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Asleep, I heard a shout and a noise that sounded like a cheer, and I woke immediately. There was a lot of movement in the ward, and loud voices. I wondered what was happening, there was so much noise and shouting going on and a radio was blaring. I began to sit up, then remembered that I was not yet permitted to sit and put my head back on the pillow. It was light outside, but I could not see the sun. I wondered what the noise was all about, and then I saw Mrs Carpenter walking sternly up the aisle. She was telling people to stop all the shouting and to remember that this was a hospital and not Madison Square Garden. I looked over at Billy. He was sitting straight up in his bed, and I could tell he was trying to make out what was going on. His face looked puzzled and a little frightened. I turned to look at Mr Savo, and I saw he was not in his bed.

The noise quieted a little, but the radio was still blaring. I couldn't make it out too clearly because every now and then someone would interrupt with a shout or a cheer. The announcer was talking about places called Caen and Carentan. He said something about a British airborne division seizing bridgeheads and two American airborne divisions stopping enemy troops from moving into the Cotentin Peninsula. I didn't recognize any of the names, and I wondered why everyone was so excited. There was war news all the time, but no one got this excited unless something very special was happening. I thought I could see Mr Savo sitting on one of the beds. Mrs Carpenter went over to him, and from the way she walked I thought she was angry. I saw Mr Savo get to his feet and come back up the aisle. The announcer was saying something about the Isle of Wight and the Normandy coast and Royal Air Force bombers attacking enemy coast-defence guns and United States Air Force bombers attacking shore defences. I suddenly realized what was happening and felt my heart begin to beat quickly.

I saw Mr Savo come up to my bed. He was angry, and his long, thin face with the black eyepatch made him look like a pirate. '

'Go back to your bed, Mr Savo, '" he mimicked. '

'Go back to your bed this instant. " You'd think I was dying. This is no time to be in bed. '

'Is it the invasion of Europe, Mr Savo? ' I asked him eagerly. I was feeling excited and a little tense, and I wished the people who were cheering would be quiet.

He looked down at me. 'It's D-day, Bobby boy. Were clopping them good. And Tony Savo has to go back, to his bed. ' Then he spotted the portable radio my father had brought me the night before. 'Hey, Bobby boy, is that your radio? '

'That's right, ' I said excitedly. 'I forgot all about it. '

'Lucky, lucky us. ' He was smiling broadly and no longer looked like a pirate. 'We'll put it on the table between our beds and give it a listen, eh? '

'I think Billy will want to hear it too, Mr Savo. ' I looked over at Billy.

Billy turned and stared in the direction of my voice. 'Do you have a radio here, Bobby? ' He seemed very excited.

'It's right here, Billy. Right between our beds. '

'My uncle is a pilot. He flies big planes that drop bombs. Can you turn it on? '

'Sure, kid. ' Mr Savo turned on the radio, found the station with the same announcer who was coming over the other radio, then got into his bed and lay back on his pillow. The three of us lay in our beds and listened to the news of the invasion.

Mrs Carpenter came up the aisle. She was still a little angry over all the noise in the ward, but I could see she was also excited. She asked me how I was feeling.

'I'm feeling fine, ma'am. '

'That's very good. Is that your radio? '

'Yes, ma'am. My father brought it to me. '

'How nice. You may sit up a little if you wish. '

'Thank you. ' I was happy to hear that. 'May I pray with my tefillin? '

'Your phylacteries? '

'Yes, ma'am. '

'I don't see why not. You'll be careful of the bump on your head, now. '.

'Yes, ma'am. Thank you. '

She looked sternly at Mr Savo. 'I see you're behaving yourself, Mr Savo. '

Mr Savo looked at her out of his left eye and grunted. 'You'd think I was dying. '

'You are to remain in bed, Mr Savo. '

Mr Savo grunted again.

She went back up the aisle.

'Tough as a ring post, ' Mr Savo said, grinning. 'Turn it up a bit, Bobby boy. Can't hear it too good. '

I leaned over and turned up the volume of the radio. It felt good to be able to move again.

I got the tefillin and prayer book out of the drawer of the night table and began to put on the tefillin. The head strap rubbed against the bump, and I winced. It was still sore. I finished adjusting the hand strap and opened the prayer book. I saw Mr Savo looklng at me. Then I remembered that I wasn't allowed to read, so I closed the prayer book. I prayed whatever I remembered by heart, trying not to listen to the announcer. I prayed for the safety of all the soldiers fighting on the beaches. When I finished praying, I took off the tefillin and put them and the prayer book back in the drawer.

'You're a real religious kid, there, Bobby boy, ' Mr Savo said to me.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I looked at him and nodded and didn't say anything.

'You going·to be a priest or something? '

'I might, ' I said. 'My father wants me to be a mathematician, though. '

'Yon good at math? '

'Yes. I get all A's in math. '

'But you want to be a priest, eh? A – rabbi; you call it. '

'Sometimes I think I want to be a rabbi. I'm not sure. '

'It's a good thing to be, Bobby boy. Cockeyed world needs people like that. I could've been a priest. Had a chance once. Made a wrong choice. Wound up clopping people instead. Lousy choice. Hey, listen to that! '

The correspondent was saying excitedly that some German torpedo boats had attacked a Norwegian destroyer and that it looked like it was sinking. There were sailors jumping overboard and lifeboats being lowered.

'They got clopped, ' Mr Savo said, looking grim. 'Poor bas – poor guys. '

The correspondent sounded very excited as he described the Norwegian destroyer sinking.

The Chosen

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Chaim Potok

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