Train I Ride by Paul Mosier

Author:Paul Mosier
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

9

I CAN’T GET back to sleep. I’m thinking about the lonely coyote, and everything that’s happened. My timeline stretches behind me, a chart of other people’s mistakes and bad choices and sadness that put me in this seat on this train on this night.

I’m so cold from the air-conditioning, my teeth are chattering. I’ve been wearing jeans and my toast-and-jam T-shirt and hoodie ever since I got on the train in Palm Springs almost two days ago, but I’m still cold.

I slip past Dorothea into the aisle. From the overhead rack I take the silly little book, The Sun Is Shining, because it’s the only book I have. The coach is mostly sleeping except for a couple of people who are working on their laptops or reading, so I make my way toward the light of the observation lounge.

Inside there are a couple of people sleeping stretched out on the floor between the side-facing seats and the windows. There are also a couple of people sitting in the booths, sleeping with their faces on the tables. A couple of people are awake at the tables, reading. One of them is Tenderchunks.

“Hey,” I say, sitting down across from him.

He looks up from a scout manual. “Hey.”

After I don’t say anything else, he goes back to reading.

I notice for the first time that one of his eyes is higher than the other. His face is a little lopsided, like when the camera moves while you’re taking a picture. “Is that some sort of lame scout bible?” I ask.

He takes off his glasses and closes the book. “No, it just tells you what you’re supposed to do in different situations.”

I fold my arms. “Sounds like a lame scout bible to me.”

“Whatever.”

I lean forward and speak quietly. “Does it teach you how to pee standing up?”

He laughs, even though I was trying to insult him. “No. It tells you how to start a fire and how to put it out, and what to do if you’re on fire, and how to not get lost, and how to find your way when you do get lost. That kind of thing.”

“You guys need all the help you can get, I suppose. And you need to allow girls into your little club. You’ve got too much testosterone.”

“I agree.”

I pause and look at him, surprised. “You do?”

“Yeah.” He looks at me like he’s stating the obvious. “It’s like all the boys are cruel and they’re pretending to be virtuous. But I feel like I’m gonna get beat up at any moment.”

“Wow. I can’t believe I’m hearing this from one of you.”

“I don’t speak for them. You’re hearing it from me.”

“Why are you in it, then?”

“My dad wanted me to join. I like camping and everything, I just don’t like the boys and the uniforms. I mean, some of the guys are all right, but they need to be around some girls to keep them from being cruel and violent.”

“Huh.” I’m still shocked to be hearing this.

“Trail mix?” He offers a small bag.

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