Chapter 2
The shopping district is not too far, but Jack still needs to catch some mass transit to get there. There is a bus stop close to his apartment that takes him to the subway station. It's only a few stops away, so he'll get there in only a matter of minutes. Because he lives in the city, the bus runs every ten minutes. Unlike the village where his grandfather once lived, where buses can run once every hour.
As he gets off the bus, he goes into the subway station. With pass in his hand, he can bypass the token booth, and go for the train immediately. He sighs joyfully as he notices how convenient the city life is. The country life that his grandfather lived is filled with so much inconvenience. There are few shops where he can buy his favorite things, like video games, CD's and DVD's. There are no movies or arcades to have fun at, only miles of grass and animals to keep you entertained. No mass transit, so getting anywhere can take hours instead of minutes. At that moment, he feels that he made the right decision about staying in Atland.
But as he walks through the station, he notices something interesting. He stops to watch a young girl in the middle of walking traffic trying to stop someone to ask for directions. This is somewhat common in the city, but he notices something unique about this girl.
Unlike modern city girls who wears short skirts, shirts that reveal just about everything, or jeans as tight as stockings, this girl is wearing a blue country dress. The skirt reaches just above the floor, the frilly sleeves covers her entire arms leaving only her hands exposed, a yellow bow tied around her neck held together by a red broach, and a frilly apron covering her front. Her light brown hair is barely shoulder long, which is also uncommon in the city. Most city girls have their hair super long, or tomboyish style short.
All things considered, Jack finds the lost country bumpkin quite attractive. He is not sure what he finds more attractive, her flawless smooth cream skin, her rosy cheeks, her the light brown eyes that matches her hair, or just the fact that seeing her brings back memories of a time he has visited the country.
Feeling bad for the young girl, Jack decides to go over to her, and give her a hand. He can tell that by the look on her worried face, this may be the first time she has entered the city. Why would she come to the city is unknown to him, but he is sure that she must have a very important reason.
“Excuse me,” said Jack gaining the young girl's attention. “Do you need any help?”
The young girls bows to Jack and says, “Howdy!”
“Howdy?” asked Jack. He has only heard such talk from old western movies. Her accent sounds just like a country gal too. There is no mistaking it, he knows that she is from the country.
“I'm a little lost,” she continued nervously. “I'm trying to get to the. . .Um. . .” She then pulls out a piece of paper with some writing on it from her pocket. After reading the note, she then continues, “The shopping district?”
“Oh! The shopping district. From the station, you must catch the A train, and get off after six stops.” answered Jack.
The girl bows again, and says, “I see, thank you so much for your help!” She then runs off in a hurry. Although still lost, she tries her best to find her train by using signs places all over the station.
“Wow, that girl is odd,” commented Jack. “If she would have waited a second, I could have taken her to the shopping district myself. I guess she must be late or something.”
Jack then continues his walk through the station walking towards the same train as the girl he just met went. As he walked peacefully, he wonders if he is going to see that girl again. But before long, he finds her once again. This time, stuck at the token gate.
The girl is panicking because the gate won't let her pass through. She tries moving the bar, but it won't budge. The scene she is making draws a lot of attention to the others walking by. Feeling embarrassed, she sighs sadly, feeling that she'll never get used to the city.
Jack walks up to her, and asks, “Are you okay?”
She turns around, and finds the man who had helped her earlier. She once again bows at him, and says, “I'm sorry, but I must trouble you once again.”
“Let me guess, you can't get past the gate,” he asked, almost teasing her.
The girl nods, and says, “I must catch the train, but I cannot pass through.”
“Did you buy a token?”
“A token?”
“Yeah. You know, the train ride is not free, and the gate will not let you pass unless you have a token.”
“I see. . .” She then looks around and asks, “Where can I buy this. . .Token?”
Jack then points at the nearest token booth, and says, “Over there, you'll have to wait on line for a few minutes. The token costs about a dollar and fifty cents. You have enough?”
“Yeah, I do.” she said while nodding. She then bows once again, and says, “Thank you so much for your help, I'm sorry to bother you.”
“It's not a problem,” said Jack. “And you don't have to bow every time you meet or say goodbye to someone. People are not used to that around here.”
“I see. Well, thanks for your advice, you've been very kind,” she said just before she walks away.
Just as she is about to run off again, Jack yells, “Hey!” The girl stops, and looks back at Jack. He then continues, “You know, I am heading over to the shopping district myself. If you want, I can guide you there, so you won't get lost. What do you say?”
The girl gasps excitedly, and says, “Really? It won't be a problem?” Jack shakes his head no. The girl bows again, and says, “Thank you so much! I am in your debt!”
And so, Jack and his new friend begin their trip to the shopping district. At first, he takes the girl to the token booth. The girl tried to cut in front of the line, but Jack had to take her to the back of the line, and explain how line cutting is seen as rude in the city. He then takes her back to the gate where he teaches her how to open the gate by inserting the token into the slot. Elli is amazed that a simple coin opens the gate so she can pass. Jack has a pass, so he doesn't need tokens.
They both wait for the train patiently, and it comes in only a few minutes. They board it, and find a couple of free seats. Now they need to wait until they arrive at their stop. But Jack does not intend to sit quietly, he has so many questions for his female companion.
He starts his conversation by saying, “So, you're from a village or something?”
She looks back at him, and asks, “How did you know?”
“Trust me, it's kinda obvious.” he answered.
She blushes shyly, and says, “I guess I did stand out a bit back there. Yes, I was born in a small and quiet farming village. I'm quite used to things back at home. It's so overwhelming being in a city for the first time in my life. When the bus dropped me off from my home village to here, I was so lost, and everyone is in such a hurry. Getting help is so hard to find, so I am grateful that you helped me out.”
“Why are you going to the shopping district anyway? It's a bit far from the nearest village to do some shopping.” he continued to ask.
“Well, my father has a friend who owns a bakery in the shopping district. I'll be staying there for a while.” she answered.
“If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to come to Atland anyway?”
“I'm actually going to be studying here so that I can own my own bakery someday.”
“I see.” Jack takes a second look at her clothing. He can easily see her as a baker with her pure white apron on.
The girl blushes even redder, and places her hands on her rosy cheeks and admits, “To be honest, I am also looking for a friend that lives around here. I haven't seen him in a long time, so I am a bit nervous about suddenly running into him.”
Seeing the look on her face, Jack asks, “So, is this friend a guy?”
She looks away, and says, “Y-yes.”
Jack also looks away, and says under his breath, “Great! she's already taken. And she's so cute too.”
They continue to talk about random things for a while. Jack never mentions anything about his past experience in the country life, he just focused more on the city life. Everything that Jack says is new to the girl, so she found everything he said fascinating.
Sooner than later, they arrive at their stop, and they get off in the Atland Shopping District Station. They come out, and the girl gasps as how many tall buildings and businesses are around. The subway is underground, so she didn't see anything on the way.
The girl is beyond excited, but also very naive. Many times, she almost runs into the streets without looking, and Jack had to save her from getting pummeled by cars a few times. Jack did explain to her about safety in the city, but everything is so much for one simple country girl to grasp.
Jack has seen the bakery the girl is trying to get to before, but has never entered it. He is able to take her there quickly and safely. As she approaches the bakery, the old man outside selling bread notices her, and runs to her.
“Elli! You made it!!” said the old man.
“Elli?” whispered Jack. He then just realizes that he has never asked her for her name yet.
Elli smiles, and says, “Alberto, I made it!” She then turns to Jack, and says, “My new friend helped me get here. I had a lot of trouble getting here, but he guided me every step of the way.”
Alberto shakes Jack's hands, and says, “I am eternally grateful for bringing little Elli here. I am sorry I couldn't get her myself, but I have a business to run!”
“It's not a problem. But I should be going now, so I'll see you guys around.”
“Nonsense!” said Alberto, who refuses to let Jack go. “You brought the daughter of my best friend here, so I must replay you. Please, come in, and have something to eat. It's on the house, so don't be shy.”
Jack tried to oppose, but Alberto would not take no for an answer. Against his will, Jack was dragged into the bakery, and given more food than he could eat. He had nothing against staying, the food was good, and his hosts were very friendly. But he had planned to go play some games, but he spent so much time caring for Elli since they met. And he did spend a few hours at the bakery chatting with Elli and Alberto.
After a while, it was time for Jack to go home. He didn't get to play any video games, but all things considered, he had a lot of fun. He only feels a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to get to know Elli a little bit more. After all, she's looking for that special guy.
As Jack leaves the Bakery, Elli meets him in front to say her goodbyes. There, she says, “I want to thank you again for bringing me here. If it wasn't for you, I may have never gotten here, so I am grateful.”
“It's not a problem,” said Jack, feeling that this may be the last time seeing Elli. Even though Elli stands out like a sore thumb, the city is just too big. So he says, “Well, goodbye Elli. Take care of yourself.”
“Farewell. . .” Elli thinks for a minute, and realizes, “You know, we've never properly introduced ourselves.”
She then curtsies gently, and says, “How do you do, my name is Elli Biscotti.”
Jack smiles, and says, “I'm Jack Viridia. It was nice to meet you.”
After hearing his name, Elli gasps in shock for a moment. Jack notices it, and says, “Is everything okay?
Elli snaps out of her trance, and says, “No, nothing. I'm sure we'll meet again.”
Jack nods, and walks back to the station. When he arrives at his apartment, he throws himself on his bed, and sighs deeply. Ever since they went their separate ways, Jack could not stop thinking about her. That innocent charm Elli had was new and fresh. Jack also feels that she was too cute to simply forget easily.
Time after time, Jack thought about dropping by the bakery to see her again in the future. But he feels that it would be pointless. She came to find her special guy, not meet other people who may be interested in her. So he decides that the only thing he wants to focus on from that point on is his studies.
However, what he doesn't realize is that this is not the last time he will be seeing Elli. Slowly but surely, his destiny will be revealed to him.
To be continued.
