The story thus far:
Aries has crossed the beaches of Normandy with the 29th Regiment into France. After an ambush, he finds himself in the company of one of the captains from the 29th, and the two fall for each other. Now while Captain Callahan recovers, Aries is returned to the front, following in Patton’s wake as they liberate France…
3.
Aries participated in the tail end of capturing Brest, and the entire division turned East again. Because he had already had some R&R, he was assigned to the military police for B Company for the duration while everyone else got to visit the countryside of France. To be honest, he had had enough of the countryside of France and didn’t want any more to do with it.
By chance, they passed through the town of Doloup, the town that Aries had said he was from. Many of the French there were happy to see the Americans – he was kissed by too many women to count.
As he walked along the street, he saw four men beating up a woman. He stopped and went over to the group, but another soldier grabbed his shoulder. “Collaborator,” he said. “Leave them alone.”
“They’re going to kill her.”
“Not our concern, Aries,” said the corporal. Aries shrugged his shoulder from the man’s grasp and went over to the group anyway.
“Pardon,” he said, his French intentionally terrible, “You beat the woman for what?”
A couple of men stopped, but one man got a vicious kick in before turning to look at him. He spat at him in speedy French, “She collaborated with the Nazis from the moment they came here. She fed them and gave them her body and fornicated with them. Her son is one of theirs and is gone over to Germany to fight.”
The woman started crying. Aries made like he didn’t hear a bit of what the man said, as he bent to the woman. “It’ll be all right, there, there, come with me.” Her face was covered in blood, her blouse torn and her bra ripped so that her breast was exposed. He took off his coat, draping it over the woman and pulled her away. The men hissed at him, but didn’t dare follow him.
He made soothing sounds to her, and then noticed that people were being beat up everywhere. He realized he couldn’t stop them all.
“Thank you, thank you – “
“I bring you to the police.”
She nodded, and then reached up and kissed him full on the mouth. He jerked back, saying, “Non, non, mademoiselle.”
He brought her to the crowd that had gathered at the police station. Someone yelled at her and threw something at her. Aries pushed through the crowd and into the station.
It was crowded in there too, with Army MP’s and other French in plain clothes, all of them yelling about certain things they wanted returned or looking for information about their sons or daughters. Army MP’s were yelling at French police in broken French, and the French were pretending not to understand or they answered like they were speaking to someone simple.
He told her, “Go. I need to leave.”
The woman looked at him in horror as he left. It was chaos in there, and he needed to get back to his regiment. He fought his way out, taking a breath in the middle of the street.
“Sergeant!”
He turned to the voice and saw a colonel was talking to him. “Do you know French?”
“A little,” he lied.
“Get over here.” He went up to the colonel – from the 29th, so at least he was back with his regiment, if not with his company. A man was holding onto the colonel’s leg. He looked up at the other men around the colonel, who were trying not to laugh.
“Don’t leave me to those butchers!” he begged, “They’ll kill me!”
Aries said, “Someone is going to kill him.”
“Can you tell him to let go of my fucking leg?”
“Monsieur,” said Aries, leaning over, trying to talk to the man who was still babbling. “Let go.”
“Will you stop them?”
“Yes.”
He got up and kissed Aries on both cheeks, then went to kiss the colonel who backed away. Someone did guffaw but was silenced by a look from the colonel. “Jesus fucking Christ, I don’t want a fucking kiss.”
“It’s all they’ve been doing here,” said Aries just as disgustedly.
“Tell him to go to the MP’s.”
“Go to the police,” said Aries to the man.
“They’re just as bad.”
Aries looked thoughtful. “Our police.” He pointed to his bicep, showing him the US logo.
“What do they look like?”
Aries tilted his head, making like he didn’t understand. “Our police,” Aries repeated.
“Will you bring me?”
Aries hung his head down. He didn’t want to go back to the police station. “Police station. There.” He pointed.
Meanwhile, the colonel found his way away from them, finally released from the leech on his leg. Aries pushed the man toward the police station, then he went to find his company.
It took him about three hours before he found someone he knew. “Billy. Jesus, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Aries! What happened to you?”
“Got lost after I jumped off the truck. Where is everybody?”
“Drinking.” Billy was an old fashioned teatotaller. Aries never asked, but whenever liquor was introduced, he’d walk out of the room. He thumbed behind him. “Three doors down.”
Aries went down the street and could hear people yelling in celebration. Aries sighed, and knocked on the door of the house. Someone leaned out the window. “Hey, Sarge.”
“Penn, open the door – “ but someone else did. “Hey, Sarge!” yelled one of the young men and he threw his arms around Aries.
Aries peeled the boy off of him and left him to sink onto the front stoop. The house was a mess. “Get your ass out of here.”
“Some guy gave us the key,” yelled someone from upstairs.
“GET DOWN HERE!”