Okay, then.

There were probably a lot of reasons why I said “okay” to Nell if I really stopped to think about them. If I was really honest with myself and with everyone else I told this story to, I would have all sorts of reasons for telling her “okay” even though…I should back up and tell you who Nell is. In those early days, I decided I would hitchhike from Spokane down as far as I could get, which happened to be around Sacramento way by how the crow flies or however it is the saying goes. There was a lot of work in Sacramento then – the orchards were just ripening, lots of oranges, apples, some dates, too. If you were willing to work hard and save a buck - and I was – then you could find some easy living in Sacramento.

               Thing about Spokane is that the trains are real unreliable. A train could be scheduled for a Tuesday morning but not even pull up to the depot until Thursday afternoon. It was just how things were done in the West, in those early days. You had to know how to go with the flow or you’d be out of your mind in no time.

               I had met Nell on the train outside of Pasco as we were headed along the river, just before we got over the border into Oregon. She was sitting in the seat ahead of me, and when I was coming down the aisle I noticed her as soon as I saw her, but she didn’t seem to have eyes for anyone on that train, including me. She stared out the window and even when I passed her and said hello, she just turned and gave me a weak smile which wasn’t like a smile at all, really… and then she went back to staring out the window.

               I had nine dollars on me at the time, in those early days…it wasn’t a lot of money but it was enough to feel a bit of security. When I sat down in my seat, I decided the first thing I would do with that nine dollars was buy Nell a Coke in the dining car. But I had to convince her to let me, first of all. That proved to be a bigger challenge than I figured it would be.

               I tried a couple of times to talk to her on that train ride. First time was outside of Shaniko when the train slowed to let a herd of buffalo cross. All those buffalo were quite a sight and lots of people on the train made a big to-do about it, but Nell seemed bored with the whole show, like she had seen it all one hundred times before.

               “Not much of a buffalo fan, are you?” I asked when I saw her with her chin on her palm, staring at the back of the seat ahead of her. She sort of looked at me with real strong blue eyes and then shrugged but didn’t say anything.

               I figured then that this might take a little more work than I thought.

               The next time I tried to talk to Nell was when the train was coming up on Klamath Falls. I had seen pictures of the town before but it seemed like a real nice place when I saw it with my own eyes. We slowed down to pass through the town and I made a comment to Nell about how nice it looked.

               “Trust me, you don’t want to stop here,” she said with some boredom in her voice.

               When I asked her how she knew that, she said, “I used to live here with my husband.”

               I know what you’re thinking: this Nell has a husband. But my mama told me that in life, you have to go after the things you want. I wasn’t about to steal another man’s wife, but I could tell things with Nell weren’t all they seemed to be.

               Finally, when we were only a few more hours from the Sacramento depot, I managed to get Nell’s attention when I told her I felt like getting something to eat.

               “Care to join me?” I asked her as I stood up into the aisle. She looked up at me for a moment with a sorrowful expression, one that I can still see to this day when I close my eyes. But what I remember most was how pretty she looked. But then she said, “okay, I’ll come along.”

               “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” was what it sounded like she said under her breath, but before I could ask her to repeat herself, she had taken my hand and was leading me down the aisle toward the dining car.

               I really liked the way Nell’s hand felt in mine. It was soft but her grip was strong, like she knew how to work with her hands.

               The dining car was empty except for an older couple who were seated in the corner, and a single man who was smoking a cigarette at the counter while he drank a cup of coffee, a ten-gallon hat sitting awkwardly on his balding head.

               Nell pulled us over to a table with a dingy white cloth and sat down without waiting for me to pull out her chair.

               “Will you buy me a Coke?” she asked.

               It was funny she asked because that had been my plan.

               “I sure will…” I trailed off like I was waiting for her to tell me her name so I could finish my sentence.

               “My name is Nell,” she replied with something that sounded almost like annoyance in her voice.

               I wanted to tell her that Nell was my mama’s name but in those early days, that kind of thing was unnecessary.

               As the train clattered down the warm California rails, Nell sipped on the bottle of Coke I had bought her while I sat across the table from her wondering what else I could possibly say. She stared back at me with a cool but intense look, like she had known me all her life but couldn’t remember my name.

               The train rounded a gentle hill and the low afternoon sun blazed across the dining car and made me squint.

               “So, I’m curious,” Nell started, “why me?”

               I think my look threw her off because she laughed out loud.

               “Why not?” I asked, feeling dumb for being so confused by the moment.

               Nell watched me suspiciously for a couple of seconds and then she said, “okay…but I want you to remember that I gave you the chance.”

               I must have shrugged or something like that, but I know I didn’t say anything back to her. Though she suddenly became very soft and alluring, leaning across the table with her hand on the back of her neck.

               “So, I have a question for you,” she said in a sultry voice.

               I nodded as I looked deep into her eyes.

               “How about you come with me?” she asked, and I could feel the toe of her shoe brushing against my shin.

               “But…but you’re married,” I said, suddenly very uncomfortable with myself.

               “Was, was married,” she stressed. As she tugged her earlobe, I could feel myself turning into putty.

               “Okay,” I said, sounding way more confident than I had meant to. “Okay, then.”

               Now, after a year and almost four hundred dollars – and a useless wedding ring – I’m looking for a way to get my nine dollars back so I can get a ticket back to Spokane. At least there I’ve got a few friends willing to help me back on my feet. So do you think you can help me out with some spare change?