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CHAPTER SEVEN

THE HONEYMOON BEGINS

The next morning Chet and Jeanette got up at six am, as they had to drop Timmy off at his grandmother's and had to get to the station for a nine am train departure. They wanted to get there early so they would have time to relax and settle in. Chet knew he sometimes got motion sick on trains and wanted to try to relax without the use of medication if he could. He really was quite tired of taking medicines, although they had taken along Dramamine just in case.

At nine am, they heard the conductor yell, "All aboard that's going aboard. This is the cross country train from Los Angeles to Boston Massachusetts with stops in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, Hartford, Providence, and Boston."

So the train began to chug along and so far Chet felt ok. After about an hour, there was an announcement that brunch was being served in the dining car.

Chet and Jeanette decided to go and meet some of the other passengers and get comfortable. Maybe they would find out if there were activities going on they could sign up for.

Much to his surprise, Chet saw Captain Hammer on the train with his wife. The captain noticed him first and called him over.

"Hey Chet, Chet Kelly? Long time, no see. I heard you had been injured. How are you feeling now, son?"

"Better, sir. Captain Hammer, I would like to introduce you to Jeanette, my wife. Jeanette, this is Captain Hammer, our first captain at 51s. Where have you been, cap? I couldn't locate an address-I really wanted you to come to the reception."

"Well, congratulations, Chet, Jeanette. To be honest, Chet, I've been sort of out of circulation for a while. My mother, who lived in Germany, was very ill and my wife and I had gone over there early 1977 and just returned in October. We had to bury her in September and I wanted to make sure my other relatives were ok. But we still live in the same place. Now I am taking my wife to Chicago to see her parents. Where are you two headed?":

"We are going all the way to Boston for our honeymoon and then a couple of weeks on Nantucket."

"That sounds really nice. It's going to be great having someone we know for the trip. My wife and I bought a couple of games, maybe we could play a few?"

Laughing, Jeanette said, "Yes, sir. I'm not laughing at you, we bought games, too. A deck of cards, a Canasta deck, Monopoly and Scrabble."

Mrs. Hammer smiled and replied, "Well, we bought a deck of cards, too, as well as our favorite game, Rummikub. Ever hear of it?"

"No," the couple replied.

"Well, it's like gin rummy only with tiles instead of cards. It is fun, isn't it, Dick?"

"Not only is it fun, but it's quite addictive, too, if you ask me."

The foursome decided to get together for meals and all. Exchanging compartment numbers they realized they were only two compartments away from each other.

As they separated, Captain Hammer said, "Chet, call me Dick. My wife is Dolly. Let's be completely informal, especially since I am no longer your boss. OK?"

"Ok, ca..Dick. It may take me a while, though."

Separating, Jeanette commented, "He seems really nice and so does his wife. Shame about his mom. Why did he leave?"

Coughing a bit, Chet wasn't sure if he should really say, he remembered there were some problems when he left. "Well, love, Captain Hammer just didn't fit in with 51s and he and Miller really were at odds all the time."

Arriving at the compartment, Jeanette let it rest, figuring it was something Chet didn't really want to discuss. She finished the unpacking and Chet decided to check out the train.

Walking through it, he was amazed at how good he felt. No nausea or nervousness at all, when suddenly the train jerked and he almost lost his balance. Grabbing the side, and holding on until the turbulence stopped, he then continued his exploring, prepared for any more jerks and turns. But surprisingly, his stomach felt fine and so did he.

Arriving at the engine car he met the conductor who was very nice and discussed some of the workings of the train to Chet. He was quite interested in hearing about Chet's life as a fireman in Los Angeles.

The first couple of days of the trip went off without a hitch and Chet and Jeanette really enjoyed spending the time with Dick and Dolly Hammer. Plus there were a few activities they did participate in and had a lot of free time to spend just relaxing and reading, one of Chet's favorite pastimes.

After three happy and fun filled days, the train arrived at Chicago and Chet and Jeanette reluctantly bid farewell to Dick and Dolly Hammer. Promising to keep in touch, the couple left.

"Man, they were really nice people, Chet. Let's make it a point to keep in touch with them when we get back home, ok?"

"Definitely, Jeanette. I always liked Cap in some ways more than Cap Stanley. He always went along with the pranks and didn't get as angry when I backfired and got him, which happened quite a bit. Ah, well, I really like Hank, too, he knows how to keep us all in line."

The next three days were uneventful. In New York City, they had a four-hour layover for cleaning and refueling of the train.

Deciding to sightsee a bit, as neither of them had ever been to NYC, they set out.

Arriving on the streets of New York, they were amazed at the gigantic skyscrapers and the multitude of people and cars. "And I thought LA was crowded" Chet pondered.

They decided to visit the UN and then the Empire State Building, buying souvenirs and postcards for friends and family along the way. Chet bought his mom an Irish mug and flag, while Jeanette bought her dad a French flag, book and her mom a French stationery set.

They bought Timmy a bunch of learning stuff about the UN. At the Empire State they bought him a book about how it was built and a bunch of slides showing lightening hitting it at different angles.

About three and a half hours later, they leisurely walked back to the train and relaxed.

Within eight hours they were in Boston and taxiing to their hotel. They were both pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the city was and clean, especially after New York City.

Chet, to Jeanette's surprise, had booked the honeymoon suite and carried her over the threshold, saying, "Now you are officially Mrs. Chester Bedivere Kelly."

Laughing she hugged her crazy husband and kissed him.