Train Man Read online

  It was crowded again so I made sure not to lose sight of her. During the walk we talked a bit.

  ‘Thanks for humouring me till late last night . . .’

  I knew instantly that she was talking about our e-mails.

  ‘I’m sorry for taking ages to reply . . . you e-mail super-fast, don’t you.’

  She said people reckoned she was on the slow side.

  Yesterday in an e-mail she mentioned stressing about her pollen allergy. She took some pills today to make sure she wasn’t going to get a dribbly nose.

  Coz she was walking a bit ahead of me she kept turning around to look at me all the time.

  Then, as she turned to face me, she was heading straight for a metal pole. She didn’t have a clue.

  ‘Oops,’ I said and just grabbed her arm . . . .

  ‘Mmm?’

  ‘It looked like you were going to walk into the pole’

  ‘I’m sorry. When I take my pills, I get a bit out of it. Thank you.’

  And then we started to walk again.

  ‘Let’s walk side by side,’ she said.

  ‘Um ok,’ I said, stepping forward a bit. I really need to learn how to be more sensitive . . .

  899 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 00:31

  >just grabbed her arm . . . .

  You probably just did it on the spur of the moment but it’s something no Geek could ever do,,,, (´A`)

  924 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 00:49

  Once we get to the restaurant she says to me, ‘I copied you.’

  ‘What?’

  For a moment, I had no idea what she was talking about but then I realised that she had booked.

  It was an Italian restaurant. As expected, lots of pizza and pasta.

  ‘Why don’t we just go ahead and order.’

  ‘Ah, sure.’

  The dishes here were apparently meant to be shared.

  ‘Whatever you like.’

  ‘No, no please go ahead.’ Though that’s what I said, honestly, I had no clue what to order unless there were photos of the dishes . . .

  And then,

  ‘Sorry, sorry,’ said a girl. Her friend caught up to us.

  ‘I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.’ She apologised to me as she huffed and puffed.

  ‘It’s no problem at all.’

  The friend looked a bit more outgoing than Lady Miss Hermes and was dressed a bit flashier.

  946 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 01:03

  ‘We haven’t even ordered yet so it’s fine.’

  ‘Oh, thank god,’ she said, and sat down next to Lady Hermes.

  ‘Nice to meet you.’

  ‘Likewise, nice to meet you,’ I answered and introduced myself.

  ‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ she said as she giggled.

  The three of us talked about the menu then decided what to order.

  ‘Mr Train, will you be drinking again tonight?’ Hermes jumped right in.

  Maybe it was because her friend was there but it was like she had a different kind of vibe.

  ‘Ah, yeah, sure.’

  I ordered a beer. The two of them also ordered beer.

  Dunno why I couldn’t figure that one out . . . doh!.

  We chatted some more while we waited for the food.

  But man can her friend talk . . .

  She was pretty funny and not shy, I could relax with her and talk.

  958 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 01:07

  I’m gonna poke my head out from the trench.

  960 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 01:07

  >958

  Shit! What’s that child doing! Get back down!

  994 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 01:18

  While we waited for the food, it was basically the friend firing questions and me answering them. About the incident on the train and about dinner the other night.

  ‘Sounds like you guys are getting along,’ she said, poking fun at us.

  Even after the food arrived, the friend kept at it without letting up.

  Lady Hermes laughed a lot. There were a few jokes I couldn’t understand but I laughed anyway. As I’d been on the receiving end most of the night, I decided to come up with something myself.

  ‘Lady Miss Hermes, have you ever been told that you look like Tamaki Ogawa?’

  ‘Tamaki Ogawa?’

  They didn’t have a clue who Tamaki Ogawa is.

  ‘Is she an actress?’

  ‘Ahh . . . yes, I’m pretty sure she is.’

  ‘I wonder who she is. I’d probably recognise her if I saw her.’

  According to her friend, Hermes looks like a cross between YOU and Ryouko Kuninaka.

  ‘Aha . . . .’ I said, but really, I didn’t have a clue who they were . . .

  120 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 01:38

  ‘Mr Train, what celebrity do people say you look like?’

  ‘Well, I’ve actually never been told that I look like anyone.’

  I get uncomfortable when the topic of conversation revolves around me.

  ‘Could look a tiny bit like the guitarist from ELT?’

  Did ELT have a guitarist???

  Whatever, I replied by saying that I wasn’t as cool-looking.

  Then we talked about films. I gave her Matrix 1-3.

  ‘Thank you so much~’

  ‘The story gets a bit complicated, but . . .’

  ‘I’ll ask you when there’s something I can’t understand.’

  ‘Ha ha ha . . .’

  But I can’t even understand it . . .

  Gotta get studying. FYI she and her friend have only seen 1.

  The two of them reckoned Lord of the Rings is cool.

  I’ve only seen the 1st of that series . . .

  And some dog film . . . (title slipped my mind)

  132 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 01:41

  >>120

  >‘Could look a tiny bit like the guitarist from ELT?’

  That ain’t no compliment dude . . .

  135 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 01:42

  >>120

  The dog film must be Quill

  185 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 01:57

  Her friend kept on mentioning the YOU and Ryouko Kuninaka likeness but all I was trying to do was remember the names

  ‘I’m going to the loo . . . ’

  I went to the loo . . . but since I didn’t know where it was and the directions one of the waiters gave me were wrong, I just walked around for a bit until I found it.

  When I got back after taking care of business . . .

  ‘Umm . . . are you, Mr Train, being innocent for real?’

  man, I’m being asked about me again . . .

  ‘I’ve been told so occasionally.’

  ‘You mean not all the time?’

  This friend of hers machine guns her questions . . .

  Lady Hermes laughed a bit.

  ‘I’ve been hearing all about it but you’re a firebrand aren’t you?’ the friend quickly followed up with another whammy. What does she mean . . . having heard all about it . . . and in the end,

  ‘There aren’t many like you around, so I think it’s a good thing,’

  Hermes said, smoothing things over, but . . .

  ‘Well, there definitely isn’t anyone like you around me.’

  Yet again, the friend opened her mouth.

  186 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 01:58

  being assessed for the rare creature you are?

  213 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 02:14

  It felt like we talked about a lot more stuff but

  What other stuff happened . . . . . .

  There were a lot of times I had no idea what they were on about . . .

  It was after 9 when the friend decided to leave.

  She said she had to go to work early the following day.

  We all
decided to leave the restaurant together.

  We split the bill.

  ‘Sorry to be the gooseberry’

  The friend’s face was lightly glowing from the wine . . .

  And when it was just the two of us

  ‘Shall we go to another place?’

  ‘Sure’

  This time, I was the one who suggested it.

  We didn’t feel like walking too far so we decided to randomly choose a bar close by.

  ‘Sorry for all the fuss today.’

  ‘Not a problem. That was fun.’

  She apologised but it was cool with me

  Man I’m tired . . .

  214 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:15

  what a thoughtful, sensitive friend to take her leave early,

  ah yeeaaaaaa

  221 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:16

  Emergency! Emergency! Air raid! Air raid! Prepare anti-aircraft missiles and fire!!

  224 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:18

  anti-aircraft fire bombs are flying across the sky!!!!

  231 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:20

  By the way, have you found out what Ladyluv Hermes does for a living and how old she is?

  234 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 02:23

  >>231

  ummm, I forgot . . .

  we talked a bit about each other’s jobs and age.

  Sounded like they both earned loads . . .

  As for age, they looked me up and down and said

  ‘We’re probably a bit older.’

  271 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 02:41

  lay off, no lip-touching no sex-anything no no!!!

  Well, I wanted to, of course but but buttttwooooaaaaa stop it . . .

  The rest of the time we talked about films and the next place we wanted to go . . .

  even talked about fashion which is very rare for me since I know nothing about it

  ‘I know absolutely nothing about it so I was thinking about trying to learn a thing or two . . . ’

  ‘Really? Come to think of it, you’ve changed a lot since the first time I met you, haven’t you?’ She went for the jugular and made me nervous. But I told it how it was.

  ‘As I was having dinner with a girl for the first time, I did my research,’ I owned up.

  ‘Realllllllly?’

  I . . . don’t think . . . she thought much of that . . .

  ‘I’m not all that bothered about fashion either.’

  I wanted to blurt out what a lie that was but I swallowed my words instead.

  It was getting late so we decided to leave the bar

  Just like last time, we pretty much walked in silence to the station.

  288 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 02:52

  For our ride home, we got on the Keihin Tohoku Line again.

  I spotted a few drunks in our car.

  She looked at them and then looked at me.

  ‘Aah . . . .don’t worry, it’s fine . . .’

  ‘(laugh)’

  Don’t think there was any deep meaning to this.

  Just like last time, she got off first and waved her hands at me saying

  ‘I’ll e-mail’

  ‘Me too’

  ‘Good night’

  after which the doors closed

  As soon as I got home I turned on my PC and opened my mail. I sent her a thank you note and asked if she got home safely and she replied almost immediately.

  ‘Thank you for today. I just got home too~

  Looking forward to going out to eat more yummy food!’

  And that’s all folks.

  Train Man appears to continue to make progress but how the hell could this story evolve? Just you wait and see.

  Mission

  3

  She Pulled My Hand Lightly

  After Train’s bombing campaign ended things dragged in the thread.

  300 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:55

  >Since I was having dinner with a girl for the first time, I did my research.

  Mmmmm. . . . . .I don’t know about this one.

  303 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:56

  >>300

  I reckon it would’ve been better not to say it

  304 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:56

  Train, good job. I ate cup noodles for dinner.

  Dats all.

  306 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 02:57

  I think ‘Since I was having dinner with a girl for the first time, I did my research’ basically is synonymous with ‘I’m a virgin.’

  309 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 02:57

  you think it was a bad move huh . . .

  337 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:03

  Hold it!

  There is a chance that she might not think too hard about ‘Since I was having dinner with a girl for the first time, I did my research’ . . .

  At the rate Train’s going now, anything is possible . . . . . .

  339 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:04

  Hermes might actually think it’s sweet a man trying to transform himself for her.

  362 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 03:12

  my body’s giving out . . . . . .

  thanks again for everything today.

  Laters.

  383 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:17

  All right. Why don’t we all start writing lines for when Train professes his love for her.

  389 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:19

  >383 I can imagine the screenplay for their wedding ----‘scenes from when they met’

  390 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:19

  Me knew from the first moment me saw you

  392 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:20

  >>383

  ‘Would you like to go on a journey called life with me? By train . . .’

  398 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:23

  ‘I know I’m younger but I’ll do my best not to fall behind . . .’

  404 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 03:27

  ‘Can I fall in love with you?’

  433 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 07:01

  morning people ´A`))

  unlike what we expected, we didn’t suffer that many casualties, eh but Train’s battle is yet to come

  I think he should wait a bit before telling her he loves her but

  He should take her on a hardcore date just to suss out Hermes’ true feelings about him. I live out in Chubu so I’ll leave it to the sexy Kanto folk to come up with the location . . . (´A`)

  462 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 15:15

  I checked the thread to make sure yesterday really did happen. Even now I’m not sure . . .

  475 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 15:58

  I just read through the log . . .

  Looks like you’ve written my lines for me . . . nuff nuff nuff

  Oh . . . I forgot the cherry blossoms . . . stoopid me stoopid me

  I guess I was thrown by her friend . . .

  486 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 17:07

  at an observatory looking out over the city lights at night

  Lady Hermes

  ‘Isn’t that beautiful . . . ’

  Train Man

  ‘This is my favourite spot . . . ’

  Lady Hermes

  ‘Really . . . thank you so much for sharing such a place.’

  Rain Man

  ‘Of course, I shared it only because it was you, Lady Hermes’

  Lady Hermes

  ‘(laughs) That makes me happy.’

  After a moment of silence both hands brush against one another out of the blue

  Brain Man

  ‘Oops, I’m so sorry (he suddenly pulls hand away)’

  Lady Hermes

  ‘(in mu
ffled voice) . . . you didn’t have to pull away’

  Sprain Man

  ‘Wha . . . ’

  Drain Man

  ‘Umm . . . Lady Hermes?’

  Lady Hermes

  ‘Y . . . yes . . . ’

  (both hearts beating wildly)

  Grain Man

  ‘I . . . umm . . . I . . . actually . . . have for a long time . . .’

  Lady Hermes

  ‘Hold on. Can I please finish that sentence first?’

  Plain Man

  ‘Y . . . yes.’

  (here, Lady Hermes leans towards Train Man)

  Lady Hermes

  ‘Ever since you came to our rescue on the train, I’ve liked you, Mr Train . . . and even though I am older . . . . I’ll do my best to keep up . . . so please, will you be my boyfriend?’

  (Train pulls Hermes in close)

  Stain Man

  ‘If you’re happy with a silly thing like me, then I’d ask you myself, to be my girlfriend.

  Lady Hermes

  ‘(giggles) I’m so glad . . . and looking forward to us being together.’

  They kiss.

  The sparkling lights of the city embraced the couple from afar.

  As if it were orchestrating a grand send-off . . .

  -----

  damn it, what da hell am I writing at work . . . ahjkbteouhermesiki

  488 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 17:10

  >>486

  How many times has Train morphed?

  489 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 17:13

  >>486

  Is it Train or Grain or Stain

  But more importantly, we need to clarify the situation

  Anyway, have we decided on Maim Man’s plan of attack?

  490 Name: Train Man ♦ SgHguKHEFY Post Date: 04/04/04 17:16

  I am also imagining all sorts of scenarios à la >>486

  553 Name: Anonymous Post Date: 04/04/04 21:51

  I bet while we’re calling Train’s love interest ‘Hermes’, Hermes and her friends are calling Train Ikkun, like the children’s book character.