A 16 year old takes a train from a small farm in Iowa to find her father in New York City. |
~~CHAPTER 2~~ Dear Mother, I'm so sorry for leaving you. Please don't get angry at me. I have decided that I can find a better life somewhere else. For my safety, I am not going to tell you where I'm going. I know that Jones will try and find me and I would rather be left alone. Just know that I love you and will miss you. Please tell Victor and Charlie that I say goodbye. Also, tell Rosalie that I love and will miss her too. Sincerely, Sylvie I carefully placed the note on the dining room table that I loved so much. I let my fingers brush the table lightly and felt a flood of memories flow into my head. But I had little time before Jones came back from the market. I needed to get to the train station before then. The train departed at 6:00 am. I looked at the clock. 5:50. I pushed open the door quietly and hoisted my bag higher on my back. "All aboard!" I heard the man yell as I was scrambling up the last few steps to the station. I stumbled across the stained concrete and grabbed the handle protruding from the train stairs. Gasping for breath, I said, "One ticket p-please." The man nodded and extended his hand. "10 dollars." I rummaged around in my bag and pulled out a pack of bills. The man's watery green eyes widened as he saw the amount in the bag. I blushed and tried to cover it up. "Been savin' up for awhile, eh? Goin' to the Big Apple I would guess." he said, smiling. "That obvious?" I asked. "Naw, just that I've seen lots of your types comin' up here, expectin' to make it big in the big city." "Do they succeed?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer. "Not sure. Now you best be gettin' on the train. I reckon you don't want that man gettin' on with you. Unless he's not from your side of town..." I turned around and with a thrill of horror, saw Jones running up towards the train. I grabbed the man and pushed him back into the wall, the door slamming behind me. A whistle sounded from the front of the train and the wheels slowly began to turn. Jones throws himself onto the platform and runs over to the train. He hammers on the door angrily and yells, "If you don't get off of this train right now, you'll never be allowed back in the house!" I stare into Jones' eyes for awhile and frown. I see his eyes narrow and he steps back from the train window. The last thing I see before the train leaves the station is my step-father turning away, no doubt headed to tell my mother what just happened. It was a while before I realized that I was still leaning on the man who worked on the train. I turned bright red and moved back quickly. "I.. Um... I'm sorry." I said nervously. He grinned, "It's fine. I'm Blaine." I thought for a moment before saying my name, "Syl...via! Sylvia." He looked at me questioningly at me and said, "I sensed some hesitation there... Sylvia?" "No hesitation, just a still a little shocked at my step-father coming over here." I looked into Blaine's smiling eyes. I wondered how his eyes could be smiling yet he himself wasn't. "Now Ms. Sylvia..." "Kaya." "Sylvia Kaya. What a pretty name. Ms. Kaya, may I escort you to your seat?" I nodded and he picked my luggage up and walked with me to a seat near the back. |