Travelling to Boston

Todd and Marty stepped on the train with their luggage and a basket of food that Meredith had packed for their trip. Before they even left the station, Todd was hungry. He peeked into the basket to see that a small feast awaited them.

"Todd, are you hungry again?" Marty asked him teasingly.

"You know me so well," Todd said, rubbing his growling stomach. He was always starving.

"Can you believe it? We are going to Boston again," Marty said as Todd nibbled on a juicy apple he had taken from the basket.

"I always kind of thought we'd go back... someday. That's where we met. We survived there," Todd stated in between bites of his apple.

"Yes, we did survive. Barely. I remember how cold it was...and how hungry we were...and sometimes I was so scared, but I made it through because I had you."

"You'll always have me, Marty," Todd said, squeezing her hand. "We're married and I love you. I guess you're stuck with me forever."

"There is no one else I'd rather be stuck with. I love you, too."

She gave him a beautiful smile, then turned to gaze out the window as the train whistle blew. "All aboard!" a man called out. Minutes later, the train was chugging down the track. Marty enjoyed the scenery as they travelled toward Boston. It was a fine day for a trip - sunny, but not too hot. She thought of everything that happened in Boston, from the moment she arrived at Miss Priscilla's boarding school to the last moments when she and Todd had boarded the Orphan Train with Miss March. It all seemed like a lifetime ago - living on the streets, fending for every scrap of food, hoping for something better to come and brighten their dreary existence. Even so, it was a happy time, because they had been free. They had been together. Marty had good memories as well as some bad ones sprinkled in. She knew she had to go back, so she could make some sense as to what had happened to her life. She had been happy once, but someone had taken away her sunshine. More than anything, she wanted it back, so she could be free again.

"Do we have plenty of money for the trip?" Marty asked as she turned back to look at Todd.

He had polished off the apple and now he was licking his fingers clean. "We have more than enough," he assured her. "Just how long do you think we'll be gone?"

"I am not sure yet. There are some people I'd like to see. That is if I can find them."

"Me, too," Todd stated. "But my family's in New York."

"It's been such a long time since I've been to New York. I wonder if Aunt Kiki's still there, living in my house."

"I wonder if my mom and siblings still live in that dirty, little shack. I also wonder if my brother is alive or dead."

"Why would he be dead?"

"He was very sickly. That's one of the reasons Irene sent me away." Todd refused to call her mom. A mom didn't send away her son and just forget about him. Todd hadn't received even one letter in all the years he had been gone. It was as if Irene Manning had forgotten or disowned her own child. She had sent Todd to live with his twisted and perverted Uncle Peter. What a mistake that had been!

"Tell me about her," Marty urged.

"She's not a good woman," Todd replied. "She just sent me away like an outcast. I had nothing."

"I'm sorry, Todd. She sounds awful, just like Aunt Kiki."

"I doubt it, after all you've told me about your dear, sweet Aunt Kiki," Todd said with sarcasm.

"It's time I introduced you to her."

"I have a few choice words to say to her. That's for certain."

Marty relaxed in her seat, holding Todd's hand. She rested her eyes as she thought of Boston. Images of Megan, Blair, Melinda, and others she knew came to mind. A tear slowly escaped her eye. Todd watched as it slid softly down her cheek.

Todd leaned closer, gently kissing away the salty tear. "Everything's going to be alright, Marty. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but we've been through worse times and we've always came through them. We'll come through this one, too."

Her blue eyes came open as she looked at him. "With you by my side, I can be strong."

"That's right. There's nothing we can't do together. You and Me."