The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

16: I Guessed Ten

"Floyd Talbert," she began, putting a finger down as she ticked him off. "Obviously."

Charlie grinned. She'd expected him to be the first and, if the order Mabs was using was anything to go by, he'd been straight in there to ask her out.

"Wow, I'm shocked," Autumn commented drily.

Mabs smirked, going on, "Bill Guarnere, Joe Liebgott, uh, Skinny Sisk, Pat Christenson, um, Moe Alley..."

It was at this point that Charlie started laughing; even though she'd guessed that close to eleven boys would ask Mabs to the dance, hearing their names, and in some cases being able to put faces to them, made it all the more baffling that one girl would be able to attract so many boys. Mabs was beautiful, though. Blonde and curvy with deceptively sweet brown eyes and a smile that spelled mischief. Charlie could easily see why all the boys were after her, why someone like Floyd Talbert, who usually got girls easily by himself, would go to the trouble of asking Charlie for help. Mabs was a catch and a half, and if Charlie didn't adore her so much she knew she'd envy her terribly.

"... and George Luz," Mabs declared, finishing her list. She curled her left index finger in, having had to use a second lot of hands to list all eleven boys off, and then picked up the scalpel she'd been cleaning before. "Number eleven, chronologically, 'cause he only asked me yesterday, but number one for enthusiasm."

Charlie laughed. She'd only come across George Luz a few times since he'd first approached her outside of the pub a few weeks ago, but even so she felt that she knew him reasonably well if only on account of how spirited he was with everything he said.

"The only man I know of on that whole list is Floyd Talbert," Violet said, standing still and leaning against her mop for a moment, "and that's only because he's Charlie's friend."

"And Mabs' most passionate suitor," Charlie piped up, nodding as though to back up her statement. Then she turned to Mabs. "Who do you think you'll say yes to?"

Mabs avoided this question by looking to Violet in surprise. "How many of the paratroops have you met then, Vi?"

Violet shrugged. She rested her hands one over the other on the top of her mop and then her chin atop her hands. "I think only three. Talbert I met when he came over to see Charlie a few days ago when we were coming home from work. Then there was also Joe Lesniewski, who didn't want to take no for an answer when he offered to buy me a drink the first night we got here. Then also Don Malarkey, who talked to me on the first day also, when we were all walking over to the pub."

"That seems a very unfortunate selection of men you've come into contact with," said Autumn with a grin in her voice. Like Mabs, she'd already met the vast majority of them, probably on their trips into Swindon with some of the boys or else when they went to the pub without either Charlie or Violet in tow.

Violet laughed softly. "I guess I wouldn't know. I haven't met any others."

"So who do you think you'll say yes to, Mabs?" Charlie asked again. She wasn't letting Mabs escape the question that easily, not after she'd pried and pried about Charlie's now not-so-secret crush on Eugene Roe ever since finding out about it almost a week ago.

Mabs shot a glare at her which had no real fire behind it before letting out a small laugh. "I ain't decided yet," she said. "I'm keepin' my options open 'til closer to the time."

"We've only got three days!" Charlie laughed. "You're certainly keeping them on their toes."

"Who are you going with, Charlie?" Violet asked her. She was still mopping the floor but she'd already gone over all of it once, so Charlie figured she was just doing it now to give herself something to do - and probably to appear busy in the event Lieutenant Maddox suddenly made a reappearance.