A Tale of Two Cities

The children swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the train as it went through the countryside, suddenly slowed, and finally came to a halt with a screech.

Laura pushed through the crowd to stick her head through the window looking around at the vast emptiness of the land. Beyond the small station there was nothing to see in any direction.

“Do not get placed here, Johnny Miller. Ya hear me?” She turned to look into the eyes of the boy traveling with her, the boy she had known her whole life in the city.

“It ain’t my choice. None of this is my choice.” He looked around and then glanced down at his new trousers and shoes. Laura followed his gaze thinking, “Where were those shoes when he needed them? When he ran barefoot down the alleys?” They were both dressed to impress in their new clothes to ensure a successful transition.

“Play lame. They don’t want no dumb weakling.”

Johnny didn’t answer as the children exited the train to line up in size order at the station. She pinched him angrily and hissed “Play lame. Drool if you have to.” Being the shorter of the two, Laura was pushed closer to the front of the line while Johnny held back. 

The men appeared looking over the children like cattle, poking and prodding them, feeling their scrawny arms for muscles. Only the fittest would be placed to work on the farms and given a home. The rest would board the train headed towards the next city for the process to begin all over again, the selection shrinking with every stop. 

Laura watched the man approach the line, walking slowly while leaning on his cane. He stopped in front of Johnny then flicked his cane up quickly striking the boy in the knees. “What’s you name, child?” he spit out.

Holding her breath, she said a silent prayer for him to keep his mouth shut as she had instructed him. He stood still, showing only the slightest hint of pain induced by the strike, and said nothing. 

The man leaned in to study Johnny’s face from inches away. “You deaf or dumb?”

Receiving no response nor eye contact, the man abruptly turned to the next child, the one just slightly shorter, and quickly struck him with the cane making a loud whack. “How about you? You have a name?”

“Albert.”

“I’ll take him.” Albert was pulled off the line roughly and led away to the makeshift desk for his papers.

Laura, grateful for the absence of women, received hardly a glance in her direction. She stood staring at a point on the horizon letting her mouth droop open slightly, appearing to be less than what she was. 

“All aboard!” The harsh command indicated the transactions were complete. 

Once again the rejected children boarded the orphan train heading west.

***

“We ain’t no orphans, Laura. We both got a ma and pa back in the city.”

“I know, Johnny. These folks are looking for farm hands, grabbing us up as if we don’t matter.”

“My ma is going to worry when I don’t get home for supper.”

“Your ma ain’t gonna notice, Johnny. She’s out looking to earn a few coins at the saloon. You know that, don’t ya? You must know what she does when your pa is passed out drunk in the alley, don’t ya?”

Scowling, Johnny lashed out. “Take that back. Your ma is the one in the whorehouse.” 

Laura recoiled at the words but calmed down quickly, knowing her friend’s harsh statement was true. No one took care of them back home, making them easy targets for relocation.

***

The screeching woke Laura from her sleep, leaving her disoriented. She had been dreaming of her tiny apartment in the city and was dismayed to find herself still on the train. She felt Johnny’s head on her shoulder and heard his gentle snoring. 

After a quick glance out the window, her heart began to pound. She shoved her friend roughly.

“Wake up, Johnny Miller. This is it.”

“Hey, watch it,” the boy reacted quickly, his little hands going into fists ready for a fight.

“Calm down. Behave yourself. We want to get placed here. It’s perfect for my plan.”

“You ain’t the boss of me, Laura.”

“You want to get back to New York? See our friends? See your ma and pa? You best behave yourself. We have to stick together, or we’ll be lost forever. You want that?”

“You know I don’t. Just stop being so damn bossy.”

“Sorry,” Laura whispered gently as the children started clambering out of the train. This stop was different with the small buildings surrounding the station and a wooden bench out front. The crowd was already formed, the men and women mingling in the sunshine. Laura’s observant glance took in the general store with the horses hitched to the posts out front. She knew what they had to do to survive.

“This is it, Laura, ain’t it?”

“Yes. Be fit, Johnny Miller. Be fit and get placed. Then get your sorry self to the store quickly. I’ll be there.”

“You’re so sure of yourself?”

“I am, Johnny Miller. I am.”

***

The last of the children lined up in size order and were marched back and forth across the square. Laura quickly made eye contact with the women hoping for some favor. When approached, she recited her lines expertly stating her name, age, and skillset. This time she added what she hoped would seal the deal.

“I worked in my ma and pa’s shop back in New York City. I can double your sales in a year. Mark my words.”

“Aren’t you a bold little thing? Matilda, come see this young lass, she’s looking to take over the mercantile.”

“She can have it along with the debts and all the folk with their endless tabs. Good luck to her.” The woman stopped in front of Laura and stared into her eyes.

“I’m a hard worker. You won’t be sorry, ma’am.”

“Why aren’t you back in the city working?” 

“My ma and pa were struck down with the flu, ma’am. Both dead and buried. I ain’t got no one,” Laura recited, forcing her chin to quiver a bit. A lone tear rolled down her cheek for extra insurance.

“Can you read and write? Do math?”

“Sure can. I was top of my class.”

“You want her?” The man turned to his wife and her subtle nod was all he needed to pull her off the line. She held her suitcase tightly as they walked to the makeshift desk for her papers. With a glance back, she was pleased to see Johnny being led away by a man in coveralls.

***

“Bag of flour.” 

Laura’s heart raced as she looked up and smiled.

“How’s it going?”

“Not too bad. They are nice enough, but they make me sleep in the barn.”

“The barn? That’s disgraceful. You ain’t no animal, Johnny.”

“It’s not forever, right? We’ll get back to the city someday. I’ll be back on the corner selling newspapers instead of shoveling horse shit.”

“And I’ll be eating pizza at Lombardi’s.”

“You mean behind Lombardi’s digging through the garbage.”

“No, I mean sitting inside eating proper with the kids.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah, Johnny. We’re gonna get married and have lots of babies.”

“Married?” Johnny took several steps backward knocking over the display of hard candies. “I ain’t marrying you!”

“You got a better offer?” Laura laughed, placing a bag of flour on the counter.

“You ain’t the boss of me, Laura,” he grumbled, putting down two coins for his purchase. Laura took the coins, dropped them into the drawer, and silently slid a large pile across the counter. After a quick nod, he put the money into the pocket of his coveralls to be buried in the barn.

“Have a good day,” she dismissed him as she turned her attention to the next customer who entered the store.

***

“How long did it take you to get back to New York?” 

“Why all the questions, little one?”

“It’s for my history paper. We are learning about the orphan trains. I can’t believe you and Grandpa were on those.”

“I’m surprised they are teaching you that in school.”

“Why?”

“We were the forgotten children. The unwanted, the downtrodden. No one cared about us.”

“I’m sorry, Grandma.”

“Don’t be sorry, little one. We survived.”

With that, the apartment door opened, and their attention turned to the elderly man stepping in. He carefully balanced two boxes as he closed the door behind him.

“Someone order pizza? Was that you, Laura Miller? Or you, little one?” Johnny bent over to kiss first his wife and then his granddaughter who were seated together at the kitchen table.