"The Station" drabbles by Christopher
The Station Pt. 26
The Station #26
"There! What did I tell you. Infierno," Andrew said.
"No, señor," the doctor said. "This ticket is for Cielo."
Andrew knew that the ticket had said Infierno. Maybe Father Domingo was right, he thought. Maybe you can change your destination.
The door to the hospital room opened. It was Pam, Andrew's wife. She ran to the bedside.
"I'll let you two talk," the doctor said, exiting quickly.
Andrew looked up, tears in his blurry eyes.
"I'm sorry, Pam. Please forgive me."
"I already have," she said as she gently placed her hand on his forehead.
Yep, Andrew thought. Cielo, indeed.
The Station Pt. 25
The Station #25
The doctor reached in the pocket, "Yes, there is something in here, Señor Parsons."
"Hand it to me," Andrew said.
The doctor handed it to him.
"See," Andrew said as he held it up. "This is a train ticket!"
"Señor, I don't doubt you had a train ticket. But the destination will not be Infierno nor Cielo."
Destination, Andrew thought. The priest said it was never too late to change my destination.
He opened the ticket but his eyes were too blurred to read.
"You'll have to read it," Andrew said.
The doctor opened the ticket and his eyes widened...
The Station Pt. 24
The Station #24
Andrew looked sick. "I had a ticket for Infierno."
The doctor nodded, "Well, you've had some brain trauma. It isn't a wonder you would have some sort of hallucination."
"No!" Andrew yelled. "It wasn't a hallucination. That ticket to Infierno was in my pocket. Where are my clothes?"
He tried to get up but the doctor restrained him.
"Please, Señor Parsons! You need to stay in bed. I will get your clothes. They are hanging in the bureau."
The doctor walked over to the bureau and opened the door.
"It's in the pocket of my windbreaker, " Andrew said hurriedly...
The Station Pt. 23
The Station #23
"What?" Andrew asked.
"You were dead for over two minutes on the scene before the paramedics brought you back around."
Andrew was flabbergasted. "Wait, what about the priest that died? Father Domingo?"
"There were no other fatalities."
"No, I met him in the train station. I know I did. We were waiting for two trains. One to Cielo and the other to Infierno. Where are those places?"
The doctor's eyes widened.
"What is it?" Andrew asked.
"You can't take a train to Cielo or Infierno."
"Why not?" Andrew asked.
"Because, Cielo is Spanish for Heaven. Infierno is Spanish for Hell."
The Station Pt. 22
The Station #22
"What was this accident you're talking about?" Andrew asked, clearly confused.
"Some drunk driver on the street. Crossed the line in the road and caused a massive pile-up. It's lucky so few people actually lost their lives. It was terrible."
"Who died?" Andrew said, trying to piece it together.
"Well, the drunk driver for one, who was a tourist. An old lady who lived here. A poor little girl who was on vacation with her family. And an off-duty police officer."
Andrew couldn't believe it. All the people from the train station.
"And you, señor," the doctor said...
The Station Pt. 21
The Station #21
"Hmm? Oh yes, the accident occured in front of a train station, I believe. That is probably what you are remembering. You had a head injury as a result of the accident. You are going to fully recover but it will take a little time."
"No, I have to get home to my wife. I've made a terrible mistake."
"Your wife is on her way, señor. We got the contact information from your person and called the United States to notify her of the accident. She should be here soon."
Andrew wondered what she would say when she saw him...
The Station Pt. 20
The Station #20
Andrew's eyes opened slowly. His vision was a little blurry. All he saw was white. He moved his head slightly and could make out a lady and a man in white.
"Well, Señor Parsons! Welcome back to the land of the living," the man in white said.
Andrew rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to focus.
"Your vision will be a little blurry for a while," the man said.
"Who are you? What happened to me?" Andrew asked.
"Dr. Rodriguez. You were in a terrible car accident. Three days ago."
"A car accident? I was in a train station."
The Station Pt. 19
The Station #19
Father Domingo helped Rosanna onto the train bound for Cielo. Officer Sanchez and Elizabeth also boarded the train for Cielo. Zeke boarded the train bound for Infierno.
Father Domingo stood watching the trains as they prepared to leave the station. He turned back to Andrew.
"Just remember, my son. It's never too late to change your destination."
Andrew grabbed the sides of his head, screaming out in agony. He fell to the floor as dust swirled around him. His skull felt like it was splitting in two. He rolled around on the floor, crying and screaming. Then everything went black...
The Station Pt. 18
The Station #18
Everyone in the station looked up as they heard the trains pulling in.
Zeke and Officer Sanchez came out from the bathroom. Elizabeth woke up and stood up, as did Rosanna.
The attendant came over the loudspeaker and said, "Trains to Cielo and Infierno now boarding," and then repeated the same in Spanish.
Sanchez took Elizabeth's hand and they walked toward the trains.
"Wait, Officer Sanchez! Did you find Elizabeth's mother?"
Elizabeth turned and waved at Andrew.
Rosanna walked slowly with her cane toward the trains and Father Domingo rose up to help her, gently taking hold of her arm...
The Station Pt. 17
The Station #17
"No questions are stupid, son. How are you going to tell what's true and what's false if you don't ask questions? Appearances are often deceiving. You have to test everything. If it doesn't hold up under scrutiny then it probably wasn't valid to begin with."
"Some people say that about religion, Father," Andrew said, regretting it as soon as it came out of his mouth. This man was only trying to help, and Andrew was afraid he'd insulted him now.
"True, my son. But sometimes understanding comes from the heart and not the head. You have to know the difference."
The Station Pt. 16
The Station #16
Andrew sighed.
"My life is a wreck, Father. I left my wife, ran off with another woman down here to Mexico. Then the woman I ran off with ran off on me. I've sat down here for days realizing what an idiot I've been. I know now how much my wife means to me. But I'm afraid it's too late to change it."
The priest nodded.
"Do you believe in second chances, Father?"
The priest let out a tiny laugh. "My whole business is dealing in second chances, my son."
Andrew grinned sheepishly. "I guess that was a stupid question"
The Station Pt. 15
The Station #15
"Mmm, most people are," the priest said. "I'm Father Domingo, by the way," he said as he put his hand out.
Andrew shook it, saying, "I'm Andrew Parsons. This is Elizabeth and that's Rosanna. She doesn't speak any English."
He nodded at Rosanna while saying, "Señora. And you say the little one is lost?"
"Yeah, she lost her mother. A police officer is here who said he'll take care of it but I haven't seen him for the past few minutes."
Andrew looked down at the floor, which was covered in dust.
"You seem troubled, my son. Want to talk?"
The Station Pt. 14
The Station #14
The priest stepped in and walked over to the benches. He smiled at Rosanna and then looked down to see Elizabeth sleeping at Andrew's side. The priest sat down on Andrew's other side.
"Good day, my son," he said with a smile.
"Father," Andrew said, even though he thought that was strange, not being Catholic.
"It doesn't seem too busy in here this afternoon. Usually this place is rather crowded," the priest said.
"Yes, it's a rather weird afternoon," Andrew said, more for him personally than for anyone else.
"Is this little one your daughter, señor?"
"No, she's just lost."
The Station Pt. 13
The Station #13
Andrew didn't remember buying a ticket but knew he had one in his pocket. He needed to get to the border. He pulled his ticket out of his jacket. It said "Infierno." He only hoped that was near the border crossing.
The doors flung open again, and a man in black stood in the doorway, illuminated by the sunlight behind him. He seemed to glow. He turned, closed the doors, and then turned back. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was a Catholic priest.
Andrew wasn't religious, but thought the man looked ominous upon first glance...
The Station Pt. 12
The Station #12
When Officer Sanchez was finished at the window he made his way to the men's room. The old lady got her ticket and slowly came to the benches, sitting down opposite Andrew.
He smiled and said, "Hi, my name is Andrew and this is Elizabeth."
The old lady looked confused, then said, "No habla Inglés."
Andrew nodded and said, "Mi nombre es Andrew y esta es Elizabeth."
The old lady nodded and smiled, showing her black and broken teeth.
"Mi nombre es Rosanna," she said, still smiling.
"A dónde vas?" Andrew asked, wishing to know her destination.
"Cielo," she said...
The Station Pt. 11
The Station #11
Officer Sanchez went to speak to the attendant while Andrew went back to the bench, sitting down next to Elizabeth, who was stretched out sleeping.
The doors opened again and an old woman with a cane and a handkerchief over her head came through along with an abundance of sunlight.
She made her way slowly to the window, where Sanchez was still speaking to the attendant. She stood by, patiently waiting for their conversation to end. She looked like she could've been a hundred. Her skin was leathery, and every crease in her face told the story of her life...
The Station Pt. 10
The Station #10
The doors opened up again and a police officer walked in. Andrew knew he must've been there to find Elizabeth. He raised her little head up off his lap and stood up, laying her head down on the bench where he'd just been sitting. He walked over to the cop.
"Hello, officer. My name is Andrew. Have you come for her?" Andrew asked, pointing at the sleeping Elizabeth.
"Officer Sanchez, and no. I was tending to an accident up the road. Is she lost, señor?"
Andrew nodded.
Sanchez said, "I'll see what I can do."
Andrew smiled, shaking his hand...
The Station Pt. 9
The Station #9
Elizabeth leaned over and rested her head on Andrew's lap, yawning as she did. He just patted her on the back and sat there. At least it had shut Zeke up for the moment.
Andrew was playing the events of the last few weeks of his life over in his head. How did he let it get to this point? He couldn't answer his own question. He just hoped he still had time to rectify things.
Zeke had gotten up and went to the bathroom, and Andrew sat there in the station, patting Elizabeth on the back while she slept...
The Station Pt. 8
The Station #8
Before Andrew sat down he told Elizabeth, "I'll be right back. I'm going to speak to the attendant."
She nodded and Andrew went back up to the window.
"Look, you may have to phone the authorities. That little girl has lost her mother."
The attendant still didn't look up. "I will see to it, señor."
"Has there been any word on when the trains will get here."
The attendant grunted but still didn't look up
"I told you, señor. When I have news I will make an announcement."
Andrew nodded and went back to the benches, sitting next to Elizabeth...
The Station Pt. 7
The Station #7
"Do you remember where you last saw your Mommy?" Andrew asked, trying not to frighten her any more than she already was.
She nodded, "We were driving. We're on....va...va..."
"Vacation?" Andrew asked.
She nodded.
"Were you coming here to the train station to go home?" Andrew asked.
She shrugged her shoulders like she was unsure.
"Well, she might be in the parking lot. We'll give her a few minutes and then we'll see, okay?" Andrew said.
Elizabeth nodded.
He took her hand and led her over to the benches. She kept her eyes on Zeke until she got past him...
