SANTIAGO by Eduardo Rios Lasso

Author:Eduardo Rios Lasso [Lasso, Eduardo Ríos]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789962171799
Publisher: Zibarna Books
Published: 2022-05-21T13:22:21+00:00

9

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

The bus entered Zagreb’s central train station on time. Santiago was ready to start his journey to Sarajevo. It wasn’t the fastest train, but it was direct. He would arrive early in the morning in Sarajevo. When he saw that train, it reminded him of movies about the era of communism: the old railway, saturated with the noises of rusted parts, had nothing in common with the modern trains he’d used in Amsterdam or Paris. The gloomy atmosphere in the silent carriages gave him an unsettled feeling. As it grew darker, the grinding increased, the shadows began moving beside him inside the train, and the smell of old car oil filled the air. It was as if he had been transported into a thriller scene where his next moments could be his last. He considered that he had made the wrong decision, but there was nowhere to go but forward.

The first train car he checked was full, and an older woman jeered at him from inside. The next held a family with three children screaming and shouting at each other. He closed the door and continued.

Within the next car, he found a compartment large enough for half a dozen people, although, at that moment, only three men about Santiago’s age were seated there. They were smiling, chatting among themselves. His stomach clenched. Should he keep looking, hoping to find an empty car?

One of the men looked up and smiled at him. “Ho, there, my friend. Come on in, there’s plenty of room.”

Santiago’s hands trembled, and his stomach sank. Could he sit so close to strangers? What if they tried to talk to him? “I-I can look for another car.”

The man waved his hand. “Pish posh! Don’t be ridiculous. We’d rather have you. There was a family here before with a kid that was screaming.”

Santiago smiled. “Yes, I think I just saw them in the previous car.”

The man waved him in again. “Then today is a lucky day. We all promise not to scream. Don’t we, gents?”

They all laughed.

Taking a deep breath, Santiago sat beside the man who’d invited him in.

“My name is Ben.” The man pointed to the man directly across from him. “That there is Karl, and beside him is Lucas.”

“I’m Santiago.” He grimaced, looking down as his stomach lurched.

“You okay, friend?” Lucas asked.

Santiago shrugged. “I don’t much like the feeling that I get from the train. The way it shakes… you know.” He held his belly.

Lucas nodded. “You get used to it in time. It’s like being rocked by your mama.”

Santiago nodded, but he didn’t ever remember being rocked by his mother. Not like this, at least.

“We’re from the Netherlands,” Karl said, with a heavy Dutch accent, “In case you didn’t notice.”

“I am from Panama, and I was in your country a few weeks ago. Now I am going to Sarajevo.”

“Ah, nice,” Karl said.

“We’re finishing up a tour of Slovenia and Croatia,” Ben announced. “We’ve thoroughly traveled both countries. We bathed in beaches of Pula and Rijeka and hiked the amazing Julian Alps in Slovenia.

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