#21 Last train

Yesterday's weather prompted the change in scenery. Follow the tracks to meet all of the talented writers participating in  30 days minus 2 over at www.weworkforcheese.com

As she sat in the coffee shop she kept surreptitiously looking at her watch.

He was late.

As the waitress came by to refill her cup she nodded her head slightly, smiled and covered her cup; if she drank another cup she'd be floating. As it was the caffeine had her tensed up so much she felt like she could take flight.

She glanced around the coffee shop and noted the customers there. It was late, way past the dinner rush, closer to midnight actually.

Where was he?

She glanced at her watch again. She didn't have much longer, and she simply couldn't wait.

She gathered up her purse and her bags, left a tip for the waitress and headed out the door, the bells jingling as the door swished opened then shut after her. A fine mist fell over her, the weather was taking a turn for the worse.

She'd need to hurry if she was going to make the last train. Her heels clicked in a rhythmic code as she hurried down the platform. She stopped at the ticket office, secured her ticket and found a bench to wait.

It was finally time to board. She took one last long look around the train station her eyes searching, not seeing him. Resolutely she sighed, got up and boarded the train. A soft rain began and drenched the windows mirroring how she felt inside. She sat, desolate, staring out the rain spattered window, not really seeing.

How could I have been so wrong about him?

As the train slowly began to pull out of the station she leaned her head back, sighed and closed her eyes, a single tear streaking down her cheek; the only outward sign  that something was wrong. She wiped the tear away with the back of her hand.

If he couldn't even show up he wasn't worth her tears.

Once again she was reminded that she could not be weak and needed to only count on herself, leaning on him for strength had been a mistake, and she would do this alone. She could do this. She had to do this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the train pulled farther away from the station it’s lights becoming smaller and smaller a distraught young man ran out onto the platform, chest heaving as if he had just finished a marathon. He  stood in the now steady rain, soaked to the skin, watching the taillights of the train disappearing in the worsening storm.

He had missed the train and she was gone. 

There was no way to catch it, and he had no way to reach her.  He ran to the ticket office ready to pay whatever price a ticket on the next train would cost, only to find it closed.

The last train had left and with it the love of his life, but she would never know.

He went back into the station and sat down on one of the benches. He racked his brain trying to figure out what to do next. After a few moments he got up and headed out to his car, he couldn't find a parking spot earlier and he'd had to park blocks away. As he walked  he formed a plan. He would pack a bag and drive there, he had no other choice.

Somehow he was going to find her.