Slugtectives 2 - Day 36 : 526 words

The waiter returned with their check and took their empty plates. Dru quickly grabbed it and set his bank card down with it on the end of the table. He noted Vivian’s raised eyebrow and he said matter of factly, “I asked you to talk so I’m paying.”
Vivian nodded her head in acquiescence and smiled.
Dru felt a sudden tinge of uncomfortableness and he quickly added, “Franklin swiped it out from under my hand when we had lunch so I am making sure to pay this time.”
She smiled and again nodded then said, “it’s all good. I’m fine letting someone else pay for food. Some of the psychos in this world that are so offended if a man tries to pay for something for them, Oh my, aren’t you the independent woman.” Her condescending tone oozed with annoyance.
“I’ve heard of the type but luckily have been able to avoid em like the plague. Or maybe they are avoiding me… either way it works out because we wouldn’t,” Dru said with a laugh.
“I know the feeling. I’ve done my best to avoid that type of person in my personal life. I can say for sure that I have had regular exposure to them in this field of work though. The military spits humans out like watermelon seeds and keeps soldiering on without a single thought once the seed leaves their mouth. Those seeds are saddled with the horrors of what they did in the service and little is done to help them reintegrate into the world. At he rapid pace that things change and evolve in society a one year deployment is like five years.”
Dru felt himself opening up his mind and listening very closely as she spoke. He was becoming aware of the evolving desire as well and it was becoming a conflicting feeling. He was trying to remain in a more professional manner, a typical client type of mode but his core was starting to respond to her presence. He could feel the tingles of anticipation at her be near and the enjoyment of talking with her, especially now that he was learning how similar they were in a lot of ways.
“I can say I was one of those seeds with out a doubt. I got kicked to the curb and they didn’t bat an eye. It’s completely normal. The military treats humans as expendables. We are just like the cottons swabs on the shelf in the supply room, the fuel for a jet, the food in the mess hall. It is all written off in the end, just like all of us.” Dru was rubbing his face as he finished speaking.
“None of you signed up thinking that this is what your life would become. You all went into it with some kind of altruistic sense. Even if it was just for the gi bill, you still had to agree to go through four years of hell to get it. That is a lot to ask a kid just to get an education,” Vivian said as her voice caught a lilt, slightly showing her questioning of his motives.