Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan - Year 2

XIII

That night we slept in the common room, all huddled together on the cushions. The weather was better inside than outside, but we kept our habit of sleeping in a puppy pile.

Lin laughs when I talk to her about it. Then it's my turn to laugh when she tells me that she did the same thing when she was in the Legion, to keep as much heat as possible. What makes me laugh just as much, and then leads us to some very pleasant things, is that in the morning she would wake up with "happy" comrades and one or two or more hands on her chest. She wouldn't say anything if they all went away quickly. She would break a nose or two if some lingered. They had learned quickly.

As for us, we do a pile, and if there are awkward moments, nobody mentions it, nobody insists and everything goes well.

So as not to disturb anyone, we put the next on duty on the outside, and we wake up his replacement. Kris always taking the last watch, he lies down in the middle, with Erk's shoulder under his head. We take what we find as pillows: a shoulder, an arm, a backpack...

The cutest of the lot are the brothers and the lovers, Tito and Bear. The lovers, because... and the brothers, because whatever the time of the night, there is always one who has an arm around the other.

That night, Erk had Kris on the left and Baby Jane on the right.

In the early morning, as Kris was up starting the fire to heat some water, Erk had turned to the beautiful Englishwoman and was the large spoon, wrapped around her. She smiled when she saw me looking at her. Everyone was awake except for the giant, and everyone disengaged from the pile without shaking the Viking and his grinning pillow. She winked, we saw the blanket move a bit, then Erk sat up suddenly, eyes wide in surprise, Baby Jane in his arms.

- Well man, I said, that's a fuck of wake-up call!

He blinked, still hugging the Englishwoman, looked at us absolutely not awake, and relaxed.

- You minx, he thought he whispered in Baby Jane's ear, but with our earpieces, we heard everything. I wondered what she had done, then I saw the Viking blush when she smiled again and thought that was none of my business.

- Okay, guys, breakfast and briefing, Kris said. Baby Jane, over to you.

We passed our cups of Nescafé, our granola bars and Baby Jane started.

- The kids left the village by the east. According to the malik's wife, there is a path on the way to the river that goes north. It is a path for pedestrians, or very good riders, and which goes far from houses and the like. It only goes to the fields or the hills.

- Thank you, Kris said. Erik, I have a question for you. You were furious last night. Even if I suspect the reason for your anger, I would like you to tell it to the others, so they understand why you might hit a teenager.

The Viking stared at his brother for a long time, without a word.

- Come on, bróðir, it will do you good too, to talk about it.

- You're right. She... Internal bleeding...

- Ugh... said Kitty. What a brute...

- Erk, tell me, is...

I didn't quite know how to put it, this question that was running around in my mind since we had the details of this sordid affair.

- Were either of them pregnant? I finally managed to say.

He nodded and I felt sorry for this girl I didn't know but who was going to end up raising her rapist's child.

- I ended it, said Erk.