Long Way Ahead

He was sleeping when she woke up. They had been on the tracks for roughly an hour. She could feel her head starting to whirl; she was never in for long roads. And so she had to lug back to sleep.

She was already asleep, for the second time, when he woke up. Her head was lolling about and he feared she'd hit the window. He collected her bobbing body and had her lean against him. He put his arm around her, to keep  her quite steady. He knew she was not in for long roads. And then he went back to sleep.

She woke again, certain she would throw up any minute. She could not move immediately and she wondered why. That's when she felt his arm around her. Silly man, she thought. His arm could just as easily sleep because of that. She gently lifted it off and went up, careful not to rouse him. She half-felt her way to the coffee cart.

He felt she was not around, so he had to wake up again--alert. Maybe she got real sick, he thought. He massaged his arm for a while, feeling the growing numbness ease. Then he got up and went to the bathroom, where he thought she could be throwing up.

She returned with two covered mugs of instant coffee. He wasn't around. She looked around and decided he might have went to the bathroom. So she sat down, looked out the window, and waited. They were along acres of trees already. She was not familiar with the place, but she sort of felt they were still far.

A few seconds more and he returned. He smiled and sighed loudly at the sight of her, a covered mug in either hand. She looked up at him, smiled, and offered one of the mugs. He took it and sat beside her. He put his arm around her again and she leaned against him. They both looked out the window, basking in the sight of green, and relaxed.

The ride was still a long way ahead.

Photo by: Agnisharman