Theme week #3

Theme Week #3: Set the scene, create dialogue

She climbed aboard the Amtrak train heading north out of Baltimore. It was four in the afternoon, and she wouldn’t be in Hartford until close to midnight. She was burdened with too much luggage, because she was trying to save shipping costs by carrying most of her dorm room belongings home with her. The conductor looked at her with a disgusted look, “You really shouldn’t be trying to bring this much stuff with you.”
“I know,” she said “I’m heading home from college.”
She found a seat, and began to put the bag, box guitar and back-pack in the overhead compartments. She was having trouble with the back-pack; it was just a little too heavy. The man behind her said, “Here let me help.” He gave it a little shove and up it went. “Thank you.” She said as she sat down. She slid into the seat by the window and watched as people wandered around the boarding platform. She saw some lovers hug and kiss. The young man pulled away, picked up his luggage and headed into the train. The man that had helped her with her pack sat across the aisle form her. She looked at him too. He was about her father’s age, and wore a business suit with a red tie. “Ugh, I have Mr. Corporation sitting next to me.” She thought.
The man looked at her and asked. “So where are you going?”
“I’m going to Hartford. I just finished spring semester.” The last thing she wanted to do was have a conversation with this man. She tried to cut the conversation short and looked out the window again. Finally everyone is on board. Neither of their two seats was taken. She pulled out a book and the man across the aisle took out a magazine.
The rails managed to lull everyone into a quiet frame of mind. Wilmington and Philadelphia went by. It was dark, and the little light overhead was making her eyes tired. She put down her book. The man across from her closed his magazine and asked her “What are you studying in school?”
“Anthropology.” She replied, thinking that if she kept her answers short he would give up. But he didn’t.
“Anthropology! What will you do with that?”
“I don’t know; that’s actually why I decided to take some time off. I think I will work for a year or two and maybe then I will know what I want.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but make sure you still finish school. I have a daughter almost your age; she doesn’t know what she wants to do yet either, but she still has time.”
As the train was pulling out of Newark and picking up speed, there was a violent lurch. The train came to an abrupt stop. She was a bit frightened, and a child a few seats in front began to cry. She could hear his mom saying “Sshh, its ok.”
The man across the aisle said “It feels like a wheel derailed, I’ve had that happen before. Good thing we were still going slowly, it was probably just one car. Now we will have to wait until they can get the car back on the track.”
Sure enough, soon a conductor came through to explain just that. “We expect about a two hour delay. We are calling the stations ahead to let them know. We will still have a half hour hold-over in New York when we get there, you can get off the train and make any phone calls if you want."
“Is anyone waiting for you in Hartford?” the man asked me.
“Yes, my mom.”
“Well, when we get to New York, I am going to call my wife, and you can use my credit card to call your mother. If you were my daughter I would want to know that you were alright. I doubt the station master will quell her worries.”
“Thanks.”
Finally, the train was repaired, they arrived in New York. The man made his call and she made hers. Her mom didn’t answer though, and she figured she was already at the station waiting. While she had been listening to the phone ring, the man bought them some sandwiches and drinks. It was then that she decided Mr. Corporation wasn’t such a bad guy after all. He was a parent and knew what it was like to worry about family.