We are still sitting in Denver station, now an hour past our departure time, when two policemen appear out on the platform. They board the train and follow the conductor upstairs. I have a feeling things are not going any better for the "hippie dude" on the upper level.
Another half an hour goes by and the policemen are now escorting "hippie dude" down the stairs and off the train along with his luggage. He was apparently causing more trouble in the upper level of the train because they don’t throw people off the train for no reason usually, but they also don’t hesitate to do so if you are breaking the rules or causing trouble.
I feel bad for the guy, he had told the conductor earlier he was going home for Thanksgiving. The loud woman (I’ll call her Chicago lady) is telling us all that he probably just needs his meds and how unfair it is that he was booted off the train and again how horrible children are. Wait, what? She’s defending him?
At this point I am confused, because I thought she was probably the person in our car who had complained about him that got him in trouble to begin with! After all she has been the very loud vocal person in this car since I first got on.
Apparently he had been singing out loud and someone in our car had complained to the conductor. Now the conductor came into our car and went and sat next to the woman in the back two seats with the three sick, coughing children. Aha! So she had been the one who had complained and that’s why Chicago lady has been so vocal about annoying children and their coughing.
Things were beginning to make more sense to me now. It helps to have all the facts as the Chicago lady continued to inform us again that she had been a bus driver and he probably forgot to take his medication and was confused. I was just beginning to be team Chicago lady but then she lost my empathy as she ranted on and on about the "horrible" crying, coughing children on the train spicing it up with a few choice swear words for good measure. Not cool. The kids had nothing to do with any of this.
The conductor left, not bothering to tell the rest of us anything, and everyone finally settled in.Thankfully the train started to move, we were now two hours behind schedule. Trains can make up a little time along the way, but not two hours. I had no visions of being on time to Ottumwa or home, I can’t make up two hours driving either.
The teenage boy across from me (he had mild autism his mother had told me) asked me if I had any dogs. I told him about Kutter and Jazzy and then shared some pictures of them. He was delighted. He told me all about his little dog waiting for him at home. His mother apologized for his talking my ear off and I assured her it was fine. It was much better than listening to the Chicago bus driver lady.
The kids all quieted down except for the constant coughing as they began playing their games and watching their movies. I realized that I was trapped in a train car for twelve hours with at least five strains of cold and or flu viruses, as I listened to each of them cough. One child in the back seats sounded like he had bronchitis at the very least. My immune system was really getting a workout on this train trip!
I tried to make myself comfortable and get my nap in. My brain would not settle down. It was calculating how many days it would be before I came down with one of those many cold germs I was trying not to breath in. I was also worried about "hippie dude" and if he would make it home for Thanksgiving! I had pulled the neck of my shirt up over my mouth and nose hoping it would act as some type of a germ filter, but I had my doubts. I probably looked like I had intentions of robbing the train as I tried to get snuggled in. Hopefully they wouldn’t toss me off the train next.
I drifted off to sleep and woke just as the sun was starting to rise. The train was still an hour behind so I let Brittney know I’d be late getting home to babysit and she’d have to miss one of her college classes. I ate my other banana, a little worse for wear having been smashed in the bottom of my red snack bag, a bottle of water and some peanut butter crackers for breakfast. The woman with the teenage boy had gotten off in Nebraska during the night.
Chicago lady was back on her cell phone loudly planning her Thanksgiving meal for all of us to hear. It makes holidays extra special when you plan the event by swearing at the people you plan to spend the holiday with, or so it seemed for her. I was beginning to wonder if she could speak a full sentence without using a curse word in it? Probably not.
Soon we were pulling into Ottumwa where it was announced it was the last smoking stop before Chicago. I’m always glad to see that Amtrak cares so much about the smokers.
I hefted my three bags on my shoulder, again regretting my choice of luggage and got ready to get off the train. The smokers were all lined up ahead of me ready to pounce out of the train and light them up! Chicago lady was behind me, although I could’t picture her pouncing off anything. Just what her disposition needed was a cigarette.
I trudged back down the sidewalk and across the grass to my car still parked in the creepy parking lot. At least it was morning and you didn’t feel quite as likely to get mugged or murdered on the way to or from your car. I put my extra shoes, leggings and top I had left behind back into my bag. My salad bowl was still there where I had set it, not looking too bad for sitting in the car for two days. I had a brief moment of wondering if the salad was still good. No, I didn’t try it. I try never to tempt fate, my luck is bad enough on its own.
The trip home was a quiet, pleasant drive and I spent a lot of it taking photos of various barns and farm buildings along the way. I couldn’t help but wonder again what happened to "hippie dude" and if he made it home for Thanksgiving.
Lets hope so.
Until next time…
Toni