Maybe One Day

Chapter Two: So It Begins

"Sergeant Bonti! Guard duty tonight! I want you on the wall immediately! Put your BDU's on and report in 5 minutes!"

I sighed and quickly changed into my BDU's in less than two minutes. I tied on my boots and bloused them, grabbing my weapon and putting my helmet on as I booked it out the door towards the perimeter wall. On approach, I noticed a figure that was already standing there. Finally reaching the wall, I realized who it was.

"Lieutenant Nixon, Easy Company. Lt. Winters has mentioned you."

"First Sergeant Bonti, Easy Company." I replied, with a salute. "I hope they were good things."

We both chuckled and stood quietly.

Once again, his dark hair hung slightly over his forehead as he looked down to study me. He didn't make me uncomfortable. In fact he was one of the only men outside my company who didn't look at me with mischief or lust. It was like he was trying to read me.

"How have the men been treating you? If anyone treats you badly, be sure to come to Winters or I. We'll take care of it."

"The men have been treating me very well. And thank you sir, I'll be sure to." I smiled at him.

When I crawled into bed later that night after Bull had taken over for me, I couldn't stop thinking about Nixon. His eyes were on my mind all night. I liked his personality, and his smile could have melted my heart. I shook the thoughts from my head before closing my eyes to sleep.

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When I woke up the next morning, I hurried to put on my BDU's. The men were making beds and getting dressed themselves. We were supposed to be doing weapons drills, but Sobel had something else in store for me.

"First Sergeant Bonti? First Sergeant Bonti!" shouted an orderly.

"Right here!" I emerged from behind my curtain and took the paper from his outstretched hand.

I scanned the paper and I could feel my blood boiling in me.

"What is it?" asked Luz, trying to read over my shoulder.

"Mess duty? Are you fucking kidding me?" I said sharply, crumpling up the paper and tossing it onto my bed.

"What's up with you angel-eyes?" asked Toye.

"That's some fucking bullshit." I spoke, sitting down on a foot locker.

"What is it?" asked Luz again.

"Sobel assigned me to kitchen duty." I replied angrily.

"What, why?" interjected Guarnere.

"I'm a woman, that's why. Fucking prick." I took off my BDU blouse and put on my spectacles.

"That's some bullshit, angel-eyes. I'm sorry." said Toye.

"Who cares if I've already been a paratrooper, jumped out of more planes than Sobel, been shot, or have more combat experience than almost everyone here! God dammit." I whispered sharply. "I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't let my anger get the best of me."

I took the crumpled up piece of paper and read over it once more. It looked like he wanted me stuck there for a couple of weeks.

"Christ almighty." I crumpled it up again and threw it in a small wastebasket we had in the barracks.

Winters and Nix entered the barracks unbeknownst to everyone else.

"Does this mean you won't be training with us for a while?" asked Luz.