Meet Cute Ch. 01

Nobody sat anywhere near me.

The smell of my recent surgery disgusted them, although most hid it well. Other passengers in my train carriage caught the nasty whiff on approach, noticed my missing leg, and veered away at the last minute, ignoring my prime spot in the train carriage. They'd rather cram together like sardines further along the carriage than take up one of three empty seats around my table.

They could smell my anesthesia, but I didn't care enough about their opinions to explain that I'd discharged myself from the hospital five days after surgery, much to the chagrin of my doctor and commanding officer, Colonel Asshat.

I smiled inwardly, pleased when the train conductor hurriedly stamped my ticket while moving swiftly by. He wanted to say something to me, but the horror of seeing a uniformed female soldier amputee blazed in his eyes. At first, he shifted from one leg to the other awkwardly, then looked ashamed of himself before scurrying away so that he might feel better, regardless of how that impacted me.

As it was, I didn't much care, figuring the only people interested in me would be battlefield ghouls or other varietal weirdos.

Being shunned or stared at like a freak seemed a fairly normal response for someone sitting opposite a recent cripple, especially one who was bitter about it. My expression and general demeanor, minus a leg, spoke to a deep-rooted sense of injustice, although that was probably putting it somewhat lightly.

I was totally fucked off with my life and wanted to burn the world down.

"Hi, can I sit here, please?"

No... fuck off.

"Of course, there are three empty seats."

"I'm Daniel."

"Why?"

He looked confused, blinked, and thought quickly for a response that sounded like a question.

"Because my mom liked the name?"

"No... I meant why sit here with me? I'm curious."

No, I'm not. I'm circling above you like an eagle with talons raised, searching for prey.

He waved nonchalantly at the spare seats around me, then at the rest of a cramped compartment.

"You've got the best spot, and I'd give an arm or a leg to be comfortable over the next five hours."

I don't believe you just fucking said that wanker.

"I don't believe you just said that, Daniel."

"Sorry, I thought you might find it funny."

I laughed inwardly because it was a hilarious, albeit absurd quip that appealed to my graveyard sense of humor. When I studied him carefully, not wishing to say anything that couldn't be walked back, I enjoyed the cheeky grin and sparkle in his eyes.

Daniel was around my age, very good-looking, and exactly the sort of guy I might have dated before losing around ten percent of my body to a Taliban booby trap.

"You've got some balls, Daniel."

"For cracking the joke? Maybe... but for sitting opposite a beautiful war hero, forcing an inward smile and great conversation out of her... that took courage."

"War hero? How would you know that?"

"I noticed the circular outline of a Medal of Honor in your lower left jacket pocket. I can tell by its size and the folded neck ribbon. You took it off so that nobody would see it and because you don't want to engage anyone in conversation."

"And yet, here you are, Daniel. Talking freely to me."

I wafted my hand towards him, smiling because I was genuinely impressed.

"And here you are, Ella. Delightfully engaged by my conversation."

I smiled again, then glanced up and saw my name written on a luggage tag attached to my small holdall.

"You're very observant. CIA?"

"Nope, I'm an airline pilot and used to seeing thousands of name tags on luggage."

"Is that how you stalk women and acquire new girlfriends?"

"Sometimes. You're right about me being observant, though. I can tell your surgery is recent."

"By the smell?"

"Nah, although I know that's anesthesia and will wear off soon. You're squirming in the seat because you can't get comfortable, so rehab hasn't started yet. You don't know how to sit."

"That's very true. There are a lot of things I can't seem to do any more."

"Yet."

"Don't patronize me, Daniel."

Strike One.

"I'm not. It's plainly obvious to me that you aren't suicidal, so it's just a matter of time before a Medal of Honor owner gets back on their feet."

"How do you know I won't kill myself first?"

"You're too angry Ella. People who've completely lost hope, end their lives, rarely does that happen to someone who wants to burn down the world."

"You're very confident and forthright."

"This train journey ends in five hours. If I mess this up, I don't have to sit here being embarrassed for long before I can hop off and we'll never see each other again."

"Mess what up?"

"Our meet cute."

"Hahaha... are you being serious, Daniel?"

"Never more so Ella. I watched you board the train and instantly recognized how beautiful you are, then saw your anger and figured I might be the right guy for when you're done burning down a small part of the world."

My heart thumped and adrenaline coursed through my body. I felt angry about my lot, of that Daniel was absolutely right. He was disarming when I desperately wanted a reason to rid myself of his company. He was gorgeous and seemed kind while I was ugly and disfigured, the total opposite to him.

"Why me?"

"You are beautiful. That's the first thing anyone sees and becomes attracted by, let's be honest. You're also hardy and courageous. I think we've both agreed on that. You seem intelligent and interesting. Why wouldn't I want to ask you out on a date?"

"If I am all of those other things aside from beautiful, that is the one trait, as you say, the first anyone sees, that I no longer possess."

Daniel eyed me up and down, making it very obvious he was checking me out from toe to hair. I felt disconcerted, hoping he might approve while praying he wouldn't.

"Are you actually checking me out, Daniel?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out if you lost anything other than a leg or carry any visible injuries I didn't notice yet."

"I have some scarring from shrapnel on the other leg, back, and my midriff."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

"So you looked exactly like this, plus one leg before the incident?"

"Yes."

"And did people tell you before the incident that you were beautiful?"

"Well, yes, they did quite often."

He was playing with fire, but somewhere between Daniel's kind expression, soft tone of his voice, and choice of words was his defense mechanism that made it impossible for me to attack him.

"That means I'm right. The only person who can't see your beauty is you."

"I'll work on that, shall I?"

"I'm sure you will, Ella."

"Where would we go on a date, then?"

"Do you like dancing?"

I gasped, choked, then laughed out loud in utter disbelief.

Strike Two... or is that Strike One?

"You're either a genius or a fool, Daniel."

"I think dancing would be nice. Can you dance?"

"On one leg?"

"Yes."

"Umm, I don't know."

"Could we try? Plenty of other couples dance on their first date."

"Oh, so we're a couple now? We'll be naming our kids by the time this train ride ends."

"I'm not sure about kids."

"Ahh, you don't think I can get pregnant and give birth?"

Strike Three.

I felt disappointed that Daniel struck out because I was warming to him and leaning towards accepting his offer of a date. As I stared, waiting for him to realize his mistake, it was clear he was more confused than me.

"Do you think I meant we couldn't have kids because of your missing leg, Ella?"

"Yeah... that's what you meant, right?"

"Oh, I see. No, that's not it at all. I have no kids yet and never had fertility testing done, so I don't know if I'm sterile or not."

Oh, dear. Ella, you're too cynical.

I wanted to cry because, at that moment, realizing the only part of me that had become ugly was my soul

"I'm sorry to have misjudged you, Daniel."

"No apology necessary. It's just a simple misunderstanding."

"Okay well, I haven't been tested for fertility either."

"So neither of us knows whether we can have kids?"

"I guess not."

"Isn't that how every couple starts off their romance, Ella?"

Something changed in me. My bitterness wasn't vanquished, but the sharp edge was taken off. I felt happier than at any time since waking up after my patrol was attacked by the Taliban.

I examined Daniel, weighing him up as I probably would have prior to my leg being blown off. He was a guy, who wanted to date a girl, and it was on me for misinterpreting that about him.

"I guess we're going dancing then, Daniel."

"Thank you, Ella."