JJ looked, and met the soft eyes of a woman who was standing in the aisle leaning against the side of a seat. She was wearing a white coat open over a red dress, and when she realized she had his attention, her red lips smiled. She put her hand on her hip, in the process pushing her coat out of the way so he could see her curves.

His reaction was immediate. “Nothing wrong with the old equipment,” he had always assured his nurses, in case they were interested. Not that any of them had been; they weren’t the type. But this brunette was looking promising. He smiled a little and winked at her, hoping he was going about this in the right way. He had not been out in the world for so long, and he had been wet behind the ears when he had left it. But he’d spent over an hour this morning getting into his freshly pressed dress uniform, lining up his medals in perfect order, polishing the Marine emblem on his cap. He figured he looked about as good as a one-legged man could look. He had shaved, too, and smelled of Aqua Velva.

She licked her bottom lip.

The old man next to him chortled.

“Next stop, Oshkosh,” the conductor called, passengers parting for him as he made his way down the aisle. “Next stop, Oshkosh.”

The brunette didn’t take her eyes off JJ. She tossed her hair, smiling. Just looking at her, he was getting so aroused that it hurt, but he kept smiling at her, too.

As the train slowed for Oshkosh, she began making her way toward him down the aisle. His throat seized up on him. Don’t act like an idiot, he told himself. His palms were sweating.

She came by him and looked down on him. Her smile faded, and her face went pale. He saw disgust in her eyes. She hurried past, clutching her coat to her throat.

His desire ebbed as if she’d thrown cold water on him. The pain of it remained. He forced out a laugh, and shrugged. “Hell, where does she think I got all these medals?” he said to the old man. “I was in the goddamn war.”

The man just gave JJ a look of pity and turned his face toward the window, pulling his hat brim down over his eyes and leaning back as though he would sleep.

Home, JJ thought, grinding his teeth. They’ll remember me, and not look at me that way.