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Where the Train takes Us

She collapses as her body pushes through the double doors, hitting the ground with a
thud.
Fucking heels.
Two men smoking cigarettes watch and judge in silence as she picks herself up off of the
ground. The perpetrators of that nasty fall find a pleasant new home in the bushes next to the
double doors. Her eyes meet the two pairs that feel like daggers, albeit apprehensive ones. A
moment of unbroken and unspoken contact before a soft giggle and a quick wave signals her exit
from this embarrassing scene.
What started as a walk becomes more and more brisk, until it bears more of a
resemblance to an all out sprint than a pleasant stroll. Racing past countless faces of curious
onlookers, their thoughts vocalizing themselves in her head.
Why the hell is that asshole wearing a wedding dress? Where the hell is that young
lady going, and why is she in such a hurry? Wow, she looks just like Karen. I bet that
woman would look a whole lot better if she did something about that trendy haircut and all the
sweat. If she showered, Id totally ask for her number.
Feet meet pavement again and again. A symphony of flesh, breath, and concrete. Sweat
begins to flow even more freely than before. Noticeably so, to the point where it is all that is
being thought about.
Why we decided on getting married in July is beyond me. Jon knows that I sweat like a
pig in the heat. Fucking douche bag.
This intense focus on sweat and the misfortune of living in a city that goes through each
of the four seasons causes feet to meet the bottom of the white, flowing dress as a corner is
rounded. Once again, the ground welcomes her with open arms and no reservations about the
amount of sweat that has drenched her body.
There she lay, in a dingy back alleyway in the center of Detroit, out of breath and damp.
Thoughts do not stop racing, the only thing that will cause any sort of calmness is the sight of the
sky. Gazing up, she bares witness to large clouds slowly but surely making their way across the
vast expanse. They move slowly, meticulously, in great contrast to her thought process, scattered
and moving to fast for anyone's own good.
Alright. Calm down. Calm down Margaret. Breathe. Just breathe. Its going to be
alright.
Breathing returns to normal, but the focus on the sky remains the same. The calmness of
the perpetual motion of the clouds lulls her into a false state of safety. She could stay here in this
dingy back alleyway that was covered in trash and broken glass. Never has anywhere seemed as
appealing as this. This feeling is only fleeting, as staying in this alleyway would only spell
certain doom. Family, friends, Jonathan. None of them will stop until they find Margret and drag
her back into the church, down the aisle, towards the future. A future in which Margaret and
Jonathan are forever intertwined by their love and devotion towards each other.
Oh God, fuck that. Anything but that.
After an eternity of gazing towards the heavens, Margaret finally sits up, and her gaze
finds a new home, settled on the bottom half of her dress.
If I am going to keep moving, I need to ditch this ugly thing.
She places both hands on the dress, just above the knees, and with all her might, pulls and pulls
at the seams of the dress until the satisfying sound of fabric tearing fills the air.
Better.
Grasping the torn off piece of fabric tightly causes Margaret's thoughts to slow once
again. Margaret gazes at her future, the future that she has now rejected. After a few moments,
she sees a dumpster, a place to hide her shame. The body finally lifts itself off of the pavement,
and Margaret makes her way to the dumpster, where she promptly disposes of the extra fabric. A
playful smile forms. Shoulders finally relax. Tensity finally leaves the entire body, and it does
not come back, even when Margaret looks down at her feet, only to find blood. Blood, but no
pain.
I dont even know if this blood is from running or those heels. She smiles to herself.
Whatever the case, I need to clean myself up.
Turning to her side, the sight of a half open door, leading to the back of a restaurant,
catches her off guard. An almost to convenient answer to her problem. Carefully slipping
through the doors leaves Margaret at the end of a long hallway, a hallway that she begins
creeping down. Blood covered feet leave a trail for one to follow. She tries a door on the right.
Locked. One on the left. Also locked. Up and down the hallway, all the doors remain locked.
Frustration builds.
Come on they have got to have a bathroom in here somewhere.
Finally, after many attempts, a door finally opens to reveal a bathroom that beckons
Margaret to step inside. She gracefully slides her body through the the doorway into a compact
and old bathroom. A mirror, a toilet, rolls of paper towel, and a sink greet her. Her eyes dart
quickly from one object to another.
Now, which one first?
Logically, the first choice ends up being the sink. Margaret awkwardly raises her long leg
into the bowl of the sink. She turns on the faucet, and scalding hot water shoots out. A yelp that
could have come from a small dog rings out, before Margaret bites down hard on her hand.
Silencing herself.
Come on Margaret, what the hell are you trying to do? Let everyone in the building
know that you are here? Do you want a bunch of men to come in and look at you like you're
insane?? Seriously, I have got to.
Her thoughts disappear immediately as she catches herself in the mirror. Its as if for the
first time in her life, Margaret is finally seeing herself. Pale skin. Jet black bangs. Pointy nose.
Bushy eyebrows. Perfect teeth. Brown eyes. She cannot look away from this completely new and
foreign person. This woman has a life to look forward to experiencing in the future. A life of
commitment and love. A life that is only waiting a couple of blocks down the road. A life that is
constantly destroying her mind with fear and doubt. A life that needs to be escaped.
I need to run. she whispers to herself.
The gaze is broken with a swift turn of the head, towards the toilet. Long legs are much
easier to fit into bowls that are much closer to the floor as opposed to bowls that are a couple of
feet off of the ground. With a handful of paper towel, the cleaning process begins. Blood and
black residue from the pavement gather up on the paper towel. Upon finishing, the paper towel is
discarded into the toilet, and the handle is pulled down to commence the flush. It clogs.
Slipping out of the restaurant and back into the alley, Margaret feels an immense feeling
of urgency wash over her. The need to leave and never come back. Emerging from the alleyway,
Margaret makes her way across the empty street. Towards the station.
The interior of this particular people mover station is drab and underappreciated. It hasnt
had a decent paintjob in decades. Nothing hangs on any of the white brick walls, and the only
interesting thing about the room is the turnstile that sits right in front of the entrance. The
turnstile requires seventy cents, so she decides to hop over it instead, cautiously making a path
for the gigantic flight of stairs. The climb to the top takes a few minutes. The stairs seem to be
never ending.
Margaret emerges from the interior of the station after climbing the stairs, onto the
platform. The people mover is nowhere to be seen. Clouds continue to pass overhead. Looking to
the right, a figure is seen sitting off in the corner. A woman with her head buried in her hands.
Faint sounds of metal can be heard from headphones that rest on the shoulder. Margaret hesitates
to say anything, and before a coherent sentence can even be formed, the people mover appears
almost out of nowhere with a thunderous roar.
The train skids to a screeching halt. The doors slide open, and the woman with
headphones quickly shoots up, and darts into the train, Margaret follows behind her at a slower
pace. The woman plops her bag and herself down on a seat near the back of the train, and
Margaret takes a seat across from her, staring. Metal still plays. Margaret eyes the woman up and
down. Short. Curly hair. Nose ring. Small mouth. Brown eyes. Her look is unbreaking. Filled
with curiosity. Her look eventually warrants the womans attention. She looks up, irritated and
fearful.
Hey, uhh.. Could I possibly help you? Your stare is kind of freaking me out.
Maragrets face turns blood red. Her stare immediately shifts to the ground, her voice
barely above a whisper.
Im sorry The music abruptly stops.
Well, please do tell why you havent taken your eyes off me? You think Im pretty?
Because I already have a girlfriend, she isnt in town, but shed kick your ass if she saw you
trying to make a move on me.
No! No, Im not trying anything! I promise!
Then why were you staring at me?! Something wrong upstairs?
No! I just. Wanted to know if you were ok. You were just sitting alone back at the
station. You looked worried about something and I wanted to make sure you were ok.
Then ask me.
Ask you what?
The woman smiles.
Ask me if Im ok!
Margaret, still blood red from embarrassment looks down to the ground, and faintly asks:
Are you ok?
Well, I dont have a job, I dont have a home, Im running out of food, my girlfriend
lives in another fucking country, and Im not all to sure if Ill be able to make it to catch the boat
I need to catch later on tonight. Other than that, Im fine I suppose. You?
Margaret remains quiet. The woman looks eyes her up and down.
Whats with the outfit? Going to a costume party?
I guess. I guess you could say I was at one.
The woman gives her a confused look, before shaking her head.
Whatever you say. Oh! Where are my manners, weve been talking for a little bit and I
havent even introduced myself! Names Kiki.
Kiki extends her hand out towards Margaret who looks at it for a few moments before
extending her hand.
Margaret.
Margaret? Thats such a pretty name! Well, Margaret, what brings you here? Costume
party let out earlier than expected?
I decided to leave earlier. I thought I was having fun, but it turns out I wasnt. At all.
Margaret looks out the window. Watching the city fly by her. Observing the people on the
sidewalk. Leaving work. Heading to the park with their families. All moving with each other.
Flowing with the current. Tears start to form in her eyes.
I dont want to be alone.
Margaret weeps, much to the shock and confusion of Kiki, who stares back at her,
worried.
Hey! Hey! Its ok! Stop doing that, it makes you look ugly as hell.
She pauses. Margarets cries slow down.
Are you busy right now? I havent been in town for a long time, but I found a place that
I like to go to when Im feeling down. Do you want to see it? Its right on the river. We just need
to get off on the next stop.
Margaret remains silent for a few moments before she responds, a small smile forms on
her face.
Sure.
Another station, another drab, lifeless interior. The two women exit the people mover a
make their way through the station, down to the riverwalk. The faint sounds of rock music and
people clamoring can be heard in the distance. Boats dot the river, docked and waiting for the
festivities to begin. Margaret and Kiki walk to the edge of the riverwalk and sit, gazing at all he
activity on the river. Kiki turns to Margaret.
So, why did you run? From the party that is.
I realized it wasnt what I wanted. I didnt want to be tied down. I didnt want everyone
staring at me as I threw my life away.
Kiki doesnt respond.
They all think they know whats best for me but they dont.. I want to have people that I
care about in my life, but it gets too scary. They start to ask too much of me. I want to be alone
but I dont want to be alone.
Tears start to form in her eyes once more. I just want someone to care
A boom and a flash cuts Margaret off mid sentence. She jumps a bit and Kiki laughs
hysterically.
Whats a matter? Never heard fireworks before! Look, I know what you need. You need
to dance. Its what I do whenever Im feeling like shit.
She hops to her feet and begins to jitter with excitement. Margaret responds with
confusion.
What?
Come on! Lets dance it will be fun!
Kiki grabs Margaret by the arm and hoists her up onto her feet, and places her hand in
Margarets. Kiki looks into Margarets apprehensive eyes and smiles.
Just follow my lead and youll do fine!
Kiki takes a step backwards, and Margaret stumbles a bit before catching herself. Kiki
gives a nod of reassurance as she moves forward. No stumbling this time. Back and forth again.
Margaret lets out a small giggle. They sway as fireworks detonate overhead, illuminating each
step they take. Punctuating every move with an explosion of colour and sound. Movement
accelerates. The moves become flashier. Kiki spins Margaret around her, and dips her down in
one fluid motion. Her giggle has turned to a full on laugh as she looks up into Kikis eyes, who
welcome her with comfort. Movement accelerates even more. The two spin and jump into each
others arms in a frenzy, the music growing louder and louder in their heads. Their laughter fills
the air inbetween booms.
The fireworks slow down, and the music cuts out. Kiki and Margaret stumble over each
others feet and fall to the ground, laughing. There the two lay, in the warmth and presence of
each other. Kiki and Margaret lock eyes, not a word is said for several moments before Kiki
whispers:
You said you didnt want to be alone. Im catching the ferry to Canada in less than an
hour, to head north and see my girlfriend. I dont really want to be alone either. Youre more
than welcome to come with me if you want.
Margaret doesnt respond, she pulls Kiki closer to her and buries her head in Kikis body.
The warmth engulfs her, and she sits, at ease with the world.
Id love to.
The pair laid there for few more moments before Kiki stood up and helped Margaret to
her feet. They smiled at each other, and made their way down the riverwalk, towards the ferry
that was waiting for them.

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