Train of Thought

Oliver

Oliver was excited. He would be going on a train! He skipped happily along beside his mother who told him to stop jumping around as he was upsetting the baby in her belly. He wondered when the baby would come out and when he would be able to meet her. His daddy has told him that they were going to get a picture taken of her today so he could see what she looks like. This confused him but he was happy he would get to see his little sister. He clutched his mother’s hand tightly with one hand, and his favourite teddy bear, Billy, in the other. He watched wide-eyed as the train came through the tunnel and pulled up to the platform. His daddy helped him and his mother onto the train where there were gazillions of people all squished together. Some people got up when they saw his mother and let then sit down. He wondered why and asked his mother this. “They’re just very nice people, Oliver” was his reply. Oliver sat on his daddy’s lap and looked past his mother out the window at the buildings, trees and houses that whizzed past. The train then went into a dark tunnel so he started to look at the people around him.

Right beside him, standing up was a tall man who wore a very long coat and held a funny square bag in his hand. The man smiled at him. Oliver smiled back but then he heard music coming from somewhere in the train. He looked around to see where it was coming from and saw that it was from the eaphones of a girl sitting at the other side pf the carriage. Oliver liked music. His mother let him pick the music that she would play to the baby through her belly. She said it made the baby happy. Oliver bet his little sister was happy now listening to the music that the girl was playing. His mother, however, looked sad and Oliver wondered why this was. The train rocked unexpectedly and Oliver, frightened, dropped Billy on the floor. 

Catherine

"Oliver! Hold on to Billy", his mother scolded; "Tom, pick up his bear", she instructed his father. "Go easy on him, Catherine, he was just suprised, thats all", his father retorted, as he leant over to pick up the teddy bear. At the sight of Oliver's upset little face, Catherine forced a bright smile, placed a tender hand reassuringly on her son's head, stroking his soft hair and, in a soothing voice said"Its ok Oliver, the train just gets a bit rocky sometimes but its normal. You just hold onto Billy tightly like Daddy is holding onto you so he doesn't fall, ok?" Oliver nodded, a smile returning to his face.
Catherine rested her head against the window, laying her right hand instinctively on her swollen belly. She wished she could get excited about the ultrasound but the worry over the family's financial difficulties weighed on her mind. Ever since Tom had been made redundant when she was six weeks pregnant, yet another victim of the economic downturn sweeping the globe, the couple's money problems consumed her thoughts. With a mortgage and car loan to repay and new baby on the way, the couple had had to seriously cut back their spending. What bothered Catherine the most was Tom's irresponsible attitude. He spent his days at home, on the couch watching TV and playing with Oliver. He hadn't made any effort to search for a new job. When she broached the subject with him he would become annoyed and say that there were no jobs out there, that there was no point in looking.

They put on smiley, happy faces when they were with Oliver but this proved increasingly difficult as Catherine grew more and more frustrated with the situation and with what she perceived as Tom's refusal to take responsibility for his family. As she looked over miserably at her husband, she was distracted by a glint of light in the window. Looking around she noticed it came from a businessman's watch, a Rolex she noted, as he checked the time. Spotting his wedding ring, she felt the green eyed monster stir inside her. They must be so happy she thought, I bet they have money to burn and their children get the best clothes, attend the best schools and never want for anything. She wished more than anything that her children could have that and her gaze diverted to her son then who was watching an elderly woman intently as she made faces at him. Squealing with laughter, Oliver clapped his hands and dropped Billy again. Catherine rolled her eyes and groaned but before she could say anthing to Tom, the businessman had bent down and picked the teddy up.

Luke

"Here you go, big fella", Luke said as he handed the teddy bear to the small boy who was still giggling. "Oliver, you've forgotten your manners, say thank you to the nice man", the little boy's mother instructed. "Thank you very much", Oliver said shyly, half hiding behind his teddy. Luke waved his hand dismissively, "No problem, but if I were you I'd hold onto your teddy, I have a daughter your age who would love a new teddy" he teased the little boy. Oliver clutched the bear closer to his chest and scrunching his face up defiantly grumbled "No, Billy is my teddy bear". Luke laughed and reassured him that he would not take his teddy bear. He smiled at the child's parents who also thanked him, then returned to his thoughts.

He wondered how late he would have to work tonight. The children had been long asleep by the time he trudged through the door last night, exhausted after another long day at the office. They seemed never-ending, ever since he had been promoted six months previously. Of course, Amanda, as patient as always had stayed up until he got home. Over a steaming cup of cocoa she relayed the day’s events to him. Her face lit up excitedly as she brought him up to speed on their children’s increasing list of accomplishments. He had listened intently, the familiar pang of regret nagging at him that he had missed all of those precious moments that he would never get back. Now, he gazed longingly at the happy family beside him wishing that he could have the same loving relationship with his family. Sometimes he thought about taking extended leave from work to spend time with his family. That was impossible though, given the workload the firm had allocated to him in the wake of his promotion. He provided for his family financially but longed for an emotional connection with them.

His relationship with Amanda had deteriorated, his continued lack of presence in the household forcing distance between them. He hardly recognised his wife anymore, after all of the years they spent together. When he had boarded the train he noticed a teenage girl who was the splitting image of a young Amanda. Mesmerised by the likeness he had fixed his gaze on her, wishing he could rewind time back to when he and Amanda were that age again, when life was simpler. He realised he was staring at the teenage girl again and, weary that his gaze may be misconstrued, he quickly looked away. The girl was too busy leafing though a magazine while texting on her mobile so thankfully she didn’t seem to notice.

Lisa

Lisa finished sending her text message to Alison, her B.F.F. and resumed reading her magazine. She poured over pictures of her future husband, Robert Pattinson and picked out clothes that she wanted but which her weekly pocket money prevented her from buying. Turning the page, her eyes scanned the weekly, “Copy their style” piece; this weeks celebrity: Olivia Palermo from the City. “Ugh, I wish I looked like her, no I wish I was her”, Lisa thought enviously. She examined Olivia’s skinny frame and wondered how she managed to get so thin. Lisa had tried so hard to be that skinny, she had recently stopped eating and taking inspiration from Emily in the Devil Wears Prada, kept a zip-up back with cubes of cheese to hand should she feel faint, which had become a regular occurrence lately. Still, it was worth if it meant that she could be as thin as Olivia.

She felt her phone vibrate and, with one swift motion, whipped it from her pocket and flipped it open. She felt her heart flutter when she realised that it was from Chris, one of the boys at school that she had a huge crush on. He and a group of his friends were going to a party on Saturday night and he wanted to know if she could come. Lisa groaned inwardly; there was no way her parents were going to let her go to a party, even if it was on a Saturday night. She would have to say that she was staying at Alison’s and get Alison to cover for her. Her parents were so strict! They monitored her every move, she could barely breathe without their permission. Only two more years and she would be an adult and could do what she wanted. She could go to all the parties and wouldn’t have to worry about her parents sticking their nose in! Lisa grinned widely as she imagined what her life would be like! The slowing of the train snapped her out of her daydream and she realised that they were at the final stop and that everyone had to get off.

Charlie

Squatted outside the station, Charlie watched them through his drunken haze. They pushed out of the train, as they did every morning, in a flurry, all in a hurry to go somewhere. He wondered drunkenly why they bothered rushing, they would get where they were going eventually. Scaratching his beard, he surveyed them all one by one as they streamed past him, every single one of them wrinkling their noses as the stench of his clothing reached them. Some of them looked at him in pity and offered him money which he shook his head at, too drunk to form words. It amused him that they assumed that money was what he wanted. He was perfectly happy sitting there, whiskey in hand watching them and wondering what they all looked so worried about. As the last person brushed past him, he left his perch and stumbled down the road, whistling happily.