Going Home

I had not been home in a year. I was looking forward to it and have been putting it off for too long. The last year in college at first seemed to drag along slowly, but once I got into the flow of things it flew. The city was always busy, so I stayed busy. If I wasn’t studying, I was out on the town. There was so much to do. So many stores, restaurants, clubs, bars, museums, etc. It was nothing like my hometown that I was used to. At first, I loved it, but after a few months, I was sick of it.

I remember wanting to get out of my hometown for most of my life. I never thought that I would grow to miss the one thing that I despised the most. There was nothing to do. There was nothing there. We just had a gas station, a small old town grocery store, and a diner. It was the definition of the country. I longed to live in the city and experience something new. That’s why I made it my mission to get into a college far away from there.

Summer break was fast approaching and I was making plans to make my way back home. I was so ready. I just wanted quiet. I wanted to get away from it all. I wanted a break. I wanted to see my family and my old dog Lou. I missed him the most. I hadn’t talked to family much over my time spent at school, but we kept in touch and they were just as excited as I was for me to be returning home.

I had spent some time and thought into how I was going to make my way back home. I didn’t have any friends at school that lived anywhere near my destination. That would have been nice. A road trip sounded delightful. I had come to school by bus and I didn’t want to revisit that nightmare. I shuddered at the thought. I wasn’t very fond of heights, so I avoided a plane whenever I could. My last option left was to travel by train. I was a little fascinated by the idea because I have never been on a train in my life. This made me even more excited.

The day had come. I had already pre-purchased my train ticket online and had my bags packed and ready to go. I had just finished running some last-minute errands and was tidying up before I left on my journey back home. I was still elated to be leaving for some time, even if it was just for the summer. I was curious, maybe I would miss the city as I spent time away. Only time would tell.

The sounds of the loud train had begun to annoy me. I couldn’t get lost in my thoughts. It was the sounds of young siblings bickering with each other over who had the next turn with the Game Boy. Then there were sounds of an older couple talking very loudly to be heard over other noises about what they wanted to cook for tonight. It wasn’t just the noise that was quite uncomfortable. It was quite warm. My clothes had seemed to start to stick to my skin. I overheard an attendant tell a very upset passenger earlier that the air conditioner had broken down. This had to be the worst way imaginable to travel back home. “I should have taken a plane back”, I mumbled under my breath.

I thought that trains offered private cabins. This one did not. I certainly didn’t do my research well enough. I more so jumped at the first deal I saw because I was just so excited by the idea of it and I really didn’t have too much money. This train seated people on cushioned benches very closely together. There were two people across from me, an older couple who may be in their mid-50s. Beside me sat an elderly man. I felt cramped. I was very uncomfortable. I would have been better off riding the bus. I don’t think it could get any worse.

I decided to get up and take a break from everything and go to the bathroom to try and cool off with some water. “Of course, there is a line on the one bathroom that is on the train,” I say, as I come to a halt of maybe 15 people in line. I make my way around the long line of people, who begin fussing thinking I am trying to skip them. I continue on further down the train. I just need to be alone, quiet, and maybe a breeze of cool air. I finally make my way to the end of the train where people have seemed to become nonexistent. It was beautifully quiet, except for the sounds of movement that the train made. I opened the door with a struggle that led to the outside of the back of the train. The door loudly slammed shut behind me.

I must have been so overwhelmed by the discomfort of my choice of travel; that I had become completely ignorant to the fact that the scenery and landscape had completely changed. I forgot how much I had missed the scenery of my hometown. Dense woods, green hills that went for miles, lakes that were home to a variety of fish and frogs, deep blue skies with the prettiest white puffy clouds, and cotton fields that I always thought as a little kid were pieces of cloud that had fallen out of the sky.

I was starting to see more of my hometown than I did when I lived here all these years as a kid. I didn’t miss the skyscrapers. I didn’t miss the noise. I didn’t miss being surrounded by a bunch of people that didn’t care about me. All the frustrations and distress seemed to wash away from me as I took in the view and the nice summer breeze that greeted me as if saying, “Welcome back.” I replied with a smile on my face, “Glad to be home.”