Between Him and Her

Sceneries of lowland farms and random flashed by as she stood by the compartment door. The train wasn’t fast, but it was an express, so it swept through the almost empty stations. She looked up at the sky. They were clear and bright with puffs of white clouds that stood still here and there. The mountains in the far off gave off its majestic dark aura. It seemed as if the architecture of the houses that lined near the train tracks melded into nature. Everything looked quiet outside, and so it was inside the train car that she was on. She can see the random motorists and cyclists waiting behind the barriers as the train passed. There were old and young people on the road. The old people were going to their farms and the young to schools on their cycles. Their uniforms were all in white matching the summer style as it was still humid and hot in the early September. Liya Thomas came to this country two months ago in July to work as an English teacher in the Japanese public education system. Hired by the Japanese embassy to come in to teach at a grass root level as an American, she took over work from the previous teacher who had decided to return to the Stateside to finish her studies. Coming to Japan was a miracle, as Liya had never thought it would have been a possibility given her situation. So when she had gotten the placement and her parents, well her father, had given the green light to go, she packed her bags and left. Liya glanced around the compartment looking at the other passengers either nodding off or being on their cell phones. There were plenty of empty seats, but she preferred to stand by the sliding doors to see the passing landscapes. Being in the last car meant fewer passengers. There was always the familiar figure of the train conductor behind her. He was the one who gave the signals and the announcements overhead. And after being in this village for the last two months, she had become quite adept at recognizing the different train conductors voice. Her stop was coming up, so she readied herself to get off. She could see from the side the train conductor shifting in his position to announce the upcoming stop. The overhead speakers beeped and then a very masculine voice came on. “Mamonaku Tsutsui, Tsutsui desu. Deguchi wa hidari gawa desu.” Liya took a glance at the man who made the announcement. It was the same person as yesterday and the day before that as well. He shifted his body to look out through the narrow window compartment. As she came out, she looked at him fully. Although he was looking at the train driver and watching the other passengers get on and off the train cars, his glance briefly touched upon her face. She smiled slightly. He didn’t respond but just whistled. Eyes downcast she walked away.