St. Louis Metro Reality: Car 9075

Spring football practice was done, spring break was down to only a week ; we have a month off before classes start back up. I was really in need of a change of scenery.

One week left before the routine of classes rolled in like a tidal wave to drown me in learning. Most of the wealthier kids were partying on the beaches of sunny Florida or Europe. Other than athletes, there was just a skeleton crew of students on campus.

I got up late and decided to stroll over to the Student Center to get some lunch and one of their dill pickles which I love. I entered and could see to the other end of the Center's long hallway which was normally crammed with boisterous students.

I headed to the Lion's Den, a student managed burger joint. I didn't like Reuben sandwiches, their specialty. Their burger was still the bomb, the cheddar cheese and onions with their special sauce and crunchy dill pickle spears was my favorite. Also, they served cold beer. The place was devoid of hungry students, except at the card table, everyday there was a spades game going even during Spring Break. I ordered at the counter then headed over to watch the card game.

"Yo! Big Cee, whaddup?", my best friend, Dee from Chicago greeted me. The other players gave me head bobs of acknowledgment.

"Nada ,man. Just grabbing some lunch."

I sat at an adjacent free table; we were the only five people in the joint other than a couple of cooks and a cashier.

"Thats my book!" shouted Dee as he slammed a card on the table.

He set the book on top of a long row of hands played.

"Yo, Cee what you doin' today?"

"I ain't got nothin' going on. Whass up?"

I was plannin' on makin a quick trip home to pick up somethin', you wanna roll?"

"How you gettin' there?", Cee asked.

"I wanna get their fast, so we can fly, if you down?"

"I ain't got that kinda' bread right now."

"No worries, I got you covered." Dee smiled.

Dee was from Chicago, making it a about an hour flight from campus. We could get up and back in a day. He was also, one of the many dealers of good weed, of which there were many in business school. I definitely felt the irony.

"If you got the flight, I'm down. We stayin' the night or makin' a round trip?

"Up and back my brotha'!" Dee slammed a card on the table, his opposition groaned.

"That's game muthafuckas!"

"Warren, order up for C.Warren?", a tinny voice announces over the speaker system. I jump up and head to the service counter to pay for my lunch.

Dee was dealing a new game. I sat at my table, inhaling the aroma of my double cheeseburger and fries. I sipped my beer and bit into a dill pickle spear with a satisfying,"crunch!"

"Cee, I'm gonna finish this game. Then we can catch the train out to the airport, I got a flight booked for us leaving around three. Ok?"

"Cool." I mumbled, chewing on my cheeseburger.

Dee shuffled the cards, a guy to his right cut the deck and with expert hands, he dealt a new game. I could see the buds on the trees waving on a light breeze outside, it was going to be a nice day. The sun beamed on the dorms behind the student center.

The Metro train had a stop a block over from campus. The route ran through Clayton, parralled the highway out to the airport. Cee checked his iPhone, it was quarter to one.

He swirled the last of his fries in ketchup and popped them into his mouth, washed them down with the last of his beer.

"C'mon, Dee. We better make that move or we'll miss our flight."

" We good man, last hand anyway..." , he was focussed on the game. Dee slammed a card down and saw it trumped. He threw in his hand. His competition laughed loud, "Gotcha this time my brotha, think it's time for you to fly the friendly skies!"

Dee checked his watch. "Let's go Cee.!" He grabbed his backpack next to his chair and threw it over his shoulder heading out the door with Cee close behind.

At the kiosk, Dee paid for their train tickets. They looked down the tracks to see the Metro heading toward the platform. It was just a little after 1p.m.

"Man, you don't know how good it feels to get out of town for just a minute.", Cee exclaimed.

"I got you, I have to make this run, business is business."

The train hissed to a stop, the doors slid open, they stepped onto the empty car.Cee noticed the car was numbered: 9075. Cee could see a few passengers on the car behind them, just a lazy spring Saturday. The train rolled smoothly, picking up speed. The joint they smoked on their walk over to catch the train kicked in and Cee dozed off.

He felt like his face was mashed into a metal pillow, it was just the train taking a curve he guessed.He sat up, stretched his arms and adjusted his position. He pulled his ball cap visor down, BOOM! A clap of thunder loud enough to wake the dead pealed overhead.

Cee jumped up, the interior lights on the train glowed, rain obscured his view as the train rushed through the darkness. Where was Dee? He looked back, where was the rest of the train? He took his phone from his back pocket, hit Dee's number, another peal of thunder roared. The train jerked to the right and he grabbed an overhead strap to steady himself.

"Hey, whaddup,Cee?" Dee's voice crackled in his ear.

"Bro! Where are you!?

"I'm siitin' in the seat behind you,fool!"

Cee turned to looked back, no one there.

"Man, this shit ain't funny.You ain't on this train I'm the only one here. What the fuck is goin' on!? The train vibrated as it raced over the tracks.

"Calm down, now listen...just sit down, stay calm. You're ok. "

Goosebumps ran up Cee's arm as he eased down into an empty seat. The rain pummled the car as it sped down the tracks. The train rolled faster!

Cee felt his shoulders sag as the tension in his muscles relaxed from all the hits he had dealt out to freshmen running backs in the final spring scrimmage. "Dee you still there?"

"Look ou the window ,man. See the sun breakin' through the clouds?"

"Yeah, I see it." He felt sleepy again.

"That dope is the shit ain't it,Cee?"

"Whuh...?, He mumbled.

Cee felt the train slow some. He sat up straight with his phone in his hand. He looked back, Dee was on his phone behind him. He heard a bit of Dee's conversation.

"Yeah man, I got the idea to lace my shit with some melted gummies to give my shit that extra high...."

Cee watched the cars on the highway speed by, as they rolled into the airport stop.

It was still a lazy spring Saturday. He looked toward the front of the car. Someone had drawn a smiley face over the zero on the train number: 9075.