Lost Dreams.
For the second time the beautiful girl with long black hair and sea green eyes looked furtively in my direction. “671! Ticket 671!” The middle-aged woman in the faded blue uniform called out stridently, her large bosom heaving with impatience. “Here, that’s me I called out. As I strode to the counter, the girl’s eyes locked with mine for a heartbeat, then fled like a frightened gazelle. So…”she is watching me” I told myself, smothering the smile threatening to overrun my face, lest blue uniform think it meant for her! Clutching the tray loaded with its meager fare I threaded my way back to my table, throwing the girl a hesitant flicker of a smile, which bounced off the ice of her eyes and fell! Cursing myself, because I felt my ears and cheeks burning with embarrassment! Feigning indifference though, I casually ate the pie washing it down with the luke warm coffee. Thought I actually had a chance there I ruminated. Why is she watching me if not?
Marvin found the place easily; he could hardly miss it, the meretricious sigh so loud it
.almost shouted – “GOBBLE ‘N GO.” Inside, his eyes searched the small crowded
diner but there was no sign of her. Checking his watch against the grimy clock on the
wall, he saw that either he was seven minutes early or eight minutes late, depending on
which timepiece was true. Either way Claire was not here yet. A woman and two grubby urchins vacated a table over by the window and he hastened to claim it. Picking the cleanest of the four dirty chairs Marvin sat down and waited for Claire to arrive. An attractive young waitress, her appearance spoiled by ugly stains on her green uniform asked for his order.”Nothing just yet.” She raised an eyebrow but he pre-empted her protest “ I am waiting for someone, do you think you could clear this mess?” he asked brusquely, gesturing at the empty milkshake container, coffee cups and the dried brown ring where another had rested , at the smears of jam and cream along with the sprinkling of crumbs on the table. “I’ll get a cloth”the girl stammered, flushing scarlet. As the young girl bustled away Marvin felt sorry. She was clearly run off her feet, not another waitress in sight. The small diner must be popular it was packed like a sardine can, people jostling and squeezing; seating seized as soon as it was vacated Poor girl. It was not her fault those urchins made a mess, much less so that Claire was not here!
“So is it always this busy?” Marvin asked.
“I don’t know sir” she answered smiling shyly. “It’s my first day.”
“Boy, talk about a baptism of fire!” Marvin laughed but the girl stared blankly. “Um” he
said uncomfortably, “I think I will have a flat white coffee thanks.”
When she brought it to him he handed her a ten-dollar bill.
“No sir, you pay at the till on the way out.”
It’s not for the coffee, it’s for you he smiled.
“Oh! No, I couldn’t” she stammered.
“Of course you can, it’s called a tip, go on, stick it in your pocket!”
Crushing it quickly into a ball she surreptitiously slipped it into her pocket as though somehow a thief, then smiling thanked him in little more than a whisper. He finished his coffee and rose to leave, Claire was not coming. As he walked down the street he was smiling, that’s how he would disguise his disappointment over Claire’s non-appearance. All the way to the station he wore his frozen smile.
Sarah sighed and pursed her sensual lips. The young man was clearly interested, so why didn’t he come over and say hello? Or do one of those corny lines perhaps? Have we met? Or have you got the time? Anything! Can’t he see I am waiting for him to make a pass? What’s the matter with him, I really want to meet him”! “Oh pleeeese come over and talk to me,” she silently willed him! “Joondalup express departing in four minutes” Bellowed the loud speaker. “Damn, damn, damn”, she silently cursed, all at once jumping up and running out of the platform diner. CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, her heels
drummed out her disappointment as she ran to catch her train.
Joondalup? “That’s the opposite direction from me,”Rupert told himself stupidly! “Rupert b bear”he muttered run, go, talk to her! For once in your life take a chance!
He pounded along the congested platform, as fast as possible, hampered by the crowds. Colliding with a girl of seven or eight he knocked her over and to Ruperts dismay she began to wail loudly, and sure enough a tall woman in her thirties bustled up and fixed him with angry dark eyes.
“you oaf!” she screeched, “why don't you watch where you are going!” Helping the child to her feet she asked “are you alright Lisa? Did that man hurt you?”
“Look, I am really sorry” Rupert called over his shoulder, “sorry,sorry but I am in a terrible rush,sorry.” Now he was anxiously looking into the carriages as he trotted along the platform,bumping into a number of people and leaving a trail of protests in his wake.
Suddenly, there she was! He was a mere arms length from the door of her carriage when it slid shut mocking him with a quiet hiss! As the train began moving.
.She looked up surprise filling her eyes and as the train gathered speed a sad wistful smile
then she was gone
Though the streets were swarming with late night shoppers, happy young couples and families with broods of excited and noisy children and elderly couples cautiously threading through the crowds, no one paid Marvin any heed. He was invisible. As he passed the platform diner an inviting aroma sent forth temptations and though his mouth watered and his stomach rumbled he knew there was no time to stop. He could see his train further along the platform and knew it would not wait much longer before slipping into the closing night. Marvin settled into a carriage and studied his fellow passengers, a motley crew, and dreary dregs he thought. In the corner sat a sullen looking young man. He was dressed in a black Sabbath tee shirt and blue jeans, torn at the knee in the fashion of the day. His red hair was cropped short and he has a stud in his lip, another in the left side of his nose and a small earring in his right ear. Idiot. Two seats from him sat an old man in a wrinkled grey overcoat, bolt upright and clutching a walking stick. He wore two days stubble on his face and had sad rheumy eyes. Behind him a teenage couple sat
whispering and giggling. An attractive young woman with long black hair and striking green eyes boarded the train and sat opposite Marvin. She had barely settled in her seat
when the doors slid shut and as the train began moving she looked up, a strange look
crossing her face, so tragic it compelled Marvin to turn, searching for the apparition
which had so startled her. He caught a brief glimpse of a young man who had clearly just
missed the train. Husband? Boyfriend? Lover? Quickly the platform vanished into the
darkness and the enigmatic figure was gone. Desperately lonely, Marvin longed to speak to this beautiful girl but her guarded eyes forbade it and the demon shyness smiled.
It was an old bar and its unpretentious concrete floor is stained by a thousand broken
dreams and expectations. In the far corner an ancient jukebox whispered some lovelorn half remembered melody and the dim lighting conceals the lonely dregs of humanity which came time and time again with their foolish schemes and empty hopes of finding love and happiness. The air is heavy with tobacco smoke, seemingly curling and dancing, beckoning with fingers of desperation, come-hither. Rupert stood shy and forlorn in the doorway, his eyes drinking in the scene before him. What a dive he thought despondently. It was desperation born of loneliness that had driven him here. Missing the black haired girl by a heartbeat had upset him.. It’s just not fair, he told himself. Shivering from the cold he did up the top button of his jacket, though it made little difference. Its chilly here in the city as darkness shrouds the skyline. A lumbering behemoth rests across the street, and there is a sense of melancholia about the muttering commuters as they shuffle toward the waiting bus. It sits there, throbbing and puffing its diesel fumes into the air. A smell and sound that cry unanswered good bye’s, that whisper of loneliness and sorrow. The glowing neon signs emphasize the deepening night, and a crumpled lunch bag is bounced quickly along the footpath, accompanied by a rattling can playing some macabre tune in the gutter. And the bitter wind winds up the tempo. At last the lost souls are all aboard and the bus roars into the night, like some primordial beast, its malignant yellow eyes carving a path through the gloom. Rupert turned away from the bar and made his way back to the train station. He better go home. There is Always another day, another chance. He hesitated by the Platform diner. He could see the Armadale train waiting along the platform and knew he should board it. Strangely compelled, he entered the diner instead. He ordered a coffee and sat down. Half way through his coffee he heard the P.A. bellow…Armadale express departing in four minutes! He sculled his coffee and hastily left the diner and strode along the platform. He was barely seated when the door slid shut. Looking up he saw a beautiful woman with short red hair run too late toward his carriage, the platform melted into the night and she was gone.
Thus and thus life goes for the shy and the lonely.
C.Gainsford © Copyright April 2009
Marvin found the place easily; he could hardly miss it, the meretricious sigh so loud it
.almost shouted – “GOBBLE ‘N GO.” Inside, his eyes searched the small crowded
diner but there was no sign of her. Checking his watch against the grimy clock on the
wall, he saw that either he was seven minutes early or eight minutes late, depending on
which timepiece was true. Either way Claire was not here yet. A woman and two grubby urchins vacated a table over by the window and he hastened to claim it. Picking the cleanest of the four dirty chairs Marvin sat down and waited for Claire to arrive. An attractive young waitress, her appearance spoiled by ugly stains on her green uniform asked for his order.”Nothing just yet.” She raised an eyebrow but he pre-empted her protest “ I am waiting for someone, do you think you could clear this mess?” he asked brusquely, gesturing at the empty milkshake container, coffee cups and the dried brown ring where another had rested , at the smears of jam and cream along with the sprinkling of crumbs on the table. “I’ll get a cloth”the girl stammered, flushing scarlet. As the young girl bustled away Marvin felt sorry. She was clearly run off her feet, not another waitress in sight. The small diner must be popular it was packed like a sardine can, people jostling and squeezing; seating seized as soon as it was vacated Poor girl. It was not her fault those urchins made a mess, much less so that Claire was not here!
“So is it always this busy?” Marvin asked.
“I don’t know sir” she answered smiling shyly. “It’s my first day.”
“Boy, talk about a baptism of fire!” Marvin laughed but the girl stared blankly. “Um” he
said uncomfortably, “I think I will have a flat white coffee thanks.”
When she brought it to him he handed her a ten-dollar bill.
“No sir, you pay at the till on the way out.”
It’s not for the coffee, it’s for you he smiled.
“Oh! No, I couldn’t” she stammered.
“Of course you can, it’s called a tip, go on, stick it in your pocket!”
Crushing it quickly into a ball she surreptitiously slipped it into her pocket as though somehow a thief, then smiling thanked him in little more than a whisper. He finished his coffee and rose to leave, Claire was not coming. As he walked down the street he was smiling, that’s how he would disguise his disappointment over Claire’s non-appearance. All the way to the station he wore his frozen smile.
Sarah sighed and pursed her sensual lips. The young man was clearly interested, so why didn’t he come over and say hello? Or do one of those corny lines perhaps? Have we met? Or have you got the time? Anything! Can’t he see I am waiting for him to make a pass? What’s the matter with him, I really want to meet him”! “Oh pleeeese come over and talk to me,” she silently willed him! “Joondalup express departing in four minutes” Bellowed the loud speaker. “Damn, damn, damn”, she silently cursed, all at once jumping up and running out of the platform diner. CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, her heels
drummed out her disappointment as she ran to catch her train.
Joondalup? “That’s the opposite direction from me,”Rupert told himself stupidly! “Rupert b bear”he muttered run, go, talk to her! For once in your life take a chance!
He pounded along the congested platform, as fast as possible, hampered by the crowds. Colliding with a girl of seven or eight he knocked her over and to Ruperts dismay she began to wail loudly, and sure enough a tall woman in her thirties bustled up and fixed him with angry dark eyes.
“you oaf!” she screeched, “why don't you watch where you are going!” Helping the child to her feet she asked “are you alright Lisa? Did that man hurt you?”
“Look, I am really sorry” Rupert called over his shoulder, “sorry,sorry but I am in a terrible rush,sorry.” Now he was anxiously looking into the carriages as he trotted along the platform,bumping into a number of people and leaving a trail of protests in his wake.
Suddenly, there she was! He was a mere arms length from the door of her carriage when it slid shut mocking him with a quiet hiss! As the train began moving.
.She looked up surprise filling her eyes and as the train gathered speed a sad wistful smile
then she was gone
Though the streets were swarming with late night shoppers, happy young couples and families with broods of excited and noisy children and elderly couples cautiously threading through the crowds, no one paid Marvin any heed. He was invisible. As he passed the platform diner an inviting aroma sent forth temptations and though his mouth watered and his stomach rumbled he knew there was no time to stop. He could see his train further along the platform and knew it would not wait much longer before slipping into the closing night. Marvin settled into a carriage and studied his fellow passengers, a motley crew, and dreary dregs he thought. In the corner sat a sullen looking young man. He was dressed in a black Sabbath tee shirt and blue jeans, torn at the knee in the fashion of the day. His red hair was cropped short and he has a stud in his lip, another in the left side of his nose and a small earring in his right ear. Idiot. Two seats from him sat an old man in a wrinkled grey overcoat, bolt upright and clutching a walking stick. He wore two days stubble on his face and had sad rheumy eyes. Behind him a teenage couple sat
whispering and giggling. An attractive young woman with long black hair and striking green eyes boarded the train and sat opposite Marvin. She had barely settled in her seat
when the doors slid shut and as the train began moving she looked up, a strange look
crossing her face, so tragic it compelled Marvin to turn, searching for the apparition
which had so startled her. He caught a brief glimpse of a young man who had clearly just
missed the train. Husband? Boyfriend? Lover? Quickly the platform vanished into the
darkness and the enigmatic figure was gone. Desperately lonely, Marvin longed to speak to this beautiful girl but her guarded eyes forbade it and the demon shyness smiled.
It was an old bar and its unpretentious concrete floor is stained by a thousand broken
dreams and expectations. In the far corner an ancient jukebox whispered some lovelorn half remembered melody and the dim lighting conceals the lonely dregs of humanity which came time and time again with their foolish schemes and empty hopes of finding love and happiness. The air is heavy with tobacco smoke, seemingly curling and dancing, beckoning with fingers of desperation, come-hither. Rupert stood shy and forlorn in the doorway, his eyes drinking in the scene before him. What a dive he thought despondently. It was desperation born of loneliness that had driven him here. Missing the black haired girl by a heartbeat had upset him.. It’s just not fair, he told himself. Shivering from the cold he did up the top button of his jacket, though it made little difference. Its chilly here in the city as darkness shrouds the skyline. A lumbering behemoth rests across the street, and there is a sense of melancholia about the muttering commuters as they shuffle toward the waiting bus. It sits there, throbbing and puffing its diesel fumes into the air. A smell and sound that cry unanswered good bye’s, that whisper of loneliness and sorrow. The glowing neon signs emphasize the deepening night, and a crumpled lunch bag is bounced quickly along the footpath, accompanied by a rattling can playing some macabre tune in the gutter. And the bitter wind winds up the tempo. At last the lost souls are all aboard and the bus roars into the night, like some primordial beast, its malignant yellow eyes carving a path through the gloom. Rupert turned away from the bar and made his way back to the train station. He better go home. There is Always another day, another chance. He hesitated by the Platform diner. He could see the Armadale train waiting along the platform and knew he should board it. Strangely compelled, he entered the diner instead. He ordered a coffee and sat down. Half way through his coffee he heard the P.A. bellow…Armadale express departing in four minutes! He sculled his coffee and hastily left the diner and strode along the platform. He was barely seated when the door slid shut. Looking up he saw a beautiful woman with short red hair run too late toward his carriage, the platform melted into the night and she was gone.
Thus and thus life goes for the shy and the lonely.
C.Gainsford © Copyright April 2009
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