Rose on the Train

A Story by Ganglion-Pro

After finishing his cigarette he butts it out on the limestone wall. He enters the train station as if entering a new world, capturing that feeling of finally being free. Train stations were always his safe heaven. He looks up to the roof admiring its arches form over up and over the door until it faded away against the wall. He waits for his friend to arrive in a nearby coffee shop and sits down; waving to signal a waitress. The waitress comes up to the boy and says

“What will it be love “the boy replies in a deeper voice then the waitress anticipated

“Black coffee, hold the cream”

she retracts her note pad from her hip and scribbles the order, glancing back at the boy she then discovers something; a scar on his neck .The boy notices the waitress trying not to look at his scar and looks at her name badge to see “Ashleye”, then going back to her face, holding her gaze as he swiftly moves he hoody to cover the scar. He breaks her impolite stare by saying

“Can I get a blueberry muffin with that“

she stands confused to what just went happened, walking back she had later noticed that his hoody had been moved ever so slightly, just enough to cover the scar. Who is this boy and why does she want to know more about him?

After taking the young man’s order the waitress comes back with his order gently placing it down on the uneven table, accidently spilling the coffee on her hand she pulls back her hand and there it was, the boy holding out a napkin but barley looking at her as if it was his fault. She grabs the napkin from his hand wiping her clothes before her hands while doing so The boy notices something above the waitresses forehead if it was a scar .It had been covered by her make-up carefully .He then decided to not ask her what happened, he couldn’t do anything even if he tried. So the boy remained quiet. The waitress went off to take the other customers orders. The boy leans back on his chair with is left hand in his pocket and the right hand resting on the crooked table. He watched every face come in and out of the station, thinking; people go day by day not noticing the same thing, that they are all going to die he almost felt sorry for them. He looks at the station clock; it hung on a thick metal chain in the middle of the station.it reminded him of his farther pocket watch a watch he now calls his own.

She came back with his beverages, setting down the muffin as well as repeating his order

“One large black coffee with no cream and one blueberry muffin”

She stands there while staring at the boys hand and noticing how rough they look. The boy notices and took it a bit more personal than one should.

“Something wrong with my order” the boy demanded snapping her out of her trance.

“Ohh sorry no, it’s nothing “just brushing her hair over her covered scar with two fingers, feeling it ever so lightly .The boy carefully studied this and saw that, that scar is nostalgic .The boy studied how deep she was in thought still looking at the waitress he realised that memory was one to remember.

He sat across two tables the first one was occupied by a senor gentleman simply enjoying his morning coffee with his newspaper which was dated back yesterday. The second table was being accompanied by an attractive, young brunette reading a book entitled “The yesterday’s tomorrow” and sitting beside her very, very, very large dog. The boy glares at the dog accidently crossing paths with the dog’s gaze. The dog sits up and barks and remains on guard. Dogs have never liked him he thought he guessed they could sense something that other people cant. He stands up picking up his coffee with him and he shifts to the flower stall.

He gently taps the old lady on the shoulder and says

“Do you have a single rose I could buy “the old lady smirks and chuckles and replies?

“What do you need with a single rose boy? “The boy repeats his question to the lady but adds one new word to his sentence.

“Do you have a single RED rose “the elderly lady shuffles to the back of her stall but returned holding single velvet red rose?

“She’s a lucky woman“

Hesitantly laughing the boy reaches in and out of his pocket for change and holds out some cash to pay the lady. She closes his hand and hands him the rose and says

“This ones on the house”

The boy expresses his gratitude to the wise woman and walks past the station gates behind the blonde; slightly brushing past her without paying his ticket.

He walks onto the train and takes a seat on the right side of the train, and places the rose on the next seat over still having sight of the beautiful blonde he scooches one seat to the right to get out of her sight. He takes a peak out the window to see if someone was following him. He scooches back into his original seat, returning his sight of this enchanting blonde

The blond woman opened up her book and removed a brown leather bookmark. Before she could read one word she looks at the strange boy she brushed past at the gate. She thinks why he looks so panicked in his seat, looking from side to side as if he was on the FBI most wanted but no she could bear no thought on the matter. Although she could see it was much more than that, he’s running from something she could tell by the look on his face, she recognised this look because she once wore it.

Last calls before the trains doors close are made. The train inspector radios to the train operator to depart. The train slowly getting out of the station is immediately stopped; the police arrive on scene starting from one cart to the other, searching each person as they go by. one of the more stupefied passenger begins to curse at them

“Who do you think you are? the f*****g Gestapo” the officers on scene shouted back at him “cuff him” the man begins to wrestle with the officers. After detainment. The superior officer shouts

“Call for back up now!”

The boy hears the commotion getting louder and louder and start to get paranoid. He looks for a way out, he looks to all the doors there f*****g locked “s**t” as he banged on his chair with his fist, this doesn’t stop him he look to roof of the train cart and see an emergency exit, but it’s too risky as he spots a camera facing directly in that direction. He can’t let them have a picture of him. The blonde comes walking to him and grabbing him by the arm with one of the inspectors on her tail calling

“Miss, excuse me, miss” getting louder the further she gets, he runs to the back to get the police. Still having hold of the boy, suddenly she spots an emergency exit. She opens the emergency release and pushes the boy threw, she follows after carefully shutting the door on her way out.

She picks him up and speed walks to the women’s toilets and pushes him in there. She panics slamming both hands on the sinks, bowing her head down and then slowly exhaling.

“Okay, I was supposed to be out of here, and youuu” pointing her finger and slowly walking up to the boy.

“You just had to ruin it for everybody” throwing both hands in the air the boy stands there with both hands in pockets leaning against the next sink staring at her.

“first of all; I don’t even know what just happened second; I don’t know who you are and I’ve never ever seen you in my life third; your actually right this is a little bit my fault and for that I humbly apologise “pulling one hand out of his pocket and placing it on his chest and giving her a blissful curtain call.

“You think this is a joke” she shouts, he stops smiling. She stares at him intensely; not breaking her gaze the boy removes his smirk of his face.

“I am sorry, do you think I wanted this, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, what they where making me do and I’m trying to make sense of it myself “she breaks face and replies to the boy

“Look I’m sorry for going off on you like that, it’s just been a rough couple of months” looking down to her stomach and back to the boy.

“S**t, you’re pregnant”

“You can’t tell anybody, swear to me you won’t tell anyone, SWEAR it” she shouts.

“I swear, I swear I won’t tell anyone”

She sighs with relief “thank you” she takes a breath while he stands there.

“I didn’t catch your name “she says randomly, but still expecting something from him.

“That’s because I didn’t give it, you’re the one who grabbed me, remember”

“Hey I just risked my a*s to save yours; I’m starting to regret that decision “gently touching her belly.

“I think it would be rather good if we got out of this place” he suggests

“The first idea from you which isn’t half bad” she condescendingly replies.

She walks out the door first and he follows as he coming out of the toilets he notices a woman sign. He laughs to himself and nods his head from side to side. He pushes out his way out of the station. They both stand at the gate looking for a way out of town. They spot a nearby bus station and look at each other

“Great minds think alike eh” she springs out

They camouflage with the passengers entering the bus. A man pulls them out of the line and says

“Where’s your ticket” grabbing on to the woman arm, holding on firmly. The boy spots a couple and sees two tickets reaching out of a passenger’s bag and subtly takes them out and shows them to the man.

“Mom here’s our tickets “the boy intervenes. The man releases her arm; snatching both tickets out of the boy hand inspects the ticket as well as replying to them.

“Well Miss Okinawa has a safe journey” as they both walk up the coach stairs brushing passed the suspicious man. He secretly says

“I got my eyes on you “pointing his fingers from his eyes to the both of them.

They push through and look behind them to see a couple fighting with one of the inspectors for misplacing losing their tickets. The boy smirks and walks away. They find refuge at the back; this was no accident as it was the only place where the emergency exit was placed. They sit down placing bags under their seats.

“MOM, really “

“Well I can’t be calling you grandma and your welcome” he says untangling his headphones.

“Thanks” she replies “by the way my name is Rose”

“Toby, Toby Crincket” giving her one of his aliases.

“And your real name is? “Raising her eyebrow at the boy. She ponders.

“Forget it, I don’t really care” removing the same book from the train station out of her rucksack.

“You still have that” Toby says

“Never leave home without one” Alice replies; waving the book in her right hand.

“You know, there are such things called the movies” he says putting both headphones in.

She scoffs “books tell you a story in ways that that the movies just can’t, they test the mind and imagination “she says proudly defending the heritage of books. Not listening, Toby sits in the other corner; tapping his foot on the ground as he has already lost interest in the conversation.but suddenly remembers the rose on the train. She wedges into the seat next to him. The bus accelerates and makes way.