Riding the Rails

Buster boarded the train, taking his seat beside a window. He was thirty, his adventurous spirit finally pulling him onto a cross-country train trip to see his mother. Buster had moved to California as soon as he could to live a different life. Now, he desperately wanted to get home to see his mother and her new husband, a man Buster knew little about.

As he peered out the window, he noticed a familiar face running towards the train. She handed her ticket to a conductor, pausing for a moment. Buster studied her face and her hair. He then grinned to himself as the woman boarded the train; she was none other than Francine Frensky.

Buster sort of knew her story. She followed her sister out west with her new fiance, hoping to find a good life at a college there while she lived with the two. When they split, her sister moved back to Elwood City, but Francine remained, as did the fiance. Rumors flew online that the two were together, but Buster decided to stay out of the drama. As he looked out the window, wondering where Francine would end up on the train, he almost regretted this decision. He should've stayed in touch with everyone, but now he was returning home clueless, yet somehow carefree as always.

"Is this 9A?" a woman asked. Buster turned and saw her: Francine. Her face flickered as she recognized him. She took the seat as the conductor paced the aisles looking for anyone without a ticket. Francine blushed as she pulled her hair from her face. She neatly put it into a pony tail, smiling to Buster a moment later, "You are the last person I thought I'd see today."

"Well, here I am," Buster chuckled. "Where exactly are you heading?" he asked. Francine shook her head and looked over him. The train was beginning to move away from the station. As it built speed, Francine seemed to relax, and when Buster noticed she seemed okay again, he asked his question once more.

Francine sighed, "Look, Buster, it's been what, twelve years, since we saw each other last? You don't need to know everything. No one does," she whispered, looking out the windows on the opposite side of the train. A woman was bouncing a toddler on her lap two seats down across the aisle. Francine nearly scowled at them and turned away.

Buster eyed Francine carefully, "You just look like something is really bothering you. I'd like to try to help if I can. I mean, a lot has changed for me too, you know."

"Like what?" Francine asked coldly. "I follow you online, Buster. That's why I figured you already knew everything, why I shouldn't have to repeat it...," she trailed off, staring at the back of the seat in front of her, "Look, I just really need to get away from here. The best way you can help me is to make sure I get home, okay? That's all I want right now: to go home."

Buster nodded and shifted in his seat. The train had reached full speed now, and the scenery seemed to blur in Buster's eyes. His phone buzzed and he looked down. His mother was sending him a text filled with good wishes. She was also curious about when he would return. The trip would take two days for him, but only because he wanted it to. While he was eager to go home, he was eager to see his country as well.

After replying to his mother, Buster tapped into the train's wifi and pulled up his social media pages. He rarely went on the site, and when he did, it was to briefly say what he was up to at the moment. It was his replacement for calling his mother sometimes, but compared to the people he had befriended on the site, he was a very light poster.

He pulled up Francine's profile and shifted in his seat. Her profile picture was of her and a small child, a little girl. A comment section on her page was filled with well-wishes for Francine. Buster continued scrolling to figure out why so many people would give her happy thoughts and whatnot, many of them old classmates that didn't seem to have much connection to her at all.

Then he got to the post: "They're taking my baby away from me today. Her father won full-custody. I guess taking care of a young life by yourself for two and half years without making one single mistake was enough of a reason to steal her from me. Nothing in this country is sacred. Please, hug your children tonight, and if you're with someone you don't want to have them with, run as far away as you can."

Buster shifted, eyeing Francine carefully. The child from up the aisle was giggling and gurgling as her mother played with her. The resemblance to Francine's child was striking. She wore her hair similarly to the baby in the picture, and her outfit looked the same as well. But it was her eyes that were the most similar, both of them bright and happy as her mother played with her.

"I can't take this anymore," Francine muttered, standing and rushing out of the car. Buster instinctively followed her, and the two ended up at a small bar in the dining car. They flashed ID's before ordering their respective drinks. Buster thought of buying Francine's, but he knew better. He simply sat beside her.

"Hey, where you headed?" the bartender asked Buster. Buster smiled, "I'm from a town back east called Elwood City. I'm going to see my mom and her new husband," he replied. The bartender nodded and looked to Francine. She shook her head. Buster smiled nervously, "I think she's going to the same place. We used to go to school together. A lot has changed since then."

"Yes it has, Buster Baxter, and I'd appreciate it if you left me the hell alone for two seconds," Francine growled. The bartender clicked his tongue, "Honey, let me tell you a little secret. It takes a concerned person to ask how you are now days. I ask all the time; I took this job to hear the stories of the world. Believe me, I wouldn't ask otherwise."

Francine looked to Buster coldly, "So you actually care about what I've been through? You really, honestly want to hear every little detail?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, you are going home to your mother. She'll tell the whole town if I give you even a snippet of details."

Buster glanced at the bartender, who moved away. He turned back to Francine, "Look, I just saw what happened. Whatever you tell me will remain with me. I want to know what happened. That's all, and if I can help you, I want to try. Please," he smiled, "I hate seeing you look so broken."

Francine shifted and stood up. She moved to a small table at the far end of the car. She sipped her drink and looked out the window for a few minutes. Buster waited patiently as she composed herself.

"I was engaged to Catherine's ex, a bodybuilder named Charles. He was an interesting guy. As soon as Catherine dumped him and headed home, we decided we clicked. We started dating and hooking up. We'd been engaged six months when I found out I was pregnant," she whispered, swallowing a sip of her drink. "He changed then, but so did I. My dark side really came out, and he just couldn't handle it. He broke off the engagement and moved to Idaho with some buddies, something about opening a gym.

"Anyway, I had her on my own, Caroline," Francine smiled. "She was the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. I realized that I had to be a nice person because she needed friends, and moms don't want to hang out with anyone who'd be a bad influence on their children. So I made friends, lots of them. I became a mommy blogger and worked from home. Everything was perfect.

"Then Charles wrote me a letter, an actual paper letter, telling me he was marrying his high school sweetheart, some blonde named Pixie or something, and he wanted to see his daughter. I refused to let him. He left before she was born, so I didn't even put him on the birth certificate. I wanted him out of my life, and I thought I was successful.

"Then the police came," Francine whispered, gulping as she stared at the table. "They claimed someone had seen me hit my daughter. She'd fallen a few days before and had bruises. Security footage from the park proved it, but they still believed the anonymous tipster more than me. They took my baby and gave her to Charles," she sobbed. "I couldn't fight it! I tried so hard, but all those friends I'd made left me in a heartbeat. They treated me like I used to treat other people...

"Why was I ever liked that?" Francine sobbed, resting her head on the table as she cried. Buster put his hand on her shoulder. He never expected such a heart-breaking story. He almost wondered if it was completely true because he thought such things were illegal. But he wouldn't question her, not now at her lowest point.

When Francine composed herself, she looked up at Buster. She snickered, "I can't believe you're still into jokes and having a good time. That smile just never leaves your face, does it?"

"Why should it? I mean, I've had my own tough times. I've been working the same stupid jobs for years now, all of them the same crappy dead-end nightmare. The only thing to get me through is my own smile and my own jokes. It really is better to smile sometimes, but...that did hurt to hear," Buster admitted.

Francine nodded and looked out the window, "I thought this train ride would help me clear my head. Mom insisted I fly. Catherine insisted I fly off a cliff," she scoffed. "My sister hates me now. She claimed I'm the one who broke up her relationship with him. I was barely home until she left. I realize now we really were never close."

The train slowed as they went through a small town. The two finished their drinks and decided to head to the dining car. Buster's appetite was still voracious, and he ordered one of their largest meals. Francine ordered a simple salad, no dressing. As their food arrived, she looked him over.

"What?" Buster asked. Francine shook her head, but she didn't stop looking him over. Buster cracked up, "Come on, what's this about? Is there something on my face?"

"No, there's nothing on your face," Francine laughed. "I just...it's been so long since I saw a familiar face that was actually friendly. I saw one of my old mommy friends the other day with the son I knew her with and her newest addition. I asked to take a peek into the car seat, but she rushed off. It's nice to be with someone who isn't trying to run in the other direction."

"Why would I? Come on, Francine, you need someone right now. Otherwise you wouldn't be heading home. It's like twenty degrees there right now," Buster grinned. Francine nodded and glanced out the window, "I forgot my coat."

"You forgot your winter gear! Wow," Buster gasped, shaking his head. "We're stopping in Dallas for a few hours. You should try to find one while you're there, and I can help you look. I forgot my gloves," he smiled.

The two looked out the window again, watching the landscape slowly change. They moved back to their seats, pointing out beautiful things in the scenery. Soon they were deep in the desert, so they tried to count the cacti as they passed. They weren't used to the landscape and a lot of it looked the same, so they flipped through some magazines instead. Soon they were out of the desert and deep in Texas, but they were tired of looking out the window now, so they kept flipping through magazines.

When the train stopped in Dallas, the two immediately went to an outlet mall. Mostly everything was desert-related or cowboy-related, but it didn't matter. They dressed up and showed off their finds, having a lovely time shopping. After half an hour, they found a coat that would at least get Francine home, but the only gloves they found were for riding or yard work.

"We'll look again in Birmingham," Francine suggested. Buster agreed and went with Francine back to the station. They took their seats, and after a ten minute wait, the train left the station. Francine fell asleep within thirty minutes, her head gently falling onto Buster's shoulder. His eyes grew heavy too, and within a few minutes, both were sleeping gently using each other for support.

Francine came to first. She pushed Buster's heavy head from her shoulder, a soft grin on her face. Buster wiped away some drool from his lips as Francine massaged her shoulder. They both smiled before looking out the window. It was dark now, and soon, they would stop in Birmingham for the night. In fact, a moment later, the train came to a stop, and the patrons moved into the station.

Buster and Francine took a bus to the hotel where Buster had reservations. Francine hadn't thought her trip through as well, so she hoped they had a room available for her. She would check in then go have dinner and shop for gloves with Buster—that was as far as her plan went.

As they arrived at the hotel, Francine noticed how many businessmen were around. She knew what the receptionist would say before she even asked, and she was right: No vacancies were available at this time. Francine sighed and stepped away from the counter. Buster got his key and walked up behind her.

"Hey, I got a room with a kitchen. I'm sure there's a couch you can crash on. You can just buy half the food to make up for it," Buster offered. Francine smiled and followed him to the elevator. Once at their room, Francine found herself on a leather couch while Buster went to the bathroom. The room was beautiful, she thought, but she couldn't believe she was sharing it with another guy, let alone a guy from her childhood.

Francine and Buster weren't exactly close. His love for odd food combinations, and lots of them, kept her and most females from eating with them at lunch or after school. Sports pulled her away from the group outings they would have, and Francine just pulled away from him, namely because she thought he was disgusting.

This trip had changed her perception of him. He was a gentleman, holding the door for her wherever he could. He put her needs before his own, and he kept her grounded. Since losing her daughter, Francine was a scattered woman, and she really needed someone like him to help her keep things straight.

She needed someone like him...

When Buster stepped out of the bathroom, he quickly noticed Francine was staring at him. He sat on the opposite end of the couch and looked her over. She had a hungry look in her eyes as she studied him. Buster looked her over. She looked travel-weary, but there was something beautiful about her wrinkled clothes and semi-messy pony tail-

The kiss happened before they expected it too. They held each other, their lips performing a dance they'd only done with other people before. But those kisses were nothing like this one. Francine's body seemed to vibrate, and she nearly collapsed into Buster's arms. Buster was flustered, his heart pounding so fast that he thought it would explode.

When they pulled away, both looked flustered...but neither wanted to stop. Soon the lights were dim and the outside world was completely forgotten.

As the train pulled into Elwood City's station, Bitzi and Laverne stood and looked towards the train. Buster and Francine emerged together, and if Buster weren't carrying her bags, the two would've held hands. They greeted their mothers separately, exchanging glances across the platform as they were pulled in opposite directions.

The two would stay in touch, dating, enjoying a life together. They wouldn't return to California either. They needed to be together at home, where the people they loved could support them when Buster decided to travel or when Francine needed someone to talk to.

Months later, the two were engaged, and a year after that, the two were married. They started a family just outside of Elwood City, creating a perfect home the two thought they'd never had. Francine's love for Caroline never faded, and she missed the girl terribly, but now she had two children to love with a man who loved her and them as well. Life was happy for them, and it all started with an unexpected meeting on a cross-country train trip, a trip that changed their lives forever and for the good.

~End

Theme 49: Train Trip

Theme from my Arthur Infinite Theme List challenge. If you're interested, pm me.