Stay In School

As I step onto the carriage I can hear her clearly speaking. An older lady, well older than me anyway and most likely in her late 30’s or early 40’s but she looks much older and her skin is well worn. She is wearing a tight fitted black and white striped zebra patterned dress, with old dirty black boots, and old dirty black hair, and an old dirty black scarf.

“I’m only tellin’ ya ‘bout it ‘cause I used to get bashed by me boyfrien’ when I was about your age, en I din’t do nuffin’ ‘bout it for too long a time, ya know?” she says screechily to a young girl sitting on a seat near her, in much cleaner and brighter clothes.

“I’m just tryin’ ta warn ya is all”.

The girl responds quickly and sternly, “Look lady, it’s not my problem, okay?”.

“I was only after two minutes of ya time mate, I’m just tryin’ ta ‘ave a conversation”.

“Yes and I don’t want to know about it. Please stop talking to me”.

“I was only wantin’ two minutes of your time to explain this to ya”.

“Well I don’t want to know about it, and it isn’t my problem” she says even sterner than before, after which she quickly stands up and walks through to the next carriage in a huff.

“I just wanted to talk to ya. Ya bloody rude little mole”.

As the train has not yet departed, people are still walking into the carriage. After about 20 seconds of the dirty woman entertaining herself, three young men of about eighteen years of age walk on to the train and sit in front of the dirty woman.

“Ow’re ya goin there boys? You on school holidays or what?” – By this point the train had begun moving.

“Hi, no we’re just on our way to uni” replies one of the boys.

“Awh righto, you goin to Swinburne College or somefin’?”

“Yep”

“Awh right, and how old are ya?”

“Ah, we are all 18-“

“- I’m almost 19 though” says one of the other boys.

“Awh yeah, that’s cool. D’ya smoke pot? Ya don’t look like the type to smoke pot”

“No I don’t”

“Yeah I din’t fink so. I bet ya don’t smoke cigarettes either. Do ya drink?”

“Um, yeah I sometimes drink”

“That’s good mate, that’s how ya wanna be doin’ it. Sounds like you’re doin everything right in life. Are these blokes ya hang out with alright or what?” She says questioningly.

“Haha, yeah they’re good guys”

“Oh, well that’s really good mate. Keep doin that and you’ll go far in life. I never went to college myself, so that’s good you’re doin’ that though, I dropped out when I was only 15 cause I got pregnant. I’m gonna go back soon though ya know, and do something good with me life, ay”.

“Yeah… that’s a good idea”.

“Yeah I fink so mate. Anyways, good talkin to ya guys, stay in school hey”.

“Uh yeah, thanks… bye”.

The Girl In Yellow

She looks nice enough, normal enough, kind enough, friendly enough. She's wearing a bright yellow dress, she has a brown handbag over her shoulder, and she has long brunette hair - she's in her late teens or early twenties.

It's peak hour when she steps onto the carriage, the train is overcrowded, and people are trying to keep to themselves in an effort to get home without any hassles. 

Two young men in their early twenties are standing in the carriage as well, talking to each other about music. The girl in yellow chimes in and begins to tell them about a new band she has discovered recently.

"Do you wanna hear them? I'll play them for you. I love this band so much man, they're a lot like Rammstein but like one hundred times better", she begins spouting enthusiastically.

"Oh uh, that's okay you don't have to play it, I don't really like Rammstein", says one of the young men.

"What? Nah you'll love this band, they're so hectic. I just love listening to them when I'm pissed off 'cause they just sing about shooting people and cutting people and raping people. It's awesome angry music!"

The girl in yellow then begins to play the music from her mobile phone.

"I don't listen to any music like that, that's actually completely opposite to the music I like. Can you please turn it off? I think it's bothering people", says the young man rather sternly.

"Fuck them, they are all dick heads any way. Like this guy!" The girl in yellow proceeds to eye off a bald middle aged gentlemen in tradesman clothes. "You're such a fucking asshole mate! You didn't like me right from the second you saw me back on the station platform!", she begins yelling at the bald man.

"That's because you were playing your ridiculous music back there too", the bald man states rather sternly.

"Some people actually like this fucking music you narrow-minded prick!" yells the girl in yellow.

"That's fine, but it's very loud, and you're bothering everyone in the carriage. I suggest you turn it off, okay?"

"Or what?!" she yells, by this point getting up as close to him as she can in an effort to intimidate him. "Are you going to punch me? Fucking hit me, you prick! Hit a girl mate! I know you want to!".

"My god you are a beast, take a look at yourself", states the bald man to the girl in yellow.

"I fucking dare you to hit me mate! See what fucking happens then!".

The train comes to a halt at the next station and the bald man proceeds to walk past the girl in yellow and to the carriage door.

"OH! Of course you fucking get off at my station! You're fucking following me, aren't you? This is fucking harassment. Can everyone see this?" she screams.

As she steps off the train, she walks past a young man with a Mohawk who says under his breath "Fuck, you're crazy".

The girl in yellow proceeds to step off the train, then looks back at the young man with the Mohawk and yells, "Go deep throat a fucking chainsaw you cunt!".

The doors close and the train leaves her for the bald man to deal with on the station platform. She looks nice enough, normal enough, kind enough, friendly enough.

A Place To Stay

At the station at the end of the line, he awaits his small venture to arrive only a few suburbs over. While his visit here is only temporary for now, he is hopeful it will become more permanent soon.

As he sits in the carriage in his sloppy tracksuit pants, sneakers and t-shirt, he appears - to the bystander - to be pondering something serious such as his existence, or something equally as important like what he is going to do today.

"G'day Tommo! How are ya mate? It's John, long time no talky hey!" he says cheerfully. He has begun a conversation on the phone to whom it seems may be an old friend, whom he potentially has not spoken to for quite some time.

"Yeah I'm doing alright mate, could be better. How are Sheryl and the boys these days? Not causing too much shit I hope!" He says with a laugh. "Yeah she always has been a bit of a fiery one, hey".

---

"Good to see things have improved for ya though brother. It really used to get me down when you were havin' that rough patch a while back"

---

"Ohh not a whole lot really mate, just the usual stuff. I'm in town at the moment actually. Uhh, well I'm actually calling ya 'cause I need a place to stay for the next few weeks. Just while I sort out a place to live ya know, just waitin' for the--".

"Yeah. Yep. Of course I know that Tommo. Come on mate, you know I get along with her much better these days. Ya know I'd only be askin' for ya help if I really needed it".

---

"Tommo, that is all in the past now mate. I'm your brother in law from out of' town for god's sake".

---

"It'll only be for three weeks".

---

"Yeah I promise. Well look, have a talk to Sheryl about it and let me know what she says. I don't have anywhere else to stay mate. It'll just be until I get back on my feet".

"You know I really appreciate this Tommo. C'mon mate I'm your brother. I don't like bothering Sheryl much, I swear I'll be out of your hair in no time".

"I owe you big time brother. Give us a call back when you've cleared it with her then".

"Cheers mate. I'll talk to ya soon."

"Seriously Tommo, thanks for this mate".

A Daughter's Love

She stepped onto the carriage wearing a beautiful navy dress, red shoes, and white leggings, following behind her is her guardian quick on her heels, ensuring her welfare and mood, carrying a suit jacket on a coat hanger in one hand and a bag of children's necessities in the other.

She is obviously used to the idea of trains and has been on them numerous times before, so she quickly looks for a place with two seats.

Promptly, she finds a place, she then takes a look back at her father for his agreement, then looks forward at the seats again. She gauges the height of the seat, gets herself ready, and then begins to ascend the climb up it. To his surprise, she has not located these spots for herself and him, but rather for herself and the flowers she is carrying.

"Come on then, move over so I can have a seat too", he says demandingly, wanting to rest his arms.

"But Dad, I need to lay my flowers down on this one", she tells him very matter of factly. And begins to sprawl five precious flowers that she chose to pick earlier.

He laughs and looks down at her rather proudly. Smiling, he sets his bag down, hangs his suit jacket on a coat hanger on an over head hand rail, and sits down in the seat behind his beloved. Resting on his arms on the back of her seat, and his chin on his arms, he compliments her sprawled out seat flowers and stares at her proudly once again; all the while apologising to people for his hanging suit jacket on a coat hanger.

"Dad, what are we going to have for dinner today?" she asks, obviously entrusting her entire world to him.

"Your mother will have something planned, I am sure of it" says the guardian, ensuring her trust.

"But what will it be, Dad?"

"Oh I don't know, some vomit, probably!" he says while laughing.

"Vomit?! Ew! I don't want vomit!" she spouts, with a high pitched cackle at the end. She looks at him with an innocent amusement and asks ever so seriously, "How many stops 'til we get home?"

"Only two more, we will be there very soon I promise", he reassures her.