Emily rushed past the hoards of commuters trying to reach her train. With the conductor Mark lifting the whistle to his lips she knew she only had seconds, she made one final leap from the platform onto the safety of the train and took a moment to catch her breath before someone bumped her from behind pushing her further in.
Her tickets slipped from her fingers and fluttered past Mark before falling down onto the track below.
Not noticing this, Emily composed herself and headed into the busy carriage and began looking for a seat as Mark blew the final whistle and hopped back onto the train.
This was a day like any other for Emily; she was doing her usual commute to University, she was eighteen and in her first year since just finishing College. She'd often gotten onto the same train as Mark, but never really noticed him, she didn't pay attention to any conductors, who really does? But now he was at her seat and asking for a ticket she no longer had.
"Tickets please" he asks with a smile.
Emily frantically starts looking for her tickets, she tries buying some time by distracting him until she can find them.
"How long have you been a conductor?" She asks as her face becomes redder and redder.
"Eighteen years," Mark replies, tapping his foot a little impatiently.
"Shit! That's as long as I've been alive."
"Don't, you're going to make me feel old. I'm only forty-two."
"Well you don't look it." Emily grins, finally accepting she's lost her tickets.
"Mhmm, tickets?" Mark pushes and Emily looks down embarrassed.
"I did have them honestly I did, but I think I dropped them when I was rushing for the train."
Mark looks down at her sympathetically, he can see she's telling the truth, but he's got to do his job either way.
"You should be more careful with them in future. You have two options, either you purchase another ticket from me or I'll have to fine you."
Emily's heart begins to race, she's never been fined for anything in her life.
"I don't have the money to buy another ticket, my Dad bought them for me."
"Fine it is then I'm afraid, I'll let you get off at your stop, but when you get home you'll need to pay a fifty pound fine."
"What! There has to be another way."
Mark ignores her as he prints out the fine ticket.
"Please! Don't you have kids or anything, some compassion?"
"Just me, my husband and the cats." Mark rips the ticket from the printer and goes to pass it to a teary eyed Emily.
"Hey now, don't cry. I'm sure your Dad will pay it off for you."
"He'll be so mad at me, when he gets mad he... please there has to be another way? I'll do anything."
Mark looks down and feels a pang in his heart, he has to do his job, but he can't subject her to whatever kind of monster her father is.