Through Seeds and Beyond

Day 2

Alfred woke up from a deep sleep the next day at almost 3 AM. He wasn’t sure where they had reached. He feared that his fast English might not be understood by his fellow passengers, so he decided not to speak. Instead, he opened a pack of bread he had bought the previous day and began eating. His fellow Italian passenger was awake, so he shared some with him. In fact, food has no language barriers.

The young man asked Alfred, **"Where are you heading?"** Alfred was surprised by his English and replied, **"To Nice."** They then got to know more about each other. The boy, named Antonio, was a student at Oxford and was heading to his hometown near Rome. His father had passed away early, his mother had left him, and his grandfather, a gardener, was taking care of him. Alfred thought for a moment about his own grandfather and how caring he was. Anyway, they continued their conversation until Alfred fell asleep again.

At 7 AM, the sun's rays pierced Alfred’s eyes. He opened them but couldn’t find Antonio anywhere. The train was stationed at a stop. Soon, Antonio returned with a cup of coffee, but seeing Alfred awake, he rushed back to the shop to buy another one for him. Both of them took a few sips and resumed their conversation.

The French man to Alfred’s right had already left his seat—he must have reached his destination. In less than 20 minutes, the train resumed its journey. Alfred now felt more comfortable in his current surroundings rather than focusing on his real destination. The train arrived in Nice almost 10 minutes late. Both of them stepped off and found a good place to eat and refill their stomachs. Their next train was expected to arrive at 10:45 AM to Genoa, so they quickly finished breakfast, bought their tickets, and prepared for the journey.

The train arrived on time, and both Alfred and Antonio quickly boarded. They found only one vacant seat, and Antonio agreed that Alfred could take it. The weather was quite cold, around 15 degrees Celsius. As the train ran parallel to the Mediterranean coast, the views were breathtaking. Many passengers, including Alfred and Antonio, wore jackets over their clothes.

As the train reached Menton, the last city before Italy, palm trees and pastel-colored houses made the scenery even more beautiful. Before they reached Menton, Antonio managed to find a seat opposite Alfred. They enjoyed the views while engaging in small conversations.

By 1:20 PM, the train arrived in Genoa. Although they were hungry, they had little time before their next trip to Rome. Without delay, they collected their tickets and waited for the next train. This would be their last journey together, as Antonio was traveling to Rome.

The train arrived at 1:35 PM, and it was more packed than expected. They couldn't find any seats. Many passengers entered with their luggage and bags. Both Alfred and Antonio stood in a corner of their coach. The journey was estimated to take three hours, but with no available seats, eating on the train was impossible.

During the journey, Antonio started feeling unwell and suddenly lost consciousness. Alfred panicked and gave him some water. Although Antonio showed slight improvement, he still looked weak. One of the passengers pressed the emergency bell, and the medical team arrived promptly. After examining Antonio’s condition, the team suggested immediate hospitalization.

Both Alfred and Antonio were transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital in Genoa, accompanied by a medical staff member. Antonio was diagnosed with low blood pressure and was admitted for treatment. After receiving proper care, the doctors discharged him at 3 PM.

They quickly traveled to the station and managed to catch the 3:20 PM train to Rome. This train was expected to arrive in Rome by 6:20 PM, just ten minutes before Alfred’s next overnight train to Brindisi, which was scheduled to depart at 6:30 PM. Despite everything, they still hadn't had a proper meal.

It was a very tight and challenging schedule, as Alfred had only a 10-minute gap between both trains. The next train to Brindisi was scheduled for 11 PM. Anyway, they managed to board the train to Rome.

Both of them were unable to find seats, so they decided to buy a packet of bread from a seller and started eating. Antonio was not fully fit but was still able to stand. A few miles later, Antonio found a seat and occupied it without hesitation. Alfred had no objection either.

Actually, Antonio did not have many details about Alfred; he only knew that Alfred was heading to Cyprus. He was a little interested—or rather, a little nervous—to ask more about Alfred. However, despite his hesitation, he finally asked Alfred why he was going to Cyprus. Alfred replied, with some indifference, that he was heading to his family home.

A few minutes later, Alfred also got a seat. That was their last moment together, as Antonio was getting off in Rome. Antonio’s home was much closer to the Rome station. They continued to chat for several minutes. Antonio was very grateful to Alfred for the timely intervention that had helped him feel better.

The journey was pleasant, with refreshing views outside—breathtaking sea landscapes, colorful hillsides, and more.

Finally, the train approached Roma Termini. The time was about 6:25 PM, and Alfred had only five minutes left to catch his next train. However, due to the heavy rush, he couldn't even reach the ticket counter and was very disappointed about missing the train. That train was supposed to take him to Brindisi, from where he could connect to Greece by ferry.

Anyway, Antonio was more than happy, as he could now invite Alfred to his home. Alfred was initially reluctant, but after Antonio’s persistent insistence, he agreed. Antonio’s home was indeed very close—just a 5–6 minute walk.

When they arrived, Alfred was impressed. It was a beautiful house surrounded by many flowers and trees. Antonio’s grandmother was standing in the front yard and became very excited upon seeing him. She quickly came to know about Alfred and everything that had happened during their journey. With a warm heart, she welcomed him inside, and Alfred was pleased as well.

Both Antonio and Alfred sat on chairs and resumed their conversation. Antonio’s grandmother came in with two cups of coffee and handed them to both of them. As mentioned earlier, Antonio’s father had passed away when he was 10. After that, his mother left him, and his grandparents were the ones who took care of him. His grandfather, a dedicated gardener, was working in the garden at that moment.

Antonio took Alfred to the large garden, and upon seeing his grandfather, he hugged him. Since his grandfather’s hands were covered in mud, he couldn’t receive the hug properly. Anyway, Antonio introduced his new friend to his grandfather.

After some time, his grandfather came into the house and was ready for a conversation with Alfred. Antonio’s grandfather had formerly been a trader and had experience working in both Italy and England. He had lived in England for almost 40 years before returning to Italy.

Alfred saw this as an opportunity to further his investigation. Since Alfred’s grandfather had been a farmer, he had an intuition that Antonio’s grandfather might know him. So he started telling more about his family and his grandfather. His grandfather's name was Michael.

"Oh, Mr.Mike! We were very close back in the day. How’s he doing now?"Antonio’s grandfather responded.

"He passed away a decade ago," Alfred replied.