laugh. She would become happy because others were happy. That was the beauty of happiness. Following the two Officers, Nora's legs soon grew tired. Aldbourne was small, but it packed a lot in for its size, plus, the cobbled stones made the ground uneven and hard to walk on. Nora was still tired from her journey from London to the village itself. It took Nora hours to reach London, only to be faced with another long bus journey to Aldbourne…
"That's the Blue Boar". Nixon pointed out. "We've got one other pub, The Crown. They both only serve warm beer…I don't recommend it". He added, "It's best to have your own stash of alcohol". And with that said, Nixon brought out a silver flask and took a drink from the liquid inside. Nora guessed its contents inside was alcohol.
Walking away from the Blue Boar, Winters led them onto a narrow lane between two houses. When the lane ended, it brought them to a familiar setting. They were near the gravelled road that would take them up to the schoolhouse. However, Winters didn't plan on taking them back just yet. They still had one more place to see. Just in front of the schoolhouse, was a large grassy field. Inside that field, were Nissan huts and a large barn. The enlisted men were housed inside the Nissan huts. The men of Easy Company dotted around the field, doing whatever they usually did on a Saturday afternoon in Aldbourne. However, once they spotted three Officers entering the field, the men outside stood at attention.
"At ease, as you were". Winters quickly told them. "I'm here to show Lieutenant Clopper around".
When the men relaxed and stood at ease, they seemed less frightening. Shoulders dropping, small smiles took over their faces. A few of the men even walked toward Winters, eager to meet their new Officer. Nora was quick to spot Joe Lesniewski among the men, he was sat outside one of the huts, alone.
"Sirs". One of the men greeted with a grin. "Nice weather we've got for once, huh?"
"We sure have, George". Winters smiled. "Nora, this is George Luz…1st Platoons radioman".
Luz's smile travelled toward Nora. "Nice to see a new face around here, Lieutenant".
"I'm Nora". She corrected him.
Winters explained, "The rank is only for her protection. Nora won't be leading you, Luz".
"Nice to meet 'ya, Nora". Luz held out his hand. And Nora shook it. "Have the Lieutenant's been showing you around this place?"
"Yeah, they have". Nora said quietly. "It's a nice place".
"Sure is". Luz nodded. "Except for the rain". The handshake ended. Luz smiled at Nora again and gave an introduction to the man next to him. "Nora, this Frank Perconte…he's a pain in the ass".
"Frank". Nora took Perconte's hand and shook it.
"Hey, Nora". Perconte gave her a tiny smile. He said, "Don't listen to George, alright? If anyone's a pain in the ass, it's him…".
Nora ended the handshake with a tight smile. "Right". Her eyes moved toward Joe again, who was still sitting alone. Clearing her throat, she soon excused herself and began walking toward the lone trooper. Joe was sitting down on the stairs leading up to one of the huts. Nora stood in front of him for a moment before eventually taking the spot next to him. When Joe noticed her, he saw the Lieutenant bars first…
"They made you a Lieutenant?"
Nora explained, "It's just for protection. I'm not leading you".
"So, I can still call you Nora?" Joe asked.
"Yeah".
Drawing out a sigh first, Joe asked her, "You doing alright with the Officers?"
Nora looked over at Winters and Nixon before answering Joe. "They seem nice".
"That's good". Joe smiled small at her, relieved no one was giving Nora a hard time. "I got a little worried about you". He admitted. Joe snorted softly. "Turns out, I ain't doing that good here".
"It's still early". Nora shrugged. "They'll warm up to you". She added, "And if they don't like you, then you'll always have your friend, Churchill…".
Joe chuckled quietly and gently nudged Nora's arm with his elbow. "Drop it with that, huh?"
Biting down on her bottom lip, Nora faced the front. The grassy field was muddy from the rain overnight. She saw mud-shaped bootprints scattered around the field. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Nora wrapped both arms around her legs. "He doesn't want me to fight…". Nora told Joe quietly.
"Who?"
"Colonel Sink". She said, "He wants me to hang back…and stay away from the action".
Joe frowned. "And…are you pissed about that?"
Nora shrugged and admitted, "Not really. I don't think I'd be a good fighter".
"Well, if you're alright with it, then you shouldn't complain, right?"
Nora drew out a tiny sigh and said, "I feel like…I should be fighting. That I'm letting down a lot of people if I'm just…in the back, doing nothing".
Joe shrugged. He lit a cigarette and offered it to Nora, who declined. "Well, if you 'wanna fight, then you've 'gotta fight for your position". He said, "But maybe he's right, Nora. Maybe you'd be better off hanging back".
Nora questioned, "Because I'm a girl?"
"I don't know…maybe". Joe took a long drag from his cigarette. He said, "You're tiny, as well".
Nora's eyebrows twitched. She was about to argue with Joe, but he was right, Nora was tiny. She couldn't have been more than one hundred and forty-nine centimetres. "Maybe the rifle would be too big for me".
Joe snorted at her comment. "Christ…they really shouldn't give you a weapon then, Nora".
Nora's lips twitched at Joe's remark. But before she could comment, a shadow loomed over them. Looking up and squinting against the sun, Nora could make out Winters's face and upon seeing the Officer, both Nora and Joe snapped onto their feet…
Winters cast them both a warm smile. He said, "It's time to go, Nora".
"Yes, sir". Nora said with a nod. She turned to face Joe again. "So long, Joe".
"See you around, Nora". Joe gave her a smile before saluting Winters. "Sir".
"Enjoy the rest of your day, son". Winters told Joe kindly. His hand then hovered by Nora's back when telling her, "Come on, Nora".