NINETEEN
December 24th. Her birthday. Alice sat in her cot, rubbing her forehead as she thought about that fact. December 24th, 1942 would be her first birthday without family.
She sat in the dark. No one had woken up yet. Quietly leaving her cot, she grabbed clothes from her footlocker next to her bed and slipped behind the curtain that had been set up for her in Fort Benning. She changed quickly.
Alice slipped out of the barracks unnoticed. Her feet hit the bare ground, the frosty grass crunching beneath her boots. She pulled on her beret. While she walked across the camp, the sun began to rise. Gentle blues, white-golds, and pinks painted the early morning sky. She could smell the winter air, the crispness of it all around her. The ambience of morning birds added to the peacefulness.
Her pack of cigarettes crinkled as she pulled one out. She lit it, her lighter flicking open and spouting a small orange flame. She closed her eyes. She breathed. The smoke filled her mouth, throat, and lungs, warming her in the chill morning. Her body relaxed. Alice released all the tension she could, focusing only on the warm smoke filling her lungs.
The sound of boots on frosted grass interrupted the silence a few minutes later. As a visible combination of cigarette smoke and her breath wrapped around her, she turned to see who approached. Ron Speirs, ever an early riser, walked over.
"You're not often up this early," he said, voice low.
Alice hummed in agreement. Sitting down at a picnic table, she crossed her legs and kept smoking. Ron joined her. He pulled out his own cigarette and light. They sat in silence for a minute.
"Did you decide if you're going back home?"
Ron paused. He pulled his cigarette out and looked around. "I think I'll stay." Turning back to her, he continued. "Most of D company is leaving. What about Easy?"
With a hum, she shrugged. "About half are going home."
They fell into comfortable silence again. Smoke swirled around them. The sun had fully breached the horizon, and the birds sang louder. Finally, Ron broke the silence again.
"I know you never told me it was today, but happy birthday, for what it's worth." He glanced left as a few men exited Able Company's first platoon barracks. "Nixon let it slip."
"I never told him, either," Alice replied, no hint of bitterness in her voice. "Thank you. This year is... an adjustment."
It was Ron's turn to stay silent. As his gaze drifted around the open grounds of Fort Benning, he nodded. He reached into his coat pocket and took something out. "I've still got family in Scotland. I wrote them about a month ago. Took some effort on their part, but they managed to get ahold of this." He put the object on the table in front of her.
Alice audibly gasped. Without even thinking, her hand flew to her mouth. Ron had put down a single bar of Swiss chocolate. The large cursive scrawl of 'Lindt' had been written in bright white over a blue wrapper. What could be seen of the silver tinfoil it covered shined in the sunlight.
"I always liked Lindt," he told her. "My father liked to pick it up when we could in Edinburgh."
She hadn't meant to cry, but the small reminder of Germany triggered emotions she hadn't expected. Sugar had been rationed for quite some time in Europe, so chocolate for anyone but the elite had been hard to come by. As she teared up beneath her hands, the chilly air stung her eyes. She wiped the tears away.
"I can't... thank you." Alice picked up the bar of chocolate. Her fingers trailed over the name 'Lindt'. "I don't..."
Ron gave a small laugh. "Figured you'd be missing home a bit more than usual."
She didn't know how to respond. A small half cough-half laugh escaped her at his statement. She met his gaze and nodded. "Like I said, it's an adjustment."
By now, dozens of men had spilled from the barracks. Most had bags over their shoulders and train tickets in their hands. Several trucks had been arranged to take them into Columbus to catch a train to wherever home was for each.
Their cigarettes had died. Both sat watching various groups of soldiers meander about. Suddenly Alice cracked a smile. She watched a handful of Easy's second platoon walking to breakfast. George was saying something, and based on the laughter around him, it was probably an impersonation.
"One of these days, George Luz is going to regret his incredible ability to do impressions," she commented. Her smile didn't fade. But then she looked quickly at Ron. "Pretend I didn't say anything. He doesn't impersonate anyone," she corrected.
Ron just scoffed. As they sat there for a moment more, Alice looked down at the Lindt bar. She smiled. Her cold hands quickly undid the wrap and the foil until she had the chocolate open to the world. Alice snapped off a piece.
"Here." She held it out to Ron. He took it gratefully, and she snapped off another piece for herself. The smooth, dark chocolate starkly contrasted against her pale fingers. "To Europe."
He raised his piece of chocolate ever so slightly. They ate it at the same time. Alice closed her eyes in contentment as the bittersweet bar melted in her mouth. A wave of nostalgia crashed over her. Suddenly the world felt just a little bit smaller, and home just a little bit closer.
"I better go hide the rest of this," she muttered. "I'm sure my platoon would love to eat this."
"If they do, I'll shoot 'em."
Alice laughed. "Please don't."
They both stood from the picnic table. With a nod, Ron said he'd see her at breakfast. They split. The walk back to her barracks didn't take more than five minutes, and soon she stood inside, significantly warmer. Alice locked the chocolate bar inside her footlocker. Everyone else had left the barracks to her relief.
When she turned to leave, her gaze fell on a small box at the base of her cot. Her brow furrowed. She hadn't seen it earlier. Alice picked it up. Untying the string didn't take much effort. Soon she moved the cardboard flaps and looked inside. Well over a dozen letters lay inside. Her mouth dried and she felt a lump form in her throat. On the top of the pile of letters, sat a loose note.
"Happy birthday! Bon anniversaire! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Gefeliciteerd! 8pm tonight, the bar. Better be there."
It seemed like every single member of Easy Company had signed it. Her mouth dropped at their use of Dutch. Someone must've done significant research for that one, and the gesture touched her deeply. She took the loose paper out, folded it, and tucked it into her pocket. Leaving the box, she headed to breakfast.
She remembered her gloves when she left the barracks for the second time. Winter in Georgia didn't feel as cold as a Parisian winter, but the cold still dried her skin out. Alice hurried to the dining hall. She saw all three of her usual officer breakfast buddies taking up seats, but instead she stopped by the Easy Company tables first.
"So. Eight tonight, huh?" She crossed her arms over her chest. Toye and Guarnere sat closest to her. "Another drinking contest planned?"
"Wouldn't want to beat you twice," Toye said with a smirk.
"What happened to Philadelphia?"
Bill grinned. "Train leaves tomorrow. Can't get rid of us on your birthday that easy, sweetheart."
Alice rolled her eyes with a smile. She left them to their breakfasts and got her own food. The KP officers dumped oatmeal, two pancakes, and some scrambled eggs on a tray. She picked up coffee.
The place next to Ron was still open. She slipped in, sitting across from Dick. Nixon sat to his right. He looked at her in amusement.
"You look happy," he said between bites.
She hummed in agreement. After shoveling some of the eggs down, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "It's been a surprisingly good day."
"Day? It's only eight o'clock."
Ron scoffed. "Some people can get up with the sun, Nixon."
"I don't believe it. It's all rumors."
Dick snorted in amusement. Turning to Alice, he nodded to her. "Happy birthday. Nixon let it slip."
"Oh right, that's today." He smirked her way.
Alice let out a small laugh. They chatted through breakfast about nothing in particular. Dick told them that Sobel had elected to leave Fort Benning for Christmas. Alice decided that if Christmas did anything beneficial, that was it right there. While they downed their food and chatted, she kept her mind focused away from the absence of her family.
With the absence of Sobel, she began to wonder if she could somehow get away with getting out of Fort Benning. George had left the offer open for going to Rhode Island. Skip Muck would be taking the same train up to Tonawanda. If she could figure out a good story to tell people for how she knew George, it might work. She really wanted to meet Maria.
"How long is the train to New York City," Nixon asked a minute later.
"About fourteen hours," said Alice. "Why?"
"Well, none of us are able to get home, right?" He finished chewing a pancake bite. "Why don't we take a few days there."
Dick stopped eating, and Ron followed. They exchanged glances. Nixon laughed at them.
"Come on. It'd be fun. That new movie just came out up there... Casablanca?"
Alice shrugged. "I don't think I have the money." To her surprise, Dick and Ron both agreed.
"I'll help. I need to get out of this stupid place," he muttered. "Leave the finances to me."
"Darn you arrogant rich jerks from Yale," said Dick. He and Nixon exchanged a laugh. Then he nodded. "I'll go."
"Ron?"
He took a deep breath. Then he shrugged. "If it's coming out of your pocket. I'll let my sisters know, they'll shoot me if I get that close to Boston and don't."
"I've got family in New Jersey, we can stay with them." Then he turned to her. "Alice?"
"How exactly will we explain my existence to family?" she asked.
Ron shrugged. "WAC?"
"Yeah. That'll work." Nixon pointed at her. "You need to see more of America than a train car and Georgia."
She chewed her pancakes carefully. Of course she wanted to go. The idea of finally getting out of military camps meant everything. But equally as entertaining was watching Lewis Nixon wait for her answer. Finally she put down her fork. "Sure. Why not."
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