The Never Ending Line
She lit a cigarette with her shriveled, wrinkled fingers, and took a long, deep puff. The light from the fireplace cast gloomy shadows over her long and tired face. I looked up at her eagerly, waiting to hear another long and interesting story from her time. She looked back at me with a familiar sparkle in her eye. She smiled faintly and leaned over to tap the ash from her cigarette into her ash tray.
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" She asked me with her hushed and dried voice.
"How did you meet grandpa?" I asked curiously.
She looked thoughtful for a second, as if she didn't want to tell me.
"I mean, I want to know something about him, since he died long before I was born." I said quickly and persuasively.
"You mean your father has never told you?" She asked me.
"No. He never talks about that stuff. I guess since he didn't know him, he doesn't feel like he should talk about it." I answered.
"Very well." She nodded. "It all began years ago, before you were born, and before your father was born…"
She sat in the cabin, on her bed, watching through her window as the many passengers got off, and embarked upon their long journey across the land, by train. Her last train roommate had just gotten off, and she was hoping that she would get one that didn't snore all night long. She sat with her legs huddled against her body, as if trying to keep warm. She had been on this train for almost a month now. Travelling around all of North America. Living her dream. Her room had two cots in it, a small bathroom, and an even smaller closet. Her suitcase was pushed under her bed, to provide room to walk. Every day, she made several trips up and down the train, and she made sure that she got off at a few stops to take a break from the train. Although the breaks were never more then 3 hours, while the engineer went to stretch his legs out and eat, she enjoyed seeing the world. She heard the door slam, and turned around to face her new roommate. She was surprised to see that it was a man.
"Hi." The man said fidgeting. "Is this the right room?"
"What room do you have?" She asked him.
"Room 509." He replied.
"This is that." She said timidly.
"Okay then... Hi, I'm Ross." He smiled as he reached out to shake her hand.
"I'm Rachel." She answered shaking his hand.
"So... This is awkward." Ross said
"Yeah, I've never had to share a room with a guy so far this trip!" Rachel answered.
"Really? How long have you been on?"
"For almost a month."
"Wow! Where are you headed?" Ross asked putting his stuff down on his bed which was right next to Rachel's.
"Around North America. Maybe even South! Who knows?" She answered laughing.
"Adventurous. I love that in a woman." Ross said smiling.
Rachel coughed and cleared her throat. "So, what brings you on this trip?"
"I'm going to see my fiancée in Bakersfield." Ross answered with a touch of resentment in his voice.
Rachel noticed, "Why is that bad?"
"Well, I love her, but we went into this too hastily. I mean, I live in Manhattan, and she lives on the other side of the country."
"Oh I see." Was all that Rachel could respond with.
The train started to pull away from the station, and they watched it disappear into the blue sky, and rolling hills.
"I love watching the land go by. It's just, so..." Rachel tried to find the right word to describe it.
"Fulfilling? Beautiful?" Ross said filling in for her.
"Yeah." Rachel sighed dreamily.
"So, is this your passion? Travelling?" Ross asked
"Yeah, I've always wanted to see the whole world. I love it."
"Are you married?" Ross asked.
"No."
"Engaged?"
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"No."
"Wow, you're very pretty. I thought that you would've been taken." Ross said shyly.
"No. I do have a son though." Rachel said. "I'm not a very good parent. He lives with his father in Manhattan too."
"Really? I'm sorry to hear that. How old is she?" Ross asked trying not to pry too deeply.
"6 years old. He's a he. Aaron." She said softly, thinking of her son.
"Are you okay?" Ross asked touching her shoulder.
"Yeah" she said smiling up at him. "I wish that I could be a good parent."
"You can! You just have to try really hard."
"I do! It's just that whenever I start getting too close, I freak out, and back out. I'm afraid that if I get too close to someone, they'll die." She whispered.
"What do you mean?" Ross questioned.
"Well, about 8 years ago, me and my boyfriend were very much in love. I got too close, and he died in a car accident. It took me a few years to recover, but I have never, and don't think I ever will, fully recover." Rachel said morosely.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Ross said, touching her arm.
Rachel looked up at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to be. My life has been filled with one-night stands ever since him. All of those one-night stands resulted as Aaron."
Ross smiled back at her, encouraging her to continue opening up to him. They would both be together on that train for about 2 more weeks. They might as well make the most of it.
Over the course of the next week, they bonded a lot. They went to dinners together, they slept beside each other, and told each other stories about their pasts. One night while they were returning from dinner, Rachel stumbled across a vent, fell, and hurt her ankle.
"Geez! Are you alright?" Ross asked picking her up.
"Owowowowowow!" Rachel said half laughing.
"Does it hurt?"
"Yeah." Rachel said trying to take a step, but unable to.
"Here, let me carry you." Ross said scooping her up.
A passing lady stopped to watch them, and laughed.
"You two make the cutest couple. How long have you been together?" The lady asked curiously
"Actually," Ross started.
"13 years!" Rachel said as she laughed. The lady chuckled, and kept moving on, giving them privacy.
"13 years eh?" Ross laughed along. "You can take me that long?"
"I can take you forever!" Rachel joked, then realizing that it was the truth.
There was an uncomfortable silence, as Ross put her down on the ground and looked at her thoughtfully.
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked quietly, hiding from the truth.
"Nothing. I-I just, I don't know actually." Ross laughed, lightening the atmosphere
Rachel smiled, as she hopped over to the door, opened it and sat down on the bed.
"Ow." She muttered as she grasped her swollen ankle in her hand.
Ross leaned down and gently massaged the area around it, before he got up to get some ice. Rachel smiled down gratefully at him. He looked up at her, and gazed intently into her eyes, afraid of losing her if he let go.
Suddenly Rachel jumped up, avoiding his gaze "I need some ice."
"Wait right here. I'll get you some." He said as he jumped up and went right past her out the door.
She sat back down on her bed, and rested her throbbing head into her arms. Whenever she was around him, she got this vibe from him, as if they had been best friends all of their lives. She wished that he wasn't getting married, but at the same time, she never would have met him if he hadn't been engaged.
When Ross came back with her ice, she was already fast asleep, so he tied the ice to her ankle with a towel, and lay down to rest beside her.
The next day, Rachel felt herself distancing herself from Ross. She wasn't talking to him as much, avoiding laughing at his jokes, and evading his stare.
"What's wrong?" Ross asked as he realized that his seventh joke had bombed.
"I don't understand something." Rachel said looking through the window up at the sky.
"What?" Ross asked quietly.
"You're leaving tomorrow." Rachel said dismally.
"What don't you understand?"
"How I can like you so much after a week." She said looking at him. "I have to distance myself, otherwise, you leaving will be really hard."
"We can still keep in touch with letters, and e-mails and visits and stuff."
"Yeah, but is that really enough?"
"I honestly don't know." Ross answered confused.
"Exactly." She answered in a sure tone of voice.
"Well, I think... that we should make the most of our time together."
"Yeah?" Rachel asked curiously. "What do you want to do?"
"I was thinking about maybe going dancing..." Ross said twirling himself around the room, making Rachel laugh. The tension was suddenly gone, and they both got up to get some breakfast.
The next day, hours before daybreak, before Ross's stop came up, he was already sitting up on his bed, watching Rachel sleep. He was trying to make a decision.
Rachel woke up a half an hour later, to see Ross staring at her thoughtfully.
"Mmm, hi." Rachel said sleepily as she turned over in bed.
"Hey." Ross said distantly.
"How long before Bakersfield?" Rachel asked
"About two hours."
"Well, don't think that I'm a prude or a bitch or anything, but I'd rather say goodbye to you now so that it's not so hard." Rachel said her eyes clouding over.
"I understand" Ross said as he got up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You have my address, my phone number, my e-mail, and I have yours."
"Yeah." Rachel answered as she hugged him and breathed in the familiar scent.
"I'll miss you."
"I know." Rachel responded with a teary laugh.
"I'll come back later." Ross said as he exited.
Once he was gone, the tears began to flow. She had done it again. She had gotten too close to him, and now he was leaving. She got into bed and pulled the covers over her head, checking her watch. 6:15. They were due to arrive at Bakersfield at 8. She hoped that he would be gone when she woke up.
At 8:05 Ross watched as the train pulled up to his stop. Bakersfield looked like a nice place, not too big, not too small. He watched the little bundle under the cover, and he wanted more then anything to go over there, and uncover Rachel, and say goodbye once more. This was it. It was either Rachel, who he had known for only over a week, or Gabriella, his fiancée, and girlfriend of two years. The train pulled to a stop, and Ross set his bags down, as he walked over to the window and stared at Gabriella. She was standing with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as the wind blew her long black hair around her face. This was it. It was time to decide.
Thanks for Reading, and as usual, please leave a review and offer suggestions, or just leave a comment. Reviews offer lots of inspiration!
rossandrachelforever
She lit a cigarette with her shriveled, wrinkled fingers, and took a long, deep puff. The light from the fireplace cast gloomy shadows over her long and tired face. I looked up at her eagerly, waiting to hear another long and interesting story from her time. She looked back at me with a familiar sparkle in her eye. She smiled faintly and leaned over to tap the ash from her cigarette into her ash tray.
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" She asked me with her hushed and dried voice.
"How did you meet grandpa?" I asked curiously.
She looked thoughtful for a second, as if she didn't want to tell me.
"I mean, I want to know something about him, since he died long before I was born." I said quickly and persuasively.
"You mean your father has never told you?" She asked me.
"No. He never talks about that stuff. I guess since he didn't know him, he doesn't feel like he should talk about it." I answered.
"Very well." She nodded. "It all began years ago, before you were born, and before your father was born…"
She sat in the cabin, on her bed, watching through her window as the many passengers got off, and embarked upon their long journey across the land, by train. Her last train roommate had just gotten off, and she was hoping that she would get one that didn't snore all night long. She sat with her legs huddled against her body, as if trying to keep warm. She had been on this train for almost a month now. Travelling around all of North America. Living her dream. Her room had two cots in it, a small bathroom, and an even smaller closet. Her suitcase was pushed under her bed, to provide room to walk. Every day, she made several trips up and down the train, and she made sure that she got off at a few stops to take a break from the train. Although the breaks were never more then 3 hours, while the engineer went to stretch his legs out and eat, she enjoyed seeing the world. She heard the door slam, and turned around to face her new roommate. She was surprised to see that it was a man.
"Hi." The man said fidgeting. "Is this the right room?"
"What room do you have?" She asked him.
"Room 509." He replied.
"This is that." She said timidly.
"Okay then... Hi, I'm Ross." He smiled as he reached out to shake her hand.
"I'm Rachel." She answered shaking his hand.
"So... This is awkward." Ross said
"Yeah, I've never had to share a room with a guy so far this trip!" Rachel answered.
"Really? How long have you been on?"
"For almost a month."
"Wow! Where are you headed?" Ross asked putting his stuff down on his bed which was right next to Rachel's.
"Around North America. Maybe even South! Who knows?" She answered laughing.
"Adventurous. I love that in a woman." Ross said smiling.
Rachel coughed and cleared her throat. "So, what brings you on this trip?"
"I'm going to see my fiancée in Bakersfield." Ross answered with a touch of resentment in his voice.
Rachel noticed, "Why is that bad?"
"Well, I love her, but we went into this too hastily. I mean, I live in Manhattan, and she lives on the other side of the country."
"Oh I see." Was all that Rachel could respond with.
The train started to pull away from the station, and they watched it disappear into the blue sky, and rolling hills.
"I love watching the land go by. It's just, so..." Rachel tried to find the right word to describe it.
"Fulfilling? Beautiful?" Ross said filling in for her.
"Yeah." Rachel sighed dreamily.
"So, is this your passion? Travelling?" Ross asked
"Yeah, I've always wanted to see the whole world. I love it."
"Are you married?" Ross asked.
"No."
"Engaged?"
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"No."
"Wow, you're very pretty. I thought that you would've been taken." Ross said shyly.
"No. I do have a son though." Rachel said. "I'm not a very good parent. He lives with his father in Manhattan too."
"Really? I'm sorry to hear that. How old is she?" Ross asked trying not to pry too deeply.
"6 years old. He's a he. Aaron." She said softly, thinking of her son.
"Are you okay?" Ross asked touching her shoulder.
"Yeah" she said smiling up at him. "I wish that I could be a good parent."
"You can! You just have to try really hard."
"I do! It's just that whenever I start getting too close, I freak out, and back out. I'm afraid that if I get too close to someone, they'll die." She whispered.
"What do you mean?" Ross questioned.
"Well, about 8 years ago, me and my boyfriend were very much in love. I got too close, and he died in a car accident. It took me a few years to recover, but I have never, and don't think I ever will, fully recover." Rachel said morosely.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Ross said, touching her arm.
Rachel looked up at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to be. My life has been filled with one-night stands ever since him. All of those one-night stands resulted as Aaron."
Ross smiled back at her, encouraging her to continue opening up to him. They would both be together on that train for about 2 more weeks. They might as well make the most of it.
Over the course of the next week, they bonded a lot. They went to dinners together, they slept beside each other, and told each other stories about their pasts. One night while they were returning from dinner, Rachel stumbled across a vent, fell, and hurt her ankle.
"Geez! Are you alright?" Ross asked picking her up.
"Owowowowowow!" Rachel said half laughing.
"Does it hurt?"
"Yeah." Rachel said trying to take a step, but unable to.
"Here, let me carry you." Ross said scooping her up.
A passing lady stopped to watch them, and laughed.
"You two make the cutest couple. How long have you been together?" The lady asked curiously
"Actually," Ross started.
"13 years!" Rachel said as she laughed. The lady chuckled, and kept moving on, giving them privacy.
"13 years eh?" Ross laughed along. "You can take me that long?"
"I can take you forever!" Rachel joked, then realizing that it was the truth.
There was an uncomfortable silence, as Ross put her down on the ground and looked at her thoughtfully.
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked quietly, hiding from the truth.
"Nothing. I-I just, I don't know actually." Ross laughed, lightening the atmosphere
Rachel smiled, as she hopped over to the door, opened it and sat down on the bed.
"Ow." She muttered as she grasped her swollen ankle in her hand.
Ross leaned down and gently massaged the area around it, before he got up to get some ice. Rachel smiled down gratefully at him. He looked up at her, and gazed intently into her eyes, afraid of losing her if he let go.
Suddenly Rachel jumped up, avoiding his gaze "I need some ice."
"Wait right here. I'll get you some." He said as he jumped up and went right past her out the door.
She sat back down on her bed, and rested her throbbing head into her arms. Whenever she was around him, she got this vibe from him, as if they had been best friends all of their lives. She wished that he wasn't getting married, but at the same time, she never would have met him if he hadn't been engaged.
When Ross came back with her ice, she was already fast asleep, so he tied the ice to her ankle with a towel, and lay down to rest beside her.
The next day, Rachel felt herself distancing herself from Ross. She wasn't talking to him as much, avoiding laughing at his jokes, and evading his stare.
"What's wrong?" Ross asked as he realized that his seventh joke had bombed.
"I don't understand something." Rachel said looking through the window up at the sky.
"What?" Ross asked quietly.
"You're leaving tomorrow." Rachel said dismally.
"What don't you understand?"
"How I can like you so much after a week." She said looking at him. "I have to distance myself, otherwise, you leaving will be really hard."
"We can still keep in touch with letters, and e-mails and visits and stuff."
"Yeah, but is that really enough?"
"I honestly don't know." Ross answered confused.
"Exactly." She answered in a sure tone of voice.
"Well, I think... that we should make the most of our time together."
"Yeah?" Rachel asked curiously. "What do you want to do?"
"I was thinking about maybe going dancing..." Ross said twirling himself around the room, making Rachel laugh. The tension was suddenly gone, and they both got up to get some breakfast.
The next day, hours before daybreak, before Ross's stop came up, he was already sitting up on his bed, watching Rachel sleep. He was trying to make a decision.
Rachel woke up a half an hour later, to see Ross staring at her thoughtfully.
"Mmm, hi." Rachel said sleepily as she turned over in bed.
"Hey." Ross said distantly.
"How long before Bakersfield?" Rachel asked
"About two hours."
"Well, don't think that I'm a prude or a bitch or anything, but I'd rather say goodbye to you now so that it's not so hard." Rachel said her eyes clouding over.
"I understand" Ross said as he got up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You have my address, my phone number, my e-mail, and I have yours."
"Yeah." Rachel answered as she hugged him and breathed in the familiar scent.
"I'll miss you."
"I know." Rachel responded with a teary laugh.
"I'll come back later." Ross said as he exited.
Once he was gone, the tears began to flow. She had done it again. She had gotten too close to him, and now he was leaving. She got into bed and pulled the covers over her head, checking her watch. 6:15. They were due to arrive at Bakersfield at 8. She hoped that he would be gone when she woke up.
At 8:05 Ross watched as the train pulled up to his stop. Bakersfield looked like a nice place, not too big, not too small. He watched the little bundle under the cover, and he wanted more then anything to go over there, and uncover Rachel, and say goodbye once more. This was it. It was either Rachel, who he had known for only over a week, or Gabriella, his fiancée, and girlfriend of two years. The train pulled to a stop, and Ross set his bags down, as he walked over to the window and stared at Gabriella. She was standing with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as the wind blew her long black hair around her face. This was it. It was time to decide.
Thanks for Reading, and as usual, please leave a review and offer suggestions, or just leave a comment. Reviews offer lots of inspiration!
rossandrachelforever
