Girl on the Train

I entered the busy train, a shy 16 year old still buzzing from the vibes Amsterdam radiates on a teenager.
Too many people in the train for my liking, I don’t even bother to sit down, Dordrecht is only 40 min. I stand near the door.
I am day-dreaming, I am not seeing or hearing anything or anyone, just something beautiful about 2m from me.
What lasted probably 5 sec. lasted what seemed to be eternity for me.. Our eyes had already locked on, I just did not know it yet..
It was the beautiful smile that slowly but surely brought me back to earth, back to reality. The beautiful eyes and smile however were still the only thing I could see, and the only thing that mattered..

It felt like everyone in the whole train was staring at me blushing, after realizing I had been caught admiring the “Girl on the Train”  I panic.. how long was I staring at her was it 2 sec or 2 min.. Had I made her feel uncomfortable.. all these questions, but I never looked away from her.. She smiled and my heart started beating even faster.. I smiled back sheepishly.. I was in love..

At the next station everyone got off the train including the “Girl on the Train”, who without saying anything just looked me deep in the eyes and said “One Day”.. that was all… “One Day”… I leaned forward to kiss her, it wasn’t me that did that, it was an in-explainable force that made me do it.. however  the door closed before our lips touched… I ran to get out of the train, to find out who the “Girl on the Train” was.. the door closed with my hand hanging out the door, she put a piece of paper in my hand and smiled… Her eyes.. Her smile.. and she was gone.. I could not believe it.. she was gone.. I just stood there with my face pressed against the window as the train pulled off.. tears in my eyes.. I closed my eyes and opened them again.. hoping she was still there.. But she was gone..

At least I think this is how it went, my memory might be letting me down slightly, but I’m sure I’m not far off.. What I do know is that she really did give me a bit of paper while looking me in the eyes and smiling… on it were her contact details..

We had +2 years what I would now call a PTT affair – letters back and forth, until one day I could not stand to live another day without her… so I asked her to marry me.. it took about 4 days for the PTT to deliver my proposal, another 4 days for her to reply, and another 4 days for me to receive the reply, so about 2 weeks after me proposing to her, I got her answer.. She accepted.. I was just 17 and was getting married to the “Girl on the Train”.. Life was good!!

I hope the “Girl on the Train” doesn’t mind me posting her acceptance from Sept. 6 1988..