Leaving my old life behind on the train tracks

Short Story

I take a seat on the train station, a burst of impatience beginning to swirl up inside of me. Staring back at the crowd of milling busy people, I make sure no familiar faces have followed me here. I pull down the brim of my hat just to be safe keeping my face out of sight. I need to get out of here, fast.

The bright, early morning air greets me, as I await for my upcoming train to arrive and take me away to my new life. The state of devastation and loneliness for the past couple of years in my life had me running away constantly from home and finding myself returning. Because I know that realistically deep down, I have absolutely nowhere else to go. Running away have become a monthly cycle for me, as if I am trapped in a never ending labyrinth that I seem to not be able to get out of. But not today, because I will find a way to escape this labyrinth once and for all.

My phone vibrates interrupting me from my thoughts and I stare at the message on the screen feeling a pang of guilt, but before anything can change my mind I hastily chuck my phone down onto the train tracks. My phone shatters in pieces expressing the state I have been in for the past couple of years. Broken, yet eligible to be fixed.  Onlookers nearby, stops and stare at me curiously whispering to one another.

“Poor girl must be a runaway...”

“I recognize her, her dad is a madman…”

“If you think the dad is bad, wait til you see the mother.. “

“Ten men every week for that woman, no wonder her dad is mad..”

“Wonder where she’s off to...”

Ignoring the exclaims around me I keep my chin up high staring up far ahead sustaining my pride. My whole life, I've grew up independently relying and only trusting myself. My parents were never there for me and still isn’t. So I’ve never felt the need of a stranger’s compassion or help, if family were already so useless.

Suddenly my instincts alerts me of a stranger watching upon me. I look up to my right and the head turns just as I catch him. He turns away bashfully, but just enough for me to spot a pair of beautiful turquoise eyes. I hold my breath, unable to decide whether I should worry or not. The hoot of the train's arrival greets me and I thankfully hurry on. I grab a seat next to the window, sneaking a quick peep outside of the window to see if the guy is out there. I can’t find him and I ponder why I care.

 "Do you mind if I sit here?"

A soft, hopeful voice spoke from behind me causing me to flinch. I turn to see who the speaker is and freeze. Unmistakably the pair of turquoise eyes belongs to the stranger who have been watching me earlier. He grins and takes a seat next to me, dumping his bags against mine even though I didn’t answer his question.

Yes I do mind in fact, I think of saying aloud. But before I can speak, his eyebrows curl down into a frown and I start to wonder if I did something wrong. Suddenly, he looks back up at me catching me staring at him and grins. Abashed I turn away staring outside the window, pretending that the sky is fascinating. I start to wonder if I’ve imagined the frown at all. A bright, cheerful face like his wouldn’t be possible for a frown. And if so, what kind of problems can a cheerful person really have?

He observes the bags that wears around my feet, a thoughtful look replaces the happy grin that he wore a minute ago. He's not the only one who've done this. I've come across many onlookers during my runaways who have attempted to place together pieces to understand my story. But I try to give nothing away. I suddenly feel self-conscious and decide to take in his appearance as well to find out who he really are. I note how ruined his outfit is, a once expensive coat is now murky and ragged. His shoes I recognize are from one of the most expensive stores in the city of London were once stylish are now torn. His hair, obviously states the lack of conditioner and his bitten finger nails are filthy. But his bright, cheerful smile on his face outweighs the dullness of the outfit and somehow still manages to pull off the look and stay handsome. But I know behind that smile, there’s an entire different story.

Beginning to slowly unravel the mystery of the boy, my eyes linger among his bags. No difference to mine, no difference at all. I take a sniff of him, and if he think it was weird he didn't show it at all. A familiarity smell surprises me. I stare at him and he stares right back at me. He had figured me out already, he figured it out the moment he saw me. It was in his eyes, hope that was. It explains why he has been watching me. He must have gotten the sign that I finally figured it out like he did, because then his grin widens and I learn his smile is contagious, as I surprise myself with a grin. I cannot remember the last time I’ve sincerely smiled.  

“Where are we going to go?”

He asks softly.

“Where ever this train takes us to.”

I reply with a satisfied smile. He turns and shoots me a puzzle look, which he then replaces by a big grin of his. Like always. I know by the look in his eyes he trusts me, even though he just met me. This sudden trust fills me with appreciativeness and I wonder if I may ever be able to rely or trust another person other than myself. It would be a nice change for once.

Detaching my eyes away from him I peer out beyond the windows of the train taking in the creation of the sky. The beautiful sunset fills me with a vibrant vibe, embracing me with its warmth and energy. I lose myself in the midst of all this, while sharing a peaceful silence with the boy with the turquoise eyes. I paint a picture of the future in my head that I yearn for, of all the things I am able to do, dreams to chase, with no one to hold me back. Instead of the usual throbbing of precarious ignition, a calmness stirs within me. The calmness is an unfamiliar feeling to me but I find it enlightening and decide, I can get used to this. The train hoots, rumbling on and quivers, rocking me from side to side like a mother rocking her baby while singing a lullaby. Peaceful.

And for the first time of my life, I realize I am not alone anymore and I don’t have to be. I know this is just the beginning, and it can only get better. I believe it is safe to say, I’m leaving my old life behind on the train tracks.