Ticket

The train whistle blew.  It made the platform shake.  The hot air made my shirt cling to my back.  Everything felt sticky.  My hands were sweating as I thought about the long trip ahead.  I held my ticket, twisting it in my hands.  I didn't want to think about losing it.  My sister looked at me with a discouraging look..."don't lose it again."  I looked down, then up at her with false defiance. "just hold on to your own ticket."  I looked at my mother's hand.  She gave me a hug goodbye and I drank in her smell.  At that age, a month seemed like eternity.  She promised to write.  I blinked back tears.  My sister took my hand and we boarded the train.  We found seats next to each other and while she made sure to create a barrier so I did not pester her too much, she patted me on the shoulder.  "we'll be back soon and we'll have lots of stories to tell."  Even when I annoyed the hell out of her, she made sure to comfort me.  We each pulled out our books and settled in for the long ride ahead...me checking my ticket in the back of the book to make sure my trip did not end early.