The Christmas Train by Rexanne Becnel Page A

hon?”
    â€œYes, ma’am. My . . . my grandmother and I missed our train. To Ennis. We went to the wrong boarding platform.”
    â€œI see. And where is your grandmother?”
    â€œThere.” Anna pointed. “The lady with white hair and the pretty gray coat with all the embroidery on it.”
    â€œAh, yes. And it’s just the two of you traveling together?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” Anna kept a determined smile on her face. “Can you tell me when the next train to Ennis is?”
    The woman’s gaze flitted from Anna to Miss Eva, then finally settled back on Anna. “Let me check.” She focused on her computer screen. “Not until tonight at seven fifteen, arriving in Ennis at one thirty-two tomorrow morning. Do you need to notify anyone about your delay? Your parents maybe?”
    â€œNo. Miss—Grandma Eva will call her brother and let him know. We’re going to his house for Christmas.” She smiled brightly at the woman. She didn’t know why she felt like she had to hide the truth about her relationship with Miss Eva. She worried, though, that attention from people Miss Eva didn’t know would upset her. Better to just get on board the next train and get to Ennis.
    â€œAll right, then,” the information lady said. “Seven fifteen tonight. Platform four. Do you want me to write it down for you?”
    â€œNo, thank you. I’ll remember.”
    â€œOkay, then. Merry Christmas.”
    â€œMerry Christmas,” Anna replied. Then she turned and skipped back toward Miss Eva, like she was the most carefree little girl in the whole wide world. “We have to stay here until tonight,” she told her, relating the details.
    â€œ Ach . All day to sit. Well then, it is not so bad. I get some more coffee und we sit in that cafeteria with the television. Okay?”
    â€œOkay.”
    But there was only so much television they could watch. Anna stared at other kids going by with their parents and brothers and sisters. None of them were traveling alone, like her. None of them looked scared about what would happen when they got to where they were going. They all knew there would be someone waiting with hugs and happy cries about how tall they were or how cute. A pair of twin girls younger than her had twin missing teeth, and Anna stared greedily after them, wondering how many aunts and uncles and cousins would sing that song about wanting two front teeth for Christmas.
    Would her father be glad to see her? She chewed on her lower lip. Probably not. Did he even know she was coming? With a gasp she realized that he was expecting her on the earlier train. What would he do when she wasn’t there? Slumping in her seat, she kicked at the table leg. Why didn’t her mother write down his telephone number?
    â€œStop that, Paulie.”
    Anna looked up at Miss Eva. “I’m not Paulie. I’m Anna.”
    As if startled, Miss Eva blinked, then managed a smile. “What an old silly I am. Of course you are, Anna. It’s just . . . when my Paulie was little he had hair the same color as yours, blond and silky.”
    â€œDid you and Paulie and your husband always live in Arkansas?”
    â€œNo. My husband, he is a soldier, so we move many times. After he stops being the soldier, that’s when we go to live there.”
    â€œSo Paulie had to change schools a lot?”
    â€œ Ja , but after, oh, sixth grade, we finally stay in the same place.”
    Anna began kicking the chair leg again. “I don’t want to go to a new school.” When Miss Eva patted her knee, Anna stilled her foot, then sighed. “I won’t know anybody.”
    â€œ Ja . But you make new friends. I know you will.”
    â€œMaybe . . .” Anna stretched the word out. “But what about my old friends? Do you have any friends from when you were a little girl?”
    Miss Eva frowned and stared across