So You're Leaving?

know when to run

"Who's there?" Dally asked threateningly. He wasn't afraid. It took a lot to scare him anymore. There was more groaning as a tall, very older looking man stumbled out from behind the crates carrying an empty Coke bottle. He stood for a moment, stretching slightly as he looked at Dally. "Name's Joe," the man responded. "Who're you?" Dally sized him up quickly and decided there was little threat to his safety- not even worth the effort of standing up. "Dallas," he answered finally. The man grunted and sat down on the other side of the open door across from Dally. "Dallas..." the man muttered. "Dallas Dallas Dallas..." Dally's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, what's it to you?" he asked, starting to get annoyed. Joe's eyes never left the horizon. "Been there." Dally rolled his eyes and looked back out of the doorway. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. "Got enough to share?" Joe asked pleasantly. Dally considered pushing him out the door, but he didn't. Wordlessly, he flung a cigarette and a packet of matches across the floor of the train towards the stowaway. "Most people ridin' in the boxcars are runnin' away from something." Joe said, regarding Dally with a knowing stare. "You look awful young to be running away." "I ain't running away!" Dally snapped. "And I ain't that young!" "You're too young to have the troubles you do." Dally glared at him. "What the hell do you know? You don't know me." "I can read it in your face." Joe said, taking a cigarette from the box and tossing it back to Dally. "You done something you wish you hadn't." Dally just stared dangerously at him. The man was giving him the creeps. Joe shook his head. "Don't mean you gotta jump on the first train heading outta town." Dally was furious. Who did this wacko think he was? "So?" Joe prodded. "So what?" "What'd ya do?" "None of your damn business! And if you don't shut the hell up, I'll kick your ass right off this train! It's getting damn crowded in here." Joe blinked in what looked like mock surprise. "Well. I guess it must've been pretty bad... That kind of language..." Dally threw his cigarette butt into the bushes. "I'm checking up on a friend, all right?" Dally didn't know why he told him. Maybe he just wanted to shut him up. Maybe he just wanted to tell someone. Joe nodded. "I see. Do you think he's all right?" "I don't know, that's why I'm checking on him. Damn. You ask a lot of questions. What do you care, anyhow?" Joe looked mildly amused. "I don't know. You looked like you could use a friend. What's wrong with caring about another person?" Dally glared at him. Besides," Joe went on, "you got something better to do right now?" Dally didn't answer him. "Let me tell you something, Dallas. I've been around a long time. Caring about someone other than yourself is ... what gives meaning to life." "Meaning to life?" Dally snorted. "Yeah. I'm gonna believe some bum knows something about the meaning of life." Joe looked at him intently. "It's got you on a train out of town going to check on a friend. And I figure you must be goin' a long way to be hoppin a train." "Virginia," Dally could've kicked himself. Why do I keep answering him? He thought in frustration. But for all the snapping Dally was doing, there was something about talking to the old man. "Ahh." Joe nodded, looking pleased. "That is a long way. What happened to your friend?" Dally thought about ignoring him. He thought about telling him where to go. Then he heard himself telling him, "He... left town. He's living with a new family." They sat in silence for a while. Joe waited, knowing he had gotten through a little bit of Dally's wall. Then he nodded, as though he had the whole story figured out. "Life wasn't treatin' him so good here?" "This wasn't life," Dally shot back angrily. "It was hell." "So, he must be fine, then. Anything is better than Hell." "How would you know?" Joe smiled and looked out the doorway. "Oh, I know a lot more than you think I do. Just because I look old, and don't have nice clothes... You should know better!" he scolded, still smiling. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Joe just shook his head. "I've been to your side of Tulsa. I actually do know who you are." That didn't surprise Dally at all. "You're very worried about your friend, aren't you? There's something more, isn't there?" Dally's face turned sour and he looked away. Joe just waited. It was a while this time, but Dally responded. "He... he's had it really tough. He was already... kind of on the edge. If this isn't working out-" Dally just shrugged and stopped talking. "Ahh... you're afraid he might do something foolish." Do something foolish? He made it sound like Johnny was going to cheat on a test or something. "Well, your journey is a noble one, then. Why, you're like his guardian angel!" Joe smiled. Dally turned his head and looked at him, almost shocked. He snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right! Maybe you don't know me as well as you think." The very thought had almost gotten a laugh out of him. Dallas Winston, a guardian angel. This guy was really nuts. And he obviously had no idea how serious the situation really was. Dally didn't like the fact that Joe took it so lightly. Like there was nothing to worry about because Johnny's "guardian angel" was about to show up. What if I don't make it in time? Dally started thinking again. Joe raised his eyebrows. "Well, if things were that bad for him here, sounds like he made the right choice, then, to leave." Dally just stared off into the distance. "But you're not so sure..." Joe said, looking at Dally's expression. "What are you, a mind reader now?" Dally shot back. But it was the truth. He wasn't sure. Joe shook his head. "No... not a mind reader. Just seen enough faces to kind of know what people are feeling. And I'm seein' a lot of doubt in yours."Joe gazed off in to the distance again. "It must've been hard for you to let him go... sounds like he's pretty important to you." The guy had struck a raw nerve. Dally went on the defensive. "He's important to the gang. If something happens to him-" "You wouldn't be able to stand it." "I didn't say that!" "You didn't have to." I can handle this... I can handle this! "I've seen people gunned down in the streets of New York!" "Right. So you can handle anything." "Whatever!" Dally turned back towards the window. This guy had struck too many nerves. Dally had said too much. He was not going to say any more. He wanted to yell at him. Tell him to shut up, that he didn't know what he was talking about. But he couldn't. The guy was right. He had no idea if he'd done the right thing or not. And it felt almost relieving to hear someone say it. "Sometimes lettin' people go out of your life is the right thing to do." Joe sighed, sensing Dally's tension. "God's got everything in his hands. Dallas. It may not seem like it all the time, but He does. You gotta have a little faith." "I don't believe in God." Dally said with bitter conviction. Joe just chuckled and leaned back against the wall of the boxcar. "Don't matter," he said closing his eyes. "He believes in you." Dally scowled as Joe drifted off to sleep. He stared out the window some more, until he too gave in to exhaustion. He moved away from the open door and curled up in a dark corner of the car. He eyed Joe suspiciously as his eyes began to close. He was one strange bird.