Poznan 5

From the time I woke up I could expect to be on the train another three hours. Laurel woke up shortly after, felt it customary to ask if I wanted breakfast ("not because we had sex, but because it's morning"), then remembered we were without necessary cooking equipment. 

We decided to have brunch at the nearest restaurant when we got off the train.

I told Laurel that I was going to step outside and walk around to help wake up, and that she could stay if she wanted.

Outside I saw the stewardess emerging from one of the last compartments. We could smell the night before on each other like kerosine. 

"How does it feel?" I asked

"How does it feel?" she mirrored.

"That's what I said."

"No, I'm asking you. How does it feel?"

I was silent.

"At least I'm professional about it," she pointed to my crotch. The zipper was open.

I apologized for my indecency. She laughed, turned around and went off to earn her keep.

A cannon fired somewhere. I know this because the smoke rose above the treeline, and because I've heard cannons fired in movies. 

Poznan was welcoming the train into its humble station. Poznan was sending little black spheres barreling from one side of the train to the other because the official representative of the Huambo Province in Angola was in a car containing none but himself and the quiet Maria Fallon further up the train. 

Laurel stuck her head out of my room. "It's the end of the world."

"Really?"

"No, but we Jews would really like to see it hurry up and get here. We're feeling a bit shortchanged."

"Oh."

I had wanted it to be true for all peoples, everywhere. 

May God bless His children!

~