Trees rushed past in the train’s window, sliding away before Tommy could get a good look at them. The first leg of their journey took them south as they followed the curve of the coastline. Soon, they would be heading west.
He should have been excited – he had always wanted to ride a train – but the guilt kept gnawing at him. There were fleeting moments where it left his thoughts, but it always returned. A part of him wished that Miri could be here; she always took such pleasure in seeing him experience something new. But he wasn’t up for company. He had chosen a car populated with strangers so that he could be alone.
Tommy sat on one of the wooden benches with hands clasped in his lap. He should have been smiling, but all he could do was stare out the window.
Across the aisle from him,
