Along the Rails

Phone Call

c h a p t e r 5

I awoke to the smell of roasting sausages. Yawning, I sat up and looked at Jack who had two sausages on a stick. He looked over at me.

"Good evening sleeping beauty." I blushed before I realized he was teasing me. He laughed.

"How long was I asleep?" I looked around at the darkening sky.

"About five hours." I gave him a confused look concerning the night-time feel. "It gets dark in Minnesota around four or five in the afternoon. It's about half past three."

"Oh." A few minutes passed in silence as we listened to the crackling. I watched Jack as he slowly turned the sausages.

"I hope you're ready for another train ride Charlie." He looked over to see my curious expression and continued. "If we're gonna find your dad, we'll have to go as soon as possible so that we can catch up with him. If we don't reach him before he ends the journey, he'll disappear again."

"What do you mean by disappearing again?"

"As I told you, your father's very nomadic and staying somewhere more than a few days can be hard for him. it just goes to show how much he loved you and your family to stay weeks before leaving again."

"Couldn't we call him and tell him to wait?"

He laughed. "No, your dad doesn't have a phone. No one in the business has a phone. If we're caught and they take our possessions, they could use it as evidence. If we're gonna find him, we have to play our cards perfectly or else it might be a month before we see him again."

"Do you think he would go back to my family?"

"Possibly, but that's a slim chance considering you haven't seen him in eight months. He's had multiple opportunities to disappear and come to visit you all but he has chosen not to." His last words struck me and my eyes watered. I quickly wiped them away, catching his attention. "I'm sorry for saying that. I know you miss him and I'm sure he feels the same for you. One thing's for sure, we have received a lot of business in the past year which could account for his absence." I nodded, knowing he was trying to comfort me.

"Yeah, I guess so."

——

As I lay there, staring up at the sky, I thought of my family back home. What was running through their minds. Did mom think that she was a bad enough parent to make me run away? Did my siblings worry about where I was? Or did they all know deep down why I left? Did they know that my actions were inevitable and I would be forced to leave? All of these thoughts made me anxious and I became uncomfortable, switching from my left side to my back to my right and then back again. After a while, I couldn't stand it anymore.

I stood up and began walking towards town where I remembered seeing a pay phone. Upon reaching said phone, I pulled out a few quarters that I had received as change for the coffee earlier that morning. Dropping them into the machine, I punched in the house number and waited as the phone beeped every couple seconds. After a time, I thought they wouldn't pick up (which wouldn't be surprising considering it was probably around two in the morning there). I heard a click and a familiar voice.

"Hello?" I froze up, suddenly feeling homesick.

"Hi mom." I heard a gasp on the other end of the line.

"Charlie! Where are you?"

"I can't say mom." There was a pause.

"You're looking for father aren't you."

"Yes."

"Hmm."

"Mom, promise me that you won't call the police on me. I need to find him." She sighed.

"Alright, but you promise me that once you find him, return home. Your siblings miss you and the house feels empty without you. Just remember that we all love you, your siblings, your mother, and your father. He has demons that he struggles to control. Don't take everything he says to heart. And be safe and call me whenever you can, ok?" As I was about to respond, I was pushed to the wall, the phone dropping to the ground. Jack, a look of anger in his eyes, kept me against the wall

"Who were you talking to? I hope it isn't the cops!"

"No! It's my mom!" His grip on me loosened.

"Really? And you decided to sneak off at four in the morning to do that?" I began to cry, suddenly wishing I was home with my family.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure they were alright. I didn't mean to be secretive. I just couldn't sleep and I figured I could talk to my mom." His expression wavered as he questioned whether to believe me or not. He let me go and picked up the phone, looking to see my reaction. I had nothing to hide. He spoke into the phone.

"Hello?... Yes, sorry this is Jack...You know about me?...Yes I will make sure that he gets safely across...Yes, along the rails....We leave in half an hour...Sorry about that, I didn't mean to jump him...Yes I'll give the phone back." He handed me the phone apologetically. I waited for him to walk off before bring the phone to my ear.

"Sorry about that mom."

"He thinks you're a boy."

"Yeah, I haven't let him think otherwise."

"That's a good idea. Remember to be safe. I'll tell your siblings about your call when they awake. I love you my darling. Remember that the world can be a wonderful place, but it can also be dangerous. I trust that you can choose wisely between the two. Goodbye my darling. Until we speak again." I had no time to wish her farewell before she hung up on me. I figured she couldn't take me saying goodbye to her.