“Ticket please.” Said the man at the gate hand held out waiting for the ticket, he looked at the ticket then at it’s owner making sure they belonged together, they appeared to “ Says here that your seated in Car 3 so your in the right place do you have any bags you would like to check in ma’am?” The young lady shook her head. She had brought nothing with her, she wanted nothing from this place she was leaving for the first time in the 23 years she had been alive, a place she intended never to lay eyes again. “Very well then young lady welcome aboard your seated in w17 you will see the seats are clearly numbered and you are by the window.” The man informed her handing back her ticket he reminded her “ keep your ticket with you at all times you may be asked for it again, have a nice trip my dear.” She took her ticket from the man and boarded the train and found her seat, “ Excuse me,” she said to the man seated in a17 “ This is my seat I just need to go by if you wouldn’t mind sir.” The man stood and moved out of the way looking at the young lady. He smiled; she seemed nervous; perhaps this was her first trip on a train. “Thank -you ,” she said softly as she sat down “ I have never taken a train before, and I hope it will be as wonderful as I have dreamed it to be.” She looked at the man seated next to her, he was a handsome man, a salesman perhaps since he was wearing a dark blue suit matching tie which had been pulled loose along with the top two buttons being undone. His hair was dark brown mostly,some blonde highlights on tips of his short spiked cut. He was clean shaven, and smelled good. He wore a gold watch on his left wrist and his ring finger was bare. She felt herself smile at that discovery. Her gaze traveled from his hands to his eyes which were a deep brown she had never seen “ My name is  JillAnn Jacobs,” she held out her hand, it was a soft hand, with nails bitten  so short they had to hurt, is what he was thinking when she announced herself and offered her hand he felt in his this very moment and softly replied “ Walter Davis at your service, Ms. Jillian Jacobs is what you said I believe?” He said smiling and looking into the most beautiful blue  eyes he had ever seen in his life. “Jacobs you got perfect JillAnn however is the name not Jillian it’s a common mistake, I must admit it’s not the first time someone misunderstood it” She said playfully, hitting him in the arm lightly. “ My mom was clever like that, making little changes to everyday words. Almost the same just a little tweaking. And the next thing happens is always having to correct the way people say your name, cuz no one ever gets it the first time even if there is no I in the middle so it really sounds totally different don’t you think? JillAnn Jillian JillAnn sounds different if you're listening I think so anyway but I am a critic so biased I am!!” “ I also think that I talk to much I go on asking questions that I miss hearing the answers because I keep on and on like I am doing now, I guess it’s because I think who is even listening to me, no one most likely I keep thinking things like that than say them then somehow everyone is mad, wish I would learn to shut my mouth but it’s not looking good just look at how I keep on truckin making mess after mess, I must confess,” “Must you though confess something more dear lady, I pray you have nothing further in need of confessing” he interrupted before her newest confession left her always moving lips. And he was not her priest. “ All aboard that’s coming aboard!” the Conductor bellowed, “This train is leaving the station in 15 minutes! All passengers aboard that are coming aboard! Will all passengers please be seated in the seat assigned to you when you purchased your ticket? The car attendant will be checking all tickets before our departure. We will be leaving the station at the scheduled time of 7: 17 this evening and will make it to our first stop in Green River Utah at 6:00 am tomorrow morning. The dining car will be open from 8:00 until 5:00 am for your convenience. We will be departing momentarily. Thank you for choosing to ride with us here at Old Time Railways and enjoy the ride.” The voice over the loudspeaker halted the conversation between the two passengers, as well as all the other travelers on board. Walter and JillAnn sat quietly. As the train pulled out of the station, she was on her way, she looked out the window looking at her childhood home for the last time, a tear fell from her eye, as she softly whispered for her ears alone “Good-bye to this only home I have ever known, Colorful Colorado  I shall miss all of your beauty I love these mountains and the sitting by the creek listening to the water but that is all. I shall miss in this place  that I have felt so much more pain than joy endured so much loss gaining bitterness left weighing me down; well no more never again shall I carry something so heavy I can no longer move, that girl after this day shall no longer exist, today everythings going to change.” Starting with her name, she said to herself only, nobody else needed to know. She smiled to herself, her first little secret in this her new life. “Can I get you a pillow and blanket Ms.?” Came the voice, interrupting her thoughts bringing her back to reality. “ I would love to have both please and thank you before I forget and don’t say it and end up being rude, lacking in etiquette, who I do not lack in, in any way shape or form, so thanks again.” Taking the items from the same fellow that had taken her ticket, she let out sigh and smiled and started to laugh saying “ I guess you didn’t need all that added information, I am so sorry, I have a chatter matter I am working on as we speak and I seem to be failing miserably, don’t you think? Don’t answer that, like anyone could, am I right, thanks was all I needed to say no explanation needed when one says please and thank you, like people don’t already know why, right? What do you think sir?” The older gentleman shook his head laughing and replied “ You’re welcome, young lady, and let me know if I can get you anything else. I’m here to help. That's my job. It is what I do.” he bowed at the end of his sentence and cheerfully added, “Madam, Sir, Mr. Goings at your service for the entire trip.” He walked across the aisle and greeted more passengers with a pillow and blanket in hand. JillAnn pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and her pillow under her head, reclining her seat as far as it could go and closed her eyes, suddenly tired she yawned and said “Good-night and Sweetest dreams to us all.” Within a few minutes she was sleeping soundly drifting off to dreamland, further from the life she left behind. The sun was closer to rise every minute, a bright new dawn on the horizon as the train arrived at the Green River depot stopping only to drop off and pick up stock supplies if need be switch drivers and then the All Aboard speech was being given a second time, new riders she decided was the reason. The ending was different of course “ We will arrive at 9:54 pm in Reno Nevada.” JillAnne opened her eyes just in time to see the Green River Station disappear from sight and the sun was starting to rise, she turned her head to her left where next to her Walter was still sound asleep. She looked him over wondering where he was from, where he was going to, if he had a family waiting for his return, or was he alone like her.  He started to stir slowly, his eyes opened only to find her staring at him “ Was I talking in my sleep, spilling all of my secrets?” the sound of his voice startled her and she jumped horrified that she was caught staring at him for the second time. “ Ummm no not that I noticed. You have secrets to spill? How interesting, I love secrets! I don’t have any secrets anymore. I left all that behind in Colorado. I am going to have one as soon as I change my name to one I don’t always have to explain  I’m not sure to what just yet but I am leaning towards Melody because it sounds like a song, and I really love music.” he watched her she really was a rambler she could go on forever if anyone would let her. “ I like the name you have to explain, how else would you start a conversation and although your words flow like a Melody you just don’t look like a Melody to me, you know what I mean.” “I don’t look like a Melody do I, you are right, but I don't want to be JillAnn anymore, I want to leave all of who I was in Colorado in Colorado and that includes my name. I want no reminders. I just want to forget Colorado even exists. Forget all the people that don’t want me around the people that don’t want me.” her voice grew shaky and you could hear it crack. “Who wouldn’t want you, you are an amazing breath of fresh air, I can’t believe you to be unwanted.” “Lots of people don’t want me at least not the way I want them, in my life, that’s why I left, it is for the best you know, at least for me that's for sure. Because it always feels the way you feel when the air gets knocked out of you, I really hate that feeling don’t you?” He could feel her pain see how it had consumed her. “ I too hate feeling that way, it is the worst, I agree, and I am sorry you are so tormented.” How did he know she was tormented? Did it show that much? She simply shrugged her shoulders  and smiled and replied “ I am trying to escape from all those things,  leave what haunts me behind. And I will start now I am changing the subject poof all gone, isn’t that better, I think it is that's for sure. Don’t you just love the sound of the train, I love to listen to all the sounds that make up a moment don’t you, how cliche right, I think so anyway the things people say sometimes seem rehearsed like their  in some kind of play. And they are going for an Oscar.” Her new subject somehow seemed tied to the subject she was forgetting, he wondered if she realized the connection, if he had to guess he would have said no she had not a clue and he decided not to point that out. “ I think everyone is acting at some point in their lives, maybe they don’t mean to and it just happens like that, you JillAnne do not sound rehearsed not a bit.” She smiled at his compliment, blushed some even. 

“ Why thank you Walter dear, how kind of you to say. I do try to be as real as I can at all times you know. Can’t stand anything fake except flowers. I like those and they don’t die. May not smell pretty like the real ones but they don't smell all too much once they are dead. And the real ones wither and die, the fake ones just look alive. I like that so much more so I guess I do like a fake thing or two, just not fake people or fake kindness. Those two things get me on the warpath I guess one may suggest. Here I am again carrying on and on I am so very sorry. You should stop me.!!”As if anyone could stop this force of nature, it would be impossible from what he had seen thus far. She looked out the window they were in Nevada now, much different scenery than what she grew up with in Colorado. The mountains seemed smaller than Pikes Peak in Colorado. They were as beau tiful and the Truckee River had come into view and was amazing to watch, calming as well. Her eyes began to feel heavy so maybe she would take a short nap, it couldn’t hurt. She looked over at Walter who was napping himself, so no need to tell him she planned to nap for a bit. She closed her eyes and soon she was sleeping. “ We have reached our destination folks Reno Nevada please be considerate of others getting off of the train and thank you again for choosing to travel with us.” She looked over to find Walter’s seat empty where had he gone. She wondered, why had he not said good-bye at least. She got up and headed for the train exit looking for Walter, no sign of him anywhere. It was warm outside even though it was night she could hear the sound of the river and headed toward the riverwalk to find a place to sit and think for a bit, it was beautiful the sight in front of her, the massive river flowed right through the town. It calmed her restless spirit and revived her outlook how freely the river flowed to wherever it was heading, strong and raging through the town, not a care in the world. Not that river’s did much thinking, she pointed out to herself. How silly silly silly of me thinking a river had an opinion. She felt the spray from the river on her face and it felt so good after the long journey. As she got up to walk further down the path she noticed a plaque on the bench that said In loving memory of Walter Davis 1968-2017 who drowned in the Truckee river saving his girlfriend who had slipped fell in. JillAnn sat shocked at the words she had just read, was this why Walter was gone from the train? Was her companion really a ghost?