sexta-feira, 8 de fevereiro de 2008

In the Army I



Since her childhood she always thrived for equality of rights inside her family. She had a younger sister and four older brothers and always left all the games and girls’ play for her little sister. What she really liked was to go along and play with her older brothers. Not that they liked to have her always around since they thought she was too young to ride along, besides being a girl. But things were different with Christopher, the one born right before her. Everybody used to say there were just like flesh and bone.

They even adopted similar names, since his name was Christopher and her name was Christine, they used to say he was Chris with a “C” and she was Kris with a “K” but both answered by the name Chris. Their friends and family found it amusing and quickly got used to it. It turned into an inside joke, as you can call it. Because of their nicknames and the fact they looked very much alike, everyone who knew them for the first time took’ em for twins.

Of course Kris learned to be feminine in her youth and let her hair grow along the way but they still looked alike and always kept their complicity. Somewhere in time, Chris also found his identity as a loving young man defending his planet and Mother Nature. Thus, they were also together in many ecological ventures and beliefs. But of course they also had some different goals. They were different persons.

When their brothers went to the army, Kris used to play as one of them. Now with her brother Chris, it was a different story. He used to say that he wouldn’t go to the army and that he would run away if necessary. He wouldn’t play along with war games or any of that kind.

On the other hand, Kris wanted it, in spite of it being a manly thing where girls weren’t aloud! Well at least not the way she would like. She liked the idea of the discipline she could have over her body, she loved to run and workout so that should be great, she thought! But women in the army were just nurses or played very feminine roles and that wasn’t her idea of it. She wanted to do the same stuff as men, have the same workout and the same outfit!

Between them they used to joke about trading places when the time would come. She would dress and present herself as Christopher Tollman after his admittance!

And there came the day that Christopher had to enlist himself. Although they thought it was kind of crazy and that it wouldn’t last long, there she went playing the role of her brother. She was a very independent girl and prepared things so that everybody thought she would be out to study in a college for some time so nobody would be suspicious. That could jeopardize the whole insane act!

So she dressed herself as a young man with a piece of cloth keeping her breasts tight in place so they wouldn’t show and with a short cut hair. Believe it or not but she got what she wanted and was inside. Nobody suspected on her first day, or the following days. Of course the physical training was tough, the instructors were tough but she was thrilled to be doing the same things as the rest of the guys, even if in disguise. Somehow she managed to fool the others around in bath time and stuff like that using all the tricks a woman have in her sleeve.

There was this first sergeant that was as tough as it could get. She liked the figure he represented although he could be very harsh on the boys, yelling and everything. She got the entire package she had seen in the movies… and was loving it.

Good thing she liked to workout and was in good physical shape since all of them were “boys”. She wanted to do the same stuff they did but knew pretty well that she had different strength, different resistance, and different constitution from them. That’s why she wanted to get better and better. She used to beat her brothers lots of times in many games, why wouldn’t she make it there? And so she did. She trained all day with the others and at night she would go outside to continue her workout. And the results were showing.

One night, she was training alone in a far end of the workout field when the first sergeant appeared. She was doing push ups on the floor and didn’t see him. Suddenly, she felt a boot on her back pushing her down as he said:

- Working out late, private?
- Yes, sir.
- Can’t hear you.
- Yes, sir!

He took the boot off her.
- Get up! – He said. - What’s your name, private?
- Private Tollman, sir!
- What do you think you’re doing out here, Tollman?
- Working out, sir!
- Trying to be better than the others?
- No, sir! Just better, sir!
- Just better. Hmm. Better than what?
- Better than before, sir!
- Are you a smartass Tollman?
- No, sir!
- Hope not, private! And you do have to do better than that! Thirty more push-ups in one arm! Now!
- Yes, sir!
- ... and then go to sleep!

And he got away, looking at his private who was trying to get better. Now that was interesting, he thought as he smiled.

The next day, while forming, first sergeant Hugh Kane was checking the privates’ cleanness and presentation when just passed in front of Tollman. He stopped when thought he recognised that soldier and got back in front of him. He looked carefully for something to pick on “him”.

- What’s your name private?
- Tollman, sir!
- I see! Have you cleaned your boots today, private?
- Yes, sir!
- They‘re not clean enough. You’ll have to do it better!
- Yes, sir!
- Thirty! On the floor, now!
- Yes, sir!

She started the push-ups and he smiled thinking: “So he wants more workouts, I can help him with that.” Then he continued doing what he did best: nagging those new soldiers.


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