Chapter 114: Gordon Learns a Lesson
Gordon was fuming. For the past week he had to put up with Henry's goods work while he was recovering from surgery, and he was sick of it.
"Why should I have to take Henry's goods trains while he's away? Why can't James do it? He loves idling about in stations.
"For your information, Gordon, I can't do it because my engine isn't built to handle such heavy trains. Besides, you deserve it after all the mean things you said about Emily. You know what they say, Karma's a b-"
"Ahem."
The two of them turned to see Sir Topham Hatt standing in front of them.
"Now you two, you both have a very busy day ahead of you both. Gordon, you're to help in the lumber yards. They have a big order to fill, and they need the strength of your engine to fill it."
Gordon sighed sadly.
"Yes sir."
With that Gordon drove crossly out of the sheds. James was about to follow when Sir Topham Hatt spoke up again.
"Hold up a minute James. What was that you were saying about Emily?"
And so, James spent the next few minutes explaining the story.
"I'll admit, I said things about her that I'm not proud of. But when she saved me from a terrible collision with Gordon, I gained a newfound respect for her. Henry and I have made peace with her, but Gordon refuses to look past it."
Sir Topham Hatt was silent for a moment.
"Thank you for telling me this, James. I will have a word with Gordon tonight. Now go and fetch your express."
"Yes sir. Shall I get some bootlaces ready?"
The two laughed as James drove away to the station.
Meanwhile, at the shunting yards, Gordon drove his engine up to the water tower. He was in a hurry and was not in the mood to wait. But to his dismay, Thomas and Emily were parked up ahead. They were filling their engine's tender with water for the day.
"Hurry up, you two! An important engine driver like me can't be kept waiting all day for insignificant beings like you. Move out of my way."
"Hold your horses, Gordon. We were here first, and we're almost done."
"Typical for a mess up like Emily to cause confusion and delay"
Emily was hurt by this statement and began to cry. Thomas patted her shoulder soothingly
"That was uncalled for, Gordon. You're making her cry. Apologize at once."
"Why should I, Thomas? She's done nothing but make mistakes since she's arrived. Sir Topham Hatt was foolish to hire her."
Thomas lost his patience.
"You know what, Gordon? Screw you. You're nothing but a pompous git who thinks he's the most important person in the world and puts everyone else down. Well you know what? You're nothing but a child who complains whenever he doesn't get his way. James may act like that too, but even he knows the value of hard work and will admit when he's made a mistake. But you? You just bully people because you're too insecure to see your own flaws. Grow up, Gordon. Not everything is about you."
Gordon just huffed.
"Whatever. I'll just stop for coal and water on my way. Thanks for wasting my time, Thomas."
And with that, he backed his engine out of the yards. Thomas and Emily watched him go.
"Thanks for standing up for me, Thomas. I try to ignore his remarks, but he just won't stop putting me down."
"It's okay Emily. Trust me, we're all tired of his attitude. He'll get whats coming to him, just you wait."
A while later, Gordon was stuck at a level crossing. A tree had fallen across the line, and Harvey, Terence, and Trevor were busy trying to lift it off the ground.
"Hurry up, you three. Why does it take three vehicles to remove one tree?"
Harvey huffed crossly.
"Because it's a very heavy tree. One wrong move and it could seriously hurt someone. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"I'd prefer getting hit by a tree than this menial work."
At last, the tree was removed, and Gordon could get moving. But instead of saying thank you to Harvey, Terence, and Trevor, he blew steam at them.
"Someone's in a bad mood."
"Don't worry, Terence, he'll get his just desserts."
At last, Gordon arrived at the saw mill. He had been hoping that his trucks would be ready by then, but he was cross to see that they were only half ready.
"Hurry up, you lot! The sooner this job is done, the sooner I can go back and have lunch."
"Be patient, Gordon. We're working with dangerous machinery, so we must work slowly to make sure we don't get hurt. We're almost done, so just relax."
But Gordon didn't. He was too busy thinking about what he would say to Thomas and Emily when they next met.
At last, the trucks were ready and the brakevan was added. The manager came up to Gordon.
"There may be bad track ahead, so be sure to go slow."
"Pah! I'm in charge of the express. I don't go slow."
And with a toot of the whistle, Gordon drove off in a flash, leaving everyone confused.
Gordon thundered down the line. His engine was going so fast that they didn't even need Edward's help up the hill.
"We'll be at Knapford in fifteen minutes. After that, I can get away from this smelly goods work."
But danger lay ahead. A sharp turn was just around the corner, and Gordon was headed straight for it. By the time he saw it, it was too late. His engine left the rails and slid down the embankment, coming to a rest in a muddy ditch.
"Oh, not again."
Shortly thereafter, Thomas, Emily, and Harvey arrived with the breakdown train. Harvey took care of the turned over trucks, while Thomas and Emily took care of Gordon and his engine.
"Having a bit of Deja Vu, eh Gordon?"
"Shut up, Thomas."
Gordon's engine was left in a siding, while the three rescuers took the train onward with Gordon in tow. Sir Topham Hatt was waiting for them.
"Gordon, I a most displeased with your behavior. Not only has your impatience caused a major accident, but James has told me about your rude remarks toward and about Emily. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"Yes sir."
"I will speak with you later. Now go get yourself cleaned up. You look like you just took a mudbath."
Gordon sadly walked back to the common house in disgrace. Sir Topham Hatt turned to Thomas and Emily.
"You two, on the other hand, have made me quite proud. Emily, although you may have gotten off to a rocky start, you have proven to be invaluable. You are a really useful engine driver."
"Thank ye, sir, but I couldn't have done it without Thomas."
"A good job to you as well, then, Thomas. Now, I do believe that Emily is ready to work on her own, but she may need some help every now and then. How would you like to work on Thomas's Branch line?"
"Oh, thank you, sir. I would love that."
"Good. I shall make the arrangements."
With that he left for his office, leaving Thomas and Emily alone.
"Thanks for standing up for me, Thomas. You really are a good friend."
"Its no problem. I would've done it for anyone. Um, Emily?"
"Yes Thomas?"
"I was wondering if maybe you might like to go on a date with me this Saturday? There's this new movie coming out this weekend, and I've got the tickets, but Toby and Percy are working, and I don't want Annie and Clarabel fighting over the last one, so…"
Emily gave Thomas a kiss on the lips.
"I would love to. What time?"
"The movies at 3, I thought maybe we could go out to lunch beforehand, maybe get some dinner afterward as well. Sound good?"
"Sounds great. Looking forward to it."
Once Thomas was sure Emily wasn't looking, he started pumping the air. This was going to be the best weekend ever.
As for Gordon, Sir Topham Hatt had some stern words for him. I shan't repeat what he said, but they weren't very polite. As punishment, he was suspended indefinitely from engine driving duties, with the promise that if something like this happened again he would be fired without hesitation. Instead he was stuck with Engine cleaning duty, which he detested but kept his mouth shut about. I think he deserves his punishment, though. Don't you?
A/N: And the Emily saga is complete! Yes, Thomas and Emily are going on a date, but don't expect a chapter about it. Poor Gordon, all muddy and alone. But he deserves it for being rude to Emily and being an overall prick. See you guys next time!