Nina Martin sat on a train back to England, it was October 21st, exactly a year since her parents had died. Nina stared out the train window watching the rain go down the window. The rain was pouring down buckets out there. Nina's section of the train was empty, except for a family of four and an old couple.
"Poppy, I love you." a little voice said making Nina turn around. A little dirty blonde haired girl with braids down her back sat beside her dad, her little arms wrapping around his arm. Her father smiled and kissed the girl on the forehead. Her mom smiled and kissed her father. The little girl's brother smiled at the little girl, as well. Nina turned back around to her window and felt a few tears stream down her face. That little girl had the family she had always wanted.
The train came to a halt in front of the station. Nina picked up her bag and pulled it towards the exit. She got off the train without an umbrella. She walked through the station to the exit and sat on the bench in the cold rain. Nina waited for a taxi in the rain.
Nina's family had been dysfunctional, her mom was always working, her brother had smoked, and her father was an alcohol addict. Nina had always been teased at school and she'd come home upset everyday. It didn't help to always hear her parents fighting about her mom's work schedule, her father's addiction, her brother's cigarette problem, and most of all her. She remembers how she would sit at the top of the stairs and hear her mom yelling and her dad yelling back.
The dysfunction had started when Nina was just four years old, her brother was thirteen. The day that struck Nina the most was when she was six. She remembers it like it was yesterday.
"But she's not that kind of girl, James!" her mother yelled standing by the basement door. Nina's father stood five feet from the steps. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and smelled of alcohol.
"But she's a Martin, she knows how to fight. It's in her veins!" he yelled back and then took a heavy swig of beer. Nina sat at the top of the steps, like she did everyday, silently crying. A bunch of clear salty tears ran down her face. Nina was a smart six-year-old, top of her class. She did everything she was to do and got all good grades. She was the teachers' pet and everyday she got picked on by the other kids for it.
"She doesn't want to put her hands on any of those kids, James." her mother argued, her father was quiet.
"It doesn't help that she has to come home to her father drinking too." her mother added, silence coated the room.
"James, stop drinking for Nina. Please." her mother, Anne said. James stayed quiet, not moving. Nina sniffled and her father turned to look at her.
"Please father." she cried weakly, her father's eyes flushed with sadness, worry, and regret. The emotions went as quickly as they came and he turned red.
"Nina, go to your room." he growled, scaring Nina. Nina whimpered and ran up the steps to her shared room with her brother, Miles. She pushed the door opening to see Miles with a cigarette in his hand. Miles lit the cigarette and put it in his mouth, Nina frowned and sat on her bed.
"You're not supposed to be doing that, Miles." Nina stated, looking at Miles with worry. Miles looked up at her and glared.
"I can do whatever, I want. You can't tell me what to do. I know best, I'm older and you're younger." Miles sneered coming closer to Nina. He pushed her back on her bed and then kicked her shin.
"Leave me to do what I want." Miles added walking over to his side of the room. Nina sat up and looked down at her feet. A scream came from downstairs and Nina looked at the door with panic. Her mother appeared in the doorway within seconds.
"We're going to Gran's. Well, you are. Mommy and daddy have to go somewhere." her mother acknowledged the two kids. They packed two bags each and got in the car.
Her mother drove the car along the street towards Gran's. It was a half an hour drive, which seemed long to Nina. About halfway into the drive, Nina's mother hit the brakes quickly. The car didn't stop fast enough and they slammed into another car.
Everything in that day after that point was hazy, Nina only remembers being pulled away from the car and screaming her mother and father's names. She remembers being held in some strange man's arms being told it was going to be okay. The man wore the same outfit as the other men there, a black uniform with a gun. He handed Nina a little teddy bear, it was brown with a dark brown nose. She named him 'Jamie' after her dad.
She remembers being told by her Gran that her mommy and dad had gone somewhere. And that they weren't returning. At all. She remembers seeing Miles being pulled on a giant white bed of some sort and being put in a giant red and white truck. She remembers seeing the scared look on his face. She remembers how confused she was. She remembers it all.
She even remembers the day Miles died. It was a year later, Miles had been smoking again and this time, it had caught up with him. She remembers shaking him telling him to wake up. She remembers yelling at him that his joke wasn't funny. She remembers screaming his name and hitting his chest repeatedly. She remembers being pulled away from him by the same man that had held her after the car crash.
She remembers when her Gran thought she was old enough to know the truth. She remembers when her Gran said that sentence that made her lose hope in seeing her family again.
"Nina, they're dead."
She had heard about death before and thought it wasn't fun. She thought it was sad and horrible. It was so sad that she couldn't bare to think about it without having to sleep in her Gran's bed. Nina remembers it all.
Nina sat soaking wet on the brown bench when the taxi pulled up.
"I'm sorry for the wait, Miss." the man said making Nina look up.
"It's fine. I was lost in my thoughts." Nina responded, standing up. The man put her bags in the back of the taxi while she sat in the back. The back seat had clear plastic on it, so it wouldn't get wet. Nina got comfy for the one hour drive ahead of her.
After the ride, Nina pulled her suitcase in front of the old Victorian house that stood in front of her. She slowly knocked on the door, a bit scared. The door opened and friendly faces greeted her. She walked into the house and was pulled into a bunch of love from old friends that had finally graduated.
About a day or two later, Nina sat back in the train station, lost in her thoughts once again. That was until she saw a little caramel haired girl. She sat alone on the seat across from her crying. Nina made her way over, cautiously.
"What's wrong?" Nina asked frowning. The little girl looked up at Nina with her green eyes. Her lips were in a frown and salty tears streamed down her face.
"My Poppy, he's dead." the girl whimpered. Nina pulled her into her embrace. The little girl cried into Nina's chest.
"My mommy too and my brother." she cried. Nina frowned as well, feeling her eyes water.
"My daddy was drunk that night. He got in a car crash and died." she stated, more tears coming down her face.
"I remember the last thing I had said to him too." she cried, sniffling while her caramel hair fell into her vision.
"What?" Nina asked, her vision blurring a bit with tears.
"'Please father.'" she repeated. Nina realized who she was talking to and let the tears escape. Nina blinked and the girl disappeared. Nina searched frantically for her, but did not find her anywhere. Nina closed her eyes and exhaled, more tears coming down.
In her mind, saw her father standing there with a bottle in his hand.
"Why did would you ask me to stop, Nina?" he asked frowning, his eyes lined with tears.
"For the love of a daughter, poppy. For the love of a daughter." she stated. Her father dropped the bottle and it shattered, making Nina open her eyes.
Across the room, she saw the little girl from the train again. She stood with her father, her mom, and her brother.
"Please father." she cried, holding her father's hand, her father smelled of alcohol. Nina slowly made her way over.
"Um, excuse me." she interrupted tapping the man's shoulder. The family of four turned around and looked at her.
"Please stop drinking. The same thing happened with my father and he ended up dying. I never got to know what it was like to have a functioning family. Please, stop." she explained, the man looked her up and down.
"And why should I?" he growled making his daughter wince.
"For the love of a daughter." Nina answered, his face softened a bit. He turned to his daughter and she hugged him. Nina watched the family that she never had and stepped outside to her train. She looked up to the sky.
"I love you, Poppy." she said slightly smiling. She got on her train and sat down.
For the love of a daughter.