Chapter 1

It had been a little over a year since that steampunk party where I met Anna. Julie, our mutual friend, had set us up to meet there, slyly telling each of us that she would meet us there and then not showing up! But it worked out for the best for us both – we did meet and we found out we had a lot more in common than just the crazy outfits we wore!

Anna and I started dating and things were going great – I thought I had met the girl I was meant to be with. But Fate had other ideas.

Anna got word one day that the law firm she worked as a secretary for was shutting its doors in the local area and moving to Atlanta where there was more opportunity for growth. Anna had moved away from Philadelphia because she didn’t want the “big city” hustle and bustle, so she wasn’t interested in moving with the company.

Her grandmother lived in a small town in Tennessee and she decided she would go there. Her grandmother was getting up there in years and she had always been very close to her. She wanted to spend as much time as she could while Grammy was still around. Of course, I understood. We hadn’t made any solid commitments to each other, just enjoying being together. I would miss her, but I totally understood.

On the day she left, I went to see her off and after some tears and promises to stay in touch she headed to Tennessee.

We did write and stay in touch for a while, but we both knew it wouldn’t last long. The letters came in three or four times a week at first, then once a week, then once every couple weeks ... then nothing. We had both moved on, I guess.

One day I was watching the evening news and a commercial came on for another steampunk party put on by the same people. Only this time it was going to be held on an old refurbished train instead of a hotel conference room. The commercial said the first part of the party would be in the Santa Fe train station, then those that wanted to could board the train and go for a three-hour ride to Albuquerque and back.

At first, I brushed it off, but the more I thought about it the more fun it sounded. After all, I was hesitant about the last steampunk party I went to and it turned out to be a pretty fun time – both at the party and afterward!

As a kid, I had always loved trains and I guess I still had a soft spot for them because before I knew it I had called up the organization and reserved a spot for myself. Maybe something in me hoped that I could find another Anna at the party but realistically I knew that would be near impossible. Anna and I clicked as if we were made specifically for each other!

As the day for the party grew close, I once again enlisted the help of my friend Julie in my wardrobe ensemble. I wasn’t able to repeat the same costume I used the last time which was fine, the shop had a ton of things to mix and match and Julie was pretty good at putting together a pretty cool look for me.

We decided on a leather “duster” coat, knee-high boots that had buckles all the way up, a leather motorcycle helmet, and round, blue-tinted sunglasses. I had a friend in the local theatre company hook me up with a fake Van Dyke style beard and mustache from their makeup department and I got a replica (non-functioning) double-barrel shotgun to complete the look.

Finally, the day of the party came and just like the last time, I was a nervous wreck! This time would be even harder since I knew Julie wouldn’t be at the party – I was definitely flying solo this time! And I still didn’t “get” the whole steampunk thing! I knew that people enjoyed dressing like this and it had something to do with the mixture of the Victorian past and steam-powered technology but after that, it was a mystery!

But I just remembered the logic I used the last time ... this was not my crowd, and once the party was over, I wouldn’t ever see any of these people again unless I wanted to. My anonymity was my ace in the hole. And with these clothes and the Van Dyke, it would be hard to recognize me even if they did stumble across me somewhere around town!

The train station was closed for business by the time the party was to begin and so there was plenty of parking. It was odd to see that old steam engine and the train cars parked in front of the modern train station. I drove past it every day going to and from work and was used to seeing the modern train there, but this was a mixture of old and new!

I went inside the building and was surprised to see the number of people there. It was about twice as big as the one I met Anna at – I didn’t realize steampunk had grown so big here!

I walked around a bit, trying to get a “feel” for the party. I had no idea what I would do here and I didn’t know anyone. I may as well been at a Chinese wedding for all I knew! I meandered around for a while, looking at everyone’s costumes and checking the place out before finding myself at the buffet table. The Steampunk Society, the organization hosting this shindig, put out a good spread – there was all sorts of food ... from hors-d’oeuvres and appetizers to finger sandwiches, chicken wings, and things like potato salad and baked beans.

I made up a “walk around” plate and continued to mingle. I had just finished the plate and tossed it a handy garbage can, when I turned around and saw a woman standing at the end of the buffet table looking even more lost and out of place than I was!

She was obviously uncomfortable in these surroundings and was standing there all alone, so I walked up to her, figuring I could at least try to make conversation with the poor woman.

“A lot of people here tonight!”

“Yes there are. I’m a bit surprised – I wasn’t counting on this many people showing up!”

“Yeah, I guess this steampunk thing is really catching on! I was here last year and there wasn’t nearly this many people.”

“So are you a regular at these things? Do you know what’s going on? This is my first time and I am completely lost!”

“Actually, I don’t know much more than you. This is just my second one of these parties. But if you’d like we could find a table and keep each other company – two lost souls in this sea of confusion kinda thing.”

“I’d like that. My doctor tells me that I need to start getting out to more social situations. I suffer from social anxiety disorder ... a fear of large groups of people.”

“My uncle has agoraphobia too. He is homebound and on disability because of it. So I know a little bit about the condition. Try not to think about being in a room full of people. Just focus on this table and us. Let the rest of all this fade out. My name is Daniel ... Daniel White.”

“Nice to meet you Daniel, My name is Becky Martin. And thank you.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Becky Martin. So if you aren’t a steampunker, how did you find out about this party?”

“I saw the ad for it in the newspaper. It looked like fun and my doctor suggested I go to it when I told him about it.”

“Remind me to thank your doctor for such a charming prescription!”

Becky blushed at my remark.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“A mojito would be nice, thank you.”

“One mojito coming up!” I went over to the bar and ordered Becky a mojito and got a myself a Jack and Coke. I brought the drinks back and handed her drink to her then sat down.

“So what do you do for a living Daniel ... when you aren’t charming innocent women, that is!”

“I’m a firefighter.”

“A firefighter! Oh that is so sexy! I just love firefighters! But I guess you hear that a lot, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but not all of my fans are as pretty as my newest one!” I got another blush for that comment.

“I like it when you blush, Becky ... it looks good on you.”

We talked some more and I found out she was originally from Minneapolis, but she had moved down here to Santa Fe because she got tired of the cold weather and snow. Being from upstate New York myself, I totally understood. When I got out of the Fire Academy in New York and had put a couple years in, I’d had enough of playing in the water in the wintertime and I moved down someplace warmer.

I found out that she didn’t have any family anymore – she had been an only child and both her parents had passed away. “I think I have a couple cousins someplace, but I’ve never heard from them and have no idea where they live.”

I told her that my father had passed away but my mother and sister still lived in Albany. I had tried to get Mom to move down closer to me where it was warmer but she wouldn’t move. She wanted to be near Dad and my sister wouldn’t move because she was taking care of Mom. I come from a very stubborn family!

“Yeah, my folks were like that too. Both were very set in their ways and didn’t see any sense in changing!” she said.