The clock seemed to loom over her. She imagined that she could hear the sound of its incessant ticking beating in time with her heart. She was waiting for the two thin arms to intertwine with one another, like lovers, at twelve o clock. It seemed like it would never come. What if he didn't come? She had no real guarantee that he would show up. Her heart danced faster. He would come. He wouldn't leave her like this.
She looked around. People hurried around like ants. She watched as lovers clung to each other; kissing through veils of tears as they prepared to leave one another. Businessmen shook hands. Mothers carried bundled children and mountainous bags while running for trains. Another minute had passed. She looked again at the glowing rows of numbers, times and destinations. It was definitely platform nine and the time was definitely twelve.
She thought about their first accidental meeting. She had been looking for something. Revenge? Pleasure? She hadn't been sure. She was tired of men who acted like boys and didn't know how to give her what she wanted. She had been hurt and damaged too many times. Her value was at an all time low. She had wanted to simply forget herself for a moment. Tentatively she logged on. Which name to choose? She decided on something suitably vulnerable to mirror how she felt inside. She didn't even know what she was looking for.
She had never been in a chat room before and didn't know what to expect. Her name, pretty girl 24, she soon realised was very tame in contrast to some of the other names in that room.
She was inundated with requests – 'hi hon,' 'hey sexy,' 'asl'- she was totally lost. As she set about responding she was met with the ridiculous to the insane. Perhaps it had been a bad idea. None of these men, clearly there just to have a wank while their wives were asleep, would go anywhere towards satisfying the deep curiosity and desire that was burning within her.
She lingered for a few moments longer watching the replies flick past on the screen. The name 'Teacher' popped up suddenly. "Hey," The reply was simple and not laden with sexual innuendo like so many of the others. She thought that she liked the irony as she had just qualified as a teacher herself. Maybe he could teach her something.
"Hey," she replied. "This really sucks." A small smiley emoticon appeared. Clearly they were at least on the same level.
"I know. What is it that you are looking for exactly?" She paused, unsure of how to answer a question for which she honestly didn't know the answer.
"I don't know," another pause, "I guess I am looking for someone who knows how to take care of me. I'm tired of men who don't know what they are doing." The screen remained static for a second.
"Well, I'm sure I can provide that. Why don't you give me your messenger details?"
"I don't think so." She wasn't really prepared to take any of these men into her personal space; even if it was just on the computer.
"You should. I'm trustworthy. I promise you won't regret it."
The conversation continued along the same vein. He tried to persuade her; she tried to rebuff him. He was funny, using jokes to poke fun at the strange situation that they found themselves in. After about half an hour of chatting she agreed to let him know her name.
She could barely believe that their first meeting was six months ago and now; here she was, waiting for him to disembark a train and meet her. She could hear the grinding and squeaking of a train approaching and stood up from her warmed metal seat to gain a better view. The train slowly snaked into the station, grounding to a halt a few feet beyond the barriers. A wave of fear washed over her. Maybe she should just go? Perhaps it was a bad idea. She knew, however, that she couldn't. He had come so far to see her.