The Age Of The Train

Tom Stephenson decided to have one more beer with his friends before catching the last bus home. He finished the last of his pint and pushed his way through the busy pub to the bar. He waved a hand trying to catch the attention of the staff behind the bar. There were a few people working behind the bar, but not so many actually serving customers.

He chunnered to himself, asking aloud, if he was invisible. Tutting and huffing to himself. Maybe he should just head off home now.

‘I can see you.’ said a voice beside him.

He turned to see a woman with long dark hair wearing a denim jacket. He jerked a thumb towards the staff floating around behind the bar, but didn’t actually seem to be serving anybody. 

‘Honestly, there’s about fifteen people back there doing nothing. I only want a pint of lager.’ he said.

‘Well, I’ll let you go first.’ She laughed. ‘I’m ordering cocktails.’

‘Don’t get me started on cocktails. I always get stuck behind someone ordering a flippin’ cocktail.’ Tom said with a smile.

‘I’m Annie.’

Tom introduced himself before finally managing to order a beer from a passing barman. 

‘I was gonna get the last bus home to Salford. I decided to have another pint and get a taxi. Didn’t think it’d take me half an hour to get served.’

‘Isn’t there a late night train you could catch?’ she asked.

‘I don’t do trains.’ He said. 

Annie ordered her cocktails, and turned to Tom as he was heading back to his friends.

‘Tell you what, love, let me give these drinks to the girls and you can tell me why you boycott the trains? How’s that sound?’ Annie asked. 

‘Deal.’ Tom said. ‘Come and find me over here, yeah?’ 

He pointed to the far side of the busy bar. Annie nodded.

Around ten minutes later, while Tom was talking to his friends, he felt a hand on his arm. Annie smiled warmly. Tom ushered her away from his friends. The last thing she needed was to listen to the drunken ramblings of his friends. 

‘You came back.’ He said.

‘Yes, you’ve got me intrigued about your train theory.’ She smiled. 

Tom took a sip of his pint and cleared his throat, like a university professor about to start a lecture. 

‘I don’t like the railways. Ever since I was a kid, trains have freaked me out. I can’t explain it. I don’t trust them. They rattle along on these weird little tracks.’ A shiver went through him at the very thought. ‘I know, he said, you think I’m weird. I’ve heard it all before.’

‘I think I know what you mean, my mother is afraid of flying, absolutely petrified. She can’t get her head around how those things can hover in the air like that.’ Annie said.

Tom laughed. I think she’s got a point. 

A few drinks later, the conversation and naff jokes were flowing nicely. They seemed to have so much in common, both in their mid-twenties, still lived with their parents, and worked boring office jobs. He and Annie just seemed to hit it off, they connected somehow. And she seemed to genuinely like him too. That didn’t happen very often, usually his bad jokes and random theories put people off. 

Finally, the beer going to his head, he decided it was time for him to head home. He downed the last of his pint and said he was making a move. Annie said she’d sort herself out a taxi with her friends who were still dancing away on the other side of the bar. 

‘Can I see you again?’ He asked.

‘I was just about to ask if I could get your number.’ Annie replied.

‘You read my mind, Annie. Fancy going for a drink one night during the week?’

‘I’d like that.’ Annie nodded. 

Tom and Annie met up several times over the next few weeks. Things just seemed to go really well, really easily between them. 

On a date a few weeks later, over a meal in an Indian restaurant, they were talking about their dream holiday destinations. Tom explained how he was fascinated by the Far East and would love to go to Thailand.

‘Mind you,’ he admitted, ‘I’m sure I’d be petrified the entire time I was there. I may never pluck up the courage to go. What about you? What’s your dream destination?’

She took a sip of her Indian lager and gave him a look he couldn’t quite read.

‘I’d like to go on a trip across Europe, France, Spain, Italy. That’s my dream.’ Annie said.

‘Sounds delightful. And a bit closer to home than Thailand.’ 

‘That’s not the best bit.’ She said.

‘Go on.’ Tom said, intrigued.

‘Or maybe, the worst bit, for you.’ She added.

‘I’d love to do it by train. There’s this rail service that goes from Paris, right the way across the continent. It sounds like a dream.’

‘More like a nightmare. Can we change the subject?’ Tom said, with a shiver.

Twelve months later Tom and Annie were engaged and two years later they were married. In Annie, Tom had found his soul-mate, his best friend. 

After a couple of years of marriage, Annie turned thirty years old. As it was a special birthday, Tom decided to pull out all the stops. Annie deserved something special. Tom worked hard putting everything together.

There was a surprise birthday party, with family and friends, a specially made cake, and a large bunch of flowers from a fancy city-centre florist.

Annie was thrilled at the effort Tom had gone to. In the function room decorated with photos of Annie and family and friends, packed with loved ones, Annie hugged him tight, and thanked him for going to so much trouble. Then the DJ cut the music, and invited Annie onto the dance-floor. Tom joined her. The DJ told Annie and the other party-goers, that Tom had one last gift for her.

Tom heard the comments the crowd, wondering if he’d learned a special dance routine for the big night.

‘Nothing like that, you lot, and I’m not doing a strip-tease, either.’ He said to the crowd.

While they laughed, he reached into his suit jacket and produced an envelope. He handed Annie the envelope. She took the it and read the contents excitedly, as the crowd held their breath. 

‘You didn’t have to do this, you’ve spoilt me enough as it is.’ She continued to read.

‘Is this what I think it is? She asked finally.

He nodded, happy birthday, love. 

‘We’re actually doing it? We’re going on that train journey? What about your phobia?’ she asked.

‘It’s your birthday,’ he shrugged, ‘you deserve it.’

Two weeks later, Tom and Annie arrived at Manchester’s Piccadilly train station. They would catch the train down to London, and from there get the Eurostar to meet the Paris departure and start their European adventure in earnest. 

As they headed down the platform, by the side of the train carriages, Tom tried to control his breathing. He told himself everything would be okay, and reminded himself that he was doing it because it was Annie’s dream trip. She squeezed his hand tight and whispered we’ll be fine as they stepped on the train. 

They filed down the narrow carriage, Annie leading the way, studying the seat numbers as they went. She pointed to their seats, this is us, and slid into the window seat. Tom stashed their bags in the over-head rack and slid in beside her. He looked around. So far so good. They had a nice seat, a table and could, hopefully just try and relax and enjoy their journey. Tom was kitted out for the trip, with a couple of books, magazines and music to listen to on his ear-phones, anything to distract him from the train-journey. 

Tom told himself that people travelled by train every day, people took the train to work, all without incident. As the train shook and shuddered out of the station, he gripped the edge of the table. Annie placed a soothing hand on his thigh. 

An hour later he was still anxious but generally more relaxed. He tried to concentrate on the paperback book and lose himself in the story. Annie dozed next to him, her head against the window. Tom eventually got used to the rattling of the train, and the stopping and starting as the train reached each station. 

When they changed at London, pushing and shoving their way through the bustling crowds in the capital city, Tom told himself that he’d been on one train journey. He’d completed the Manchester to London trip and that had gone fine. 

By the time they started their epic train journey in earnest, in Paris, Tom felt tonnes better than he had. While he didn’t fully relax, the terror and anxiety had faded to more of a nervousness, rather than anything more crippling. He knew people who didn’t like flying but it did not deter them from airline travel. Perhaps in future that would be him and the railways. Maybe he’d always need the distraction and always be nervous, but maybe he’d actually be able to travel by train in future. 

The European train trip turned out to be delightful. They ventured their way across the continent, hopping on and off the trains, and exploring all that France, Spain and Italy had to offer, before turning in for the night at some quaint hotel. 

It was all such a wonderful adventure, and Tom had to admit, that despite his nerves, there was also something exotic and romantic about the railways. They stopped off to enjoy some lovely local food in restaurants tucked down narrow back streets that most tourists never discovered. 

Tom felt like they were on some television travel programme, the two of them crossing the continent with their bags on their back, catching connecting trains and following their progress on the map. 

By the time they were due to start making their way back home, Tom had really settled into the travel lifestyle. Maybe in future they would venture further afield, head to the Far East, as he’d dreamed of doing. Maybe they’d be hopping on and off internal flights in Thailand and Vietnam next. These days he even looked more like a globe-trotter, as his hair touched his collar, and he now sported a full beard. 

They arrived in London still buzzing from their trip, but ready for home. They just had one more leg of their train journey to make, London back to Manchester. 

When the guy came round with the drinks trolley, pushing the heavy trolley down the narrow carriage, Tom gave Annie a nudge. He suggested they treat themselves and have a celebratory drink to finish off their holiday in style. Annie agreed that would be lovely. 

A few drinks and a few train stops later, Tom needed the toilet. The cubicle was tiny. He would be glad to be getting back to his own bed, and he smiled, to his own bathroom. 

He was on his way back down the carriage, wondering how much of the three hour journey they had left to go. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud screeching sound. The sound was so loud it hurt his ears. 

The carriage jerked suddenly and violently. People were spilled out of their seats. It felt like the world was turned upside down. Screaming, crying and yelling filled his ears. The carriage shifted suddenly again. Tom was flung hard into the wall of the carriage. 

Then everything went black.

Tom opened his eyes. He wondered for a moment what he was doing in bed on a hospital ward. Then the memory came back to him of the train crash. He winced in pain, his whole body hurt and a headache wracked his head. He turned to see Annie at his bedside. She was sitting in a plastic chair and looked like she had been crying.

She had scratches on her cheek and the sleeve of her jacket was ripped. Thankfully she seemed to have fared better than him in the crash. He forced a smile.

‘Good morning.’ He said, weakly. 

She took hold of his hand and asked how he was feeling.

‘Like I’ve been hit by a train.’ He said.

‘You were right about the trains. You knew all the time.’ Annie said. 

‘I always had this feeling. I couldn’t quite explain it.’ He said. 

‘I’m so sorry. You were right. We shouldn’t have gone. I should have listened to you.’ She said.

Tom shook his head, then spoke, still smiling but with tears in his eyes. 

‘I wouldn’t have changed a thing.’

By Chris Platt

From: United Kingdom