He would be going home on the late train, exhausted from a long day in the city.
There were only a few people waiting when he entered the chilly platform. When the train pulled in, the sprinkling of passengers spread out along the carriages. He considered the fact that each of them could probably find a compartment to themselves. He did; it would be perfect for him to set the time on his phone and get at least twenty minutes of much needed sleep. He had just finished setting it when a young woman entered and took the window seat opposite. He smiled and nodded politely, not showing his disappointment. Apart from the strong lemon scented perfume, he couldn’t help noticing the sadness in her eyes. He could see them becoming moist. He guessed that she was reacting to some recent incident that left her weepy. Probably a tiff with the boyfriend, he thought, as he felt the tiredness well up again.
His drifting off was interrupted by a loud rustling noise. She was scrabbling inside her bag for something. She took a sweet out and began unwrapping it. He watched as she found another, and with the closest thing she could muster to a smile, held it out to him. He grimaced and shook his head. He was tired, but he didn’t want to be impolite. He raised the palm of his hand towards her and closed his eyes.
It was the howling wind and the rush of cold air that woke him. The window was completely pulled down. He got up and closed it. Slumping back down and coming out of his sleep, he looked around.
The woman was gone, leaving just half-a-dozen wrappers and a strong lemon fragrance…
