Sitting back in my seat I suddenly remembered something I saw in Union Station which disturbed me. It was after the raffle, while walking to the Acela Express platform. There was a man again, a man in a fedora and a trenchcoat, standing in an alcove, watching me. He looked like the same man I saw in Salisbury. But there had been no time to check him out. My train was leaving.
I wondered. Was I being followed? And if I was, why? Was the man dangerous? Should I confront him if I saw him again? As the train raced along through Maryland my mind raced with conspiracy theories. Why would a G-Man want anything with me?
The car attendant came by and broke my stream of thoughts. "Would you like anything, Sir?" he asked. "A glass of champagne for everyone in the car!" I replied. Then I flashed him the contents of the satchel. His eyes grew large. He said in a hushed tone, "Yes sir, right away sir!" Then I handed him a hundred dollar bill, for inspiration. Moments later I heard the attendant announce to the car that a generous passenger had bought champagne for everyone. A small round of applause went up.
I had never been on an Acela Express train before. It was very futuristic. I figured it would impress George Jetson. But then I remembered that so many other countries have high speed rail, many of them much faster than ours. The tilting mechanism was hardly noticeable in action. It was a very smooth ride.
There was a businesswoman across the aisle from me. I was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I figured she wouldn't talk to me. But our eyes met a few times, and somewhere near Wilmington I said to her, "What would you say if I told you I just won $100,000 and that I didn't know what to do with the money?" She said, "That's not all that much money. You should go to UBS and invest it overseas so that the IRS can't get at it." I smiled. Recently UBS had gotten in trouble with the feds for hiding client's assets from the IRS. "Yes, that'd be a fine idea," I chimed in. "They have offices in New York City," she added. We both laughed. Then she got up from her single seat and sat down next to me. She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and winked at me. Then she held out her hand. "I'm Ophelia," she said, looking in my eyes.
First class cars feature meals served to passengers at their seats. I invited Ophelia to join me for wine and some dinner.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
I love your tale. Please keep it going.How about a longer chapter each time? I am so disappointed whe I come to the end.I always say to myself "and"
Posted by dns8560 (Member # 15184) on :
Thanks. I appreciate your encouragement. I am enjoying this spontaneous project of mine. The 'journey' has hardly begun! I'll try and write longer installments. Inspiration, though, varies from day to day.
Dave
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Be careful, Dave, especially if Ophelia looks like Eva Marie Saint. Also, remember what happened to the Prince of Denmark when he got mixed up with an Ophelia.
Posted by HopefulRailUser (Member # 4513) on :
Stop flashing that money around. It's making me nervous.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Oh Vickie I love the part about the money. It opens up so many possibilities for incidents.I am eager to see what happenss next
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
DNS, this is highly enjoyable. Are you sure you're not a slumming fellow mystery novelist?
(The "slumming" is a joke!)
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
Keep writing, you have mastered the art of the cliffhanger. Great job.
Posted by Southwest Chief (Member # 1227) on :
Maybe the "G-Man" is just trying to congratulate you, introduce himself as Arthur Slugworth, and ask for an Everlasting Gobstopper. You'll later find out, if you play it right, that his real name is Mr. Wilkinson and works for Wonka Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Hey Matt, is he the Willie Wonka of chicolate factory fame?
Posted by Southwest Chief (Member # 1227) on :
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)