ACT I
— Scene 4 —
P O V : H A R R Y
"Okay, I'm done," I said, putting my paintbrush down. Marissa smiled at me from the couch. She got up and ran to my side to admire the painting I had just completed.
"Oh babe, it's beautiful," she said, eyes gleaming.
I grinned, taking her in my arms. "That's only because you're beautiful," I replied with a wink, making her giggle.
She leant in to kiss me, and I closed my eyes as I felt her soft lips on mine. When we pulled away, I smirked.
"You smell delicious babe," I said.
She nodded. "It's because of the cheesecake. Want some?" she said, and a plate of cheesecake appeared in her hand. My eyes widened.
"Where did that come from?" I asked. She shrugged and put a spoonful of cake in my mouth. I closed my eyes as a swallowed the food. When I opened my eyes, I saw that we were both suddenly half naked.
"Where did our clothes go?" I wondered out loud, but I didn't really care. She shrugged again.
"It doesn't matter," she giggled and I nodded.
"I love you, babe," I said.
She looked at me dreamily. "I love you too, Harry."
I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, shaking me and shaking me until I found myself waking up in my bed. I looked up to see the face of my now-ex girlfriend.
Marissa looked furious. "Harry, what the fuck? I told you to leave last night. I have a date coming to pick me up at twelve, so you better get up befo-"
"Jesus, okay! Just give me an hour or so." I assured, immediately sitting myself up in my bed. I checked the clock. A few minutes past ten. Shit.
My train ticket was for eleven, so in order not to miss it, I had to hurry. Since it was about a twenty-minute drive away from the station, I had to leave at about ten-thirty. I was glad that I decided to pack my things last night.
I hurried to the bathroom, checking myself in the mirror. I looked a mess. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get it to look okay, and then washed my face. I put on a button down shirt and black jeans, which I paired with some brown Chelsea boots.
I brushed my teeth, put on my jacket and then found Marissa upstairs.
"Marissa?" I called out. She looked up from her phone, and her eyes met mine.
"What do you want, Harry?" She answered, sighing.
I thought for a bit, wondering how I should say goodbye.
"L-Listen," I began. "You know you've always made really good cheesecake..."
Marissa looked confused. I continued, "But now it's time for me to enjoy Newcastle Sunday roast."
"What the fuck are you trying to say?" she snapped. I realised that I wasn't making any sense.
"I just mean, uh, I think this is good for us, and for me," I said.
She sighed, gesturing me to leave, "Okay, Harry. Don't get run over or anything."
I collected my luggage and bike and greeted the Uber driver, Jesus, waiting outside for me. I started to load my things in the trunk. I could tell he was starting to get irritated when I couldn't figure out how to fold up my bike.
"Hold up... I erm... Almost got it" I struggled. Finally, Jesus sighed and helped me get it into the trunk. I got into the back of the cab, buckling my seatbelt.
Jesus got into the driver's seat and backed out of the campus. At first, his driving was slow and responsible, but after checking my watch, I realised that I might be late.
"Excuse me, sir, I know it's my fault, but I'm afraid I'll miss my train. Would you mind driving a bit faster?" I asked nervously.
He grinned, "I've been waiting for you to ask."
And with that, the meter went from forty to seventy miles per hour, and the car started swerving like crazy. I gripped the handles on the roof of the car and started to panic as I saw us speed past all the cars around us. I would say 'Jesus take the wheel', but I'm afraid the wacko already had it.
Since we were so close to the station now, I kindly asked him to drop me off on the side of the road. At first, this seemed fine, because according to Google Maps, the station was only a two-minute walking distance. What I didn't consider was the fact that I had to carry two suitcases and a bike.
I dragged my luggage along, sweating. How could I be so stupid? After what seemed like forever, I finally made my way to the station. I pulled my stuff and elbowed my way to the platform, relieved to see my train waiting for me.
I went to open the doors, but was stopped by a man in a neon vest, who I assumed worked there. "Sir, the doors must stay shut 30 seconds prior to departure."
I stood there, stunned, trying to process what he said. "I-I'm sorry, what?" I stuttered.
"Sorry, kid. If you'd still like a train to Newcastle, you'll have to check the ticket office." He replied.
I thanked him and hurried to the small reception desk. I was greeted by an older woman with grey, thin hair, who looked less than pleased to be doing her job. I cleared my throat and began to speak, "Excuse me, are there any more trains to Newcastle today?"
"Let me check," she replied in a monotone voice, "We don't have any direct trains from Leeds to Newcastle, but we do have a train to Middlesbrough. I can arrange tickets from Middlesbrough to Newcastle from there."
"And how long would the journey be?" I asked.
She looked at me and smirked, "Only about three to four hours."
"Perfect, thank you. I'll purchase the tickets then."
---
At three forty-five sharp, the first train pulled into the station. I took my luggage into the train, placing all my things, apart from a sketchpad and a few pencils, onto the rack.
I began to walk down the aisle looking for a place to sit. Since I was early onto the train, I had a good selection. I decided on a booth with a table, since I would have a place to rest my stuff. I started to sketch the scene outside the window: business people, families, couples. Before I knew it, the train started to move, and a woman and her two kids came to sit in the booth with me.
I didn't necessarily dislike children, but I was quite irritated, because the two kids would not shut up. They were screaming and kicking and fighting and all I wanted was peace and quiet.
I looked at the mum, who was clearly annoyed by her children, but obviously didn't know how to calm them down. She sat there, arms crossed, looking out the window. She was the perfect subject for a sketch.
---
Around six, we pulled into Middlesbrough and I waited on the platform for my next train. On this train, I chose a regular seat next to a man who seemed to be very angry with his co-worker. Almost the entire journey, he was screaming into the phone, completely ignoring that we were in the silent carriage.
Finally, the train pulled into Newcastle Station. I had reached my destination, and now, all I had to do was get an Uber to my hotel. I opened the app, and it immediately started searching for my location. I waited patiently, until I realised that I had little to no 3G. How the hell was I supposed to get to my hotel now?
I wandered around the station, desperate for anything or anyone that could help me out. After searching for over half an hour, I had no luck. I thought of biking, but the only problem was that I had nowhere to put my luggage.
I went to sit down on a bench, feeling defeated. I sat there for a few minutes, restarting my phone, holding it up to the sky, and still, nothing. Suddenly, a shaggy looking man came up to me and whispered in my ear, "Want some brownies?"
I backed away from him and looked at the bag of sweets he was holding. After travelling all day without lunch or dinner, I noticed that my stomach was growling.
"How much?" I asked, getting out my wallet.
He thought for a bit, before responding, "How about forty pounds for the whole batch?"
Forty pounds? Was he serious? There were eight brownies, which meant each brownie cost-
"Please, mate, I need to get these off my hands." He said, cutting off my thoughts. Defeated, I pulled out two twenty pound notes and handed them to him.
"Thanks, man, here, take them." he said, handing me the ziplock back of brownies. I thanked him and put the brownies in my bag. I walked around the station a bit more, trying so hard to find a solution to my dilemma. Since I had a map with me, I could walk as a last resort, but something told me there was a better solution.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. It was exactly what I needed, a man with a bike trailer. If I could persuade him to let me use it, I could store my luggage in there while I biked to the hotel.
I walked up to the man, careful not to make a bad impression. "Uh, excuse me, that's a bike trailer, for like, luggage, right?" I asked, biting my lip.
He looked at me, confused, "It is, why do you ask?"
I took a deep breath and explained my situation. At the end of it all, he did not look convinced. I unzipped my bag, taking out my wallet. I could probably pay him for this thing, right?
"Woah, woah, mate, are those brownies?" He asked me, clearly interested.
"Yeah, you want one?" I replied in confusion. What's the big deal about these brownies?
"I'll tell you what, if you give me the whole bag, the trailer's yours." He said, his eyes still on the bag in my hand.
I smiled and agreed, and we exchanged our things. I still didn't understand why he wanted the brownies so badly.
I loaded my luggage into the trailer, said goodbye to the man, and began peddling.
I carried on for what seemed like ages, with sweat dripping down my face. My entire body was drenched from the rain that had decided to fall during my biking journey. Time soon passed, and I finally saw it: a big beautiful sign that read "Welcome to Newcastle", shining like the gates of heaven.
AN: Hooray for new beginnings for Harry! Thank you for reading. x
— Ava and Melina