Can't fall even harder (Band of brothers/Richard Winters)

III. The Fight

Camp Toccoa, Georgia, First week of March 1944

Isabelle was pinching him to the wall, she had her nose so near him that he could feel the air coming out of it, she started moving her fist to his face, she stopped millimetres away when she heard a voice...

It all started as a  normal Wednesday for easy company, the usual tiredness, the usual training and the usual faces. Isabelle was especially angry that day, how could you blame her, she received a letter from her mother telling her that she couldn't believe how good is brother was and how many good things he was going to do during the war and bla bla bla... she wrote her just to compliment her brother, not even to ask her how she was doing.
But that wasn't all.
That morning Isabelle received a letter from her father too, and the things that were written on that piece of paper weren't the best, I quote:

"I'm not mad, I'm furious, how could do enlist without asking MY permission?
How could you do something like that?
I don't know what I'm going to do, from now on don't expect us to welcome you.
We will discuss after you return home.
I attend an answer, tell me when you're going to leave that camp and come here again."

After reading his words she felt betrayed, alone, angry. She felt the need to cry, to scream and to kick something, but she just stayed there, on her bed, looking intentively at the letter, not able to process completely what she read. She didn't want to go home, she couldn't, after a year, one full year of training her father decides that she can't train anymore.

Why?

That's the question that she's been asking herself for the past three hours of training. She was silent, too silent, she didn't have her usual smile, her bright eyes. Everybody noticed her mood, but nobody had the courage to ask her the reason. Richard didn't know what to do, he wanted her to smile, to be happy, but he didn't know how on earth to console her and help her feel happy again, he was scared to say something wrong and sadden her more.
But he wasn't going to let her stay like that, was he? no no, he was sure, he was going to talk to her at lunch.

But he couldn't predict what was about to happen.

Isabelle sat on one of the tables, she had her head resting on one of the walls of the barrack, she was scanning her food with her fork, looking like a ghost. while everybody was talking she stayed there, trying to wrap her mind around the event of that day. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the presence behind her. He coughed, trying to call her attention with no results, he nudged her shoulders waking her from her dream.
"Cooper move your ass and let me sit, you can go play outside with dolls if you prefer." Isabelle turned her head knowing full well that it was Bill Guarnere who was mocking her, she didn't have the strength to fight with him so she tried her best to end it all soon.
"There are plenty of places where you can sit, why don't you try one of them." she sighed impatiently for the man to leave her alone. But that wasn't the occasion.
"See where you have your ass is my place so you better move before I teach you the differences between male and female on your face." She tried to stay calm, she knew she had to, so she breathed in and out and said: "Look It's not a good day, why don't you do me a favour and go find another place", Luz, Lieb, Don and Skip, who were at Isabelle' table, were watching the interaction between them, they saw Isabelle behaviour that day and they were preoccupied for her reaction, they were ready to intervene if needed.
"No, you look, I know that you're not so well trained..." he didn't have the time to finish because as he said that she felt a surge of rage rising through her veins. In a second she sat up, she took him from his collar, and she pinched him to the wall:

"No, you listen Ghonorrea, or whatever the fuck is you name" she shouted to him, he couldn't move as he was so shocked by her reaction: "I don't care if your testosterone feel intimidated by the fact that a human being without a dick between its leg can do the same thing as you, I don't give a fuck okay? So listen up straight, I'm going to sit wherever the fuck I want, so now will you leave me the fuck alone before I teach you what a Woman is capable of doing." He stared at her, not knowing what to do or how to answer. Everybody looked at the two with mouth open, nobody moved too scared at the idea of what could've happened. At that moment he said something that he would've regretted...

"Go let me see", she again felt full of rage, she started moving her fist to his face, she stopped millimetres away when she heard a voice...
"What is happening here?" Ltn. Sobel asked, at that precise moment, Isabelle left Guarnere's collar, he stood fully up as they looked at him hoping for the better.
"Cooper, Guarnere,  with me, now." they were both scared, what was going to happen? Isabelle was particularly furious with the man next to her, and he felt the same way. They walked a bit until they arrived near Sink's office, they had to explain what happened, Sink wasn't happy, but he was merciful, he revoked three weeks of passes and gave them a full week of nightly toilet cleaning duty together.

After they finished, they went their separate ways feeling that it would've been the best thing for both of them to not confront again right at that moment. She was near to cry, she felt the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

No one has ever seen he crying, she would cry during the night after particular days. But she had never cried during the day.
Isabelle was practically running in the direction of the bathrooms when she collided with a tall and firm figure, she didn't want to talk especially to him, she didn't want to cry especially in front of him, but when he started to speak staring at her with a preoccupied look, she felt her sadness flow down her eyes as tears went down.