A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

TWENTY THREE

Alice sat outside a café, hands gripping a cup of coffee. Steam rose from the cup, mixing with her breath in the cold. To her left, Ron also had black coffee. They watched men and women move up and down the street, cars driving by loudly. The sides of the street had white snow piles up, stained black by dirt.

They'd gotten to the city for breakfast. Sitting outside the café had been Alice's idea. She missed doing so in Paris as an adolescent. She could feel her cheeks redden from the cold, but with her coffee she didn't mind. 

After a while of not speaking, Alice turned to Ron. "This is much better than Fort Benning," she said. "But don't tell Nix I said that. He'll gloat."

Ron snorted, nodding. "True."

Another few minutes passed. They still hadn't seen head nor tail of Nixon or Dick. Finishing up her coffee and pastry, Alice returned it inside the café. When she got back outside, the other three stood waiting.

"So. What do you want to do?" Nixon rubbed his hands together to keep warm. He looked between Dick and Ron, but focused on Alice.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, Central Park isn't far by way of the new Subway system." He glanced between the others. "Then we could check out the Met."

Alice looked at him in confusion. "The Met?"

"Metropolitan Museum of Art." 

Dick couldn't suppress a smile. He shook his head. "Is this what rich jerks from Yale do in their spare time."

"You're just jealous, Dick." Then he turned. "Ron?"

The man just shrugged. Hit lit a cigarette. "I'm following you. Don't make me regret it."

They started down the street. Alice stood next to Nixon, trying not to waste any moment exploring "The Wonder City," as she saw signs describe it. New York felt more packed in than Paris, but it had its own charm. Despite the occasional bad smell, or dirty snow at the side of the roads, it had marvelous sights. The buildings in New York towered above them.

Central Park covered in snow was beautiful. Some of the iron fences were rusty and in need of repair, but she guessed that everything had suffered from the Depression. More than a handful of dogs were being walked around the park. She didn't even try to hide her enthusiasm when she saw them.

The whole while she, Dick, and Ron listened to Nixon explain what they saw. This street here, that statue there, he knew quite a bit about the city. She liked hearing him speak about it. He wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Guarnere and Philadelphia, but he clearly took pride in New York.

As they finally reached the entrance of the Met, Alice finished up one of her cigarettes. She tossed it away. By this point it was nearly lunch. They decided on pizza near the museum. She hadn't tasted real pizza in well over six months, not since England. She devoured it.

"Right, so we tour the Met and then maybe go see that new movie. What's it called?" Nixon looked around at them. "You know, the war one?"

"Casablanca?" Dick said.

"Yeah, that one." 

They all agreed. Alice grinned widely as soon as she stepped inside the museum. It didn't take long to find the European painters. A whole collection spanned a massive wing. While Dick and Nixon mocked each other over social status, Alice spent time with the art. She sought out the French painters. 

They came upon a new collection about an hour and a half into their visit. Ron and Alice walked together. She had a feeling he was playing babysitter while Nixon was too busy joking around with Dick. But she didn't mind. His steady presence was comforting.