Page 30 of Planes, Trains, and Candy Canes

“Excuse me, sir? There’s no room in this car. Can I see your tickets?” The conductor in her navy blue uniform held out her hand with a frown.

“Here you go.”

For several seconds, he wondered if he’d be thrown off the train at the next station. The train was already moving, jerkily atfirst, but soon it picked up speed and the bumps were even and minute.

“What in the world...? This is a sold-out train. Amtrak regional trains usually sell out on holidays and peak travel times, don’t you know that, sir?”

“I do, but—”

“This is a ticket without a designated seat, but this train, theMid-Atlantic Star, requires you to select your seat when purchasing your ticket. If you buy from the ticketing agent, designated seats should still be selected.” She held the tickets up to the light, sighed, and shook her head. “I have no idea why he didn’t assign you a seat—this should have come up as an error in the computer...” She shook her head again. “Not your problem. When your wife comes out, follow me to business class. I’m pretty sure we can find you both a seat. Probably won’t be together, though. Another option is to get off at the next stop and have this fare transferred to the next train. I can help you with that.”

“I’ll stand if I have to,” he declared.

“For three hours?”

“Yep.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that.” A ghost of a smile flickered across the conductor’s face, and she stared impatiently at the door to the restroom.

Reese emerged in a few minutes, her middle still protruding, but with different pants and her sweatshirt now covering whatever she had devised as her bulge. His wet jacket was draped over her arm. “Hi, sweetie. False alarm.”

“Thank goodness. Reese, follow this nice lady to business class. She’ll help us find seats. But they probably won’t be together.”

Reese nodded and fell into step behind him. They hung back a few steps behind the conductor, redistributing belongings sothat Reese had her laptop case and carry-on bag back. Derrick still carried her suitcase and his own bags.

“What’s Hibernia Syndrome?” Reese whispered.

“Something I made up,” he whispered back. “Hibernia is a Latin translation for land of winter. The Romans called Ireland that. And we’re struggling to get home to our ‘land of winter,’ which is Pine Ridge.”

“Brilliant. I told you that you were a good actor.”

“One of you can sit here, on this aisle seat that’s unclaimed. The other one will need to follow me to a different car.” The conductor stopped and pointed to an aisle seat next to a young man with oversized headphones and a ton of hand tattoos.

“Hey, if you want to sit together, you guys can have my seat and I’ll take the one in a different car?” He asked, pushing his headphones down so that they hung around his neck like a collar.

“Oh, my gosh! That would be so amazing of you!” Reese gushed.

Derrick laughed when her hand immediately disappeared inside her bag and came out with a candy cane. “That’s my wife’s calling card.”

“It’s an awesome calling card,” the young guy said, head bobbing lightly to the pounding music they could faintly hear coming from his headphones.

“And thank you for all your help!” Reese handed another candy cane to the conductor before collapsing into a seat.

“EVERYTHING HAS TO GOsmoothly now,” Reese murmured, cheek resting against the cool window of the train.

“Well, we’re already on the train, and it’s already heading north. I don’t think they could cancel it. At this point, if itbreaks down anywhere in Pennsylvania or New York, I think our parents could just drive to get us.” Derrick put his phone and computer bag on the fold-down tray in front of him.

“True. But I meant that I’m finally out of candy canes. All the ones I grabbed at the airport are gone.”

“I was starting to wonder what in the Willy Wonka meets Marry Poppins magic you had going on in there,” Derrick laughed and removed his glasses, head tipping back onto the thick, padded headrest.

“It was more like a Hanukkah miracle. The candy canes lasted across five states and two days. They lasted across planes, trains, and highways with closed lanes.”

“Annnnd now we’re lapsing into Dr. Seuss.”

“I’m telling you, only someone with a wacky brain like Roald Dahl or Dr. Seuss could have come up with this holiday adventure,” Reese settled back in the wide, cushy seat and pulled down her tray as well, releasing it from the back of the seat in front of her.

“Hm. More like a love story.” Derrick’s voice was drifting as he blindly reached for her hand. “I might take a little nap.”

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