Cutting the Cord

I found this story in my archives on Google Drive. I wrote it on December 16, 2007.

by Linda Jo Martin
Flash Fiction – 461 words

Heading south on Amtrak, through the Siskiyous and past Mt. Shasta, Sheila’s mind wandered, thinking one moment of a new life somewhere down the tracks, and the next moment reflecting back to her Medford life, the one she’d left behind. Whenever she thought of that one, she felt stifled. In any case, the one thing she wanted most, a sense of happiness, eluded her.

The train stopped in Dunsmuir where an old lady got on board and chose the seat across the aisle from her. She set down three bulging canvas shopping bags and took off her fuzzy pink hat and heavy brown coat before sitting down and looking around. Her eyes settled on Sheila’s face, which stared back at her.

“Having a pleasant journey?” The old woman smiled slightly and sighed, obviously contented to be sitting comfortably while the train started moving again, slowly gaining momentum.

“I haven’t thought of it,” Sheila said.

“Too busy considering other matters?”

“Yeah, that’s the truth.” Sheila tried to smile back, but it didn’t come out right and didn’t feel natural at all.

The old woman glanced out the window momentarily then looked back. Sheila was still staring at her. “Is something worrying you?” she asked leaning forward slightly with a concerned expression on her face.

“I just left my home,” Sheila said. “I don’t know where I’m going. I threw everything away. I have nothing left.”

“Can you go back?”

“There’s nothing left to go back to. And besides, I did this on purpose so I can find something different.”

The old lady settled back into her seat. “Then you must not worry,” she said. “Instead, feel the excitement. Forget what you left, and look forward to tomorrow while enjoying every moment of what’s going on around you now. As soon as you cut the cord to your past you can live completely now.”

Sheila thought about the man she’d left – a man who didn’t love and appreciate her. She thought about her job – which she’d hated. And her apartment, full of cheap furniture and nothing she really cared about. “You’re right,” she said. “There’s nothing there. I’m ready to move on.”

The old woman smiled. “Isn’t this exciting?” she asked.

Sheila smiled too, this time meaning every bit of it. “I can’t think of anything better. By this time tomorrow I should be hundreds of miles away, and twenty-four hours into the future.”

“And don’t forget to enjoy the moment,” the old lady said. “This moment you’re experiencing right now is the only one you’ll ever have. So look around, look out the window, experience the colors and the shadows and the company. This is the moment in which you’ll find happiness. There’s no other time like it.”