A loud blast from the dinner horn sounded across the camp. Dobbins tossed the letter onto his bunk, stood up, and pulled back the flap of the tent door. He cocked his eyebrow and grinned, “Well, boys, what do you say? Wanna go get us some of that crap they call ‘food’ from the Dog House? My stomach is literally eating itself.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s about that time,” I drawled as I grabbed my jacket from where it was hanging at the end of my bunk and followed the rest of the men out of the tent.
“Watch out for that… hole,” laughed Dobbins as several guys sunk up to their ankles in mud. As he tugged his own foot free, Dobbins’ hand went to his pocket where the stockings were kept. As we stomped and scraped our boots on the steps at the mess hall, I glanced back and saw Dobbins pause at the edge of the porch, breathing hard. “You ok?” I asked, turning back to give him a hand.
He waved me off, “Naw, I’m good.” He grinned, grabbed the door handle, and, pulling it open, bowed with a flourish of his arm, “After you, my friend.” I chuckled and threw my arm over his shoulder.
As we entered the hall, I could feel the tense and uptight muscles in my shoulders and back instantly relax. Men were sitting close together around the long tables in the room and the air was filled with the sounds of joking, laughter, and camaraderie.
“Time to get us some grub!” Dobbins patted his belly and strutted over to the end of the line at the back of the building, picking up two trays and handing one to the guy behind him. He called out to one of the men serving the food, “Hey, Cal! You seriously don’t think I’m gonna waste my time in this line of yours? That slop isn’t even worth the wait!”
Cal gave Dobbins a give-me-a-break look and laughed, “Dob, you ask that question every day you come in here. Do you really think the answer’s gonna change?”
“You never know,” Dobbins grinned. “You could have a change of heart one of these days for a good ol’ friend who hasn’t had a decent meal in who knows how long.”
“Ain’t happenin’. You gotta wait your turn just like everyone else does”
“Grump. See if I ever do you a favor again.”
“You never do anyway.” Cal smirked as he plopped meat and potatoes on Dobbins’ tray.
Dobbins winked, “You’re catchin’ on pretty quick.” As our group sat down at one of the empty tables and started eating, the loudspeakers crackled to life, making some of us jump:
“All troops are now being put on immediate stand-by. I repeat; all troops are on immediate stand by. Await further orders. Over.”
At that, Dobbins slowly pulled the stockings out of his pocket and wrapped them around his neck and shoulders. All eyes were drawn to him. “No sweat, guys. We’ll make it.
-Written for Creative Writing on October 30, 2011
by 