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IT WAS PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE NOW, AND THE ONLY LIGHT THEY HAD CAME FROM THE MOON.
Charlie sat next to Joe Toye out on the OP watching the line. She was having a hard time listening to the groans and whimpers coming from her friend. "Charlie, I'm fine," Toye said, groaning again.
"Joe, you're not. I told you, you gotta keep your feet dry, or it'll turn into trench foot," She pointed below at their feet, not peeling her eyes away from the line. A sweet aroma of warm food filled the pair's noses, and Charlie's mouth began to water. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to miss the food back at Camp Toccoa. "Jesus Christ, are you fucking serious?" Toye's stomach growled. "Are you shocked? The krauts are relentless," Charlie shakes her head, irritated at their luxury.
A twig breaks behind the pair, and Toye is the one to quickly point his gun and peel his eyes from the line. It was just Gene.
"You guys okay?" He was flat on his belly, peaking in their foxhole, looking between them. "They got hot food. Smell it?" Charlie replied, annoyed. "You missing something, Toye?" Doc looked at Joe as he looked out on the line shivering. "Home," "Ask him to dance, Doc." Charlie slyly added, eyeing him. Joe looked at the girl and rolled his eyes in response.
"Toye, show me your feet," Roe demanded. "You watch the goddamn line, Bloom," Joe said, turning to Doc to show his poorly self-made shoes.
"Jesus, where are your boots?" Doc asked, irritated. "In Washington, up General Taylor's ass," Joe replied sassily. "What happened?" "Took them off to dry my socks, and they got blown to hell," Toye shakes his head. "I don't believe this," Gene sighs in frustration. "What's your size?" "Nine, just like everybody else," he says. "You're forgetting Charlie's here," Gene says. "No, nine is correct. I have rather large feet, in case you haven't noticed," she says, moving her feet around.
"Isn't women's shoe sizing different than men's, though? That must mean you're a size elev-" "Eleven in women's, yes. Like I said, big feet." Charlie's arms were crossed now; she was freezing.
Gene looked at the pair again before crawling backward and returning to wherever he came from. "I've got McClung coming to take over any moment. Are you going to be okay?" Charlie looked over at Joe finally, and he nodded, looking forward. "Yeah. Get yourself warm, would you?" Toye nudged the girl, and she gave him a small smile that he couldn't see except in the corner of his eye. "I'm touched. Keep those feet dry, got it?" Charlie looked at his feet again and shook her head disapprovingly at the wraps he had over them.
As if on cue, McClung came from the side and settled next to Joe. Charlie said her goodbyes and made her way back toward Easy.
