Train Hopper

The family, large in numbers, sat in the living room that was illuminated by the TV.

"Where's Dale, get Dale," mom said to the family.

"He's in his room," Linda said.

"Go gettem',"

"Dale! Dale! Momma wants to talk to you," Linda said as she banged on Dale's scratched up bedroom door."

"About what!" Dale said.

"I dunno, sumthin' important, it's about Auntie out in Arizona. They been talking to us all about it and you the only one not down there. C'mon."

Dale quickly snapped open his door and made his way down the stairs - his shoulders slumped - to the living room where the rest of his family was waiting in silence. Dale stepped over his toddler siblings and took a seat on the sofa with his sisters.

"Dale...you know aunt Libby passed away last week."

"Ya ma'."

"And she was out in Arizona."

"Uh huh."

"And how we're doing the funeral out here."

"Why not out in Arizona?"

"We can't afford to go out there."

"Ok," Dale motioned to his younger brother to pass the Doritos.

"Well we need someone to bring her back," mom said as she looked clearly at him with a focused face.

"Like...her. As in, her body?"

"Her body."

"What?. I have an interview next week I can't-"

"If you had a job we'd find someone else but you don't."

"What about Ella? She's ain't in school yet"

"She starts next week, we don't want her missing any time if anything happens."

"If anything happens? We can't just have her cremated? I don't mean to be crude...but...y'know it would make it a lot easier"

"We can't have her cremated after what happened with Gran Luna."

"And no one out in Arizona has a say? No one out there wants her buried out there?"

"She ain't got no one out there. Listen. We'll explain how everything's going to work and you won't have any problems. But we need a decision by tomorrow. We can't let this linger or we'll have to have her cremated, which we don't want. She didn't want."

"Ok I'll bring if Janey can come along. She can help," Dale said while Janey made a wide smile and sat up tall.

"Janey's still 15, we can't let her go."

"I ain't even got my full license. I only started driving this year."

"If anyone gives you any problems we can work it out. I know it's a big decision but just think it over tonight. We'll talk tomorrow," mom said as she grabbed her cup of bourbon and leaned back in her chair.

Dale took on the confused look of someone who'd just been told they needed to drive their dead aunt from Arizona to Indiana. He left the sofa and Doritos, slowly making his way up to his room, scanning his mind for answers. He laid in his bed, looking at his phone and at the message from his friends inviting them to their baby shower this coming weekend. He decided he would go to get his aunt.

The next morning he woke up early, and sat on the wraparound porch of their white clad home which sat in front of the dry and dusty cornfields of Indiana. His dad came out with coffee and joined him. His dad showed him down to the family car he would be taking, pointing out all the things he had planned for emergencies: license and registration and a first aid kit in the glove box, a tent and spare tire in the trunk.