Sarah 7

Ruth, my friend from exam and upgrading days, fires up a cigarette. We stand watching the sun go down over the Negev Desert. Once it's fully dark, the pod will lift off, patrol.
She turns to look back at the pod, lowers her voice, "I'd watch out as far as Sarge is concerned."
I'm curious, Sarge is friendly and kind, quite unlike any Sgt I've ever seen portrayed in a historical novel.
"You see friend, I been here in the pod crew a lot longer than you. After all, the driver course is much shorter. I see her game, what's she's doing with you."
"What?"
"Come on, haven't you wondered why she follows you around all the time?"
"Assumed it was because I was the newest rookie. She'd be afraid I make mistakes."
"She wasn't that overdone with me. Nor with the two new crew who started after me. Guess again."
"She dislikes Haredi?"
Ruth laughs, "you really break me up. I have a newsflash for you sunshine. Everyone in the whole IDF hates Haredim. All that draft dodging. Almost none of them work and pay taxes, but gobble up all those benefits. And yes, Sarge hates them, loathes them with a passion."
"I never felt she was dumping on me."
"Kid, you are just so different in your upbringing, you can't read seculars. See before you arrived, Haredim were a daily topic of conversation. All those stupid riots, often for no apparent cause. Yet soon as you arrive, the topic is taboo. No one wants to offend you, they all know you can't go back anyhow."
"Oh."
"So guess again, why is Sarge hanging over you rather too much?"
I gasp, "you mean, she's one of those??"
Wicked smile, I can tell she knows what I mean, "those? Whatever do you mean?"
"You know the word, sounds like Lebanese, but ain't."
Ruth laughs, "the word is lesbian. Sarge ain't. Seen that hot boyfriend she has. Seen her drunk, angry, every emotion under the sun, never seen her look funny at a woman."
"Oh."
"Guess again."
"Sorry, run outa ideas."
"Kid, look around this crew. I don't really count, just the driver, like a poor cousin. Resta these people, is there one, even one, with a good attitude?"
"Ah well not really."
"Precisely, now Sarge knows no one is gonna extend at end of draft hitch. Yet they get points for stuff like that. Obvious, she's trying to convince you."
"She is?"
"Sure, she knows enough to know you have nowhere to go after your hitch is up, she's taking advantage. Trying to convince you this crap is ok."
A few minutes before lift off, I head to my station, the laser gun turret. Two minutes to run the test checks on the circuitry. Truth is, I kinda like this. Nothing ever happens, ride around in the turret and daydream.
Sarge drops by, "tested everything?"
"Aye Sarge."
"An hour before rendezvous tonight, I'll send for you, put someone else in the turret. I want you to see how control room works."