You are standing on a platform.
You have your ticket at hand. You look at it, twice. Maybe, three times. Yup, all looks well. Same as when you last saw it. You’re ready to go.
You balance your weight on the tip of your toes. Bounce on it a bit. It is then you notice a woman standing beside you not to far away. You nervously send her a smile. She smiles back then shyly looks away. Red lipstick. Dark brown hair. She pushes back her layers by running her fine hair through her fingers.
Her deep brown eyes scan away as she ties it up in an up-do. The kind where it’s messy but it works. Because it’s her and she’s the type of woman that can make anything work in her favour.
She has a silver briefcase by her side. She looks, official. You both briefly glance at one another again as she sends her brown eyes back towards you, then she looks away.
Holding tight to your roll on luggage, you lean your weight against the handle.
You check the time clock for the arrival of your train.
Seems about right. Five more minutes, you say to yourself.
You clutch your handle to transfer your nerves.
You’re excited by the trip but even more excited about the unknown.
You can hear the whistle sound further down the tracks as the train arrives at your station.
Steam builds up and exudes from the top, circling around the platform.
Here it comes, you tell yourself. The ride you have waited for, for so long. You squeeze your bag tighter with your sweaty palms.
The train arrives at a full stop. The medal doors open. You hop on board along with the rest of the passengers as you all find your seats. Some stay behind.
You grab a newspaper placed on a side table to pass some time while you reach your destination.
You place your luggage in the upper level compartments. Your shirt pops out from your ocean coloured jeans, as you make the lift.
“God damn short shirts,” you have a long torso so you have to deal with tall people dilemmas.
You tuck your shirt back in and roll your newspaper tightly.
Your friend is supposed to board on the next stop, as you gently remind yourself. You are not alone in this. But how could you be with so many people on board.
The train jerks a bit as it starts up again. You reach for the upper level arm rail to centre your balance.
You move. It moves. You all move now.
You say hi to the stranger in front of you as you maintain your balance. She smiles back.
You take your seat beside her as you reopen your rolled up paper and scan the headlines.
Your right leg starts to shake nervously. The elderly woman seated beside you, whom you said hi to earlier, puts a warm hand on your leg.
“Nervous dear?” she inquires.
“A bit…,” you reply. Your leg stops shaking from her calm demeanour alone. You clear your throat. “New ride. I mean…” you blunder around with your words as you roll your eyes to the side. “I mean…I’ve been around trains plenty of times before, but this one feels different. I guess they all do. Anyway, I’m meeting up with a friend.”
“Oh that’s nice dear, where are you headed?”
“London,” you say with a smile. “Yourself?”
“I’m meeting a friend as well. I have family there but I’m off on the next stop just shy of London for an exhibit.” She pauses. “It’s my exhibit.”
“Oh no way! Congrats!” you yell out loud as others seated around you give you, the look. You wave your hand up in the air to apologize for your amped volume.
“Well if you have a business card or some contact info…I would love to see if I can make it out to your show?” You whisper at a lower tempo.
The woman smiles and points at your paper. “There’s my show dear. It’s right in your hands.” She turns away and collects a book from a bag at her feet.
You read the headline, “The Wonderful and Whimsical World of Evelyn!” The warm face on the paper matches hers.
“Wow!” You say with the look of shock expressed across your face. She is a big deal.
You hold your hand out, “I’m Pam by the way.”
“Evelyn,” she shakes my hand and the edges of her eyes wrinkle from her smile.
We approach our next stop. Her next stop. Her show stopping stop.
“Well this is where I get off,” she places her floppy hat back on and slowly gets up. I offer to help her with her belongings but she insists I sit back down. “I hope to see you there.” She tips her hat and places her book back in her duffle bag lined with a flower interior.
“Pleasure meeting you Evelyn…I will definitely be there,” I reply out loud again. Not giving a damn, this time, what other people think around me.
“Likewise my dear…we’ll catch you soon then,” she collects the remainder of her belongings and steps off the train. And just as she magically appears. So she magically disappears, as frame by frame through the window, she grows distant into the near future.
I hop to the seat beside me that Evelyn once sat in and lean over the armrest. Looking left and right down the aisle. My bestie should arrive soon. We are at the next stop. Hopefully she’ll see me. I mean, it’s not like an infinity train that has no ending, right?
I sit back in my chair and pretend to read the paper. Crossing my legs. She better make it on time, I say to myself. I can’t stand it when people are late. I look at my watch. The minute hand moves faster forward as I am counting time.
“Pam!” I hear my name, “… Pam-Pam!” I look up to greet the owner of the familiar voice.
“Nicky – Nick!” I reply. We both laugh and make funny faces.
She stands beside me and holds out her arms, gesturing for a hug.
“You made it, yay!” I say. I stand on my feet and we hug it out.
“Of course I did, you know, I traveled more than you have!” she emphasizes. “And I don’t get lost.” She gently nudges.
“I think we’re up to par now,” I reply. “Plus, I found my bearings.”
“I’m going to grab something from the bar, would you like anything to eat or drink?”
“Chocolate,” I insist.
“Of course,” she replies. “Some things never change,” she walks off.
I lean back in my cushioned neon blue seat and look out the window. We are heading through a blackout, a tunnel. Some of the people around me still have their papers up without a care in the world. We head through. Nothing left to see but feeling heightened senses.
It turned pitch black for a while. When we finally make it through. A tall man, as tall as a giant appears standing before me.
“PAM, I AM!” he pronounces with a deep tone, with all his breath. At least he was a big friendly giant, I thought.
“Peter-Pam!” I match his enthusiasm knowing exactly who he is. Seems he caught the same train all along.
“Where you headed?” he asked.
“London, yourself?”
“Prior stop over, sorry sailor. But I can meet up with you in a week from now. How long is your stay?”
“Business trip, a week or so. Going to an art show later…care to join?”
“Yes let’s do that!” he smiles. “I have an idea I’d like to fly by you while we’re there. Funny you mention art show.” He grins as if he knows something I don’t at that moment. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot of each other shortly.” He finishes.
“Sure,” I nod nonchalantly, not catching his reference. The train comes to another stop.
“Well I’m off, I’ll see you in a week or so? I’ll bing you details!” he puts his cap back on to cover his immaculate trimmed head of hair.
“10-4,” I reply.
Meanwhile as Peter gets off. Others hop on. More strange faces.
Nicky comes back from the bar. A giant size chocolate bar, shines in front of my face in a gold wrapper as she holds it there.
“Could you have found a bigger size?” I tease. “It’s like a golden ticket!”
“I swear, it’s all they had! Go big or go home.” She says. Much like her personality. “Is it me or did I just see Peter?”
“You sure did! But he just left. We can catch him after out trip if you like… I committed myself to an art show afterwards. New friend.” I smile.
Nicky scans her jacket pockets profusely and her facial features drop alone with her head. “My passport!” She looks up. “Shit! I must have left it on the previous stop! Fak!”
“Damn, do do you want me to call it in?”
“No, no. I’m going to get off, I’m right here anyway. Plus, I think I know where I left it last.” She grabs a hold her luggage. “Hey look, I hope you don’t mind but you have to take care of an important biz meeting coming up. I’ll tell you all about it in a few, okay. I swear, I promise you. It’s good.” She crosses her heart on her chest, with her finger.
I cross mine. “Done.” Not sure what I am committing to at that moment.
We fist bump hands and she gets ready for her next stop. “Look out for her, okay. You’ll love her! When I told her all about you, she was excited to meet you! Never know where it goes.” She winks as she backs up slowly trailing with her luggage behind.
The doors open at the stop and she waits to catch the next train. “She’s the one with the sil..” The train whistle sounds so I can’t hear her.
I shake my head and tap my ear to signal. “What do you mean? Like, are we planning to meet somewhere? How am I supposed to know she’s the one?!”
Nicky waves from outside the train door. Holding one hand to her lips to blow a kiss, as the train whistles again. “You’ll know. I told her to meet her you on the tra…” The door closes and she too, vanishes off in the distance.
“Damn it!” I despise surprises and unplanned meetings. I mean, how can I prepare!
Anyway, almost there. I think to myself. What a bizarre ride.
One by one. Passengers start to leave.
I’m heading to the end of my stop now. Ready to arrive at my destination.
I take out my note book and do last minute mental notes before I forget. Before the thought leaves my mind and finds another mind to incept. I look around. It’s evening outside, darker in the cabin.
The cabin lights turn on.
I lean over my seat doing chair stretches. I stop midway. As I lean over I notice something peculiar.
Located at the bottom of the passengers feet across from me is a woman.
Black heels with red underlining. Leggings with an intricate pattern. A fitted skirt.
And beside her, a silver briefcase.
The same one belonging to the woman I saw on the platform earlier.
The train halts at our final destination. Our bodies jerk as we are the last two left on the train.
She lowers her newspaper slowly with a mischievous smile.
And the rest, is history 😉 😛 😀
HAPPY SUNDAY ALL!!!!
With unwavering love and friendship,
PAM, I AM 😉
