A New Start

“We can’t pick you up in the city, Brian, there’s too much snow. You’ll need to take a train further out.”

Brian sighed, “okay.” He hung up without waiting for a goodbye.

“Attention all passengers, please note that due to the weather conditions, all trains are currently cancelled. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” the tell-tale shake of an old man’s voice echoed throughout the train station.

Gerard swivelled away from the microphone and back to the window. The hustle of the station came to a holt. He took a moment to focus on the slither of the city that he could see from his tiny cubicle. There were a couple of days each year when white blanketed the city and the grime seemed to disappear. It looked magical, but it was only make-up, the truth lay beneath.

Jemima ran to shelter, passing a man with a suitcase in the entrance. He had his hands clenched, just like her dad before she got in trouble. Warmth encompassed her tiny body and her breathing calmed. The entrance was cut in half with a line that extended from a window on the wall to the left. Jemima was bounced around as she pushed her way through, her presence barely registered.

“What?” Brian heard through the speaker.

“What do you mean ‘what’? The trains are cancelled. I’m stuck here.” Brian was pacing around the entrance to the station, becoming increasingly frustrated. “Look. I guess I’ll just let you know when I’m on my way,” he once again hung up without waiting for a response. He pushed his way through to the other side of the line, away from the cold entrance.

“Ow!” Jemima cried out as she felt someone step on her foot. She had crouched in a corner near the end of the line. The last person in the line had stepped backwards and right onto her toe. No one heard her amongst the growing murmur echoing around the open room. She felt tears form in her eyes. Not because she was hurt, but because she was scared. She always ran away when the old man from next door came around but her dad always found her. As she had snuck out the door this time, she had seen many empty bottles on the table. That could only mean one thing. She was well and truly forgotten by now. That’s what the bottles always meant.

“Yes, sir, I’m very sorry, but hopefully the weather will let up soon and you will get to your destination,” Gerard repeated for the umpteenth time in ten minutes since the announcement. Pre-recorded automatic responses would have had the same effect. He heard the office phone ringing and excused himself from the lady with two screaming children who was next in line.

“Sir, we are reopening train lines 2 and 4,” the transport officer said.

“Attention passengers, lines 2 and 4 have now reopened. We thank you for your patience and understanding.”

The hustle in the station returned with a vengeance as people raced to be the first ones on the trains. Gerard briefly glanced at his mobile and saw that he had 16 missed calls.

“Well, well,” he said under his breath. With no one at the window, he turned around and returned the call.

“Mercy Hospital, how can I help you?” a young voice said.

“Hi, I’m Gerard Caldwell, I’ve had several missed calls from you,” Gerard said.

He felt his whole body go numb as the reason was explained. He immediately pulled the window closed and locked the room, grabbing his coat and rushing towards the line 2 platform.

“Honey, your father and I are so excited to have you here for the next few months,” Brian rolled his eyes, hoping it would be less than that before he got back on his feet. He headed towards line 2, neither relieved nor excited.

Hearing that the trains were running again, Jemima made a split decision to get on one. She saw the sign for line 2 and forced her way through the crowd towards the platform. She easily snuck onto the train without a ticket, hiding herself in the crowd of people. She sat down in between a sad looking man with grey hair, who seemed to be very distracted with something on his phone and the man with the suitcase that she’d seen earlier. Her hands shook and she felt tears come to her eyes again.

Gerard saw the young girl out of the corner of his eye and noticed her tears. He wanted to comfort her but he himself was on the verge of tears. He didn’t know how he’d be able to live without his wife. She had been his rock for many decades.

The train pulled away from the station. The snow on the surrounding fields sparkled in the sunshine. In the coming days, the snow would melt, making way for fresh green grass to grow. Brian sighed to himself, “I guess it’s time for a new start.”