The jolt of the train starting up pushed me back into my seat. I was glad I wasn't going home for Thanksgiving vacation. I mean I felt kind of crummy that I was going to disappoint Phoebe. I really did, but I couldn't be around everybody with their phony smiles. As if they we glad to see me. I couldn't just stand there and listen D.B. talk about how he has just made more money by selling his pride. He use to make good books, books that weren't full of hot shots and phonies. Then he started making these crummy movies that I can't bear to watch. I can't stand there and watch Mom and Dad be so proud of their son being a sellout. I just can't. Anyway, instead of going back to them, I decided to take a train to Vermont.
The trip from my new school, Buckingham High (they were about the only ones that would take me after Pency), was about 6 hours. I had this god damn, guy reading a newspaper behind me. He was reading the funnies and kept laughing loudly every 10 seconds. There was a mother with a baby siting next to him. The baby continued to scream. I was about cry myself if, that guy didn't stop. Then some hot shot comes over and asks him for his ticket. I looked back to see the guy was fumbling through his pockets trying to find his ticket. The conductor had a very upright posture and a commanding voice. He started to get annoyed after a minute. As if he had something better to do. I hoped that the guy didn't have his ticket so the conductor would throw him off at the next stop. I really did. I mean, it was nothing personal, but no one could take anymore of his laughing. After another minute or so, he found the ticket. The conductor seemed satisfied and continued to walk down the isle.
Another hour went by and I started to feel kind of crummy again. I was worried about leaving Phoebe behind with all of those sellouts. A nice attendant came along with a cart of sweets and offered me some. She was very pretty. She had this very long, flowing blond hair that went down he back. I got a bag of chocolate pretzels, just for the hell of it. She had a very nice smile. Her teeth were nice and white and all of her teeth were straight. That is more then I could say for the girls at Buckingham High. I asked for a scotch and soda and for her to join me, suave as hell. She ignored me and wished me a nice day. She continued on to the next row of seats.
When the attendant move foreword, she bumped into a man that was sleeping across the isle from me. The man woke up and the attendant apologized. The man was dressed in a tuxedo that was unbuttoned and wrinkled. His bow tie was undone and siting on his shoulders. His sat up in his seat and looked around. He leaned over to me and asked me what time it was. The guy didn't have anyone siting next to him. "Quarter to two" I answered. The guy let out a sigh and ask me what stop I was getting off at. "All the way" I said. The man started lecturing me on how I can save my money and on spending it wisely, as he wiped the drool from his face. I couldn't help but think of how phony this guy is. I looked at how the tuxedo was custom tailored. And gave a very unenthusiastic "ya, right". He asked he if I was going to see my family there or if I was traveling with someone. I lied and said that I was riding with my dad and that he was getting me something to eat from the cafeteria car. I also said that I was going to meet my mother in Vermont. The man was very uninterested. He had this very empty look on his face. I returned the question. He said that he was traveling with his wife. I asked where she was. Judging by how long it took him to answer, I'd say that he was lying. I just nodded and he was quiet the rest of the trip.
I started to feel really lonely. I really did. This phony wasn't helping, so I moved up to the next car. Good timing as well, I could hear the guy laughing again behind me. I sat down and I looked out of the window. We slowed down to the next stop. Just behind the station, I could barely make out a pond. I pushed my face up against the glass and strained my eyes to see if there were any ducks. I was very tempted to get off my train and go see. I wondered if the ducks were still there. Who knows, maybe I would see them as they just started to fly away and see were they went. It was cold enough for the pond to be frozen over. I might have been able to see how they survive, but I was too worried about missing the train.
Another hour went by and New York was just two stops away. I was dreading that my father or grandparents would get on. It was getting to be that time when my father would get out of work, and he would sometimes take the train home. I took off my red hat which I forgot I was wearing. Some part of me almost wished that my father would get on, but he didn't.
Just across from me there were these teenagers that kept making googoo eyes at each other and kept mouthing I love you. The guy would mudder something in the girl's ear, and she would start giggling. They were such phonies. I wonder how long they have been going out. Probably only a week. I wanted to puke. They kept doing that until I got up and moved up to the next car. We were pulling into New York Station. I walk into the next car. As I walked in, all of the god damn passengers look at me and have all these phony smiles on. I couldn't believe it, I was ridding on the frickin phony express.
I couldn't help but think about how alone I was. No one here understood me. I though about Phoebe, and how she listened to me. Come to think of it, most of the time D.B listened to me as well. He might be a sellout, but at least he listened. Thought about my grandparents and how it has been almost forever since I saw them. I stood up and put my red hat on, and slid the front of it back the way I liked it. When the train stopped I was the first one off.
