BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE GIRL OF COMPANY E.

Musically Blessed

"Goddamn Austrian," Sissy wrinkled up her face with a sour tone.

"Don't worry about it, our boys will take care of him." LaVern proudly confirmed.

Sissy looked up at the ceiling, "Yea, well what about the Japs?"

"Would you both stop your political debate?" their father rounded the sofa with a grin, nonchalantly placing a corduroy sack upon LaVern's lap. Hiding his smug smile, he turned down the radio announcing the casualties for the day.

She curiously looked over to him as he lowered down in the chair, "What's this?"

Father playfully rolled his eyes, "Just open it up."

Slightly pinching the tan fabric, feeling the cool and smooth texture of metal, LaVern searched for an opening. Sewed to the end was a silver zipper. Glancing up to Sissy, who had a knowing smile slapped on her smooth face, she let the teeth open. Then out came the instrument that would forever change her life.

"A trumpet?"

He lightly shook his head with a wink, "Do you see any valves? I thought I raised you better than that!"

"A bugle?"

Both of their faces were cracked in half with shining beams. The classically featured woman lovingly observed the small dents pressed into the silver of the horn. It smelled of oil and her father, clearly spit-shined by him. The small mouthpiece was tarnished and worn.

"We can't afford this," she guilty ran her dainty fingers along the cool metal that wound down into a loud bell.

He let out a scoff, "It was mine… when I was a soldier." His eyes burned, "I played 'Taps' one too many times on that ole thing."

Sissy lightly punched LaVern in the thigh, poking her to say something- anything.

"I don't know how to play."

Father put his fingertips together, "Try?"

LaVern pulled her lips together, and put the cold ring against them. Gathering all of her courage, she tensed her diaphragm and let the unborn notes squeeze through her red lipstick. Buzzing in the middle of the five lined staff rung a sharp note through their bright living room. LaVern and her older sister had never seen her father smile so vibrantly.

"Yes!" He clapped his hands together, "Again, again! I knew you were blessed."

Pursing her lips for another sweet and saucy note, LaVern wrapped her pinky against the rest and squeezed her dark eyes together.

"A scale, play a scale," his deep voice begged under the forte sound.

The God's of music trained her lips in a matter of minutes how to blow a solemn low note as well as the welting high ones.

He sat next to her, resting a hand on her knee as the bugle sat in her lap. "This thing hasn't been played in years," he felt the warmth growing through the pipes from her breath.

"Thank you for it, I'm sure it holds a lotta memories for you."

Sissy pointed an authoritative finger, "A lot of. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend, with the way you speak."

LaVern narrowed her eyes at her goody goody sister. Sissy had never even tasted alcohol, let alone down it like LaVern did. She stayed home and studied, while LaVern when to wild swing clubs with her friends.

"Now now, you two." He turned back to his youngest daughter, "Verny, would you ever play in a band?"

She humbly winded her thumbs together, "I'm not good enough."

"You've just started, my dear."

"Still… I guess it would be fun. It's always been a dream, you know." Her face burned red, embarrassed by the wildness of her dreams.

Smiling brightly, David bent back his head and gazed up at the ceiling, "I heard something on the radio today-"

"I'll let you two crazy dreamers do what you do best," Sissy hastily stood up, bouncing up the steps. It was just an excuse to call her dearly beloved football team Captain boyfriend.

"Anyway," he smirked with a twisted grin. "The Army, they need buglers. The reporter on LIFE is suggesting all musicians to abandon their bands in the States."

Chocolate eyes growing, LaVern looked at her father like he was insane, "You ain't serious, are you?"

"AREN'T!" Sissy bellowed down the staircase.

The pair rolled their eyes in unison.

"Think about it this way! You'll be playing not only with, but for the best band the world has to offer. Just think, you, a bugler in the United States Army. You'll be like me, honey."

"Yea, real picturesque," she said weakly. "I know you've always wanted a son, Daddy. But my plans are a lot different than yours," LaVern quickly thought of the family she wished to have one day.

David took her small, thin hands, "Our boys need a girl as bright as you are, Verny."

"Yea, as a pin-up," she whispered irritably under her breath.

"That isn't what I'm suggesting, dear. If you really don't want to… I just thought instantly of you when I heard the story. I dug up this old thing, shoving my unfulfilled dreams onto your poor soul."

LaVern gnawed on her lip, "It'd be fun, I think."

"You've always liked to have fun."

She chuckled light heartedly as she wound her fingers in the thick, dark curls that kinked around her jaw line, "This is true. I think I'll consider it."

"Whatever the decision is that you make, I'll stand right behind you, Verny girl."

Smiling, she gently pecked her father's scruffy cheek, "Thank you, for sharing this with me." Her father was, and always had been her best friend. LaVern didn't think she could bear to leave the man.

B.o.B.

Two months later:

"You're really going?" Sissy weakly asked as she continues embroidering a mysterious ribbon. LaVern swung her legs off the edge of her older sister's bed, counting the lights emerging from the nighttime Chicago city windows.

She sat up from the down comforter, "My heart tells me it would be best." LaVern tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "I just wanna make dad happy, Sis."

"Want to," she warned.

She bit her tongue, begging herself not to curse her sister. She needed her advice so terribly.

"Are you ever going to get married, LaVern Claiborne? Honestly, I don't want to see such a pretty face go to waste when you become an old spinster." She spoke sadly with the mention of seeing.

Irritated, she fell back into the plush bed, "I just want somebody I can have fun with. Laugh and joke with… have a good time with."

Sissy snorted, "Good luck finding a man like that when the economy is like it is. Everybody is so serious nowadays."

"Including yourself."

Sissy slammed the needle and thread into her lap, "I may be losing my sight, but I can still hear, LaVern!"

She was painfully and slowly going blind.

"That's just the thing… my heart is telling me there is that kind of man in the service. One with a wild spirit like mine. I know I sound like a lunatic, but I can just feel it."

Sissy returned to her work, "You've always been a dreamer."

"What do you think? I mean, you have a beau and all… what's it like?"

"Terrible, really. Patrick will leave me when I'm completely blind. He's too selfish to take care of me- lead me around and all the things we take for granted."

"Then why do you stay with him!?" LaVern spat out.

She weakly shrugged her shoulders, "I love him, that's why."

"I'm staying then. I'm going to stay and take care of you, Sis."

Sisssy stood, holding on firmly to the mahogany desk below her. The blindness was now so progressed; she could barely see her own footing. "Vern, that's sweet, but I couldn't bear to stop your dreams. Do you have that bugle of yours?"

The silver horn was laying faithfully at her side, "Right here, why?"

"Here," Sissy held out a fluttering ribbon of blue velvet with gold thread scripted into it. Able to tie a knot with just touch, Sissy slowly secured the velvet onto the ring of LaVern's bugle. The magnificent embroidery read 'Claiborne'.

The two sisters tightly embraced, "You're going, and you best not forget your family while you're there."

LaVern choked into her sister's long, Veronica Lake hair. Both giving another firm squeeze, they held each other at arm's length.

"Love ya, Sis."

"Love you," she playfully said with a sideways smirk. "And I love you,too."

The youngest rest a sassy hand on her broad hip, "I'm going to miss that, actually."

Sissy lighting punched her shorter sister in the shoulder, "Don't let those rowdy men destroy everything I've taught you."

B.o.B.

Her heels clicked against the white tile of the kitchen floor. David set down the phone, and turned around with an excited smile plastered across his sandy face. "Pack your bags. We're heading off to Brooklyn."

LaVern held a hand over her gawking mouth, "What?"

"Colonel Sink just returned my call; you know that one with the Airborne? Says they want you!"

LaVern began laughing out loud, the happiness erupting out of her soul. "What else did he say?"

"We have to get to Brooklyn within three days. You missed the training, but he says you'll learn the require battlefield skills once they reach England. You're going to be a bugler, honey."

Holding on tightly to his strong neck, LaVern laughed into his neck with her overcoming joy.

This chapter was rather short, but I wrote it with the intention of early character development. I'm sure you guys are sick of my Band of Brothers stories, but I am extremely excited to write this. Please let me know what you think of it so far. This should be a pretty unique, not Mary Sue OC story, so I hope you enjoy the journey! :)