Woman of The Train

“Are we there yet GranGran?” Lilli asked impatiently. “Not yet, but I could tell you a story that will make it go faster, if you want.” Mimi laughed. “Yay! But I gotta go to the bathroom!” Screamed Lilli. Ashley sighs, “This better not be that story you used to tell me when I was a kid.” “Once there was a beautiful girl named Emma.” started Mimi, “She was riding on this very train. Now Emma just rode, she didn’t know where she was going, nor did she care, she just rode till the last stop came. One day, she was getting on this train, but no one would let her sit because she was a white person in a black community. They all feared that she would hurt them just like everyone else, but she was different, she was sweeter than honey.” “So she tasted like honey?!” Asked Lilli. “No. She was the nicest person in the world. Emma sat all alone in the back, before she realized that she was sitting next to a kind but lonely man. ‘You’re not around here, are you?’ He said to her, ‘The name’s Liam, and you are?’ ‘Uh, Emma. You don’t really seem to be scared of me.’ She stuttered. Smiling he said, ‘Na, you don’t really seem like the others.’ Emma, ashamed of her race, half smiled back.” Lilli, as young as she is asked, “Can I go to the bathroom GranGran? Oh, and also, why was she ashamed?” “I’ll tell you why after you go to the bathroom. Run along Lilli while George takes you!” Ashley worried, “Mom, I don’t think you should be telling my daughter this story. It’s not very appropriate for a child her age.” “Come on Ashley, I told you this story, you loved it. What happened?” Asked Mimi. “I just, she wasn’t around in those times, we were. She shouldn’t know what happened then till school.” “Mommy, GranGran, me and Daddy are back!” Shouted Lilli. Mimi got right back to her story, “Well Lilli, you asked a question, I’ll answer it, but you have to listen to the story. Now, where was I? Ah, yes! They talked a while, the train just seemed to keep going, Liam just stayed with her the entire way. She looked at him, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! You probably missed your stop!’ Liam laughed, ‘Na, I’m going where you're going. Is that okay, cause you kinda made it seem like you got no plans ahead of you!’ ‘Yeah, that’s fine as long as you’re okay with staying on the train till the last stop? I pack food, plenty before the next train.’ And sure enough, he stayed with her. Weeks had passed, and they stayed together that entire time.

Six Weeks Later

‘Hey Liam, can you pack the food today?’ Emma asked. Liam had a confused look on his face, ‘But you always pack, I do the shopping.’ Emma sighed, ‘I have different plans today, I’m going to visit some friends down in Washington, so I need to get some extra. Is that okay?’ ‘I guess so, but only this once. I only do the packing because I don’t have to work for money that way!’ Hey said. They both laughed at his joke!” Lilli got confused, “I don’t get it, what’s the joke?” Mimi laughed, “Well, I’ll tell you since your mother isn’t around to hear. Some people might take this joke offensively, but it’s meant to be a joke. White people used to be mean to Black people. They used to make us work for them, and they used to hurt us. Liam made a joke saying that since Emma is White and Liam is Black, he only does the shopping so that he doesn’t have to work for money, but Emma does.” Lilli tried to laugh, but it was fake, “Ha, Ha. Ha- That isn’t funny. Please keep telling the story GranGran.” Again, Mimi went on telling the story, “So Emma worked harder than usual, and shopped for extra special things. Liam tried to pack, but he wasn’t very good at it. ‘Hey can I get a little help around here, Emma? We’re gonna miss the train!’ Even as worn out as Emma was, she still helped. ‘I’m coming, just give me a minute. I’m so tired after today.’ ‘Well, you might as well just teach me your magic, come on. How do you do it, how are you so good at everything, including organizing things into tiny bags?’ She just laughed, ‘Just put the biggest things first, and sometimes put the smaller container inside the bigger container, if you do it well enough. So like this: put this here and this here, these here with this. Put this in the bigger container and these in the smaller. There’s not much room this time, but it works!’ Emma was able to fit everything in the bags, with everything they had, she fit it all perfectly. They got on the train, but there wasn’t anyone on. Liam left her to go to Washington on her own, he was right behind her but just stopped before he got on. Emma felt so alone inside. ‘I can’t believe he did that to me!’ She thought, ‘I’m alone now, I’ve been alone all my life. I’ll probably die alone.’ But that gave her a really nasty, terrible thought. She got the “special” out of the package, with that, she wrote on the train wall a letter to Liam:

'Dear Liam,

You were my greatest friend, I had none in Washington. I was going to see the president about slavery, since that’s where we are headed, I wanted to make that a goal of mine. I can no longer do that because I needed someone like you by my side. I wish you would have stayed. I was abandoned by my family when I was two years old. No one has ever really talked to me, or wanted to. I have been so lonely all my life, until you came along. Then you left me, now I feel more alone than ever. I never really got the chance to tell you this, but when you said you would come with me, I thought you meant to death, you know, a friends-forever kinda deal. I thought that we could happen someday, us being together. The reason why is because your smart, funny, cool, good looking, you even have great taste in clothes when you’re wearing rags! Liam, I love you! But I understand why you don’t feel the same about me. I’m a nobody. I hope you had fun with me while our friendship lasted, cause by the time you read this, I’ll be dead.’

Love, Emma

‘I hope you really didn’t waste your time with me.’ She whispered. She started to cry, but held back and wiped the tears away. Emma then climbed out of her seat and to the top of the train. ‘Goodbye Liam.’ Whispered Emma. She got turned around, Liam kissed her. Emma then pulled away and let herself fall to the bottom of the tracks.” “She died?!” Lilli gasped in disbelief. “Emma didn’t just die, she took her own life.” “Oh no!” Cried Lilli, “She was my favorite person in the movie!” Mimi laughed, “It’s a story, and I wasn’t done telling it by the way!” “Then finish! It’s sad.” Lillie wined. And there went Mimi again telling the story, “Liam was never able to forgive himself, he said to himself over and over again, ‘What have I done, what have I done?!’ He blames himself for her death. He wrote next to the letter, ‘Day 1: I can already feel her spirit roaming through the train’ Liam took Emma’s place on the train, and finished her work. That was the end of slavery. Four years later, he died of cancer.” “They both died?! Why did you make them die GranGran?” Shouted Lilli. “But I didn’t, it’s a true story. Emma is the Woman of The Train. The letter is written on the wall right behind you. I was alive when it happened, Emma was my sister.” “Um, GranGran? Why did it get cold in here?” Asked Lilli. Mimi smiled, “That is the spirit of Emma. I can feel that she is here right now, I can see her.” “Wow! I feel it, I see it! She is so pretty!” Lilli was amazed. “Last stop!” shouted the driver. Emma got off the train peacefully.