Andy and Mockingbird had returned from their mission safe and sound, their eyes filled with sky. There was always something of interest to be observed in the night sky, under a full moon or a rising sun. There were scenes of great beauty to be contemplated in those vast banks of cloud cloaked in shades of silver light. The two pilots had even seen the Aurora Borealis, those strange green lights set against a tawny sun. Sometimes they saw flashes on the ground that told them a plane had been shot down. Sometimes the sky was lit up by bursts of gunfire, which usually meant that enemy planes were on the hunt and they would have to be doubly vigilant if they were to evade any surprise attacks. This time, though, the mission had gone off without a hitch. Andy and Mockingbird had been sent on a recon run over the coast of Normandy. The big day was coming; D-Day was almost upon them, and soon they would be busy bombarding Hitler’s forces on Omaha beach. Their plane, the B26 Marauder, was nicknamed the “widow-maker” because so any pilots had lost their lives during takeoff and landing of this plane, far from the glory of the battlefield.
“Big day’s almost here,” Andy said to Mockingbird. “Time to show those Nazis what for.”
“You betcha. With the Marauder we'll blast every last one of ‘em to kingdom come,” Mockingbird replied. “When I get home, I’m going to stay in bed with my wife for two whole weeks.”
“Lucky you, she’s cute as hell! Could be a pin-up.”
Indeed it was true that Mockingbird had painted his wife as a pin-up on the cabin of the B26 Marauder. He saw no shame in showing off his wife’s beauty to the squad, even saying she helped raise morale among his fellow Air Force pilots, who saw her as their guardian angel. A plane without a pin-up was like a boat without a prow, or a Christmas tree without a star.
Back in the barracks the pilots relaxed; they threw their caps into the corner, but took care to hang their bomber jackets on their beds. Mockingbird unwrapped a pack of gum, the only thing that could relax him after a long day of recon. Andy started doing sit-ups, as Mockingbird looked on, amused: “Think of Gladys, she’ll give you strength!” The aviators began counting the reps with Mockingbird, chanting together. Then it was time to unwind, and they brought out the cards. One of the pilots switched on the gramophone; its horn crackled and music rang out around the barracks:
Peace, It’s Wonderful!
When this Military Beaut,
Blows a root-a-toot-a-toot,
As a signal that the Victory is won,
And her Soldier boy relaxes,
After slapping down the Axis,
She will let him slumber heavily!
The night fell, and the pilots slept. Mockingbird was on the bunk above Andy, but he struggled to find sleep as Andy blew and popped bubble after bubble down below.
Alan Alfredo Geday