Hopeless Situation

Chapter 4

Railroad of Life

People boarded the train until it was full. At every stop there was at least one crying baby and their mother. The last stop had a child who was large enough to pass as 12 crying for a lollipop. Men, women, teens, everyone packed together on one moving train. 

"Psssst." Sophie ducked her head between people's legs. "Pssst! Hey you!"

"What?" Nathan replied in a tone that showed no interest.

"Doesn't it smell horrible in here?" She wrinkled her nose.

He didn't answer to that, though he completely agreed. Nate went back to reading the newspaper. Men with newspaper on a train, cliche scene.

"one more thing. I have no idea what these stops are. I've never been on a train before... Heck I haven't been this far from home in a very long time! I really hope you'd tell me when it's my stop so I could leave."

"uh yeah sure, if your stop ever comes." Nathan murmured.

"Oh and I'll call you when I come to pick up my money. Seeing as your not actually poor, there would be no problem in the providing of my 38 dollars... Interest included makes up to 76." Sophie pushed a man's ass away from her face. He glared at her in surprise and disgust. "Look sir, your bum was in my face... I'm obviously gonna shove it away. You couldn't have expected me to enjoy it." She shrugged. The man went to protest but found no use in that, so he walked away mumbling how women these days are completing disrespectful.

Stop after stop, people got on and off. After an hour, the bus made a stop at something like Darene Blv. in which almost all the passengers got off; everyone except Sophie, Nate, and an older looking citizen wearing cowboy boots.

It was as if Nate knew the guy. He even reached over to shake his hand, and then the two engaged themselves in conversation about the farm, family, etc.

Sophie felt awkward throughout it all. The man would look at her constantly, smiling his big toothless smiles. She of course would smile back, the first couple of times. Later she just grinned slightly, but soon it got annoying so she ended up plain ignoring him by making no eye contact.

The ride from there seemed incredibly long, well for Sophie at least.

On the other hand, Nathan laughed at talks about his childhood.

"When you were a baby.. You're momma would ride you on Destiny. And you, oh you'd cry like my chicken when their being chased back into their cages!"

The both of them start laughing historically.

"Uncle John, I don't think I would ever forget those days." Nathan wiped a tear off his face. He was laughing so hard that he started to cry.

"You better not son. Men like you get so caught up in their city life that they forget where they came from." Uncle John patted Nate on the shoulder. "It's good to see your coming back to the estate, to see you're parents."

They smiled at each other.

That's when Sophie understood. Coming back to the estate... She wasn't going home, she was going to his house! 

"Nathan! Over here!" She grimaced.

Not being bothered by her ordering tone, he excused himself politely from his current conversation and took his time to go see what Sophie had to complain about. Not that he really cared.

"How dare you!" She screamed silently.

"How dare I what?" He honestly looked confused.

"I told you that I'm not coming with you. I don't approve of being your fake fiancée remember? Why did you bring me on this train." Sophie looked like she was going to explode.