Train 5, Car 0535, Bedroom E
[I had never experienced such an emotional involvement with my research before. Therefore, parts of this are written in the first person. - Richard ___________, PhD formerly with the University of _______________.]
On the evening that Karen had left Galesburg, she sat in her sleeping car compartment for awhile with the lights off, watching night fall over Iowa. She enjoyed the sight of glowing farm kitchens, a farmer working on his truck, children playing on a porch, a shade-pulled bedroom. Occasionally a bright light would shine into the car, illuminating her blonde hair. When this would happen, she found herself looking at the dull-colored, old-fashioned ring on her right hand. An observer, had their been one, would have seen her serious expression. In the corridor outside her room, muffled voices came and went.
As the panorama streamed past, she tried to put together the events of her trip, especially the events since finding the ring that her grandmother had left her. It seemed as though the metal band had some magic to it, but Karen had a scientific bent, and that did not seem believable. Her whole body still tingled and there was a warm feeling deep inside her when she thought about her experience with Fred in Galesburg. But perhaps that was just Fate? Perhaps it was just coincidence and horniness? She laughed at herself.
Just then she was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was the train passenger services chief with dinner reservation slips. She selected one for the 7:15 p.m. seating. That was really the only convenient one left by this time, but she had also learned that few families with children took that seating. Not that she didn't like kids, but.....! "Who will I be seated with?" she found herself wondering. Science. If something was going to be proved, she'd have to be able to reproduce it again. Karen smiled at the idea, but it made sense. A plan formed in her mind.
The thought of picking up a man in a bar had never seemed very attractive to her before. This was different, however. People didn't head for the dining car to get picked up. They expected pleasant conversations at the best. If the ring really had some magic power, based on what had happened in Galesburg she would find the experience enjoyable and worth remembering, and the conversation would reach beyond pleasant.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror in the compartment and looked at herself. She was dressed casually for the night, wearing a blouse and designer jeans. She unbuttoned the blouse and slipped out of the jeans, and stood again in front of the mirror.
"No, not quite right," she murmured to herself, as she stripped off the comfortable underwear. The train lurched momentarily, and she steadied herself. The strange sensation of her bare hip on the carpeted bulkhead reminded her of how odd this moving world was. Out there in the night, strangers were looking after her safety, moving her toward her goal, waiting to serve her needs.
"All but a few needs, anyway!" she laughed to herself. She rummaged around in her bag for a minute, and then picked a matching, blue lace set that would set off her blondeness. Her City lingerie purchases served her well, she thought, as she laid out the cloth confections. It would be an exciting discovery for some man, no, THE man, on this train who would be right for this night. She took a washcloth and cleaned off the dust and perspiration of travel, and then applied her favorite body lotion. Its fragrance filled the tiny room.
"In the interest of science," Karen smiled to herself as she slipped into the blue lace and then re-dressed in the casual clothes. She took the ring and placed it on a chain, and lowered it over her head, enjoying the cool feeling as it slid down to nestle in her bosom. She went to the dining car clean, without makeup. No one except the man that she would select would know the excitement which her choice of lingerie symbolized, she thought. She was waved into the diner as the train rumbled over the long span into Burlington, crossing the Mississippi. There were several singles and couples waiting, and the steward was grouping them into what he hoped would be compatible table seatings.
[Author's notes: In my interviews with her later, Karen told me that she had anticipated that the dining car supervisor might try to seat her with someone NOT in her objectives for this evening.]
She was pleasantly surprised to see that the supervisor was a woman, just a little older than herself. There had been a bit of a wait in the lounge car while the previous seating finished up, and during that time, she had focused her thoughts on the small, but energetic Mexicana, and what she hoped she would do.
Karen was pushing the ring idea to the limit, picturing three "eligible" men sitting at her table, with an attentive waiter and good conversation. She also tried picturing one of them tipping the supervisor quite well for the opportunity to be seated with her, something that she knew was rarely done on trains. The ring was warm now from her body's closeness, but she imagined that it responded with greater warmth.
Despite these hopeful and purposed thoughts, she was pleasantly surprised and then thrilled to see the supervisor smile knowingly at her, and then be seated at a table with three single men. I was one of them, and the oldest. As you know, I am a college prof, out in the job market at this time. There was Cam, a diamond-buyer who was about 31, and quite good-looking, and Hans, a German tourist who was about 24. We were all pleased to see Karen being seated with us, although each of us wished that the others were somewhere else.
If the ring worked, it would be helping her to pick someone for a wonderful evening, she supposed. That carried over into a glow that made her even more alluring than she already would have been. Each of us found our thoughts turning away from food, and our minds were filled with lovely images of Karen. Tearing the cellophane wrapper off of a package of Club crackers became a sensual act. Wine glasses were raised in rollicking toasts, as each of us men tried to top the others' brilliance.
I was squeezing Ranch dressing out of one of the little plastic packages onto my salad when I realized that Karen was watching me. I squeezed more slowly, and left the opening smaller than I should have. The white liquid creamed out in a potent spurt. Karen laughed and licked her lips. Then we all laughed, and I felt my manhood stirring as her attention focused on me. But Cam and Hans had their moments, too. Golden Hans had exciting stories to tell about his travels, and he was definitely in shape for the Colorado ski trip that he was ticketed for. Cam, I learned later, reminded Karen of her former boyfriend, except with the rough edges smoothed away. And he had an original and penetrating sense of humor that she found intriguing. His thoughts stuck in her mind. She found herself thinking more and more about his part in our scene.
As her mind zeroed in on Cam, she found herself still wondering about the ring. She still did not completely believe that this was not all psychological. Yet, here she was, sitting chatting with a man who seemed to be everything that she wanted. She must have blushed thinking about him, she thought, because he gave a quick and knowing grin in her direction. He cooperated in the conversation, she noticed, making sure that she was a part of it.
Their legs brushed each other's beneath the table. Really it was accidental, the motion of the train, she thought. But she did not move her leg, and they both found that the comfortable vibration of the train gave them a cozy feeling.
