The Zephyr . 14.
She turned to him, and in that moment, he had hope. Her smile was genuine, it sparkled in her eyes, and her face was beautiful to him. Some visions last in your mind forever, and that look was one he felt imprinted already.
"Hello Beautiful, yourself," she chuckled as she answered him. "Too bad it's so early, downtown Denver looks fun to explore. Did you get your tickets O.K.?" She laughed now, he looked stunned or distracted. She reached out a gloved hand and touched his cheek with her fingertips. "Ben?"
Ben blinked, "Yes?"
"Did you get your tickets O.K.?" She smiled again.
"Yes, they were ready for me." He paused as he looked at her in the early morning light. "Must be the air making me dopey. Are you ready to go in, or do I have time for a cigarette?" He looked around for the Car Attendant.
"You have time." she answered with a smile.
"Smiles," he thought, "she sure smiled a lot; did she always smile? No, he knew she didn't, but hmmn, will think of that later."
People milled about and they saw new passengers board. Just as he finished his cigarette, the Attendant came by and told their group it was time to board. They were the last two from their group. Ben took her elbow with his hand, and they stepped into the car entrance. The Attendant, still outside, placed the step stool on the car floor at the door, and slid the door shut.
Caramel stopped for an instant and looked out the door's window. "I used to live close to here. Wonder how much it has changed? I will have to check to see if I have time to explore it on my way back through Denver." She turned back to walk to the tiny stairs.
Ben felt a tiny pang in his stomach. "With who?" he thought. Then he said out loud, "I must still be hungry, my stomach is telling me so." He stepped up the stairs behind her.
He heard her laugh even if he couldn't see her face. "You are always hungry?"
"No, just today," he muttered to himself. Then louder, No must be the thinner air up here."
They walked the few steps to their seats and slid into the spots they had just left a half hour before. "It was a blur," Ben thought. He looked at her as she took off her raincoat and settled into her seat more comfortably, and wondered where his sanity was, perhaps lost in the thin air? And then she did it again. She smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Who needs sanity?" he thought, " I'll take this."
The conductor came on the PA and began announcing all the points of interest they were about to see over the next five and a half hours til they reached Glenwood Springs. It was a lengthy list. Ben grabbed an itinerary from the mesh seat back, glanced at it, and passed it to Caramel. He was content to listen for the moment. "Content, yeah, that fits, " he thought, "Happy too." The Conductor mentioned that most sights on this first stretch would be on the right for the next hour or so, and then went silent.
Ben asked, "Do you want to change seats, or go up to the Observation Car?"
Caramel smiled, "No, I'm fine here unless you want to go up for more food in the Snack Car. You said you were hungry."
"I did, didn't I? Do you want to come with me or do you want to wait here?"
"I'll come; it may be the last time to stretch my legs for a while." She grabbed her purse as he stood and made room for her to go ahead of him.
Walking in the train as it slowly gathered speed was easy. At each juncture between cars, there were two doors to open, one in the car they were in and one of the car they were entering. The gap between the cars was a rubber sided tunnel with a steel floor that came together from both cars and almost touched, and another steel something below the two lips of steel. With the train moving slowly still, it was an easy step from one car to the next.
Walking through the Coach Cars took a little more maneuvering to step around people in the aisles. The Observation Car was almost fully windowed on the upper half and the seats were spread out to face the windows, rather than all facing forward. It was more of a zig-zag step there to avoid the seats and people standing. Downstairs, below the Observation floor was the Snack area. It had tables and booths.
Caramel stepped over and ordered a coffee and paid before Ben even made it all the way to the Snack area. "You're up," she smiled at him.
"I would have gotten that, " he almost growled.
"I now, but you got the last things, " she laughed, not at all put off by the growl. "Order your, darling, I'll be right over here."
He felt better, and turned to place his order.
Caramel slid into one of the right-hand booths. She sat facing forward, absentmindedly stirring her coffee as she looked out. When he slid in next to her, she grinned at him like a little child would do, and said "We have some of the best seats in the car to see this!" It was hard not to giggle when she sounded like they were conspirators.
Three teenagers set farther up the snack area aisle, playing cards, but otherwise, it seemed they had the snack area to themselves. The snack attendant was busy at the far end behind the counter. He appeared to intend to stay there.
Ben relaxed for perhaps the first time of the morning. Caramel seemed content to look out at the brilliantly sunlit Colorado Rockies they were climbing, and was still absentmindedly stirring her coffee.
"I think it's stirred." He laughed.
"What?" She looked at him and then at the coffee, "Oh, yes, I guess it is." She put down the stirring stick, picked up the coffee and sipped it.
He leaned forward, took the lid off his coffee, and then reached over to grasp her left hand in his right. She glanced at him, smiled, and went back to sipping her coffee as she looked out the window.
"I always wanted to travel by train, maybe I told you last night, but it was one of my dreams from childhood." Caramel spoke softly as she looked out the window. "I love to travel, I just haven't for many years."
He released her hands and put an arm around he shoulders, pulling her gently into leaning back against him so she was facing the vast window. "I know, and now we get to do it together."
She relaxed into him at that, and he heard the smile this time, "Yes, now we get to do it together."
The coffee seemed particularly rich as they sat there and made small comments on the view, or chuckled when the PA came on frequently to describe sights. "It is like seeing the world through a child's eyes," Ben thought as Caramel would exclaim at the sight of the ravines, the mountains, the winding tracks, the tunnel after tunnel stretches, and at the first sight of snow. And he did see it. Something of her excitement over the new views was catching, and even as people came and went, Caramel and Ben sat, pointing out new things to see to each other, and telling jokes and anecdotes.
"Hello Beautiful, yourself," she chuckled as she answered him. "Too bad it's so early, downtown Denver looks fun to explore. Did you get your tickets O.K.?" She laughed now, he looked stunned or distracted. She reached out a gloved hand and touched his cheek with her fingertips. "Ben?"
Ben blinked, "Yes?"
"Did you get your tickets O.K.?" She smiled again.
"Yes, they were ready for me." He paused as he looked at her in the early morning light. "Must be the air making me dopey. Are you ready to go in, or do I have time for a cigarette?" He looked around for the Car Attendant.
"You have time." she answered with a smile.
"Smiles," he thought, "she sure smiled a lot; did she always smile? No, he knew she didn't, but hmmn, will think of that later."
People milled about and they saw new passengers board. Just as he finished his cigarette, the Attendant came by and told their group it was time to board. They were the last two from their group. Ben took her elbow with his hand, and they stepped into the car entrance. The Attendant, still outside, placed the step stool on the car floor at the door, and slid the door shut.
Caramel stopped for an instant and looked out the door's window. "I used to live close to here. Wonder how much it has changed? I will have to check to see if I have time to explore it on my way back through Denver." She turned back to walk to the tiny stairs.
Ben felt a tiny pang in his stomach. "With who?" he thought. Then he said out loud, "I must still be hungry, my stomach is telling me so." He stepped up the stairs behind her.
He heard her laugh even if he couldn't see her face. "You are always hungry?"
"No, just today," he muttered to himself. Then louder, No must be the thinner air up here."
They walked the few steps to their seats and slid into the spots they had just left a half hour before. "It was a blur," Ben thought. He looked at her as she took off her raincoat and settled into her seat more comfortably, and wondered where his sanity was, perhaps lost in the thin air? And then she did it again. She smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Who needs sanity?" he thought, " I'll take this."
The conductor came on the PA and began announcing all the points of interest they were about to see over the next five and a half hours til they reached Glenwood Springs. It was a lengthy list. Ben grabbed an itinerary from the mesh seat back, glanced at it, and passed it to Caramel. He was content to listen for the moment. "Content, yeah, that fits, " he thought, "Happy too." The Conductor mentioned that most sights on this first stretch would be on the right for the next hour or so, and then went silent.
Ben asked, "Do you want to change seats, or go up to the Observation Car?"
Caramel smiled, "No, I'm fine here unless you want to go up for more food in the Snack Car. You said you were hungry."
"I did, didn't I? Do you want to come with me or do you want to wait here?"
"I'll come; it may be the last time to stretch my legs for a while." She grabbed her purse as he stood and made room for her to go ahead of him.
Walking in the train as it slowly gathered speed was easy. At each juncture between cars, there were two doors to open, one in the car they were in and one of the car they were entering. The gap between the cars was a rubber sided tunnel with a steel floor that came together from both cars and almost touched, and another steel something below the two lips of steel. With the train moving slowly still, it was an easy step from one car to the next.
Walking through the Coach Cars took a little more maneuvering to step around people in the aisles. The Observation Car was almost fully windowed on the upper half and the seats were spread out to face the windows, rather than all facing forward. It was more of a zig-zag step there to avoid the seats and people standing. Downstairs, below the Observation floor was the Snack area. It had tables and booths.
Caramel stepped over and ordered a coffee and paid before Ben even made it all the way to the Snack area. "You're up," she smiled at him.
"I would have gotten that, " he almost growled.
"I now, but you got the last things, " she laughed, not at all put off by the growl. "Order your, darling, I'll be right over here."
He felt better, and turned to place his order.
Caramel slid into one of the right-hand booths. She sat facing forward, absentmindedly stirring her coffee as she looked out. When he slid in next to her, she grinned at him like a little child would do, and said "We have some of the best seats in the car to see this!" It was hard not to giggle when she sounded like they were conspirators.
Three teenagers set farther up the snack area aisle, playing cards, but otherwise, it seemed they had the snack area to themselves. The snack attendant was busy at the far end behind the counter. He appeared to intend to stay there.
Ben relaxed for perhaps the first time of the morning. Caramel seemed content to look out at the brilliantly sunlit Colorado Rockies they were climbing, and was still absentmindedly stirring her coffee.
"I think it's stirred." He laughed.
"What?" She looked at him and then at the coffee, "Oh, yes, I guess it is." She put down the stirring stick, picked up the coffee and sipped it.
He leaned forward, took the lid off his coffee, and then reached over to grasp her left hand in his right. She glanced at him, smiled, and went back to sipping her coffee as she looked out the window.
"I always wanted to travel by train, maybe I told you last night, but it was one of my dreams from childhood." Caramel spoke softly as she looked out the window. "I love to travel, I just haven't for many years."
He released her hands and put an arm around he shoulders, pulling her gently into leaning back against him so she was facing the vast window. "I know, and now we get to do it together."
She relaxed into him at that, and he heard the smile this time, "Yes, now we get to do it together."
The coffee seemed particularly rich as they sat there and made small comments on the view, or chuckled when the PA came on frequently to describe sights. "It is like seeing the world through a child's eyes," Ben thought as Caramel would exclaim at the sight of the ravines, the mountains, the winding tracks, the tunnel after tunnel stretches, and at the first sight of snow. And he did see it. Something of her excitement over the new views was catching, and even as people came and went, Caramel and Ben sat, pointing out new things to see to each other, and telling jokes and anecdotes.
posted by Unknown at 11:32 AM
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