Part 2
With a sense of mounting shame, realized, ‘as the warmth in my crutch began to spread’, I was pissing myself. and looking down saw, the front of my trousers darkening and, hoping no-one near had noticed, stood. Then, with as much dignity as possible, started walking along the platform, towards the sign, Men’s Only.
When, through the distance heard, a fireman quilling off the steam and as childhood memories flooded back. Stopped, too quickly glanced around for Tommy, when heard,
“Excuse me Sir, are you alright?”
On hearing this, hesitated for a moment, then slowly turning, noticed a young man in a uniform standing just before me and being unsure of what was going on, started to step back. When noticed him look down towards my feet. So following his gaze, saw a puddle spreading between my shoes..
On seeing this, suddenly remembered I was heading for the toilet and shamefully, glancing back up saw, he had turned away. Accepting his courtesy, I turned back around and continued towards that dimly lit opening.
Where, once inside, entered the first vacant cubicle and with fumbling fingers, began undoing the buttons of my fly. Too find my underwear soaked with urine and with sinking spirits, feebly looked around for toilet paper.
Seeing a roll on the wall, grabbed a handful then began pushing and shoving it around, trying to clean up the mess. When all of a sudden, feeling so hopeless slumped down onto the toilet seat and there with tears streaming down my cheeks, mumbled,
“Oh Tommy, has it come down to this.”
When felt the floor, started to vibrate, heralding an oncoming locomotive.
On feeling this, I, ‘by using several layers of toilet paper’, quickly tidied myself and not wanting Tommy to see me down, squared my shoulders, and strode forward out onto the platform.
And, remembering how we meet her as boys, turned, to stop and stare. Because, instead of the familiar hissing of steam and the loud chuff, chuff, chuffing of the old Forty Niner, there entering the platform, was this long sleek silvery tubelike thing.
Which on stopping, had large silvery sections of its side, slide away, leaving gaping spaces, out of which, people surged. Then, no sooner had they disappeared, when another crowd of people rushed forward, quickly filling the empty spaces.
As I stood there, half dazed by the speed of it all, saw those silvery sections slid back, catching all inside. On seeing this, suddenly realized I could not see Tommy and started moving forward, whispering,
“Tommy, old mate I’ll get you out”,
When, without a whiff of steam, this silvery tube glided away into the night. Stopping, I stood and stared, then with the feeling of complete helplessness, looked around for help. When felt something soft in my arms, and looking down, saw, Tommy’s head cradled there.
‘Overwhelmed by the sight of his curly hair’, I started rocking back and forth, at same time pulled his head closer into my chest, when heard a voice from behind me say,
“You okay mate?”
Quickly, glancing over my shoulder, whispered,
“Shh, they are everywhere.”
And, desperate to protect Tommy, leant forward only to feel this awful jar and half dazed looked around, to see I was sitting on the floor with my back up against a wall. Not understanding what was happening, hopelessly looked around, to see a vacant bench-seat close by, and desperately wanting to rest, struggled to my feet, squared my shoulders and slowly began walking forward.
Only to hear as I was about to sit, someone ask,
“Do you mind if I join you?”
On hearing this request and though desperate for the seat, turned to see, a slight middle aged woman standing there, holding, a small, Bakelite Suitcase. The sight of which, relaxed me, so as I continued to move forward onto the bench, with a slight nod of my head, replied.
“Please do.”
But as she arranged herself, I could not take my eyes off the small feminine movements of her hands and as I tried to understand why. Caught her glancing at me and realizing I had been staring, started to mutter an apology at same time began turning away. When remembered my state of affairs and not wanting anyone to see me like this, ‘especially Tommy, when he walks up’, began to cross my legs. At same time, as his name crossed my mind, started to wonder what I had done wrong.
The Nurse had told me, the train up from Monto was on time and judging by the big old clock on the Station wall, I had made it here on time.
And, ‘though still half dazed from my fall’, thought, he may be here somewhere and I had missed him. So, began looking down along the platform, hoping to see him standing there. When noticed everything was different.
The platform was not the same, it was bigger and brighter. Also, I could not see any bags of spuds or onions stacked down the other end or any empty milk cans waiting there, for the last train home.
On seeing this, I began to shiver, and thinking maybe if I go to sleep when I wake up everything will be better so began to lay back and close my eyes, when noticed a nice shine on my shoes and though completely exhausted, felt a wry smile come too my face as I remembered, Tommy, always trying to out-do me and get the best spit polish.
But as the thought of, Spit polish, came to mind, started to fidget and trying to control myself, absentmindedly, began running my hand along the sleeve of my jacket, which gave a prickly feeling of comfort, causing me to look down, when saw Tommy lying on the ground, beside the tracks.
And as my heart went out to him, pushed forward, but the harder I pushed, the more my nose hurt. So gritting my teeth, gave one last mighty heave, to all of a sudden realized, I was not moving and my nose was being pushed into the gravel.
This realization only made me struggle harder to reach Tommy, when as if from somewhere, heard,
“Oh, have you missed your train”.
Hearing this, wondered where I was, so slowly opening my eyes, turned, to see this woman on the seat beside me, who had a look of concern on her face, so muttered,
“Sorry, it is just I feel so lost and confused. I think have missed my mate, who was caught on that long silvery tube like thing, which came and went, without even a hiss of steam,”
Then, pausing for breath began to continue with,
“Why mine.”
Only to heard a soft chuckle and glancing in her direction, saw she was smiling and on catching her eye, she remarked,
“Why, there haven’t been steam trains in here, since I was a very small girl.”
I looked at her for a moment, thinking she must be wrong, because she looked middle aged and started to shake my head as if trying to get her to understand, she had made a mistake.
When this strange feeling of missing something came over me, so looking at her again quietly asked,
“Sorry, but I have this feeling we have met before, would you be kind enough to tell me your name?”
She paused for a moment then with a faint smile replied, “Mrs Bill Myers, but maybe it was my mother you remembered, her name was Mollie Ralston and we lived in a big country town.”
On hearing, Mollie Ralston, my body start to shake badly and trying to control myself wrapped my arms tightly across my chest, at same time started rocking back and forth. When heard her ask,
“Are you okay, I can call someone for you?”
On hearing, she would call somebody, I began to panic, and uttered,
“No, no please, I was told to wait here for my train, my mate he’s coming on our train.”
”Oh, I am so sorry, I did not mean to upset you so much,”
And as she reached for my hand, continued with,
“It was, when I mentioned my mother name, the look on your face changed and I thought, maybe you knew each other?”
Slowly taking my hand back, I murmured in reply,
“I don’t know, I may have known her before, a long time ago”.
And, to avoid any more questions, turned, to look for Tommy, only to hear.
