As the man pondered his next move, a force of tranquility overcame him. It was like the sultry voice of thought had entered his roller coaster of thoughts and made itself comfortable in the front row. His nervousness subsided, and as he took a deep breath, he knew that this awkward moment between the two wouldn't be alleviated by merely standing stationary. He turned and casually approached the girl, and scrambled the first thought that came into his mind of what to say.
"That looks like a lot of luggage for you to be carrying around", he said as he came to a stop on the platform; a slight smile taking his lip.
"Yeah, but I think I'm managing pretty well so far" she reciprocated. "I just hope this train gets here in time" she continued.
He chuckled slightly. "That makes two of us"
"Yeah, I suppose it does. Where are you headed?" She asked.
"San Francisco" She replied, "What brings you to Union Station
"Chicago; nothing special."
"What do you mean nothing special? Chicago's the second best city in the world; right behind the big apple, of course. Come on, indulge me, why the Windy City?"
The man knew why he had been going to Chicago. His family was there, and the real story behind why he had to make the journey was something that he felt might put a damper on her already seemingly distressed day. On this, he knew that he had to keep it short and sweet.
"I'm just seeing the family, and doing a little sight seeing. I haven't been there in a few years." He replied to her.
"Sounds like they'll be looking forward to seeing you, being that it's been a while", she said.
He let out a small passive chuckle as he responded.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be thrilled" he said; a slight glaze overcoming his eyes. "Care to tell me why you have so much luggage? Seems like your trip is more than just a vacation."
"Yeah, I'm going out there for a while. I have a friend that I'm staying with", she replied in a slightly solemn tone
"Mind if I ask why?"
"I just needed a get away, and I figured, what better place than on the completely opposite end of the country?" she explained. "Haven't you ever just wanted to get away, from everything?"
He looked down to avoid giving her a tell that would open the gates to the river of thoughts flowing through his mind upon hearing that question. He refocused the conversation on her.
"The greatest city in the world doesn't seem so great to you from what I'm hearing."
She focused her eyes directly on his, as her seemingly distressed complexion was fighting back a smile that was pushing its way to the front, eventually enveloping her lips for a few short seconds, followed by a light sigh of humor.
"It has its ups, but it also has its downs."
Before she could continue, the unmistakable rumble of an approaching train shook the platform beneath their feet. A train horn played three short bursts, and the familiar sound of the ringing bells filled the tunnel as the passenger train made its way into the station with the screeches and groans of the breaks bringing the train to a slow stop. The doors opened, and just like that, the rapid flow of the city above broke the silence of the platform, now filled with a plethora of passengers, most rushing to their next train, and trying to gather their baggage. It looked like an organized chaos, and as he looked back at her, he could see her boarding the train.
"What cabin are you going to?" He asked hastily.
"I'm going to second class" she replied. "Come by later if you'd like. Train rides are pretty boring."
"I might take you up on that -- what's your name?"
"Sarah; what's yours?"
"Brennan."
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