by Tara Ford
There was a funny side to absolutely everything in her eyes. Making a teaspoon appear to be the most hilarious thing in the world was just one of her many talents. Everyone affected by her deranged outlook would stop and wonder why on earth they were all rolling around on the floor, hysterically laughing and crying about a teaspoon that she’d been wearing on her nose. Her special charm could turn practically any situation into a cataclysmic volcano of cachinnation.
Whenever Josie and her boys went to stay with the Freys, their home would turn into a fairground funhouse full of laughter and madness. Josie often visited them, at least twice every year, sometimes more. The time she spent there was exhausting for everyone, purely from the constant tears of laughter, strained stomach muscles and aching jaws. Everyone adored Aunt Josie, but no one really knew what it was that had made them laugh.
After her parents died, Josie, like Aaron’s dad, had struggled to come to terms with losing her mum and dad in such a horrific and sudden way. The tragedy caused a strain on her already fragile marriage, and just over a year after her parents’ death, Josie’s husband left her for another woman. Alone and broken-hearted, she had to bring up their young twins on her own. Vowing to do her very best for her sons, her ethos was to always create sunshine and moonbeams in their home, and apparently she always did. Nobody quite knew what the sun and the moon had to do with bringing up children, but she succeeded in turning out two fine young men.
A strong and courageous woman, Josie let none of life’s little problems (or the blonde bit of fluff she’d been ditched for) stand in the way of her accomplishing everything she had set her mind on. As the years rolled by, the twins’ father visited them less and less, more intent on making a new life for himself and his new harlot of a partner. Josie decided it would be his loss when the twins eventually became estranged from their father.
Her twin sons, Daniel and Jacob, looked upon their mum in despair at times. They had grown up with a fun-loving, kind-hearted mother who gave all of her time to the careful upbringing and direction of their lives. But as they had got older they made informed decisions and came to the conclusion that she was completely bonkers.
Daniel and Jacob were not identical and had very different personalities and goals in life. They were almost the same age as Aaron, but he had always had a stronger relationship with Daniel. Sharing similar interests, they would discuss their experiences through the internet chat sites or via their Xbox games consoles when they were apart, to ensure they kept in regular contact and ‘in the know’.
Although it had been less than two days, Aaron had enjoyed his stay in Wales. For some people, two days would be more than enough time to be spellbound by Josie’s company and her rigorous timetable of comedy sketches, but Aaron now wanted to get home and find out what was wrong with his mum. He knew it was the right thing to do as he worried about her, although he’d been told not to worry. At least he knew he would be able to travel to Wales on his own again, at another time. Growing up and experiencing the world for himself, he now knew that freedom smelt good.
“Give me a big fat hug then,” said Josie as she opened her bulky arms. Looking around the platform and blushing with embarrassment, Aaron felt like a patient in a doctor’s surgery waiting to discuss a problem with erectile dysfunction. Luckily there were no onlookers, except Daniel, who was already cringing at the thought of a cuddle in public. It was not a cool thing to be giving your auntie a hug in a public place at his age. Aaron winced and then hesitantly, he put his arms around her wide girth and hugged her. A large and powerful lady, she insisted on crushing him like a python constricting its prey.
“Argh!” squealed Aaron, whose slight frame resembled that of a HB pencil, except he had black, spiky hair on the top instead of an eraser.
His friends called him ‘Sticky’, which was his shortened nickname, the longer version being ‘Stick Insect’, and he had to admit that it aptly fitted his sleek frame.
Struggling to free himself from her mighty grip, he let out a roar of disturbed laughter. Releasing her grasp, Josie looked dishevelled and began to run her fingers through her long blonde hair in slow motion as if she was auditioning for a shampoo advert.
“You nearly broke my ribs, Aunt Josie,” said Aaron as he pulled himself together and checked the platform for spectators, just as the train pulled in.
“Nearly? Not quite then. Let’s have another go.” She chuckled.
“No, I’m going now, you’re mad!” said Aaron, edging away from her and smiling cheekily.
“I’ll see you again soon mate, yeah?” Daniel stepped forward and patted Aaron on the back.
“Yep, see you soon Dan. I’ll talk to you tonight, when I get home.”
Picking up his rucksack, Aaron turned to board the train. Josie and Daniel stood together on the platform, waiting for him to walk through the carriages and find a seat. The small Welsh station seemed quiet for a Saturday afternoon but Josie had said she would expect it to be busier in Newport, where Aaron had to change trains.
Looking down at his feet, Daniel yawned and screwed up his nose. The sun was pouring through the glass roof of the station, creating warmth and a golden halo above his glorious red, wavy hair. It was not an option: he was definitely going back to bed when they got home. Staying up all night with Aaron, playing games on the Xbox had caught up with him, although he would never admit it.
The boys had decided that an all-night Xbox vigil was called for after Aaron received the text message from his brother Joe, saying that his mum was in hospital. Joe had told Aaron that mum was okay and not to worry, but Aaron was a born worrier. When he told Josie he would be going home early to see his mum, she said it was fine, so at least he didn’t have to worry about upsetting her or putting her through any unnecessary inconvenience. Aaron just wanted to be at home on Sunday to see his mum, either at home or in the hospital if she was still there.
Josie had gone to bed at eleven o’clock, and Aaron and Daniel made the decision to stay awake all night long. It was a tough competition to battle with their drooping eyelids working overtime through the night, while they waited to see who could last the longest. The dark starry sky sped past and they both won the contest in joint first place; they had made it to the morning and kept their eyelids open.
Daniel’s twin brother Jacob had gone to stay at a friend’s house for the evening so he was unaware of the other two boys’ plans to see the night through, gorging on bags of sweets and enough chocolate to cover a cocoa bean plantation. Jacob had said his goodbyes and apologies to Aaron by way of a phone call earlier, as he was unable to accompany them to the train station due to a Saturday league rugby match.
The two night owls’ nocturnal gaming experience had escaped Josie’s knowledge too. Aaron guessed that she assumed they were both up early when she arose at 8.30 this morning. She made them a fried breakfast, one of her specialties, and reminded Aaron that the drive to the station would take at least half an hour. Whilst serving the scrambled egg, Josie told him to hurry up as he needed to get his things together. However, there weren’t many things to get together. Aaron believed that underwear and socks could be turned inside out for day two of their wear/wash cycle, and travelling light was his philosophy in his new role as a teenage tourist.
There were few passengers on the train, and seats were abundant. Aaron took a seat in the first carriage he had boarded. Sitting down by the window, he peered out to wave to Josie and Daniel, who were still standing on the platform. Daniel smiled and waved back. Josie frowned, pushed her bottom lip out and rubbed her eyes with clenched fists, shuddering as if she were sobbing. Grinning and shaking his head, Aaron reflected on her wacky behaviour.
A few minutes later the train began to move out of the station and Aaron laughed out loud as he watched Aunt Josie in amazement. Jumping up and down, she waved her arms in the air frantically. She was performing a headbanging, cowlick-flicking, split-ended finale as her Goldilocks hair shook. Josie’s goodbye gesture could only
be described as the dance of a drug-addled, wailing banshee.
Walking away from his mother, Daniel looked decidedly uncomfortable. Reaching the back of the platform he concealed a discreet, less dramatic wave, and then they were gone.
Settling into his seat, Aaron felt weary but amused by the spectacle he had just witnessed. The twins were right: Aunt Josie was utterly bonkers. Checking the time on his mobile phone, he noted that the train would reach Newport in 15 minutes. Once he was on the Portsmouth train, he knew he could have a sleep for the remaining three-and-a-half-hour journey home. Once he was settled he would set the alarm on his mobile phone for the duration.
Newport station was busier than the previous one as Aaron stepped down onto the platform. Relieved he hadn’t had to say goodbye to Aunt Josie here – although she probably would have got a rapturous applause for her performance – he glanced around, then followed the other passengers towards the main station.
Suddenly a toilet was top of the agenda for Aaron, and pretty quick! The motion of the train and the fresh air filtering through the station had spurred on Aunt Josie’s cooked breakfast which was working its magic, along with the copious amounts of splendiferous confectionery he had consumed during the night. It wasn’t long before his next train was due, but hopefully there was enough time to find the public conveniences before going to the correct platform to catch his train home.
Unsure of this part of the journey, Aaron remembered that there were only four platforms and he came in on number three, so how hard could it be? Racing along with buttocks clenched tightly, he followed the signs that displayed two little people, one with a skirt and the other wearing trousers. Hopefully he would make it in time to the lavatories before anything touched cloth!
As Aaron sat in the cubicle, feeling relieved, the long waking hours since Thursday night suddenly overcame him like a cloak of heavy, dark leather placed upon his head. Fatigue and a feeling of being unwell in the bowel department kept Aaron anchored to the toilet seat for longer than he had expected.
Listening to a voice from the tannoy faintly floating around the smelly men’s room, Aaron just managed to hear the rambling announcements between toilet flushes and running taps. A moment later the bodiless voice inside the speaker system caught his attention, and sitting upright and rigid, Aaron listened intently.
“Platform three. Train leaving... 1.30.” One thirty? That was the time his train was due to arrive. He was here only two days ago on platform three – shit! Panicking, he tried to hurry himself and get to the train.
The third carriage had the least number of passengers. Desperately needing some sleep, Aaron wanted to sit away from other people so he stumbled through to the end of the coach and found that the last two rows of seats were empty. At last he plonked himself down and sighed, that was close, he thought, before reaching into his jeans pocket and retrieving his phone.
The train gently pulled away from the station and the mesmerising sound of the wheels on the track lulled him into a sense of peace and calm. Setting the alarm on his mobile for three hours later, Aaron knew that would give him plenty of time to wake up before arriving home. Wedging the rucksack under his legs for safekeeping, he removed his jacket and covered his head as he curled into the seat and drifted off.
“Tickets please.” A voice filtered through Aaron’s dreams and momentarily brought him back to consciousness. Turning over, he put the jacket back over his head, hoping the inspector would pass him by.
Startled, Aaron awoke with a sense that somebody had touched his shoulder.
“Come on lad, time to get off,” said the ticket inspector. “Have you got your ticket please?”
“Sure,” Aaron mouthed, fumbling around for the piece of card and wondering why his alarm hadn’t gone off earlier. The stout man took the ticket and clipped it without examination. “Come on then, off you get.”
Aaron gathered his coat and bag, feeling puzzled by the apparent escort off the train. Hopping down to the platform with a fuzzy head, he looked up and froze.
Where was he?
Turning around, he opened his mouth to ask the inspector where they were, but the man had gone.
The station was the largest he had seen throughout his young adventures (although he hadn’t seen many), and it was frighteningly large. Aaron’s feet were rooted to the ground like a well-established oak tree. He didn’t know what to do or where to go.
All around him, passengers made their way to the exit signs and disappeared up the escalators. Rescuing his anchored feet from the platform of sinking sand, Aaron followed a young couple to the exit sign with a sense of foreboding. At the top of the escalators, he could see a large sign in the distance saying Welcome to Birmingham New Street.
“Oh my God!” he cursed under his breath. Birmingham? How did he get here? Questions raced through his head like a high-speed train. How was he going to get home? He didn’t have enough money left to buy another ticket. How much would a ticket cost? “Shit!” he muttered under his breath as he walked hesitantly towards the centre of a gargantuan concourse. Flowing through the station in a stream of people, he was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the building. The number of platforms, subways, escalators, signs, shops and the crushing waves of human traffic of all nationalities made him dizzy and homesick.
Drawn to an unoccupied marble bench, Aaron sat down. What an effing idiot, he thought while surveying the unfamiliar surroundings, feeling scared and disturbed by the enormity of the place.
The escalators on the right carried the passengers and shoppers to a retail arcade above the main station. Watching the procession of bobbing heads gliding up and down like penguins on a conveyor belt, he gathered his jumbled fragments of thought. Pulling the phone from his pocket he stared at it intently, trying to compose a message in his mind. What text could he send to his dad? I’m lost Dad, help! No, that sounded ridiculous. Would Dad be mad? What was Mum going to say? Aaron could almost hear her voice – “I told you he shouldn’t have gone, Grant!”
Dad, I got the wrong train and I’m in Birmingham! Aaron pressed send and waited, clutching his lifeline to a ticket back home. Ticket! Why hadn’t he looked at his ticket earlier – surely it had details of the journey he had booked? Removing the hole-punched card from his pocket, he noted that it had Platform 3 written in one corner, so he had got on at the right platform. He had not, however, got on a train at the right time.
The escalator transporting a never-ending flock of penguins continued its tireless journey as Aaron endured the mindless observation and contemplated his next move. Being patient and waiting for his dad to reply or call him, five minutes of his life ticked away slowly and three hundred penguins ascended or descended.
Ten minutes, fifteen minutes...
Examining his phone several times, willing it to ring or chant an unusual techno sound, announcing a text message, nothing came. Burying his head in his hands, Aaron closed his eyes and prayed that his dad would call soon.
Fumbling to hit the answer button, Aaron spoke apprehensively. “Hello?”
“How the bloody hell have you managed to end up in Birmingham, Aaron?” His dad sounded pretty peed off.
“Dad, I’m so sorry, I got on the wrong train.”
“You couldn’t get much more wrong than that, could you?” His dad huffed down the phone. “What am I supposed to do about it?”
“I dunno, Dad. I haven’t got enough money to get another ticket.”
“Where are you in Birmingham?” The question came angrily.
“In a train station.”
“I know you’re in a bloody train station, for Christ’s sake! Which one?” Aaron could hear the irritation rising in his dad’s voice.
“Sorry Dad, it’s called Birmingham New Street, I think.”
“You think? Is it or isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s what it’s called.” Aaron began to feel angry at his failure to complete his first ever one-man adventure.
“Look, I’m up to
my eyeballs here mate. Jack arrives in Birmingham at five o’clock. I’m going to call him and ask him to pick you up, so just wait there and don’t move. I’ve had one problem after another today Aaron, and this just adds to the list. I’ll contact the airport and make sure Jack gets the message; leave it with me, we’ll get it sorted.” Aaron’s dad hesitated, and his tone lowered to a gentle utterance. “Are you okay?”
Instantly Aaron felt a pang of despair; he wanted to get home to his family. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He sounded submissive. “Thanks Dad.”
“Don’t worry son, we’ll get you home but you need to stay there for a couple of hours and wait for Jack. Have you got enough money for something to eat or drink?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a tenner.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you in a while, don’t worry. I’ll sort it out before I go back to the hospital to see your mum.”
“Okay, thank you Dad. Tell Mum I love her.”
“I will son, just don’t worry about anything, okay?”
Pressing the off button, Aaron noticed the battery level was running low. He would have to conserve what little energy was left in case Jack or his dad called him. The time was a quarter to four, so he wouldn’t have too long to wait, he hoped. Leaning back against the marble bench, he watched hundreds of people passing by. They probably all knew where they were going and how to get there, he thought to himself, as he watched and waited.
Jack
Speeding along the runway, the airplane reached the point of lift-off and departed from Düsseldorf, soaring into a cloudless sky. Jack was on his way home. The plane was at full capacity, carrying mainly English and German passengers. Jack was seated towards the back of the plane on the aisle side of a three-seater row. An elderly couple occupied the other two seats next to him, and the old man had the window seat. Lucky sod, thought Jack as he listened to the routine announcements and safety procedures that piped out over the tannoy.