Short story I wrote, called Redemption. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts.
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Snow fell gently through the night sky to melt on the muddy streets. A shivering girl stood on a street corner, hugging herself against the cold and the unfriendly night. Her meager clothing offered her young body little protection against the biting cold, but the certainty of sharing a warm bed tonight offered no comfort. Headlights scythed through the night, and she quailed inside. She bit her lip until her red lipstick mingled with blood, drawing up courage from reserves that had been tapped far too often. The car stopped next to her, and the man inside pushed open the door. The prostitute entered and closed the door behind her, then sat meekly as her perfume filled the car and her shivering subsided in the warmth of the car.
It was a soldier this time; his uniform hung loosely on his lanky body and a pistol holster swung from the rearview mirror. Neither spoke for a moment, looking out the windshield at the soft snow covering the dirty streets. She steeled herself before she looked at him, and was morbidly pleased that her voice didn't tremble when she started listening her services and prices. She died inside a little bit every time she forced her voice into a husky seduction, her hand to rest flirtatiously on his arm, but she'd long ago made the decision to sell her soul to keep her body fed, and she was past looking back. He didn't look at her or respond and kept his gaze fixed on the powdery snow gently obscuring the windshield. Finally, she trailed off into an uncomfortable silence.
When she stopped, talking, he sighed and turned to her. She looked up into his face, and quickly dropped her eyes from his--there was something burning in them that terrified her. He reached into his pocket and thudded a wallet down on the dashboard in front of her. She opened it and found tattered photographs of a smiling woman and more money than she normally earned in a month. She looked up to find him smiling quietly at her. There was a hunger in his tired eyes, but she had enough experience to know it wasn't lust. She closed her slender hand around the money and looked at him with a silent question.
He licked his suddenly dry lips and began to speak, "I've got a wife back home. She--" he trailed off, then seemed to be about to say something, then something else, then he finally said "She got tired of waiting for me. It doesn't matter, really. I'll never see her again, even if she wants to see me. I'm never going to make it back home--if any of us survive this war, it'll be the ones with something to live for, to keep them going. It'll be the ones who care if a bullet finds them. I ship out tomorrow, and I'm almost glad; it means that soon I won't have to live with myself anymore." He picked up one of the photographs from the wallet, looked at it for a moment, then replaced it almost tenderly. "But...God knows I don't deserve a girl--not after.." He laughed, a short bitter bark, and said, "Not after what this damn war has turned me into. Monsters aren't worthy of love."
There was silence, then "But... the loneliness, it gets to you, you know? Does things to you... I just need to spend a night with somebody who doesn't know what I've done and can treat me like I'm human--or pretend, at least. I don't want to sleep with you, understand--There's no way I'll add that to the list of evil things I've done--but I just need to some time with someone who can pretend they love me so I can pretend I deserve love." Her heart was racing and she nodded. He extended a hand and said, "I'm David". She took it and hesitated, then said, "I'm Carol." It was the first time she had used her real name with a john.
They parked in front of a small diner. He had given her his jacket to protect her from the cold and the hungry stares of men, and his bare arms were prickled with goosebumps as they held the door open for her to enter. She stood for a moment in the entry way, then with a whiff of cold air the door swung shut and David stood behind her, guiding her towards a booth. They sank into the faded vinyl together and sat for a moment before he reached for the menus and handed one to her. Illiterate, she made a show of studying the menu. It was a passionate attempt, and it failed more because the menu was upside down than any lack of acting abilities on her part. He righted her menu with a grin and leaned in to explain the menu options to her. She nodded as he explained all of the options in detail, completely overwhelmed with all of the choices, then waited for him to order and copied him.
When the waiter took their menus, they were left looking at each other across the table. Cruel necessity had taught her how to be outgoing around men, but now she found herself without words, and fiddled with a napkin underneath the table. He didn't seem to mind her silence, and watched her for a long moment, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. She lifted her eyes from the shredded napkin and caught his, then blushed and dropped her face hastily. He gave her a warm smile and asked, almost shyly, "Carol, will you dance with me?" Her heartbeat quickened again, and she mustered up the courage to look up at him again. "Sure" she said hesitantly. She gave him her hand and followed him out of the booth.
There was no dance floor or band, just a small open area in front of a jukebox. He put a quarter into the machine and let her choose the song. Her experience with music was mostly limited to the thudding music of a strip club, so she had no idea what she was looking for as her eyes flickered across the album covers. On impulse, she picked a picture of a baby lying amidst some straw. She wasn't sure why he was smiling softly until the CD loaded and the jukebox started playing a scratchy "Silent Night." She blushed again and began to apologize, and he cut her off with a finger to her lips. Without speaking, he took her hand in his and settled the other on her waist and she timidly put a hand on his shoulder. The beat of the Christmas music wasn't very good for dancing, but somehow the music seemed right. Neither of them knew how to dance, and they must have looked hilarious to anybody watching, but they didn't care, and they were both laughing as the song ended. The jukebox clicked and whirred as a slower song came on, and Carol moved closer and rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat as they slowly swayed, and he relaxed and thought it wonderful how his arms that had done terrible brutality could be so gentle when she was in them.
The final song ended, and the jukebox stopped playing with a final burst of static. They stayed as they were for a long moment, then he kissed her on the forehead and they broke apart. She seemed about to speak, but before she could the waiter arrived with their meal and they hurried to their table. David paid the waiter, and they sat down and admired their food. Grease glistened on the paper wrapped around the burgers, and sodas sat cool and dark inside their Styrofoam cups. Carol's stomach growled, but she waited until David took a huge bite of his burger. Juice dribbled from his chin, and she giggled and took another wolfish bite. They chewed at each other, then swallowed and continued their meal. Carol's hunger asserted itself and she dedicated all of her attention to the food. David let her eat uninterrupted, and they didn't talk to each other until they left the diner.
The diner door swung shut behind them, and the cold air began numbing them once again. They stood and watched their frosty breath die in the night air, then David reached out and took her hand in his. Their fingers entwined, and she looked at him for a long moment. He wasn't looking at her, but a slight blush was coloring his cheeks. She smiled, squeezed his hand and looked away.
They had to let go when they entered his char, but after the engine was whirring and the heater was slowly warming the car their hands found each other again. David seemed to be fighting with himself, but finally said quietly, "I should probably take you home." She bit her lip and mutely nodded. "Where do you live?" She gave directions, and held his hand tight as she was driven back to reality.
They stopped in front of the dirty apartment complex that she was reduced to calling home. He pulled the key from the ignition, and the engine rumbled to a stop. As the noise from the engine died away, silence crept in. Neither of them spoke as they looked through the falling snow at the dirty apartment glowing in the light of the headlights. Finally, she let go of his hand, and he started, as if waking up from a dream. He reached for her hand instinctively, caught himself, and withdrew his hand. He seemed to shrink inside himself, and looked at her. His voice was not quite shaking as he said, "So..uh.. goodnight." She held his gaze for a moment, and leaned in for a kiss.
He stopped her with a gentle finger on her lips. "No. I don't want..." He trailed off, and struggled for words. Finally, he said, "A kiss is just another part of the job for you. I don't want to remind you of that." She hesitated, then nodded and withdrew. He looked at her sadly, and was turning away as she reached across the car and took him into a tight hug. He stiffened as her arms encircled him, then relaxed and took her in his arms.
They held each other for a long moment, then the silence was broken by a racking sob. David sucked in a shuddering breath, trying to hold himself together, but she held him tighter and he gave up. His desperate sobbing filled the car as the barriers he'd put up to keep himself from feeling came crashing down. Carol clung to him, rocking him gently. Her chest shook with her deep, gasping weeping, and tears streamed from her closed eyes to streak her makeup across her face. She held him as if he was the only thing solid she'd ever known, and buried her head in his chest, letting her tears soak through his shirt.
Finally, their sobbing stopped, and they let go of each other. She reached into her pocket and took out the money he had paid her. This she lay on the dashboard, pleading with her eyes. He understood, and didn't protest. She gave him a tender smile, then put a hand to the door and was gone. He watched her go until the falling snow hid her completely.