Song: Traveling Solder

By: Dixie Chicks

Start song at (1)

Song suggested by ShadowPhoenix1989. Thank you for the wonderful song! Hope you like the chapter!

It didn't take long for people to start meandering to the table and getting second helpings of snacks and meal items. Jack himself was not immune to it either, and the one such trip he noticed as one of the great aunts quietly slipped out of the room and headed towards the staircase.

Curiosity grabbed the winter spirit and he sat his plate down and made his own quiet exit to follow her. At the top of the stairs he went from room to room looking for the missing aunt. The bathroom door was open meaning she wasn't there so Jack quietly tiptoed from doorway to doorway peeking in.

He finally spotted her in Jamie's parent's room. She had seated herself at the window and was looking out over the darkening town. Jack debated with himself about going in and asking her what was on her mind when soft humming reached his ears. Not wanting to be intrusive he decided to just stay in the doorway and wait and see.

Her hand seemed to unconsciously go to her chest as she fingered something on a chain around her neck. Her eyes were misted and glassed over as she seemed to be lost in memories. When she finally spoke it was in a singsong sort of way.

(1) She recounted a tail of a young soldier, still green and fresh, on his way to training. How he went into the café nearby and sat in a booth, giving his simple order to a girl with the bow in her hair.

Jack couldn't help but notice the bow in this on its own hair and realized that she was telling a story about her past. He knew she wasn't the soldier she had to of been the waitress he'd spoken to.

"He's a little shy so she gives him a smile and he says 'would you mind sitting down for a while and talking to me I'm feeling a little lonely.' Looking at the clock she says 'I'm often an hour and I know where we can go.'"

She sings about sitting at the peer with this young handsome man. As he tells her of his fears and uncertainties and how he has no one he can write letters back to. Then how he awkwardly asked: "would you mind if I sent one back here to you?" Jack can see that this moment brings a smile and a laugh because her voice lifts a little with a giggle as she recounts her agreement to be his letter home.

She continues to finger the thing around her neck as she recounts the letters this boy sent to her from both the army camp and then Vietnam. How he explained to her and opened himself up to her. Telling her of his fears the struggles he goes through and of the times where he will think about the day they met and how it helps him get through the rough times.

Tears are freely streaming down her cheeks now and Jack feels his heart break he's got a very on happy suspicion about where this song will be ending.

The story switches to a scene where the young girl is performing at a football game in the piccolo section of the marching band. When the announcer gives off a list of Vietnam dead. How she ran to the underside of the bleachers and cried so hard for the boy she had only seen once but had come to know so well.

Jack feels tears of his own rolled down his cheeks and can help but give a small sob. Apparently it was louder than he thought for the art turns around with a start and Sees him in the doorway. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be spying!" Jack tries his best to explain.

"It's okay." She says. Wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hands. "I just couldn't help but think about him what with all the stories were telling tonight."

Jack finally gets a good look at the item she's been fiddling with and sees that it's a set of dog tags. "Are those his?"

"No, these are ones I had made; it's a way to keep him close."

"I can tell how much you miss him! Believe me I have more than a few friends and family that I miss deeply! I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's going to get better and the pain will go away, I can tell you already know it doesn't necessarily do that."

"You're right, but the sting does become a little less. I had not known him personally, seen him face-to-face, for more than a few hours but his smile, the laughs we shared. That was very very real and it always will be. I can take comfort in that because he took comfort in it."

Jack wiped his own eyes and gave her smile.

She took it a step further, she walked over to him and gave him one huge hug. "I'm glad that you heard that song. I think it's about time that I shared it with the others what you think?"

"Definitely!" Together they returned to the festivities downstairs, an arm across each other's shoulders to steady them and offor comfort.