The Train Ride

Picture Generated Using MetaAI

The train was filled with people. Voices could be heard in all corners; each seat was occupied by human beings who wore similar Jerseys of their state's football club. The club's anthem was blasting over the portable radio one of the club supporters had.

Sitting opposite each other were two strangers Amah and Greg. Amah had her eyes scanning the train, with questions in her eyes. She was trying to concentrate on the book she was reading but the noise from the supporters wasn't helping. She wondered why they had to be so loud.

"Club supporters" Greg answered the questions in her eyes.

Amah didn't hear him well over the noisy environment, so she asked, "What?"

"They're the town's club supporters", he said again, this time slowly.

"Oh, I see" she replied, feeling a bit relaxed now.

There was silence between them as Amah tried to get back to reading her book. Realising she couldn't read in such an environment, she closed her book and put it inside her bag.

"Seems like you're not from here," Greg asked.

"Yeah. Today's my first time here," she replied, looking up to Greg.

“Work?”

“No interview. Just heading home now”

"I'm Greg" Greg introduced himself by sticking out his hands for a shake.

"Amah" Amah replied, taking his hands.

Just then, the train conductor walked up to their seats, yelling, “Tickets, please! Next stop, Stadium!”

They quickly presented their tickets to the conductor who stamped and returned them before walking off towards the football supporters.

“So you, are you heading home too?" Amah continued, trying to hold the conversation. She intended to get her mind off the bad interview she had earlier.

"Not quite," Greg replied, pausing a bit. He looked out the window "I'm on a mission."

"What are you? CIA?" Amah chuckled loudly.

"I wish" he shrugged with a smile, looking at her. In her eyes was a stare that looked familiar. "I'm trying to find someone".

"Still sounds CIA". Amah pressed on, her brows furrowed.

A smile curved on Greg's lips. "My kid sister. I lost her while we were still kids at the orphanage. Somehow, we got adopted by different parents. Well, I heard her new parents are staying in Jaho, so I'm trying to find them".

"I'm so sorry" Amah apologised. "If it means anything, I lost my brother too. His name was Gregory, the same story as yours. And I live in Jaho too".

Greg's eyes lit up. "Coincidence?".

"Nah, I don't believe in that," Amah chuckled, shaking her head.

The train came to a stop and the noisy supporters all got off the train. Their voices overlap each other. And immediately, the train was so filled with tranquillity that Amah shut her eyes and muttered,

"Peace". Then she looked at Greg, and they both laughed.

They sat there in silence, just staring out the window as the train took off again. The sound of the wheels humming in a rhythmic sequence.

"Do you miss her?" Amah asked, her eyes still focused on the window. 'I mean your sister".

"Every day," Greg replied.

Amah nodded, eyes still glued to the window. She could feel Greg's sorrows. She missed her brother too, but it wasn't a competition of who missed who, so she held hers back. She was somehow relieved to have found who was feeling the same way she felt, who understood the pain of missing someone.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm forgetting her face. But I could tell she had this unique birthmark on her leg which looked like a bird. I do call her Debbie my ...." he was cut short by Amah.

"... my birdie" Amah completed it, eyes wide with surprise. "Only my brother called me that".

Although she was still three when they got separated, she still remembers the name so well. It was well buried in her mind that she was so sure she couldn't forget it even if she tried. She stared at Greg with eyes wide open. And Greg didn't fail to return the favour.

"Debbie?" Greg called her by her real name. His voice was barely audible.

"Gregory?" She replied. Then she shook her head. "No, it can't be", pulling up her trousers to reveal her leg. The only thing that could determine if they were related. Greg watched with a sharpened gaze, and there on her leg was the scar. The bird scar.

He scoffed. "But your name is Amah, not Debbie", Greg replied. He found it so hard to believe. There was no way the lady sitting opposite him on this train was her sister.

"After my adoption, my foster parents gave me a new name, Amah," Amah explained, tears streaming down her face, confirming their suspicions. She couldn't believe it; she put her face on the floor as tears filled her eyes. But they weren't just ordinary tears, they were of joy.

Greg couldn't believe it either. He sat there watching his sister cry. For years, he had wasted a fortune trying to find his sister; now, he found her on the same train. She was sitting next to him. He didn't term this one as a coincidence; he termed it as a miracle.

“It’s you,” he choked, voice thick with emotion. “All these years… I never thought…”

Amah looked up at Greg. "I never thought so, too," she replied, her voice teary.

Just then, the train conductor walked past again, yelling, "Tickets, please! Next stop, Jaho!".

Greg stood up and held out his hands, "What do you say? Let’s start a new journey together, from here.”

Amah smiled and without hesitation, she stood up and took his hands. Then they walked towards the door as the train came to a halt.

They were about to walk into a new chapter of their lives.