Traveling Soldier.

Author's note: This is my first time writing something war involved, so please cut me some slack. I would appreciate it, and some feedback would be great, too! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Traveling Soldier", by the Dixie Chicks.

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"Two days past eighteen,/He was waiting for the bus in his army greens./Sat down in a booth in a café there/Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair"

Kathy's eyes roamed the nearly vacant café. Since the war had begun and the young men slowly disappeared from the community, Jewel's Café had hardly seen any business. Everyone who was there was a regular. Mostly just old men who hung around, clutching what was left of their lives. The conversation was a bit slow but familiar business was honestly better than none at all. After all: it kept Kathy in a job. She enjoyed her work, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Anyway," Marianne, the new girl was blabbering on although Kathy chose to block out her mindless conversation. "Are you even paying attention to me?" She snapped. Marianne was the type of girl who demanded undivided attention from everyone, every minute of the day.

Kathy's head shot up, narrowing on the girl beside her boredly. "What were you saying? I'm sorry, I was kind of busy, working." She answered curtly, continuing to drag the damp rag in her left hand across the granite counter top.

"Seriously?" Marianne eyed the brunette standing beside her. "Well that was kinda rude." She huffed.

"Yeah, well, I like my paycheck." She answered, her eyes lingering on the window. Marianne fell silent, and Kathy thanked her lucky stars.

"There is nothing to do but clean right no-" Marianne's droning was cut short when the bell above the door chimed. Both girls looked up, unable to believe their eyes.

A young man clad in army fatigues with wide eyes was seating himself in the nearest booth in the back. Kathy stood silently, watching while the male settled himself into the leather seat before reaching into her apron and withdrawing her order book and a pen.

"I've got this," She told Marianne with a swift nod, scooping up a menu as she went.

In all honesty, Kathy was curious about the young male. He looked harmless enough but she had heard about what these men might be capable of even before seeing battle. War was a fun game to play as children but now it was becoming all too real. For everyone.

Standing at the end of the booth, Kathy cleared her throat and offered a shy smile. "My name is Kathy and I'll be your waiter today, darlin'." She paused and handed him a menu. He glanced up at her and offered a nod, tucking his army assigned hat under his leg.

She sighed at his quiet. "How about we start with a drink?" She offered.

"Coke." The soldier requested, his green orbs moving slowly to glance at Kathy who stood at the end of the booth. His facial expression was blank, and Kathy almost felt hollowed by it, herself.

Tearing her attention away from his sad gaze, she scribbled it onto her pad and nodded, "I'll be right back with it."

Kathy turned on the heels of her saddle shoes and headed toward the back. Marianne met her gaze and she answered the unspoken question with a shrug. Kathy knew it wasn't over. She knew that she wasn't going to get away completely scot-free. Not this time, anyway. Stepping through the door, she went to work at pouring a glass of ice.

The clatter of the kitchen door told her that. "He's cute." Marianne beamed. Kathy groaned. She never stopped, did she?

"He's a soldier, you know where he's going." she answered flatly. When it came to certain things, Marianne and Kathy just differed. Kathy hardly wanted to be known as one of those girls who chased men like that. "Tag chasers", she heard her mother call them.