The Tracks

Embargo

They met the next day by the big tree near the eastern tunnel at four in the afternoon. They agreed not to make it a regular thing for them to meet, for they did not want to risk developing a pattern or a routine. They both know that it will not be easy to sneak into each other's territory, so the big tree became their safe haven, a neutral ground. They would sometimes stay for an hour, sometimes even for just half. They would talk about different things, learn something about each other every time. But their talks would eventually take a turn to the situation of their towns.

"You said your last name was Faulkerson? That doesn't even sound like from anyone around this whole district, does it?"

"My grandfather was an immigrant."

"Ah, that figures."

"But my mother's maiden name was Reyes."

"Hey, there are a lot of Reyeses in the North!"

"Yeah, my mom says we have relatives over there. Uhm...you're not, by any chance, a Reyes, are you?"

"Nope."

Jay breathed a sigh of relief, earning him a raised brow from Dei. She brushed it off and went on talking, picking a weed from her side and played with it with her fingers.

"But I do know a lot of them. Some were childhood friends. We used to bike as far as the jump by the tracks, but we'd get chased back by the border guards, and they'd tell our parents to keep better watch over us. Then our parents would go on a litany why it's never safe to go to the tracks, why we should never even think of looking past the jump, why going across the tracks to the South is forbidden..."

She trailed off as she began to tear away at the weed she was holding. He noticed how her gaze seemed to be so far away, and her thoughts drifting. He waved his hand in front of her face, and it took her a couple of seconds to take notice.

"Sorry."

"You seemed to have gone some place else, Dei."

She picked a pebble from the ground and threw it as far as possible.

"Do you think our towns would ever get along?"

"Well...you and I seem to be ok."

"You know what I mean, Jay."

It was his turn to be quiet, the thoughts running through his head making him frown. Of course he knows what she's talking about. Ever since his uncle told him that he wants him to take on the lead of their town in five years, all he could think about was how to ease things up between them and the North. And now that he's met Dei, his desire to have peace between the two towns has intensified. He picked up a pebble and threw it to the direction that Dei threw hers.

"Uncle Bugs said they tried to reach out several times to the North, especially to their friends. Well, former friends, I suppose. But they were always turned away. When he was the Mayor of our town, I remember him leading this medical mission to bring to your town when we heard of that dengue outbreak, but your mayor outrightly told him that your town can manage."

"He's my godfather, our town mayor. His decisions and policies in the North are sometimes questionable. Well, most of the time, actually. And yeah, we heard of that medical mission being dismissed, and I was so pissed at him. One of my friends' kids died during that outbreak! If those doctors from the South were allowed to enter our town, there could have been a chance..."

They both picked up a pebble each, and threw them at the same time in the direction across the tracks.

"Ow!"

On instinct, Dei ducked behind the big tree. Jay froze, but quickly recovered and slowly walked towards the direction where the voice came from. He picked up a fallen branch from the ground, ready to swing if somebody were to show up. And he almost did, but stopped himself when he saw a familiar face come up from behind the bushes.

"You always had good aim, dude, but to do it blindly, sheesh, that's something..."

"What the hell are you doing there, Chip?!"

"Uhh...peeing?"

"Were you spying on us?"

"It's not really spying when I can't actually see you, right?"

"You followed me, then?"

"The guys and I were getting worried about you, Jay. You've been down here by the tracks for the past week, and you're always distracted at the store. We know you're smitten by this girl, but...oh hey, hi there!"

Dei was walking towards them, seeing that Jay knows the guy. She was eyeing him suspiciously, and Jay saw that she, too, was holding a branch behind her back.

"Uh, Dei, this is Chip, one of my nosy friends. Chip, Dei."

Chip was quick to step forward and held out a hand to Dei, who stepped back in surprise. Jay laughed, but held her arm reassuringly.

"It's ok, he's a good guy. Annoying but he grows on you, trust me."

"Hi Dei. Hey, our names put together are Chip and Dei, like those chipmunks!"

Jay had to laugh at how corny his friend could be, but felt sorry for his futile attempt to ease it up with Dei, because she didn't seem to find his joke amusing.

"They're Chip and Dale. Unless you meant those male dancers."

"Oh no, those are the Chippendales, they're spelled differently."

"Hmm, and why would you know that?"

It was Chip's turn to be silent and look stunned, his face suddenly getting red. Jay saw how embarrassed his friend got and he just laughed even harder. Dei was already smiling, struggling to keep herself from joining in on Jay's laughter.

"You should see your face, Chip! Hahaha!!!"

"Stop laughing at him, Jay. Chip, I was only teasing you, sorry about that. Uhm, I think I better head back now. It was nice meeting you, Chip."

"What? Hey, wait, it's still early..."

"It'll be dark soon, and Harry will be back from the yard. I have to help my mom fix dinner."

She turned back to walk towards the tree where her bike was parked.

"Tomorrow, then?"

She stopped walking and looked back at him.

"Maybe not. No patterns, remember?"

"Well, when?"

"You'll know."

With that, she picked up her bike and pedaled away, leaving the two guys watching her as her figure got smaller and smaller as she drove deeper into the Northern town.

"Hey, I'll meet you back at the diamond? My bike's behind those bushes, down there."

"Go ahead, Chip, I'll just catch up."

Chip drove off towards the South, while Jay walked back to the tree where he and Dei was just sitting and talking minutes ago. He was hoping to have a longer chat with her, if only Chip hadn't shown up. It was hard not to avoid talking about the hostilities of their towns, and he could tell that she was also getting tired of how bad it has become. He felt that he has to do something, and stories about their town's histories need to have some closure for whatever pain has led them to where they are now.

He was about to crank his bike when he saw a piece of paper folded in between the brake cables. He opened it and smiled.

"Harry's leaving for business. Let's meet in two days. Same time, same place."

***

Embargo. An order issue by a common carrier or public regulatory agency that prohibits the acceptance of some or all kinds of freight for transportation on the carrier's lines or between specified points or areas, because of traffic congestion, labor difficulties, or other reasons. (Railroading Glossary. TRAINS Magazine)