The Lady And The Train She boarded the train that would take her away from the hell known as her life. Everything had gone wrong for her, and now she was running away from that. Her negligent husband - gone, her griping children - gone, and maybe most of all the toil of falling into poverty - gone. These three factors in her life were killing her, she let them kill her. She smiled from ear to ear as she pulled that golden ticket out of her wallet, and gave it to the man taking tickets. She stepped up onto the train. As she put her wallet back in her purse, the picture of her daughter slipped out. As it fell to the floor, she didn�t know if she really wanted waste the energy picking it up. Her daughter Sarah used to be her little angel, until she turned 14. She tried to give Sarah everything she wanted. She would do anything to keep Sarah from wanting to live with her father. She bought Sarah clothes, took Sarah to the movies, and spoiled her. Yet, as Sarah grew older, Sarah wanted do all these things with her own friends, not her mother. She hated the thought of this. It wasn�t hard to spend money on Sarah, when she was with her, but now she didn�t know where her money was going. Sarah grew the impression that her mother didn�t trust her, and hated that her mother wouldn�t let her be herself. Sarah resented her mother. Before, Sarah only needed her money, but she had her own money now. She didn�t need her mother at all. Sarah acted more rebellious every day. Sarah was only home, when her mother wasn�t. Sarah began to sneak out with her friends. The friends she had gained were the drinkers, the ones who became alcoholics long before they even turned 18. Sarah followed her friends into these shadows. She had a son also. Little Ricky. He was only 8. As precious as he was, and even though he worshipped his mother. She felt he would turn out just like Sarah, for she had spoiled him rotten as well. When she left that morning, she didn�t even say goodbye to him. She just paper-clipped 10 dollars to a picture of her, (one where she was much more youthful looking, of course) and hid it in the bottom of his sock drawer. On the back of the picture it said. �Save this money for a rainy day!� She put a smiley face and signed it, Mother. She figured that leaving her son was the best thing to do. While she still loved him. Because if he turned out to be a brat like Sarah, she wouldn�t love him anymore. She didn�t want to hurt what she already had. She stared at the picture on the ground. Did she even want to remember her daughter? Just as she bent over to pick it up, an obese man pushed his way through the aisle, and in the process stepped on the picture. She looked at the picture, covered with dirt, except for Sarah�s harmless eyes. She picked Sarah up and wiped the picture off on her slim blue jeans. It was clean again. She held the picture in her hand. I should have held Sarah in my hand., wiped her off. Things were broken, but could have been fixed. No. She wasn�t about to change her mind now. She reminded herself of the way Sarah made her feel. She convinced herself that running away would solve everything. She continued down the aisle and found her seat. Just before the train was to depart, a handsome young man wandered through the train. Looking for a seat, the man tapped her on the shoulder and said, �Is this seat taken?� �Is this seat taken.� Those were the first words that her soon-to-be ex-husband had said to her. Except it was at a bar in Cleveland. At the time, they were single and starving to be crazy in love. His eyes were hungry for her. They shared a few drinks and were really having a good time. Like most young couples, they left and went to his apartment. But unlike most couples the didn�t exchange bodily fluids in passion, they exchanged in real conversations. They told each other stories of their past and memories. He respected her and would do anything to keep her by his side. She respected that he wasn�t after one thing, like so many other men. She wanted to stay by his side. He was in college, and she was clerk at the local gas station, and they took care of each other. After 2 years he still adored her, and she still adored him. On October 19, 1983 she married Daniel Fox, but after 18 years she was divorcing him. Why? He was at work, constantly. He was probably having an affair with her, and just avoided being home. They eventually separated. Not a full divorce, just separated. Now, she didn�t want to live in the house they had bought together, and the weren�t together. So she took the children and moved into an apartment. This morning, She left a message on Dan�s answering machine telling him to go to her house an hour after she had left for the train station. On the counter was a note explaining that he had full custody of the kids, and stapled to the back were a set of divorce papers, with her part filled out. �No, you can sit there.� Sarah said with sly smile. He sat down numbly, and opened a jewelry catalog. She stared into the catalog, not knowing how obvious it was that she was looking into the catalog. The man looked at her, �I�m shopping for an engagement ring, for my girlfriend.� �Oh, how nice.� She replied, nervously grabbing at her ring finger. Refraining from remembering the ring Daniel bought her �I don�t see her often. She�s got this job, and she travels everywhere. I send her gifts, and things, and the next one will be the best one.� He sounded so hopeful, like how she used to feel about Daniel. She grew nostalgic. And she could only smile. Remember all the things Dan sent you? He adored you, and did the best he could to show it. When he couldn�t be with you, he sent his love, because he didn�t want you to be without it. At first she just silently nodded her head no; denying the thought of the truth inside. But deep in her mind she did know the truth. Think about it. Every night he got home, the first thing he did was crawl into bed, and wrap his arms around you. His eyes had the same yearning as the day he met you. Yet you were selfish, and disregarded his effort to love you.. You didn�t want to work. He worked so that he could support the kids, and still have money left for you to spend on the things you wanted. He loved you more than anything in the world. She didn�t care. She ignored the thoughts. She wasn�t about to turn back now. The lights on the train began to blink on and off. Her muscles tensed. �Attention passengers, we are experiencing some electrical problems, but it�s not threatening the course of train. The problem will be fixed at the next stop.� She pulled out her cell phone, on the display it read �New Voice Mail.� she hesitated to listen to it, but had nothing else to do. The message was from her son.: �Mom, it�s Ricky. Dad came, he had flowers, and chocolates, just for you. We found your letter...� He had a tear in his voice. �I miss you Mommy, I love you so much. So does Dad. He thought you invited him over to get back together. He got real sad when he found those papers. He�s in the bathroom crying now. I thought my dream of you and Daddy getting back together had come true. Please come home.� he was bawling as the message cut him off. The message put a tear in her eye. She had left her little boy all alone, she wondered: �What was wrong with me?� She told herself she�d have to call her son when she got off the train. It was the least she could do. Just before she could put her phone down, it rang again. hoping it was Ricky, she answered it. �Hello?� �Hi. Is this Sarah�s mother?� �Uhhh, yes it is. Who is speaking.� She almost didn�t care since the name Sarah Fox was involved. �This is Joan, your neighbor, Sarah came into the Apartment this morning and passed out, just outside my door. I called the medics, and I�m with her at the hospital. She�s had a lethal amount of alcohol. They went ahead and pumped her stomach. The first thing she wanted to do was talk to you. She won�t stop crying, and she�s not cooperating with the doctors. Would you please talk to her? She won�t talk to anyone else.� �Umm, yeah, give her the phone.� �Mom, is that you?� �Yes, Sarah, what do you want?� �I feel like I�m dying, and just in case I am, I wanted you to know that I love you, and I always have.� �Sarah..� She paused. �You�re not dying, I can tell you that much.� �Mom, will you come here, I need someone by me. I�m sorry we didn�t get along. but I want to change. I want things how they used to be. I�d change for you.� �Sarah, I�m on a train heading east, I want to get away from all the mess you and your father have caused me. Why should I turn back now.� �Mom, have you ever thought about why we lost what we had? Just think about it. Maybe it wasn�t just us. Your the one leaving your entire family behind.� Sarah then hung up. She wanted to go to her daughter�s side more than anything, but was it worth leaving her once dream behind. As the lights blinked on and off she pulled out her compact. At first she just wanted to check her make-up, but as she looked in the mirror she saw something deeper. I am Laura Williams. No I am Laura Fox. Sarah has my eyes, exactly. Little Ricky has my smile, and my nose. The ring on her finger caught her eye. I am married to a man who loves me very much, who would do anything for me. All the things I�m running from are such stupid things. How could I be so selfish? I could be happy again, my family could be happy again. I just got to get back home! Her mind was made up, at the next stop, she would turn around on the next train, and go home, and talk to her family, get everyone back together. The lights on the train went off, and didn�t come back on, the digital clock above the doorway, went haywire. Laura was too eager to get back home, to realize that something wrong was going around her. She felt the trains brakes kick in. The train began to shake. A musty smoky smell filled the coach. As all the other passengers clenched their armrests, Laura reached for her cell phone. I�ve got to call Ricky and Sarah back, tell them I�m coming home. Sarah was jerked to the back of her seat. An unbearable screeching sound filled her ears. Sparks flew every where, as the train blew up into flames. August 25, 1999- �A local Amtrak train derailed. It was caused by an electrical malfunction in the brakes. As deadly as the crash seemed, there was only one casualty, Laura Williams Fox. 7 other passengers are in critical condition. Let�s go straight to the scene.......
Copyright © 2005 Michelle Lynn Clements |