Chapter 3: They Call it Puppy Love

March 14th, 1995, 4:55 PM EST; Mile 190; 5 miles east of Harrisburg, PA

So far the train was on time, but since the train was currently on Amtrak’s owned and dispatched trackage, that fact was not particularly interesting. On this trip, they didn’t change engines in Philadelphia, but he knew that they still sometimes did that in Harrisburg. He’d have to ask Uncle Dave why. Frankly, it made little sense to have two crew bases not far apart from each other.

George wondered why Jill had taken off her long sleeved shirt to reveal a baby-blue tank top. The warmth of her body pressing against him was not helping his increasing awareness, nor was the fact that he could see her titillating (ha!) cleavage. It was so perfect, so curved, so plump, so ... dear god, he was turned on by her. Everything about her spoke of wonderful times together, comfortable, hot, and special.

It was so hard! George thought, Well, that’s ambiguous. I’m physically hard. But it is difficult to be sitting here next to her, her hair brushing in my face whenever she looks out the window, and not move to touch her, hold her, comfort her!

Beyond the physical contact, their constant conversation over the past hour had made him like her for reasons other than her being extremely comely and sexually charging. She had a solid intellect that made her someone whom he could talk with- an uncommon rarity. Still, he liked the way her body seemed to comfortably melt against his and especially the way she sighed in contentment as she leaned against him. He prayed that her interest was mutual...

Although that made little sense. There was no real chance of a future here. In addition to their three year age gap- and their schooling gap- he was going to be in Los Angeles, and she was going to be in Chicago. It seemed unlikely that whoever the other relative was would be much nicer or more amenable to a relationship. Hoping that she wanted him was almost just wanting both of them to be frustrated together.

This couldn’t be real, anyway. This kind of stuff only happened in fairytales. You don’t just fall in love with some girl you meet on the train- he broke off his thought- And what about mom and dad? This stuff does happen. But they were adults! Even so mom’s parents took a long time to accept dad as their daughter’s husband. They had presented the marriage to them as a fait accompli and they had been livid. It was the stuff of family stories. But I think maybe I am falling in love with this girl.

George’s rumination went on and on inside his head. He always overthought everything. He had trouble sleeping many nights because he couldn’t stop thinking and thinking and thinking. His mind was often like an engine over-revving.

As the train rolled along the Broadway, from time to time, George would point out the important sights along the way. Jill would listen carefully to his rambling about the sights, which kind of shocked him, since he wasn’t that interesting a tour guide. She seemed to stare out the window at whatever he was rambling about. Once in a while though, she’d look at him.

When she looked at him, he was shocked to see a look of ... no, it couldn’t be love. Admiration? Want? Desire? Trust? He didn’t know, but it was a strong positive feeling of some sort or other. He hoped, he longed, he desired that she shared his feelings. He was scared of how to make them more than just feelings, but he wanted her. A friend, a companion, a confidante. Somebody who got him. Someone to have something more than the pump and dump sex he had been having so far in his life.

George was no angel, no saint. He was selfish, and self-centered. He lived life feeling above the average person. He was an arrogant man- as he liked to think of it, an arrogant man with much to be arrogant about. His feelings for his fellow man were almost always less than he should be. To some extent he just didn’t care, either.

But he knew, deep down inside, that to be a better man, he needed to overcome this. His arrogance wasn’t a safety device; it was a character flaw. He needed other people to get by in life. He needed to be a part of the machine he so despised. Jill’s incredible maturity for her age beckoned to him. He somehow sensed that she could help him, she could teach him, she could allow him to overcome himself.

Already she had brought out a bit of the better in him; his taking her back to his room because her ... guardians were not being nice was distinctly out of character. Normally, he’d be laughing at it. He’d find it amusing. But this girl, she was special somehow. Something about her made him want to make sure she was cared for. Made him want to take her into his arms and make sure he protected her from all the harm there ever was.

He could tell, somehow, she didn’t really need it. She seemed strong as hell, able to more than take care of herself. Able to show her Aunt and Uncle a thing or two about a thing or two if she felt like it. But the way her doe eyes looked at him made him want to be there for her anyway. Besides, under that cynical and hard exterior, he could sense a degree of fear that seemed out of character, and he wasn’t sure why. He wanted to help.

He asked himself, “Am I in love with her?”

“Who?” Jill asked.

SHIT! He thought he was in his head, and not speaking aloud.

“Nobody,” he said lamely.

“Bullshit!” she roared.

George was shocked- the word coming out her sweet mouth just didn’t match up with her. Well, it kind of did. It matched up with her hardened exterior, but he still hadn’t been expecting it. While George was not one for vulgarity, it helped reinforce his opinion that she was an independent and outspoken woman, not some wilting lily. She seemed stronger, and he never had a thing for ladies- he much preferred the strength of a woman to the properness of a lady.

She was direct, and blunt. She usually said just what was on her mind. And she kept right on doing that, even as George didn’t want her to!

“Is it me you’re in love with?” she asked, a look of fascination in her animated eyes.

“I ... I don’t know,” he said, “You’re ... very young.”

“If you just got out of high school, you’re not that much older!” she averred.

“Calm down,” he said, “It’s just so incredible. I don’t know. I barely know you and yet...”

She understood. It was a bit fast, but ... she could feel her own attraction to him, it was both a mental and physical reaction. She could tell he cared about her, from the way he’d been acting. He seemed loving, even if it didn’t jibe with his hardened exterior. She got the impression that he would take care of her, help her. Maybe he could even manage to get her out of the mess she was in. She prayed for it to be true.

It’s not that he seemed to be an overly nice guy. The gruffness, the sarcasm, the amused way he looked at the world. He had to be very full of himself. But she could see behind that facade. There was good and there was caring under all that pomposity. Unlike her aunt and uncle, there was a well of human decency under there, one she could tap into. He could be a good friend, and maybe he could show her what good love was all about. Not like Lance.

He also seemed to be a very smart guy, the kind of intellectual who could be on her level. Most people bored her, and they weren’t interested in the world around them. George seemed to be over focused on every little detail. He had been going on and on about something called Budd and shot welding, and how old this car was. He seemed to have a depth of knowledge bordering on the obsessive.

He had to be much nicer than her uncle, that asshole- how could he not be? But how could she be with him? There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell. And how could she convince him of what she knew they both were feeling? She was ... she was feeling love. She knew she was. She didn’t know why, but she trusted her instincts. She believed in herself- for many years, thats all she had, after all.

Suddenly, as she felt the warmth of his body against her in the seat, which was not designed for two people, she realized it was true. She wasn’t kidding. She wasn’t imagining. She was in love with this man she just met. She was lustful, too, she wanted somebody to show her how good sex could be. She knew it had to be much better than what she had experienced before, with the right person, in the right circumstances.

How could she convince him? Her mind was reeling. She wanted to have him before they got to Chicago. There had to be a way to convince them both before he stopped her from doing it. Before time caught up with them. Before the clock struck midnight, and the coach turned into a pumpkin. But none of that could happen before she convinced him of her love, no question of that.

As if god himself willed the answer, an announcement came over the PA system.

“Attention passengers, we are now arriving into the historic Harrisburg Pennsylvania Station. This is where the train will be switching from electric power to diesel. During the switch, power to the cars will be disconnected. At this time the lights will go off, and the dining car and lounge car will close. The lounge car will open when we leave the station. The dining car will reopen for dinner at 6:00.

“For those of you disembarking from the train in Harrisburg, please check your room, or the area around your seat for personal belongings and begin to move to the doors at the end of your car to disembark the train.”

An idea sprung into her head from the announcement.

Yes ... that just might work, she thought.

George’s head was spinning even faster. What was he going to do? Her guardians didn’t seem to want her. But they were still her guardians. They weren’t going to let him be with her after this train trip. Most likely, he’d never see her again. Surely he wouldn’t. How could they keep in touch, anyway?