A Ticket to Burton-Upon-Trent

The day felt sickeningly long to David. He sorted through his fifth box of donations for his shift, and he still had about 10 more to go. “How are there so many drop offs today?” David asked.

            “It’s almost spring,” his manager told him, “most people feel like getting rid of the old this time of year. Of course they don’t realize that by Christmas, they’ve bought back almost the same amount that they’ve just dumped off. And so the cycle repeats itself.” David had only worked with the charity shop for the last 2 months, but Irene had worked there for the past 7 years. It seemed like the job had made her a little jaded. 

            He liked spending his time at the shop, because usually only a handful of customers came in most days. That gave him plenty of time to read, finish homework, or just daydream. Since summer break started last week, his shifts doubled, and today a tornado of people came through the store, taking all of David’s energy with them. 

            Irene plopped a cardboard box about the size of a mini fridge on the counter in front of him. “Last one for you, then you can go home.” He sighed with relief, and took to the task of organizing what could be sold, and what was rubbish. It was always considerate of people to give to those in need, but no person ever needs broken lamps, expired toothpaste, or used underpants. And yet, people still donated them. 

            This box, however, held massively cool items; Vinyl records, leather oxford shoes with solid soles, and cloth bound books. Near the top of the box, sat a navy blue, wool pea coat. David lifted the textile and examined its condition. It felt light in his hands, although it looked well insulated. He noticed a rip, about the size of his thumb’s width, under the armpit. Despite that, the piece looked fine. “Hey, is it okay if I have this?” David asked, “It’s out of season, and needs to be mended.” 

            Irene glanced over to see him holding the coat over his head like a banner. “Sure”, she shrugged, “We have tons that look like that already in storage.” 

            “And what about these?” He pointed to the records.

            “No,” she answered, not even looking at him.

            Not wanting to push his luck, he set his new coat atop his backpack and finished sorting. 

            Since it wasn’t cold enough to wear the coat home, David carried it in his hands after leaving the store. He looked over the item again, recognizing that when in London, one can never have too many coats. He checked the pockets, and found two small, firm pieces of paper within. One, a loyalty card to a café that he didn’t recognize, that already received 9 of the 10 punches need for a free coffee, and the other was an Overground ticket From Paddington Station to Burton-Upon-Trent, set for the next day at 8:46 am. Dang, how unfortunate for them, thought David. He scoped into the other pocket and found a black, velvet box that could just rest within his palm.  Cracking the lid, he witnessed the glisten from a diamond engagement ring. Double Dang!

            David sat at the desk in his room, scrolling between the multiple tabs displayed on his laptop screen. The ticket found inside the coat had the name of the traveller printed on the back: Arthur James. He looked on every single social site he could consider, and even asked his mother to borrow the phonebook, but every Arthur James David contacted didn’t know about a missing coat or train ticket. No way David would mention the ring to anyone before confirming the coat actually belonged to them. In fact, David felt crazy for even putting this much effort into trying to find the guy. Anyone dumb enough to lose a diamond ring doesn’t deserve it! David didn’t actually think that way, and he knew he should have taken the ring straight to the police, but he felt oddly compelled to solve this mystery. Most of the times, instances like this only get mentioned in cheap tabloid magazines. And although David didn’t care about this encounter ending up in The Sun, he did want to know how this story would end. 

            Who could this man be, and the women he wanted to marry? Maybe he already proposed to her, and she said no? Devastated from the rejection, he threw away all of his earthly positions and decided to join the clergy. Either way, David knew that he, as the one who discovered the coat, carried the responsibility of returning the coat and all of its items back to the rightful owner. That, and he had nothing else to-do tomorrow. 

            The coffee he bought from the closest Costa didn’t feel like enough to keep David awake. He knew it wasn’t that early in the morning, but 8 am still feelsearly to a teenager. Plus, he didn’t really sleep through the night. Bad thoughts of his alarm malfunctioning kept him awake. He double-checked on the board and on the ticket if he waited at the right place. Just before leaving his home, he thought of righting Arthur’s name out on a piece of paper, like how chauffeurs at airports do. He felt a little silly for doing this, because who needs a chauffeur onto the train from the platform? But how else was David supposed to know whom to look for?

            The coat sat within his bag on his back, with the ring nestled deep within the bag. He felt panicked that today, of all days, he would get pick pocketed, but who would honestly believe that a sixteen year old would carry around a diamond ring? He checked last night if it really was a diamond, and not just costume jewellery. Only going off of what he Google searched, the piece seemed real. It even had an engraving on the inside of the band, “T.D.”. Taking the time to engrave a fake seemed highly unlikely. 

            The clock inched closer to 8:46, and still no one even seemed to look down at the sign he was holding. They all had their faces turned upward at the information boards, or down into their phones. Paddington Station always seemed packed any time David visited. 20 men named Arthur could have walked past him already, but he would have no way of knowing. 

            Amongst the faces of strangers, time and space seemed to part for David, as the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen walked toward him. They meet eyes, and she gave a courteous smile. Then her eyes scanned downward toward his sign. She tilted her head and her smile puckered a little, as if she just remembered something funny.

There she stopped to gaze at the train times, close enough that David could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo. Don’t be creepy about it, just look forward.Wet circles formed under David’s pits, and he hoped that she couldn’t smell him back. 

She continued her pace once she found the platform she needed. Turns out, she was heading to Burton-Upon-Trent too. 

            The warning whistle blew from the train, and the stress sweat formed on his brow, now. It’s decision time David. What are you going to do? I already tried this far, right? What’s a two-hour train ride to solve a mystery, anyway?

            Whoever Arthur James was, he travelled in style; first class seating. He may have been on the train at that moment, so David tried to inspect if any of the man looked as if they either received a huge rejection, and stressful over losing an engagement ring. Everyone looked impartial, so far as he could tell. Most were settling in for a long journey. Since David already threw away his make-shift sign, and wasn’t about to go around asking each person what their name was, like some weirdo, he decided to do the same. 

            There was no point in trying to devise a plan to find Arthur, based on the little information he had. It’s pretty impressive that he can hold onto this loyalty card for so long, he thought,Even if he stopped at the same café each day. The card was severally bent and twisted in places, and splashes of coffee stains marked one of the corners.I always end up losing these things. 

            Somewhere along his thought process, David started thinking about the girl from the platform. She really could be a model, but also she seemed so approachable, like you could talk about anything with her and she would listen attentively. I think I am just projecting, I only saw her for a second. But she’s here, on this train right now, maybe I can try to find her…and then what, what are you going to say to her? ‘Come her often?’ Lame. 

            David twisted the card back and forth between his fingers, and listened to the soft pulsing of the train rolling on the track. The rhythm was soothing against his anguished thoughts, and it gently drifted him to sleep. 

            Falling asleep while traveling alone is like playing a game of chicken with luck. David would have missed his stop, if a crying baby hadn’t jolted him awake. He was one of the last people off the train, which meant he missed a second opportunity to find Arthur. Thankfully, his phone GPS showed the café’s location only a short walk from the station. If this guy drank as much caffeine as David did, then that would be the first spot he’d go. David had never been to Burton-Upon-Trent, but it looked like any other quant little British village, not exactly where he would have picked to spend his day off. 

            Inside the café, the smell of freshly brewed coffee reminded David that he needed to get seconds. He decided not to use the punch card, because for some reason it felt wrong to take another man’s free coffee. Instead, he collected his own, despite the odds that the card would be lost long before he could ever visit this town again.

            When the plucky barista served him his latte, he decided to ask her if she knew anyone named Arthur James who came in.

            “I can’t say I recognize that name?” she answered with a subtle Irish accent, “But I recognize faces more than names. Why do you ask?”  

            He explained his story awkwardly, and she seemed genuinely interested.

            “It’s awful kind of you to do that. Does the coat have any distinguishable features? May I see it?”

            The two examined the label, a brand neither of them recognized. The barista ventured down inside the pockets, and on the tip of her fingers rested multiple brown crumbs. She gave them a sniff. 

            “Dog treats.” She said, and checked the hem of the coat. “Aha!” She pulled up fine strands of short, white hair. 

            “Pomeranian, I’m guessing? Maybe Maltese?”

            David gapped in astonishment, “Who are you? Sherlock?”

            “No, I work a second job as a dog walker. We have lots of people come by with their dogs, so if you see someone with a pet that matches that description,”

            “It could be my guy!” David finished.

            “Nice on you, Watson.” She went back behind the counter as more customers filtered in. As exciting as this development was, David wondered how long he would have to wait to see if his plan could work? 

            “David, I’m sorry, but we need to close now.” Jessica, the barista, kindly let him sit in the café all day, but since it was already 5 pm, she couldn’t indulge him any further.

            “I understand,” he sighed, and creaked himself out of the wooden restaurant chair. The air outside took an unseasonably turn toward chill. The takeaway coffee Jessica gave him did not seem like enough to warm him up. He decided to put the coat on, then turned the collar up against the wind.

            The village looked dusky this time of day, and it actually looked pretty pleasant. Well, at least I caught up on all the politics by reading every single newspaper and magazine in that place. I suppose all that I can do now is taking the ring to the police station? Maybe it will be easier for them to find the guy since he lives here. But does he live here? I just assumed because it was a one-way ticket. Crap, I wasted so much of the day chasing a fantasy.

            A soft tap on the shoulder and a “Hey” took David out of his thinking. He turned to face that same girl from the Paddington platform. Her breath came out slightly laboured, and her checks looked flushed, either from running or the cool air.

            “Hey, did you hear me calling you just now?” She asked.

            “Um, no, I guess not?” David didn’t know what else to say. The seconds of not talking felt too long, and the opportunity for sweat to reform felt close. 

            She finally spoke up first, “Yeah, sorry, this might sound weird, but I think you have my coat? Or at least, my granddad’s coat.” 

            David’s jaw hit the floor. “Wait, what? No, not possible,”

            “Hey wait, I recognize you? You were at Paddington this morning.”

            He felt flattered that she remembered his face, but also perplexed by her claim. “Why do you think this coat belongs to you?”

            “Well, unless there are two navy blue wool coats with a hole under the left arm, and embroidered initials on the back collar, I’d say very likely.” 

            She knew about the hole? Wait, “Embroidered initials on the collar?” Instinctually, David tried to turn his head and look behind himself. He laughed at his own foolishness, and took off the coat. Just under the turned up trim, stitched the initials “T.D.”in gold, fine cursive print. The same initials on the ring! “How did I not notice this before?!”

            “My grandmother added that, since my grandfather had a habit of always turning the collar up, she wanted the other women to know that he was taken.” 

            “How does that logic follow?” David asked

            She shrugged, “I don’t know, but it is cute either way. What I want to know is, how did you manage to get that? I accidently left it at my Gammy’s house in London…” her voice trailed off as she began connecting the narrative together, “Oh, I was helping her sort donations yesterday, she must have accidently packed it away. And you bought it, so I suppose, it is your coat now? What a funny little coincidence.”

            “Yes! I mean, no! What I mean, it isn’t my coat now. But also, it isn’t a coincidence. I was trying to find you.”

            Her pleasant expression turned to fear, and her weight shifted backward, as if she was ready to sprint the opposite direction. 

            “Oh no,” David exclaimed, “I don’t mean to be creepy, but of course, every creepy guy says just that,” He breathed in deep to help think through his explanation. “I work at the charity shop your Gammy, uh grandmother, donated to, and I found inside the pocket, this.”

            He held up the ticket stub for Arthur James, “I was trying to find him, are you… Arthur James, by chance?” 

            She laughed, and any trace of unease left her, “No, I am not Arthur, but my father’s law firm is Arthur & Jameson. He bought my ticket for me, and must have used his business credit card by mistake.”

            “And T.D. stands for?”

            “Theodosia Dupree. Coincidently, that is my name as well, but Theo works fine.” She pushed her hand toward him to shake, and he prayed that the sweat had not reached to his palms yet.

            “David. And, this is a lot crazier than I expected, honestly, the chances I could find you?”

            “Yeah, why did you feel like you needed to return the jacket to me?” Theo asked, “I ended up just buying another ticket.”

            “Well, I don’t think you can just buy another one of these,” David pulled the ring out from his coat pocket, and instantly realised how this might of looked to a by-stander. She took the box, her face inching back towards the concerned look she had before. Then, complete surprise took over her gorgeous features when she opened it.

            “Where did this come from?!” she yell-whispered.

            “I don’t think Gammy realized she put it in with the other items,” David guessed. 

            She held the box close to her chest, and tears formed at the corners of her eyes, “Thank you so much.”

            “You’re welcome,” He did what he set out to do. What do I do now? 

            “How can I repay you for this?” she asked.

            “Oh, I really wasn’t expecting anything, honestly.” Do it, you got to do it now, or else you will never have the chance, or the nerve again.“Can I take you out to get a coffee some time? Maybe the next time you are in London, or when I am here? I know of a great place around the corner.”

            She paused for a moment to think it over, then asked, “How often are you in Burton-Upon-Trent?”

            “Not very,”

            She laughed lightly, “Okay, I think I’d like that.”

            They exchanged phone numbers and gave an awkward goodbye hug. David gave back the coat to Theo. He could get another coat at work tomorrow. The two started walking in their opposite directions, when suddenly David remembered one last question.

            “Wait!” she turned back around, “Do you happen to have a small, white dog?”

            “Um, no, but Gammy does. A maltipoo named Peppermint.” 

            Wow, that clever barista chick was right.

             “How did you know about that?” she asked. 

            “Oh, that is kind of a long story.” 

            She shrugged, “I guess you can tell me about it on our date?” Theo turned on her heels, and kept her pace toward the sunset, which gave an angelic glow around her blonde hair. 

            Wow, thought David, not a bad way to spend a day off.