The Red Suitcase Adventures (Part 3)
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By night I
was used to the train and its noises,
And after
the day’s excitement I wanted to rest,
I nibbled on crackers and jerky, read for awhile,
Obtained a
blanket and prepared my nest,
I was asleep
when the train came to a halt,
Emergency
lights flickered and I awoke with a start,
A rumor
spread like wildfire, “An animal had been hit,
The carcass
was dragged off, replaced some train parts,”
While we
were still pondering, the train slowly came to life,
I spoke to the
engineer before I headed back to bed,
“What did we
hit?” I questioned, “It sure caused a stir,”
“I thought I
saw a woman, swinging something red,”
He wanted to
talk, especially since I thought he was sane,
The train
had hit something, or someone was playing a game,
He wanted to
know if anyone was missing from my car,
And if I
did, would I please find out her name?
“Each body
was accounted for,” I replied, “I counted them myself,”
“Martha,” I
whispered softly, “this is not the time to play,
Not only do we
have places to go, but love is at stake,
Jon is
missing his love letter and he needs it today,”
I think
Martha had been listening ,
Because at
six an attendant showed up,
“Sir, would
you get your friend and follow me?
We found a
red suitcase next to a steaming coffee cup,”
Jon was not
easily awakened from his deep sleep,
Grumbled and
said he was allergic to sunlight,
“Come back
and talk to me,” he said crossly,
“When there
are neons and night,”
“Lead the
way,” I said, “Jon will follow along,”
Through
three cars to an opened door,
Several
suitcases were stacked along one side,
“Is this red
one the one you’re looking for?”
Jon lifted
it and proclaimed, “Yes, it’s mine,”
He walked
past the attendant without another word,
I slipped a
handsome tip into a waiting hand,
Before
unruly words were heard,
Jon headed
to the lounge and opened the suitcase,
He tossed
clothes left and right,
He pulled
out an envelope and held it high,
He handed it
to me. “Here, you’ve got better light,”
He didn’t
want me to know his fear,
He wasn’t
ready for the cost,
If his worst
dream came true,
And she
simply told him to get lost,
I opened the
letter, letting the tension build,
Jon urged me
to hurry, he wanted to know,
First I saw
the delicately drawn hearts,
So I knew
and I deliberately read slow,
“Dear Jon, I’m
tired of waiting for you,
But if your
music rocks your world,
Then waiting
is what I’ll do,
But better
yet, give my way a whirl,
I’m flying to
L.A. so I can be with you,
If you
really love me with all your heart,
I’ll embrace
your life of music,
And I’ll be
there from the start,”
Love,
Brenda
Jon’s love
life was in order,
He could
settle in and get some rest,
Tomorrow we
would be in town,
He had to be
at his best,
My suitcase
contained the clothes,
That I’d
need to walk about town,
I went to
the baggage compartment,
Now mine was
nowhere to be found,
(To be
Continued)
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The Red Suitcase Adventures (Part 2)
Image via Wikipedia
The Santa Fe
across the desert rolled on,
I carried my lunch to the observation car,
Watched
antelope and deer graze,
Wondered how pioneers could travel so far,
Later in the
day I returned to my chair,
I wanted a
nap because I was beat,
But one of
the young men waited,
His face
showing frustration and defeat,
“My name is
Jon. I’m coming apart at the seams,
My girlfriend
says since I’ve been with the band,
She’s been
left alone too much,
She’s moving
out and hopes I’ll understand,”
“She claimed
she left a note in my suitcase,
Explaining that she loved me but didn’t “love” me,
She said
someday we would meet again,
For now I’d
have to wait and see,”
Jon was
suffering or he wouldn’t be sharing his story,
I listened,
really listened, for I made a promise to hear,
What people
were concerned about on their trip,
But what
convinced me to listen was Jon’s tear,
‘I’ve looked
all over but my suitcase is gone,
I need that
letter if I’m to stay sane,
Everything
else can be replaced,
I can’t
concentrate and it’s giving me pain,”
We searched
the baggage compartments,
And everywhere
our attendant led,
I was
reluctant to tell Jon,
I had seen
several suitcases that were red,
Finally after
some urging the attendant said,
“An elderly
gentleman left the train early today,
He carried
two suitcases, and one was red,
One appeared
heavy, the red one almost didn’t weigh,”
I returned
to my seat and read awhile,
Then I
watched the landscape fly by,
I mused
about how lives can be different,
Yet loneliness
and despair can touch us until we die,
I had
suffered through previous broken relationships,
Learning
lessons much too late,
I knew I had
to help Jon find his suitcase,
He was too
young to leave it to fate,
I was on a
train trying to discover me,
Jon was on a
mission to find fortune and fame,
And Martha was
still earthbound and having fun,
Traveling
and mischief, it was all just a game.
(To be
continued)
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