Maybe One Day

Chapter Fifteen: Winter in Wartime

When we finally loaded into the trucks I took my usual spot on the floor. I wrapped my arms around myself to try and illicit at least a little more warmth. While the men were chattering around me, I was staring off into the sky. I was hoping that we had a chance at getting resupplied, but I knew in my heart that it wasn't true. That's just not how the army works. While we sped down the road, I was jostled in my seat. From my breast pocket, I withdrew the picture I had of Isaac. I think that it was at times like these that I missed him the most and wished he was with me. 

"Hey, you alright Lieutenant?" 

"Hmm?"

I looked up to see Toye looking at me with his set up puppy-dog eyes. He knew that something was bugging me.

"You're crying, Angel Eyes." he said quietly. 

"Oh... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about my brother, is all." I wiped the tears from my eyes and handed him the picture. "That was when we were last at home before we came to England. He was so proud of himself. I was proud of him, too. But..." I sniffled. 

"But?" 

"I just wish he'd listened to me when I told him to stay home." I took the picture back from him and tucked it back into my pocket. 

"Hey, Angel... I think he's really proud of you too. You work hard to take care of us and to take care of your mama back home. We're all proud of you too." 

Toye wrapped an arm around my shoulder and we listened in on the men who were talking. 

"Hey, Kid. What's your name again?" asked Bill, lighting a cigarette. 

"Suerth. Suerth Jr." he answered.

"You got any ammo, Junior?" Babe asked. 

"Only what I'm carrying." replied Suerth.

"What about socks? Got extra socks?" questioned Toye.

"A pair." 

"You need four minimum." said Skip. "Feet, hands, neck, balls-"

"Extra socks warms them all!" finished the rest of the truck. 

"Yay! We all remember that one!" laughed Skip.

The men around us began badgering the kid, asking if he had this or that. My jaw set and I pushed Toye's arm from where he had it wrapped around me. 

"Lass ihn in Ruhe! Er hat genauso viel wie der Rest von uns, okay? Er ist nervös, genau wie du es warst, als wir uns zum D-Day geladen haben. Lass ihn in Ruhe." (Leave him alone! He's got just as much as the rest of us, alright? He's nervous just like you were when we were loading up for D-Day. Leave him alone.)

Without even understanding what she had said, they all backed off of the new kid. 

"Scoot over, will you?" I said, taking a seat beside Suerth. "Hey, Suerth. How's it going?" I asked.

"It's going alright, Lieutenant." he said.

"You can call me Angel or Angel eyes, as long as the higher ups ain't around, like Nixon and Winters. Where are you from?" 

"Illinois, Angel." he nodded. 

"I'm from New York City. Have you heard from your family recently?" 

"Yeah, I got a letter from them just before we left." he smiled softly. 

"You keep in contact with your family, alright? And as much as they might not like you at first, you stick to one of the guys in this truck alright? These are some of the best men in the company."