Solider Boy

Soldier Boy

It was a chilly night, but inside the restaurant, the appetizing smells of almost any cuisine imaginable filled the air. It was a quaint restaurant and also boasted a five-star rating. The walls were painted a deep red and there were wooden walls with vines for decorations to separate out the diners. White strings of lights laced themselves in between the wooden walls and the vines.

In the center of the room was a dance floor untouched in ages. The chandelier above it had the most lovely cut clear crystals. Sadly, its only reason for still being bare of tables was because of mere decoration. Gently, in the background, soft, slow music played. Couples chatted away at each of the tables. Tonight was not a particularly busy night. It was just the normal customers that were there. Except for the couple at table number two who had just been seated.

"You know, I would never have expected you to take me here," said the young woman sitting across from her date.

He smiled at her, "It's not that much."

She smiled back and continued to look at the menu. By the prices, it actually was 'that much' and also the fact that a meal here included a three courses dinner was also an indicator of the five-stars that it had received. She immediately realized that he must have saved up for this date because she knew what his pay was. It was only one dinner. Soon a waiter came up to the two.

"Good evening, welcome to Clair De Lune. I will be your waiter, Carter. May I start you off with a salad and something to drink?" Said the blurry teenage boy.

"Um, yes, I'll have the Caesar salad," She replied, "And how about just water for now."

"And you, sir?" Carter asked.

"I'll have a Coke and a Caesar salad as well," He replied as well.

"I'll be back with you momentarily," Carter nodded and left.

As he left, Carter tripped slightly, but regained his footing instantly. She smiled and looked down, trying to think of something to say.

"So why did you choose Clair De Lune?" She asked.

"I thought you'd like it," He answered, "And their food is delicious."

Nodding, she looked up at him. He was wearing a blue suited uniform and his medals shown in the candle light. His blond hair was combed back and not in the normal mess that it was usually in when she saw him training. He really had brushed up and dressed nicely for the evening. She remembered when he had asked her out. It had been a real surprise for her. She had been evaluating the men during the normal drills that they did every evening before dismissing them to their quarters.

"All right men, you did well, go to the mess hall!" She yelled.

After she had warded off Bill Walsh, she walked across the field. She had been making notes when he had tapped her on the shoulder.

"Captain!" He saluted her and she did so back, despite the fact that there really was no need right now.

He was quiet, but smiling. She shook her head, "You have a question, soldier?"

"Yeah, actually. Would you... uh..." He let out a nervous laugh, then continued, "Captain, would you do me the honor of..."

He seemed tongue tied and finally managed to get it out, "Going on a date with me?"

Her eyes had widened. She looked him up and down. The day's work had left its mark on him. He had patches of mud on his pants and his shirt was wet with sweat from the hard work out. His hair was in its usual mess and on his face he had a hopeful smile. She couldn't resist returning it slightly. She thought it over in her mind. He seemed nice enough. He followed orders, was always on time, and never back sassed her like the other men in his 'regime'. Although, he could be another Bill Walsh, which was the opposite of what she needed at the moment. On the other hand, he didn't have an attitude like Walsh. He did things without complaint and without snide comments. He was a genuine hard-working soldier.