En Route

Date/Timing: 15 September 2005
Setting: Frankfurt train station; Frankfurt, Germany
.
Karla says—
Hermann starts.
—"You're going grey again."
"I'm fine."
Karla hands him a fancy cupcake, sits. "I'll go over the itinerary again."
"Karla—"
"Have you finished your lunch?"
"Yes."
"Mrs Krüger will be pleased." Shuffles papers. "Okay. Morning before: post boxes. Night before: ensure tickets are printed. Day of, eight in the morning: leave for the train with Hermann, Karla, and a suitcase each. Half past: get on train. Four transfers, arrive in Manchester after twenty-one-hundred, meet car, go to hotel. Day Two: meet the car from the university at ten because they keep pestering Father."
Hermann looks at all the strangers flowing past on their way to the gates, listens to the distant hum of the trains, picks at the cupcake wrapper.
"Manny."
Hermann jumps—
Cupcake soars.
—cringes at the sticky-sweet mess on the tile.
Karla digs a napkin from her paper sack, crouches to clean up the remains of the treat. "It's only a train ride: it'll be fine."
"It—it's not—" Hermann waves his hands. "It's /people!"
Karla straightens, sighs. "Yes, dear, that's what travels by passenger train." Dumps the detritus in a bin. "You also just got off a train full of people."
"But—"
"Relax, Manny. It'll be fine." She sits, pats his knee.
"Easy for you to say," grumbles Hermann.
"You've been looking forward to this day for /years. Now's not the time for cold feet."
Hermann chews his lip, hunches tighter around himself.
A tone from the loudspeaker.
They attend.
„„Attention in the station, please. TGV Ninety-five-fifty-two, service to Paris, will depart from Platform Nineteen in twenty minutes.““
"They're playing our song," drawls Karla, easing to her feet.
Hermann whines.
Karla tugs his arm.
„„Attention in the station, please. TGV Ninety-five-fifty-two, service to Paris, will depart from Platform Nineteen in twenty minutes.““
Hermann stands, checks his balance, rolls his shoulders.
Karla shoulders her rucksack, swings their trolley around. 
Hermann swallows, inhales deeply.
"There you go. Want to ride?"
"I'm fine Karla, I'm not a child." 
"There's no one to say no~"
"If you insist." Hermann tries his best to stifle a smile as he folds himself onto their suitcases, buuuuut his cheeks hurt so it's probably not working.
Karla's rucksack swings—
Hermann squawks. 
—onto his lap. "You can hold my bag."
"Your motives weren't at all altruistic."
"Listen, kid, I'm doing the pushing here. The least you can do is make it easier by helping me take advantage of the reduced friction of wheels." Kicks off the brake. 
"Very well, I'll do my best impression of a medium for kinetic energy." 
"Ready?"
"As I'm going to be."
Karla starts off. "Think positive. Tell me at least /one good thing about moving to England."
"Perhaps ...." Hermann ponders. "Perhaps Father will be happier now that I've finally left his house."
"The day Father's happy is the day I'll eat my hat."
"You don't wear hats."
"I will when I get to Montreal." Smugs, "It'll be a 'touque'."
Hermann rolls his eyes as they trundle toward Platform Nineteen.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Frankfurt (setting)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Karla
Category:Karla (ficlet)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Celestial Mechanics