Timothy looked at Robert and then relaxed his hands. He said, “I just got mad when my mother insisted that I go out in the cold and clean the firebox. I love her but she makes me crazy.” Robert said, “You must understand that people often anger us or make us crazy, but this clan is considered family. When family members disagree, they discuss the problem like adults; they do not have temper tantrums and disrespect their mothers. I think you owe your mother and Bonnie one big apology for acting the way you did towards them.
Timothy’s looked down at the floor and then he began to sniffle. Robert took a step forward and Timothy quickly stepped up into his arms. As Robert hugged the boy, he said, “Sometimes us guys just need a good cry to make things right. I think you will find it is easier to cry then to take out your frustrations on those who love you. Wipe your eyes, put on your big boy pants and go apologize to your mother and to Bonnie. I think you will feel better afterwards.”
***
By the time Randy and Britney finished supper at the restaurant, the snow was six inches deep on the road. They pulled the hoods of their coats up over their heads and quickly walked the two blocks to the hotel. When they entered the hotel lobby, they discussed the train schedule with the manager. She explained that the trains normally ran even during a heavy snowstorm. The mountains were not prone to avalanches and the trains had cowcatcher snowplows in front of the engine. She said, “I will give you a wakeup call around five in the morning if you wish. You will need a good breakfast at the restaurant before getting on the train. You will only have twenty minutes to transfer trains around ten o’clock and there are no food facilities. I would recommend you pack some snacks in your backpacks. If you ask at the restaurant in the morning, they will fix you a sandwich to take with you; their roast beef sandwiches are superb. Both trains have water on board and toilets. You will arrive in New York just before supper. Your hotel has a nice restaurant and a bar where you can also order burgers and a beer. They also have great amenities and you will both be very comfortable there. I recommend that you speak to the manager when you arrive and see if you can get a second room if you wish. They may have a cancellation after the winter storms pass through the area.”
Randy spoke to Britney as she unlocked the door to her room and said, “I will knock on your door at five o’clock, just in case the hotel staff forgets to ring your room. I will knock until you come to the door. My wristwatch will wake me without fail and I will wake you. Don’t lie awake worrying about oversleeping. We will be just fine in the morning. I will pick you up at half past five for breakfast.”
Britney sat down on the bed in her room and turned on the television. She had not watched a TV program in ages and it seemed rather strange. As she sat watching the news channel, she decided she should get her shower and lay out her clothes for the morning. She would only have thirty minutes to brush her teeth, potty and dress before Randy picked her up for breakfast. She had no problem with the schedule, but she knew she had to plan everything out or she would lie awake worrying about every detail. She giggled to herself as she considered Randy’s preparations. He would take a shower, lay out his clothes and then fall asleep in the chair. He would wake in the middle of the night and get into bed. When his alarm went off, he would slip into his clothes, knock on her door and then return to his room. She knew that he would prepare in advance and then not worry about anything; he would simply deal with any problems as they happened. She suspected that his strict military training was responsible for his philosophy about life.
When Britney crawled under the covers and turned out the light, she thought about the train ride they would be taking tomorrow. The train they would transfer to would be a steam powered locomotive. Some of the larger passenger train systems had returned to steam engines instead of the diesel over electric locomotives from the past. Since the engines and cars were only a sixth the size they were before the resizing, it was easy enough to carry sufficient water and coal to power the hungry boilers. Britney was certain the owners of the trains would have preferred diesel fuel over coal, but the availability of diesel was prohibitive. Coal on the other hand was readily available and very inexpensive, especially in the coal rich states.
Britney woke with a start. She realized that someone was pounding on her door. She quickly turned on the light beside her bed and slipped on her robe. When she got to the door, Randy was talking to her. She opened the door a couple of inches and let Randy know that she was up and would be ready for breakfast on time. As she closed the door, she giggled to herself. She had not slept through the entire night without waking in years. It was then that she decided that her bladder was about to burst. She scurried to the toilet and sit just as her bladder let loose. She realized then that another moment or two would have been too late. Once she had brushed her teeth and dressed, she packed up her backpack and sat it beside the door. She took one more trip to the toilet just before Randy was due to pick her up. When she stepped up to the window and looked out through the curtains, she saw Randy step up to her door. She opened her door and then shouldered her pack.
There was about eighteen inches of fresh snow on the ground and they walked up close to the buildings to stay out of the deepest snow. The city plows had not cleared the sidewalks yet, but they could hear the plows working to clear the main roads. Just as they entered the restaurant, the plow roared past and cleared one lane of the highway towards the train station.
When they sat down at a table by the window, the waitress took their order and then said she would bring out their sandwiches just before they left. She said, “The sandwiches will be hot and wrapped in tin foil. They will remain fresh if you leave them wrapped in the tin foil until you are ready to eat them.”
As the two travelers ate their breakfast, the snow began to fall again. The flakes were light and puffy and soon began to blow around in the wind. They could tell the temperature was dropping again and soon the mountains would become a frozen winter wonderland all over again. Britney finished her breakfast last. She was so intent on her surroundings and the people gathered for breakfast, that she forgot she needed to eat. Randy said, “Britney, you need to finish your breakfast so we can get to the train station on time.” She looked down at her plate and then spoke to the waitress as she walked past their table. She asked for a piece of tin foil to wrap her breakfast up so she could take it along with her. Within just a moment or two, the waitress returned and helped Britney wrap her food and pack it into her backpack. Randy paid the bill and left a tip on the table. As they stepped out into the cold, the snow blew into their faces and chilled their skin. Britney pulled the drawstring on her hood up tight to keep the wind from blowing snow down her neck. The walk to the train station only took them ten minutes.
When they boarded the train, the conductor began checking their tickets. Each ticket was in two parts and he tore the tickets in half, pocketing one-half and handing the other half back to each passenger. Once the conductor had seated his passengers and taken a head count, the train left the station. Randy and Britney were seated two cars back from the engine and could see the train tracks up ahead whenever the train made a long sweeping turn. Actually, what they saw was a snow covered flat surface where the train tracks certainly would be located. There was at least two feet of fresh snow covering them. They could see the V-shaped snowplow on the front of the engine as it cut through the snow and lifted it many feet from the tracks. The snowplow appeared to roll the wet snow up into furrows alongside the train. It reminded Britney of a farmer’s field as he rolled the sod with his plow.
The view was spectacular as the clouds lifted just enough to allow tiny shafts of sunlight to brighten the side of the mountains, showing the snow covered cedar bows drooping from the weight of last night’s wet snow. Britney had never seen snow so deep in the mountains. There were places in the valleys where the snow was twenty or more feet deep. Sometimes it appeared that the snow had avalanched and someone had cleared the tracks with machinery. Britney asked Ran
dy what they used to clear the tracks after an avalanche. He said, “They use backhoe like machines mounted on the top of heavy locomotives. I suspect we will see some of the equipment in just a few minutes as we pass through one of the maintenance areas. The machinery is quite large and they even have large snow blowers that can blow the snow the length of a football field or more. You may even see one of them working as we pass alongside a few parallel tracks.”
The time passed quickly and before they knew it, they were at the Chicago train depot where they would transfer to the Northeastern Train for the final leg of their trip to New York City. It was sunny and bright when they boarded the train. They stowed their backpacks in the overhead luggage compartments before sitting down. Once Britney sat down in her seat, she began looking around the passenger car. Randy realized she was looking for something and decided it probably was the restroom. He said, “The restroom is at the front of the car. You will need to open the door and step out onto the platform. The restrooms will be on both sides of the platform.”
When Britney returned, she sat down and took a deep breath. She leaned back and said, “I think I need to eat the rest of my breakfast. I will save my sandwich for later.” Randy, being closest to the aisle and a gentleman, retrieved Britney’s backpack and sat it down on the seat between them. As she ate the food the waitress had helped her wrap up, she said, “This train is incredible. When I stepped out onto the platform, I could see the tracks below us. It is also quite windy and wet up there. I guess no one cares if they have to go bad enough.” Randy said, “You seem more relaxed now. I now understand why you were so withdrawn and quiet on the other train. I suggest you not be so bashful in the future and find a toilet when you need one. ” Britney giggled and said, “I did not want anyone to know that I had to poop. It is embarrassing.” Randy laughed and said, “It is even more embarrassing when you soil your pants because you were too shy to ask for a restroom.” Britney giggled over Randy’s words, but she understood that his words were true. In the future, she would not be so shy.”
As the train traveled across the flatlands, a clear picture of how far south the heavy snows had moved began to form. There were places where only the tops of the power lines and telephone lines were showing. It appeared to Britney that no one had plowed the highways below the power lines since the resizing. There was no evidence that the roads had ever existed. The huge snow blowers had blown the snow from the railroad tracks out into the fields and forests to astonishing heights. There were places where the snow had piled up ten feet above the top of the train. Britney wondered how much longer the railroad could keep the tracks open if the heavy snow and ice continued its southerly advancement.
The sun began to set around two in the afternoon and by three o’clock, it was completely black outside. Britney remembered an airplane ride she had taken many years ago and how she could see the city lights out the windows. She realized that she might not see any lights on this train ride. The snow was piled too high to see anything and she was not even certain the power was turned on in this part of the country. She was uncertain if New York City had power, but she suspected it did, at least within the city limits.
The conductor walked through the cabin around four in the afternoon and announced that they would enter the city limits of New York in less than ten minutes. He had no more walked out of the train car when Britney realized they had slowed down and were now moving alongside a major highway. The highway was six lanes wide before the resizing, but the city workers had painted white lines on only one of the lanes in each direction. The worker had blocked off the remaining lanes with concrete barriers. It was obvious by the tiny cars that now traveled the highway that the massive size of the city and its infrastructure was no longer required to accommodate the reduced size humans and their conveyances.
Within another ten minutes or so, the train began to slow even more and then slowed to a stop alongside a depot. The conductor announced that they would be lying over for one hour while the train was loaded with coal and water. Britney and Randy, along with a few other passengers, departed the train and made their way into the depot. There, they met up with the bus driver who would take them to their hotel for the night.
Britney was in awe at the busy city and the huge towering buildings. Most of the tallest buildings were dark at the top and appeared to be unused: Decaying and crumbling buildings lined the streets and Britney could see thousands more off in the distance. Many of the buildings had no windows, or the windows were broken. People with their belongings in shopping carts or in bags over their shoulders walked the streets; many appeared homeless and lived in cardboard boxes along the streets or in alleys. The poverty and suffering of the city folk stunned Britney. She wondered if these people’s troubles were a direct result of the resizing or if other circumstances caused their fate. As she thought about this huge city and all the people who lived here, she realized that her clan had guided their own destiny by forming a working group so they could overcome each of their shortcomings and faults. One person alone could not possibly survive in the harsh new world the people of planet Earth now faced. Only groups working for the betterment of all could possibly manage to overcome the hardships. As she thought about the reality she now found herself seeing first hand, she wondered what started the feud between her and Jenna. Britney vowed as she sat looking out the window to put an end to the bickering and fighting between them. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she thought of how much Jenna truly meant to her and how she had often shunned Jenna’s attempts to reconcile their differences.
Randy spoke to Britney, but at first, she did not hear his words. When she realized he was speaking to her, she turned to face him. He wiped the trace of a tear that had run down her cheek and asked, “Are you okay, Jenna. I understand how you feel, seeing fellow humans struggling just to survive another day. Please understand that there is little any of us can do to help them. I know, because I have tried. I gave money to one woman and guided her to a shelter for the night. I had no more than stepped out onto the street and I saw the same woman use the money I had given her to purchase a bottle of whisky. I do not know how the human race will survive this resizing and I am uncertain what needs to happen to end their suffering.” Jenna wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and asked, “Why don’t these people work together to try and make thing better? Surely, if they worked together they could manage.” Randy looked into Britney’s eyes and said, “I think they have simply given up all hope. They no longer have the will to survive.”
It was half past eight in the evening before they arrived at the hotel. The bus driver explained that the streets were not safe to venture out on after dark. The staff at the trade show would chauffeur them around during their visit to the city. When they checked into their room, it was almost nine o’clock. Once they had taken a moment to use the restroom, they headed straight down to the restaurant for some food. The restaurant was quite busy, but the staff quickly seated them. A young waiter greeted them and took their order. It was only ten minutes before she returned with their food. As Randy talked to the young woman, she asked if they were in for the show. Randy explained that they were and that they would need directions to the show in the morning. The young woman said, “Actually, your host will be here in a few minutes to discuss your itinerary with you. They will also pick you up in the morning and carry you to your destination. You will not need directions.”
As they ate their food, a man and woman stepped up to a microphone and greeted those who planned to attend the show in the morning. The woman explained that the bus would pick them up around eight in the morning and return them to the hotel around five or five thirty in the evening each day. Then the couple sat down at a table and ordered their evening meal. When Britney and Randy finished their supper and paid their bill, they headed back to their room. The room had one large bed and they had decided to make the best of things. Jenna did not need to know that they shared a room and a bed during their stay in New Yo
rk.
They had just locked their door when the phone rang. Britney answered it and began talking to someone. When she hung up the phone, she turned to Randy and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but one of the single men staying here at the hotel heard from the desk clerk that a single woman was staying with a married man in the same bed and has offered me the sanctuary of his private suite. He has more than enough room and is willing to share his accommodations. I agreed to his proposition. I will be staying with him for the duration of our trip.” Randy began to laugh over Britney’s words and said, “I will help you carry your backpack to your new quarters. I should walk you there so I know where to pick you up for breakfast in the morning.” Britney giggled and said, “My man will be picking me up here in a few minutes. I will join you in the restaurant around seven in the morning.”
Later that night, Randy called the Mountain House to tell everyone that he and Britney had arrived in New York safely. Jenna asked if Britney had found her own room and Randy said, “In deed she did, my love. A single gentleman that Britney met in the restaurant asked her to join him in his luxury suite. She agreed and the man picked her up an hour or so ago. I suspect they are both sharing a hot shower right about now.” Jenna began to giggle and said, “You are teasing me, right?” Randy laughed and said, “Actually, Jenna. I am perfectly serious. She hooked up with a man within the first hour in the hotel. I am quite pleased with my traveling partner. Earlier today, I thought her quite shy, but now I understand she is blatantly bold when sex is involved.” Jenna said, “Well what do you expect. The girl has not laid a man in almost a year. You would be bold also if you had waited that long for sex.”
Universal Mass Page 26
