East To West

Chapter 1-2

Mary only stared out the window for a few minutes more before getting bored with the countryside scenery passing by. She stood up to get her case and looked around to make sure there was no one watching before opening it. When she did, she grabbed the panties and buried them under her other clothes before searching for one of the books she packed. She then put the case back in place on the rack and sat down to read.

It was her favorite pastime by far and it was always easy for her to get immersed in the romantic story of two lovers. That made it perfect for a train ride and it helped pass a few enjoyable hours. She managed to get all the way through the book before putting it down and realized straight away that they must be coming up to another station. The train was slowing down and she heard the sound of the conductor shouting that this stop would last around twenty minutes to take on fuel and water. That provided the chance for her to stretch her legs and she stepped down to the platform straight away when they came to a stop.

The station they were at seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere, but there were still a few people selling food and the sight of them caused her hunger to come out. She took a wander around the stalls and finally decided on some corn and ham. It tasted good and she sat on one of the station benches to enjoy it. There wasn’t much to see and she simply watched the train crew going about the business of pumping the water to replenish the on-board supplies. When she finished eating, she got to her feet to walk up and down the full length of the platform before eventually returning to her seat.

She thought about getting another book out to read, but in the end just rested her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes. The rocking of the train when it got moving again along with the heat of early afternoon sent her to sleep and the panic filled her mind when she woke up that she might have missed her station. She stared out of the window, but there was really no way of working out where she was and she finally got up and walked back through the carriages to find the conductor.

There was no avoiding his gaze on this occasion and it would have been rude, but she was all too aware of the slight smirk on his face. She was sure he was thinking about seeing the panties in her case and there was no stopping the slight humiliation coming back as her cheeks reddened. It was tinged with something more at the thought that the man enjoyed the sight of them and that it was maybe making him fantasize about her innocent young body. She shrugged that idea off quickly as she spoke.

“How long until we get to Oakford?” she asked

The fact that he got his pocket watch out to look at it meant they weren’t past her destination and the sense of relief washed over her. The smirk returned to his face when he looked up.

“There is one more stop to go before we get there,” he said. “We should arrive in around one hour.”

“Thanks,” Mary said and turned away from him quickly.

Thoughts of the conductor quickly left her mind. The news that she was only sixty minutes away from Oakford brought out her apprehension and it was this that began to concern her more than anything else. When she got back to her seat, she took the letter from her pocket to read through it again. Her gaze was still on it when the train came to the last station before hers, but the letter was in her pocket before they got moving again. She was on the last leg of her trip and when the train stopped again she would be stepping from it to what she hoped was going to be a wonderful new life.

Her mind turned to who would be at the station to meet her and she couldn’t help hoping it was the man that she was there to be with. She again remembered the woman getting off the train in Boston and being wrapped in a loving embrace. Would she get the same when she arrived in Oakford? She very much doubted it, but the romantic fantasy of being whisked off her feet by a strong, handsome man started to play out in her head and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. The blossoming of heat between her thighs convinced her to clear the dream from her mind before it went too far. The reality was that she didn’t have the slightest idea of the greeting that would be waiting for her at the station.

She returned her attention to looking out the window and tried to keep her nervousness in check as the minutes ticked by. That proved more difficult to do when the train began to slow down and she heard the shout of the conductor announcing their imminent arrival at Oakford. She stared out at the farmland they were now passing through. One of the smallholdings could very well be where she was about to live her life and her gaze remained on them.

The train slowed more and when she saw the buildings begin to appear, she knew that she was almost at her destination. One other passenger in the carriage got up to collect their belongings and Mary was quick to follow their lead and move over to the door. Her nerves shot up even more when she saw the start of the platform and she ducked her head down to get a better view out of a window.

The large Oakford sign confirmed that it was definitely the station she wanted and she turned her attention to the few people standing on the platform. There was no way of knowing whether they were waiting to get on the train or there to meet someone getting off, so she quickly gave up trying to guess which of them might be there to greet her. Her apprehension suddenly grew at the prospect that there might be no one there to meet her at all, but she tried to shrug of her fears as the train came to a complete stop. The passenger in front of her opened the door to step down to the platform and Mary did the same.

It was the moment for her to meet the man that was to become her husband and the breath stuck in her throat as she looked around.