Disclaimer - The Good Wife, and the song quotes below, do not belong to me.
'Sometimes you see someone, When you've already got someone, Still you wonder what if they had come along, a long time ago, You know that they're feeling it too, But there ain't nothin' you' gonna do, Except for imagine who you might have been with them, They're not tryin' to make it last, Just enjoying each second as they pass … While outside the cold makes snow out of the rain, But in here were just strangers on a train...' Strangers on a train, by David Nail
Strangers on a Train
Chicago, February 2001
The snow, which had converted the city into a magical winter wonderland only a week before had now turned into piles of frozen grey slush which lined the edges of the roads. Piled high by the snowploughs which constantly traipsed through the roads in a hope of making them safer, covering the flat surfaces which would otherwise freeze into ice rinks with grit. The orange brown salt caused the ice to melt, and create yet more slush. Essentially causing and never ending cycle of slush to ice to slush.
Standing at Central Street Station, she ignored the stares she received from those waiting for their trains and bustled her son onto the train whilst she carried her three year old daughter. Zack ran to four seats which faced each other and sat down on one near the window. Alicia went to join him and placed Grace down on the seat next to her, smiling at her son. "You want to unzip your coat buddy?" She prompted softly. "You won't feel the difference when you go outside otherwise." He just nodded and did as he was told, unzipping the bright green puffer jacket he had insisted on wearing. Informing his mother that it made him look like Mike – the one eyed monster from the film they had just been to see.
Alicia leant down and adjusted one of her daughter's bunches. After seeing that her brother was dressing like Mike, she had insisted on dressing like Boo, wearing a pink jumper and demanding bunches. A hairstyle which had taken Alicia the better part of half an hour to create due to the curls in her daughters unruly hair. However she had received a big smile when the mission had been accomplished which made it all worth it.
The train started moving and Zack instantly knelt on the chair to look out of the window. Grace wobbled as she tried to do the same. Alicia's arms instinctively reached out to steady her daughter. Deciding the only way she could reach was to stand, Grace began to put her trainer covered feet on the chair, only to be stopped by her mother. Alicia moved onto her daughters seat and let Grace stand on her legs. As her daughter stood up the pink lights in her trainers flashed.
Alicia watched her children, both sat staring out of the window. Zack with a mask of Mike's face pulled over his own and Grace with her Boo-like hair style. They never usually took the train when they went to the cinema, in fact they never did apart from once or twice a year. However Alicia knew how much her children loved it. Peter was out of town that weekend, meaning most of the attention was off of her, and his driver was with him. So, she decided it would be a nice treat. They had taken the train down to Central Street that morning, gone to McDonald's for lunch where her children had been over the moon with their toy's – one plastic Mike and one plastic Sully. Then they had gone to the cinema to see Monsters Inc. which had only come out the week before.
Zack had loved the film, laughing his little head off whilst he sat on the big blue chair with his legs dangling off of the edge. Grace hadn't been too pleased with the loud noises and had fidgeted a lot until she was sat on her mother's knee where she ultimately ended up falling asleep. Not that Alicia minded, truth be told she had kind of enjoyed the film herself.
"Hey buddy, you be careful there alright? Don't want you hurting yourself." Alicia said softly.
"Yup!" He informed her, still practically bouncing around.
"You sure you can see? Now you only have one eye and all Mike." She said, laughing when he turned to her and pulled the mask off of his face.
"I have two eyes silly." Zack informed his mum. "I'm not Mike. I'm Zack."
"Silly me!" Alicia commented, laughing.
"Silly mummy. There is another train! Look Grace!" Zack exclaimed, pointing to the train which was about to pass them by.
"Train!" Grace joined in, turning to her mother and smiling whilst her finger continued to point at where the train had been.
"There is a train, well done baby girl." Alicia commented, placing a light kiss on the forehead of her daughter before looking around the rest of the train. It was only half past two on a Saturday, but it was quieter than she had expected it to be. The only other people onboard were a group of teenagers near the rear of the train, all on their phones and laughing about something or other. Alicia wasn't sure she wanted to know, or even would have understood. The doors opened as they pulled into a station.
"We get off?" Zack questioned, turning to his mum and looking sad at the prospect.
"Go?" Grace questioned.
Alicia shook her head. "No not yet guys." Both of her children smiled and returned their attention to the window. Zack was chattering along to Grace about what he could see, and occasionally she would point at something or another. Alicia turned her attention to the people who had got on the train. An elderly couple were sat in the seats behind Zack but facing her, and they watched her children, both smiling with love in their eyes.
Alicia wondered if that would be her and Peter when they were old. Getting the train down to Central Street and going to the cinema together, or just out for lunch. She had never been able to imagine them old though. Their lives were so mad now that he was Deputy States Attorney and considering running for States Attorney next term. They had joked, back when they were engaged that they would never retire. Or rather that their retirement would be in a little village somewhere in the south where they would run the local law firm. Only dealing with deaths and the occasional scandalous divorce. That had been how they saw getting old because neither of them had ever considered that they would ever leave the law. She had done though, five years ago now, back when she had found out she was pregnant with Zack.
She would be lying if she said she didn't miss it, but Alicia would not change her life or her kids in for the world. Part of her wondered whether when they were both older she would work again. When they were in high school and she had more time. They didn't need the money so maybe she would just do some pro-bono work or give out legal advice.
Hey eyes continued to wander around the rest of the train, until she looked at the four seats on the opposite side of the train. There was a gang way between the four seats that she and her children were occupying and the four seats where he sat. Dressed in a black suit which fitted him well, with a crisp pale blue shirt on and a navy blue tie she almost wouldn't have recognised him. Even his hair was different. It had been shaggier when she knew him, then again that was an awful long time ago. However his face, that had not changed, he still looked the same as the day they had graduated.
Will Gardner. Her heart fluttered, and maybe even skipped a beat at the sight of him. That was a man she had not thought she would ever see again. Last time she had heard about him, he had been up in New York, working for some flash law firm. What is he doing in Chicago? He was in a world of his own, texting on his mobile phone. Is eyes didn't reach hers.
"Mum!" He son called out.
"Yes buddy?"
"Pizza for tea?!" He half asked, half demanded. She chuckled to herself when the word 'pizza' caused Grace to turn around and look at her with wide hopeful eyes.
"We will see, you two need vegetables. We had McDonald's for lunch." She informed them.
"No pizza." Grace said, looking sad and turning to the window.
"Maybe just tonight. But don't tell Dad, okay?" Alicia told her children, making them smile. Truth be told she knew they had her wrapped around their little fingers, but she could put her foot down when she needed to. And one day of junk food wouldn't do them too much harm. Tomorrow she would make them have a fruit salad for breakfast and double the amount of carrots at tea time. That would balance their diet out.
It was her voice, as she spoke in such a loving and caring tone to her children, that drew his attention away from his mobile phone and towards the brunette who was sat on the other side of the train. It took everything he had not to go on over there and hug her. He didn't think that was really appropriate though, she was with her children, living her own life.
She looked just the same, except her hair was shorter now. It was pulled away from her face, in the same style it always was whenever he saw her on television. However the suit she was usually seen wearing was replaced by a pair of black leggings, black knee high leather boots and a loose fitting turtle neck purple jumper. The Alicia who was sat across from him, with her children, was not the same Alicia he had known all of those years ago. She was not the woman who had danced on a table with him at their graduation party. And yet, the way she cared for her children, the way she was leant over, helping her son tie his shoelace. That caring manner about her – it was the same Alicia. That side of her had been there even back at Georgetown, when he got sick, or when one of their friends was so drunk they were a danger.
She had bene the caring one even back then.
Now, even dressed as she was, being a mother, he still thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. However he would be lying if he didn't say he preferred her hair the way it used to be. A little longer and with bangs.
Will Gardner was watching her laugh at her daughter when she turned and caught his eye. Both of them stayed like that, they sat their, in their own seats almost having a conversation with no words. Neither knowing whether or not it was the right thing to walk over, sit down and have a conversation with the other. Neither knowing whether they had the right to walk into the other's world, re-enter their life. That decision was made for them, though, because Zack informed his mother he needed the toilet and Grace stated she needed it as well.
So, Alicia broke the eye contact and stood up, gathering her children's things. It was a strange turn of events when Grace turned to Will, a man she had never met, and said "Me look like Boo.". She was a little girl who very rarely spoke to anyone she didn't know, and even rarer was it that she spoke to a man.
Will had smiled, and despite the fact he had no idea who 'Boo' was, he had replied "So you do!" Something which had made Grace's smile even brighter. Alicia hadn't said a word, just smiled back at the man who had played such a crucial role in her life for so many years, and walked her children to the toilet. It seemed as though Will Gardner had a way not only with Alicia, but with her daughter too.
By the time Alicia, Zack and Grace returned to their seats, Will Gardner had gone. He had gotten off of the train. Grace never did say anything about the man whom she had spoken to. Just like Alicia never mentioned to Peter who she had seen that day. Even years later, when she had joined his first as a first year, neither mentioned that meeting on the train. Both almost forgetting, until she remembered. It was late on night a week or so after his death. Alicia had been talking to Grace about Will.
"I wish I had met him." Grace had said.
"You did, once. On the train after we went to see Monsters Inc. You told him you looked like Boo, and he said that you did. Not that he had a clue who Boo was." Alicia had replied.
"I don't remember."
For that day at least, it was almost like they had been nothing more than strangers on a train.
Hope you all enjoyed, reviews really do inspire me to continue to write, so they would be greatly appreciated.
Abby