The Zephyr. 13.

HIM

Ben slid into the seat juggling the cardboard tray of coffee and muffins. It had seemed a long way back.
"Twenty minutes to the Denver stop" came the announcement on the P.A.

"Hi Sunshine", he smiled at Caramel as he said it. "Coffee's hot, and I brought sugar and cream in case you want them. And a giant muffin, I hope you like Apple Cinnamon." He pulled down the seatback tray and set the cardboard one on it. She hadnt really moved and he sat back further in the seat, turned and lightly kissed her forehead. "Eat, you will feel better."

Caramel pulled the seatback tray down on her side as well, and then reached for the coffee and sugar. He waited for her to pick up what she wanted before he took any. After the first sip of coffee, and a small satisfied sigh, she smiled back at him and said, "Thank you. I'm sorry I'm slow waking, but thank you."

Ben opened up both packages of muffins and passe her one. "Eat, baby, it will give you energy." He saw the smile, and something else in her eyes. Time, he thought, give her time.

Denver was rolling in, or so it seemed. The early daylight seemed to highlight the city as the train approached the rolling small hills that slowly revealed Denver. The mountains behind the city were obvious now, the peaks tipped with daylight.

~~
Caramel stepped off the train for a cigarette. The Denver stop was cold. It was the first taste of a real chill in the air. The Downtown city was visible beyond the station. It was quiet, the quiet of a city on an early Saturday morning. Ben stopped long enough to touch her arm there where she stood, and then sprinted into the station.

He found the ticket desk and only two people in line. He was pleasantly surprised that his tickets were already waiting for him. He sprinted back down the hall, through the doors and out into the cold. The train seemed longer. Halfway down the platform he spotted Caramel. The red and black she wore made it easy amidst all the duller colors of the rest of the people, or maybe he was just focused. He slowed to a walk, tickets in hand as he got closer.

She was facing the other way, staring perhaps at the city. He walked up right beside her. "Hello Beautiful."

The Zephyr. 12.

All the doubts came back in the tiny Ladies' washroom. She looked at her face in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Morning in the mirror always showed the small wrinkles starting in her face, the smile lines her children called them. Looking at herself, she wondered why in the world Ben would have even come up to tell her who he was.

And why?! That was the question she had been searching for. Why had he come? Once the thought had popped into her brain, it wouldn't leave. Why would a thirty-something man come hundreds of miles to catch a train on the chance of meeting? Especially meeting a forty-something lady?

The face in the mirror was frowning now. Caramel absently stowed the toothbrush and paste back in the tiny travel bag. She combed her hair and then turned from the mirror. The "Why?" was running in circles through her thoughts. She wasn't rich. She wasn't beautiful like those Hollywood actresses her age. She was a widow, with concerns and children spread out over two states. Why would he have come?

Worrying happens fast, and so did the moments it took to climb back up to the seating area. She was back in her window seat stowing her bag away in her backpack long before he returned with the coffee. The smile on his face caught her by surprise once more.