Train in Time

by Jennifer Kelbaugh

She sits on her high-backed train seat, in the old-fashioned coach car, and listen to the clacketa-claketa of the rails going by under the train, like seconds ticking away. She has the coach to herself at the moment, and the slow rocking of the car on the track has lulled her almost to sleep. She looks out the window and realizes the rain has stopped and everything is still soaked, but the sun has begun to shine from somewhere on the other side of the train. She watches the shadows the cars make on the ground just beyond the tracks, and lets her gaze drift out across the flat landscape. There weren't any houses in site, nor much in the way of trees.

Behind her the door slides open, and she turns around startled from her private reverie. A young man smiles down at her and looks at his ticket.

"I believe I am in this coach until I change trains tomorrow," he says gently, knowing he had disturbed her silence.

She smiles, and offers him the seat across from her in the coach. He lays his bags in the overhead rack, and pulls off his damp overcoat. She hadn't even noticed the train had stopped to pick anyone up.

"Funny," she thought. "I thought I would hear a whistle blow, or feel the jerk of train if we had stopped recently."

She offers her hand in greeting, and says, "Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am travelling to the coast to see relatives."

He smiles again, and she notices his straight white teeth. "I'm William, and I am travelling southwards on business."

They chatted for a while, and found that there was no lack for conversation. Sarah was knowledgeable from her parents, and from the schooling she had, and William, having been in the work force had many years of experience in life itself. At one point they both noticed they had been lulled by the train over the rails, and Sarah commented, "Its like time marching on, isn't it?"

William responded, "I was thinking the same thing. You know, they say time shouldn't be wasted. I have enjoyed your company immensely; would you care to join me for dinner this evening?"

Sarah thought for a moment to what her mother had said about safe travel these days. "Yes, I would love to join you for dinner. I find you have a wonderful perspective on things in general."

He escorted her to the dining car, where they smiled and laughed over a meal that neither would remember. The conversation turned from Sarah's schooling, to William's travel. They talked about the coast, which Sarah had not seen before, and the small town where William had grown up. There were many differences in their environments, but they found a great many common threads as well.

After dinner, they retreated again to the coach car, and Sarah noticed that it was now dark outside, and there was no scenery but distant homestead lights. She pulled the curtain to shut out the cold night, and William smiled at her.

William had been watching her since he had taken a seat in her coach. He had noticed her sense of confidence, something most ladies did not have these days, and it put his mind at ease. He was not put to worry for her well being as they shared a part of their travel together. She reminded him, in a way, of himself as he was growing up - a bit stubborn, but with reason. He had always known the answers, but people didn't like trusting someone younger to know what to do in most situations.

She looked back from the shade at William and caught him gazing at her. She blushed and waved her hand at him, as if to bring him back to the coach car from wherever he was, and he laughed and blushed himself. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I was just thinking how we have much in common. You remind me of how I was at your age - smart and stubborn."

"Stubborn?" she questioned.

"Perhaps stubborn isn't what I mean. You have the confidence to say what you know is right, and not give a care whether other people believe your answers as right or wrong."

Sarah paused and thought about his statement. It was one reason she was travelling out to be with relatives. Her parents had decided that she was just too outspoken for a lady, and were sending her to stay with her aunt and cousins to develop some restraint and improve her manners. "I've always been considered outspoken by my family. They believe a lady shouldn't carry herself so boldly. We are supposed to be more demure and submissive in arguments and whatnot. I just don't believe that is fair. It seems to me that it shouldn't matter whether you are a lady or a gentlemen if you know the right answer to a question."

William laughed, and patted her hand, which she had balled into a fist while she had been talking. Sarah blushed and pulled her hand back, laying it flat on the folds of her dress.

"Exactly. My father always told me to listen to the older men to learn from them, but I knew that there were better ways to accomplish things, if the old farts would just listen to me. I went into the business world at a young age to prove to my father that I was right, and believe you me, sometimes I have regretted it. But, you must say what you feel, and someday, someone will listen," said William to Sarah, with his hand still on her knee, minus her hand.

She bent her head so he would not see her blush again, and her long hair fell around her face. She reached up with a finger and toyed with a long lock, twisting it in her fingers. The one thing that always proved to her that she was a lady was her beautiful hair. It was an auburn brown, and it had always been like a crown to her.

She looked up again, and he looked at her bashfully, and said, under his breath, "you have beautiful hair Sarah. I have never seen such precious locks on a lady before. Usually women tuck them up so men cannot see them, but you leave yours down. How wonderful it looks right now."

Sarah put her hand back out on her knee, and William's hand covered it completely, and he pressed gently.

"Sarah, I believe I would like to not change trains tomorrow. Would you allow me to share more time with you as you travel?" William paused. " I have business I can do on the coast. I will just re-adjust my schedule."

Sarah smiled, and could not hide her delight in his request. She had been enjoying his company so much today. She was not ready to think that he would be gone like a dream tomorrow. This man, William, was listening to her, and not depreciating her words because of her being a lady.

"Yes, William, I would like that very much," Sarah whispered back. "I believe I have never met a more kind gentleman than yourself, and I would like to not have our conversation be cut short tomorrow."

They both smiled fully at each other, and paused again. Running through both their minds was a distant thought, "What does he/she think of me?" But, neither of them spoke this thought, and they giggled a bit when they realized they had been silent for a moment too long.

Their conversation lasted late into the night, and William asked if he might walk her safely to her berth. She responded happily yes, and he asked if they could dine together again in the morning. When she smiled and nodded at him, his heart filled up with ... joy? He was only asking to talk with her at breakfast, as they had talked at dinner. He let the feeling go, and walked back to his own berth.

The next morning, Sarah woke up with a smile on her face and a feeling of anticipation for William to come get her for breakfast. She washed her face in the small lavatory, and combed her hair out. She had planned to put it up this morning, but thought better, and only put her clip through a small handful at the top of her head. The clip let her hair cascade around her face without her constant care to keep it from being in her way.

She heard Williams's footsteps in time to turn around and catch her breath. He had changed suits, and he was holding his arm out for her to escort her. She giggled, and he laughed, as they sauntered down the hallway together arm in arm.

The dining car was full of chattering people, but she only heard William and saw his perfect smile looking back at her. Their conversation was light, recapping last night, and they both commented that it was terribly enjoyable to have a travelling companion. He touched her hand lightly during their meal, but she hesitated to return his gesture and he let his hand go back to the linen tablecloth.

They retreated after breakfast to the coach again, and she drew up the shade to reveal a sparkling landscape. It had been raining here yesterday as well, but the morning sunlight on the wet leaves and grasses made everything sparkle as if it were covered in diamonds. She smiled, thinking how beautiful the scenery was, and turn to see William again gazing at her.

"William!" she said blushing. "Why do you keep gazing at me that way?"

William blushed too, and looked down, rather than at her. He stopped smiling for a moment, then looked her square in the face. "Sarah, do you remember last night when I told you that you have to say what you feel, and not worry whether other people think it is right or wrong?"

Sarah nodded, and William continued. "Well I have something on my mind, but I have not shared it with you, for fear of your reaction." He paused, "I am really enjoying your company Sarah, and I do not wish for it to end."

Sarah smiled and laughed. "Is that all William? I told you last night that I was enjoying your company immensely, and I would not mind you continuing on with me. What is your concern about?"

William put his hand over hers again, but did not let go when she pulled her hand away slightly. "Sarah, I believe that I have more than a passing interest in our conversations. I believe that you are a wonderful woman, and I would like to know more about you. I find you attractive Sarah."

Sarah's heart stopped. She repeated what he had said to her, and what he was implying. "You find me attractive? And you want to know more about me?" She looked at him. "William, I don't know what to say. I never expected ... " She trailed off.

William gently pressed his hand upon hers. "Say what you feel Sarah. That is what I like about you. You always say what you are feeling. You don't care that it isn't the way a lady is supposed to be. I have noticed that you have strong views on a lot of things, and you are not willing to take second place to a gentleman, because he is a gentleman."

Sarah laid her other hand upon William's, and looked him in the eyes. She noticed they were clear blue, like the sky outside, and were expectant. He was waiting to hear her answer. "I ... I am young. I don't know much about these things yet. I feel drawn to you. I feel you understand me, as if you had been inside my head before. I ... find you handsome William. I noticed it this morning before breakfast."

Sarah paused, and looked out the window. When she looked back, there was a tear in her eyes. He saw it quivering to be released, and Sarah blinked, causing it to well out and run slowly down her fair cheek. He quickly raised a finger to wipe it away, and she leaned toward his hand.

"William, what will my parents think of me? I am travelling to learn to be a lady from my aunt, and I have never courted. I don't know anything about how to act, or how to talk or any etiquette. I know that I want to be with you, to learn more. I want to have you there to listen to me. No one has listened to me before, not like you have."

William looked to her eyes for approval, then moved across the coach to sit beside her. He put an arm gently around her and turned her to his chest, where she laid her head and cried quietly for a moment. William whispered as he stroked her hair, "it'll be all right Sarah." She looked up at him, and he smiled down on her, and somewhere deep in their hearts they knew that this would not end when the train ride did.

William tilted her face upward to look at him eye to eye, and he took notice that even though she had been weeping, she had beautiful brown eyes. They were large and unafraid of what they saw. He bent down and kissed her gently, barely brushing her lips and she gasped.

William was taken aback, and paused to see what he had done wrong. Sarah had closed her eyes, but did not look upset. He smiled, knowing that the gasp had not been meant as a warning, and leaned in for a second kiss, so tender, so warm, that time stood still - for just a moment, they had made time stand still.

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The contents of these pages are copyright 1996 by Jennifer Kelbaugh. Said contents may not be published for profit or restricted without the express written permission of the author. For the purposes of this notice, the author of all contents on this page is Jennifer Kelbaugh.