Evelyn's Tale

-Four-

Over the next week, Easy Company's routine remained largely consistent. PT began early in the morning and lasted sometimes until late in the afternoon. They were pushed to their limits both mentally and physically. Evelyn, Eugene and Spina were often given a grateful reprieve when they were called upon to do more intensive medical training and were regularly excused from physical training for hours at a time.

It was on a cool Friday afternoon that Sobel had decided the entire company deserved a welcome break from physical activity and had planned an afternoon of lectures. He had even asked Lieutenant Winters, who had been designated mess officer for the coming fortnight, to provide a special meal for the company.

"Bill! Over here!"

Bill smiled at his sister, who was waving him over madly from where she sat squished in between Perconte and Malarkey, who shuffled down the bench as he dumped his tray on the table.

"Enjoying that, you greedy fucking gannet?" he smirked at Evelyn who grinned and nodded. Her mouth was full to bursting and she had orange sauce all around her mouth. With a glance around though, he noted that she wasn't the only one. Everyone was shovelling the food into their mouths like they'd never eaten before.

"This stuff is orange," one of the men commented with a frown. "Spaghetti ain't supposed to be orange."

"This ain't spaghetti," Perconte answered knowingly. "It's Army noodles with ketchup."

"You ain't gotta eat it," Bill commented, twirling the spaghetti around his fork.

"Gonorrhoea, as a fellow Italian, you should know that calling this stuff spaghetti is a mortal sin," Frank replied. Bill just shrugged so Frank turned his attention to Evelyn. "Ev? You're with me, right?"

Evelyn stopped chewing, briefly, and smiled sheepishly. Well, as best she could with her mouth so full that her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster. She didn't really care what it was, only that it tasted delicious. Alright, maybe delicious was maybe an understatement but it was certainly better than the gruel they usually got served.

"You don't want it? I'll eat it," Donald Hoobler turned around from behind them and reached out for Perconte's plate.

"I'm eating!" Frank exclaimed indignantly.

"Get outta here," Bill grumbled as Evelyn smacked his hand away.

"Orders changed!" Sobel burst in through the door unexpectedly. "Get up! Lectures are cancelled! Easy Company is running up Currahee! Move!"

Evelyn glanced at Bill beside her, who looked like he wasn't sure whether to spit out or quickly chew the whole piece of bread he had just shoved in his mouth. Suddenly she was rather regretting just how much food she had rammed down her throat in a short space of time. She wished she had listened to her mom now on one of the many occasions in which she had convinced her that gluttony was a terrible sin that was going to catch up with her one day. Personally, Evelyn didn't think it was that she was gluttonous by nature, it was more that she had grown up with seven older brothers and sisters, and mealtimes in their household had tended to be a free for all. If you didn't eat quickly, you didn't get fed. Simple.

"Hi-yo silver!" Sobel smirked at Lieutenant Winters, who was overseeing the mess duties. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Bastard," Bill muttered, shaking his head as they began to file out.

Of all the runs they had done up Currahee, this was most definitely the worst. Evelyn felt like the contents of her stomach were about to come exploding out of her mouth as her boots pounded along the winding incline. So far she had witnessed it happen to at least four of the men, but remarkably she was managing to keep it in.