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CROSS-COUNTRY TRAIN RIDE



The church ladies packed a big basket

with bologna sandwiches

and pretzels

and apples

and bananas

and cookies

to eat while we were traveling.


Every once in a while Mom would reach in and give us each an apple



or a cookie.


Me and the boys had seats on one side of the aisle

and Mom, Daddy and the baby had seats on the other.

* * *
A conductor came through

with an armful of pillows

and he called out

"Pillows, anybody want a pillow?"



I raised my hand and he gave me one.


Then I saw that Daddy had to give him fifty cents for it!


Daddy was aggravated with me

but like I told Jimmy

he should have called out

"Pillows! Fifty cents each."

Then I would have known not to raise my hand.


Jimmy just shrugged.

What did he care.

He wasn't the one in trouble.


I enjoyed my pillow for a bit

Then I passed it over to Mom.

* * *
I saw some beautiful sights

outside the train window.

I saw a waterfall splashing down through a crack in a huge rock.

I saw a red barn

that said "JESUS SAVES"

in yellow paint.

I saw hundreds of brown cows in a field.




We got in to the train station late

and we had to change trains in the morning

so Daddy said we could sleep right there in the depot


until we got inside

when you could see that everybody had planned to sleep in the depot

so there was no room for us.

* * *
Daddy found out that we could rent a room across the street

for just five dollars for us all

so he did that.


We lugged all our suitcases

and boxes

over there

and when we were all settled into the two beds

Daddy told us that the place was a flophouse

and we needed to remember that.


and Mom said

"Don't any of you DARE to go down that hall to the bathroom by yourself."

* * *
Of course as soon as Mom said that

I had to go bad.

I crossed my legs

and tried to doze

but I could see I wasn't going to make it through the night.


I looked over at Mom

and she was snuggled halfway down in the bed

and the baby was laying on her pillow

and Daddy was flat on his back, dead to the world.


It seemed a shame to wake them up.

So I got up and headed to the bathroom.

* * *
It was a black night with a white moon

shining in the window at the end of the hall





lighting up all the men

who were sleeping with their jackets for pillows

and snoring

and coughing

and breaking wind.


I was scared

but I tiptoed around them all

and hurried into the bathroom

which was filthy and had no toilet paper

and got my job done

and hurried back down the hall.

* * *
Mom was waiting for me.


"Didn't I tell you not to go out there by yourself?"

she whispered.


"But Mom, I had to go really really bad!" I whispered.


Mom grabbed me by the shoulder

hard

and pointed me towards the bed

and whispered

"You get in that bed young lady and don't move a muscle until I tell you to!"


I was not off to a good start

in our new life.

* * *
But the next day went easier.


I felt a thrill when the cars jerked

and the train hooted

and the wheels gripped the tracks

and the clackety-clack noise started up

and we picked up speed

and we were on our way!



Mom gave us each some pretzels and fruit for breakfast.

She said we'd have the last of the sandwiches for lunch

and we'd be eating supper in our new house!

* * *
As we got into the South

I saw that the color of the South

was green.

Huge green trees





and green grass

and flowers everywhere.




It had been a long time since I'd seen flowers.


I thought about Phoenix

and having no friends

and nobody to talk to but the boys

who were boring

because all they wanted to do was play games like...


How many pokes with a stick would it take

to chase a tarantula out of its hole?

* * *

I prayed that there would be a girl around my age

waiting for me at our new church.



The train was slowing down

its wheels were squealing

on the tracks

and the conductor came through

hollering "Mobile! Mobile!"


Daddy said

"That's us"

and we all rose up

excited

scared

and Mom handed the picnic basket to Wes

and the baby's little suitcase to Jimmy

and I cleaned up the crumbs of pretzels and cookies around our seats

and Daddy leaned over to look out the window

and he said,


"There he is!

There's Mr. Halloran come to pick us up

and take us to Grand Bay!"

and we all rushed to the window

and saw a little man on the platform

with yellow suspenders

and white hair

and he was waving his hat

and grinning from ear to ear

and doing a little jig


so Daddy took off his hat

and waved it

and grinned back at Mr. Halloran


and got out his hankie

from his back pocket

to wipe his eyes

so that nobody could see the tears of joy.








Music Playing: Wabash Cannonball

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