Chronicles of the Desolate

Trains and Winter Rains 🥖

I am thoroughly downcast tonight.....

Sometimes all of this awful fighting makes you wonder if you have a right to call yourself human. My honey, I am so sick of it all, the killing, the war. All I want is home and you.

--Billy Bishop to his wife.

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The train was rocking gently, and the sound of the soft thumping tracks had lured others to sleep, but sleep was far from William's mind. He stared out the window, at the small town in the distance slowly grow larger as they got closer. He couldn't help picturing a dozen different scenarios of his and Annie's reunion. Her angry.... her happy.... with his son.... How old was William junior? One year old? Without meaning to, he pictured Annie with another man. William squeezed his eyes shut. He wouldn't blame her, not after what he'd done. Yet the jealousy was clear. William forced himself to think of something else, but the first thing to come to mind was Blake. Gritting his teeth, William cleared his mind and stared hard out the window. Snow flittered about in flurries, but it seemed to be clearing up. In about an hour, he would be seeing his wife and their child.

He made to rub his hands together, but when his right hand met nothing but air, it made him jolt.

~

"The men are coming home! They're here!"

People in the streets cried out in joy, hugging each other.

"They're coming in the train!"

Annie almost dropped the bag of flour. Her heart suddenly started beating fast, as if she'd just run a few miles. Fumbling with the sack, she put it down. She found her hands were shaking when she tried to take off her apron. She ended up leaving it on. "Junior?" Hurrying to the storage room, she found her son playing quietly with a stick doll and pieces of bread. "Junior, come quick, daddy's coming home."

The boy clambered to his feet, taking his mother's hand. "Dada's home?"

"Yes, honey, let's go find him!" Annie was nervous, but excited. Just before she left, Annie remembered to throw another log of wood in the fire, just in case she would be gone a while. The pair moved quickly, closing the bakery, and walking fast to the train station. William Jr. wound up in Annie's arms, wrapped in her shawl, clutching her dress. The snow from earlier piled up on sidewalks and buildings, and the cobbled walkway was icy. All around them, children with their mothers, older men and women, and others were just as eager to meet and welcome the heroes of war. Reaching the station, Annie decided to hang back, not wanting to be crushed by the gushing crowds. A train had just pulled in and the driver was barking orders at the excitable people.

"Back up! The men need space to get off the train! We can't have you crushing them! Back up!"

Space was clearing and people were chatting. Annie couldn't see what was happening, but the joyful cries of mothers, wives and women reuniting with their men made Annie anxious to get to the front and find—

William.

He hung off the train car, holding a train car handle. His eyes slowly searching the crowds.
Anticipation that was building up spilled over and Annie called out as loud as she could. "William! Will!"

His eyes snapped to her and within moments he'd dived and disappeared into the surging crowd. Annie backed up a bit, moving to a space where she wouldn't be jostled and elbowed by people. In her arms, Junior wiggled about, hiding his cold, pink nose in her neck, sending more chills through her body.

"Annie!" William had emerged from the crowds, hat in one hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. The two embraced hard, pressing cold lips together and sharing tears and small cries of mixed emotions.

Will Jr. quickly made himself known, throwing a hand up to grab their attention. He was cold, hungry, and a stranger had his arms wrapped around his mother.

"Mami!"

Annie released her tight hold on William, but didn't let go of his biceps, her hands fisting his jacket.

William's grey-green eyes landed on the squirming boy.

"My boy..."

William Junior had never seen his father in the flesh, but could see the familiarity in the picture his mother showed him often. He eyed the ragged man before him with hesitation.

"Willy, it's your daddy, it's okay," Annie rubbed his arms, prompting the boy to wave. Suddenly over his previous contempt, he shyly hid back in his mother's hair. 

Feeling as if in a dream, all William did was rest his hand on his boy's back, drinking in the sight of his young wife and child. 

He once again engulfed the two in a hug.

"Can we go home?" He mumbled in to Annie's hair. He could smell the bread and dough, and with it brought back memories. 

"Yes, of couse. Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" 

"All I need is home and you,"