notes: Finally a chapter over 1000 words
As luck would have it Thomas came down the sidewalk, intent on trying to straighten out his thoughts while wandering the city, while Albert was leaving his house bent on the same purpose. Wandering the city at night would have been beyond foolish, but it was still early in the evening and while Albert wasn't quite as tall as Tom, both men were intimidating enough to deter most trouble.
Tom stopped at the end of the walk to the Wily house to look Albert in the face. His eyes were stormy, revealing his frustration; and his jaw was set like he was chewing the inside of his cheek. Tom's face displayed his own turbulent thoughts. After staring at each other a minute longer, Tom moved along down the sidewalk, saying nothing. Albert followed him, catching up within a few paces.
"Made up your mind yet?"
"Why do you think I'm out here?" He replied, grudgingly moving to the side so Albert could walk next to him.
"Maybe you wanted to grace the city with your presence one last time before leaving."
"You would think it necessary to honor the city with your wanderings. Me, I prefer when I don't have cause to wander."
"I'm not the one leaving." Albert's shoved his hands in his pockets and he glared at Tom while they talked.
"I haven't decided if I'm leaving yet."
"But you will leave, even if you haven't decided to yet."
"Glad to see you've made up your mind, would you leave me to make up my own then?" Tom sped up to walk in front of Albert.
"Nobody who ever leaves the city decides to come back. You know that, and yet you promised Emily you would."
"Because I will."
"No, you won't. You'll get swept into whatever it is that's so great out there, and never come back leaving us in this mess."
"You can't tell me that you aren't a little curious about what's out there." They stopped on the corner of a main avenue that led straight out of the city. Tom looked down the road, towards the horizon.
"Well what if it's not great Tom?" Albert came up beside him to cast a cursory glance at the horizon.
Tom turned back to him confused, and they resumed wandering.
"What if the reason people don't come back is because they can't?"
Tom pulled the letter out of his pocket. "They can. They choose not to."
"But you think you will. Tom it's a bad idea. You belong here, in this city. Not out there in who knows what."
"What is there here?" He asked coming to a stop to look Albert in the face. "Filth and crime. Death and absolutely no hope. I'll take who knows what any day."
There was a fire in Tom's eyes that told Albert the decision had already been made.
"Then why haven't you left yet?" Tom didn't answer him and began walking again. "Because you don't know what she thinks."
"She said that she wants me to stay."
"But she didn't tell you what she thinks," he insisted, "What she wants and what she thinks are two different things. You know that. She told you what she wants. Why won't she tell you what she thinks?"
Tom hastened his pace, they arrived at a railroad station leading out of the city. Get on the train and ride it north to the last stop. It's a two-day trip in one direction.
"Well Tom? Do you know why she won't tell you?"
He gazed down the tracks. Get on the train and ride it north to the last stop.
"Do you want to know what she thinks?"
Tom's gaze jerked back to Wily's face.
"She told me what she thought." He continued, seeing he had Tom's attention again.
"She argued with you Albert, that doesn't mean her minds made up." Tom moved down the platform to sit on a bench and resumed watching the distant horizon.
"But yours is, and you still don't know what she thinks." Wily came up behind the bench and leaned on his hands resting on it's back.
"What then?" Tom demanded turning in his seat to glare at Wily, "What did she say she thinks if it's so important?"
Wily's face broke into a grin as he played his last card. "Stay." Tom turned back to face the tracks, his face in his hands.
"In fact," Albert said coming around to sit on the bench next to him. "If you want to know exactly what she said -"
"No, thank you Albert." Tom pulled his face out of his hands to examine the tracks again.
"Well, I'll leave you to your decision then." Wily stood up to leave. "Both of us are telling you to stay Thomas Light. Don't forget that."
Thomas heard Wily's footsteps as he went back the way they came. He leaned forward with his chin on the back of his hands and his elbows on his knees. Get on the train and ride it north to the last stop. She thought he should stay. It's a two-day trip in one direction. Once he left there'd be no coming back until he came back to stay. I'll tell you about what makes the cities stay apart, and how you can help yours. How did his uncle know that he wanted to fix this city? Your father said you were an exceptionally clever boy in his letters. His dad had written letters about him? To an uncle he didn't know he had? If anyone could fix that city, he was sure it was you. His dad had thought he could save this city.
She thought he should stay.
His dad thought he could fix this city.
If he fixed this city, her life would be so much easier.
But she wanted him to stay.
He buried his face in his hands again.
He could make her life better, even if she wasn't happy now.
He sat up and pulled out his uncle's letter again.
If anyone could fix that city he was sure it was you.
Light stood up and walked home. He'd made his decision.