again. Chipper voice. That's what Nick wanted. I wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but I did my best.
"Alright, everyone, welcome to Downy's Amusement Park and the Downy Funtime Express. We ask that everyone belt themselves in and please don't reach outside the cars while the train is moving. The train stops several times throughout the park and runs all day."
I moved to the next item on the script pinned to the front of my space. It instructed me to blow the whistle, which, when I did, caused a roar of laughter and applause to go through the train.
"Here we go! Next stop, the Enchanted Forest and the Haunted Manor."
I released the brake, and the train started slowly clacking along the track. The sounds of joy behind me should have made me smile, but instead all I could think about was the comfort of the air-conditioned office I gave up to make Nick happy. He was lucky I was a loyal employee. Who had nowhere else to go.
* * * *
When my train shift was over, I headed back to the office, but got waylaid by Clayton, who was at his usual post, the ring toss game.
"Hey, man, how was the wonderful Funtime Express?"
"Not nearly as much fun as is sounds."
"Shocking. At least you survived."
"Barely. There were two kids who threw up, one that bit another kid and two mothers who were fighting so loudly, I had to throw them off. It was quite a day."
"And now you get to help Nick with payroll."
I groaned as I thought about the paperwork awaiting me that afternoon. Nick had managed to secure a non-idiot replacement for me so I wouldn't have to drive the train all day. It also conveniently freed me up to do the dirty work he hated.
"Beers after work?"
"Sounds like a plan, Clay."
"Cool. That means you're picking some up on the way home, right? Because we're out, and I'm broke."
"Should've known. I'll see what I can do."
"Excellent. Well, I have to go. Duty calls."
I walked away as a family of six approached, ready to win a giant stuffed bear. When I got to the office, Nick was hanging up the phone.
"So, how was the train? Did you have fun?"
"Not even a little. Oh, and I hate you."
"That's the spirit. I put the latest invoices on your desk. We need to pay them today. You can manage that before you leave, right?"
"Sure. Why not? It's not like I have a life to get home to or anything."
"I know. It's one of the things I love about you, Travis."
Before I could reply, the phone rang, then he was engrossed in conversation. I sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day and picked up the first paper from the pile. From outside the door, I heard the roar of the small rollercoaster and the screams of the people onboard. God, I hated the sounds of other people's happiness.
Chapter 2
----
"Travis? Travis Webber? Is that you?"
It was the moment I'd dreaded since I first started working on the stupid train. Sure, I'd seen people I knew before when I walked around the park, but I'd always managed to avoid them and slip by unnoticed. That was the benefit of working mostly behind the scenes and hiding in the office while the fun went on around me. I saw plenty of old classmates and their families, but luckily they'd never seen me. It's not that I was ashamed of what I did. It was easier to avoid having to explain why I was working at an amusement park instead of in an office somewhere, or at the very least taking college classes online.
But, ever since my uncle decided that in addition to all my other duties, he needed me to become the conductor on the silly train that took people all around the park, I'd been exposed to the general public. There was no hiding from the potential of an embarrassing encounter with someone who knew me and wanted to chat. There's nothing like the prospect of talking to an old classmate or boyfriend while wearing overalls and an engineer's cap to put your life into perspective. Those scenarios would have been mortifying enough, but I couldn't even manage to have that kind of luck. In my
"Alright, everyone, welcome to Downy's Amusement Park and the Downy Funtime Express. We ask that everyone belt themselves in and please don't reach outside the cars while the train is moving. The train stops several times throughout the park and runs all day."
I moved to the next item on the script pinned to the front of my space. It instructed me to blow the whistle, which, when I did, caused a roar of laughter and applause to go through the train.
"Here we go! Next stop, the Enchanted Forest and the Haunted Manor."
I released the brake, and the train started slowly clacking along the track. The sounds of joy behind me should have made me smile, but instead all I could think about was the comfort of the air-conditioned office I gave up to make Nick happy. He was lucky I was a loyal employee. Who had nowhere else to go.
* * * *
When my train shift was over, I headed back to the office, but got waylaid by Clayton, who was at his usual post, the ring toss game.
"Hey, man, how was the wonderful Funtime Express?"
"Not nearly as much fun as is sounds."
"Shocking. At least you survived."
"Barely. There were two kids who threw up, one that bit another kid and two mothers who were fighting so loudly, I had to throw them off. It was quite a day."
"And now you get to help Nick with payroll."
I groaned as I thought about the paperwork awaiting me that afternoon. Nick had managed to secure a non-idiot replacement for me so I wouldn't have to drive the train all day. It also conveniently freed me up to do the dirty work he hated.
"Beers after work?"
"Sounds like a plan, Clay."
"Cool. That means you're picking some up on the way home, right? Because we're out, and I'm broke."
"Should've known. I'll see what I can do."
"Excellent. Well, I have to go. Duty calls."
I walked away as a family of six approached, ready to win a giant stuffed bear. When I got to the office, Nick was hanging up the phone.
"So, how was the train? Did you have fun?"
"Not even a little. Oh, and I hate you."
"That's the spirit. I put the latest invoices on your desk. We need to pay them today. You can manage that before you leave, right?"
"Sure. Why not? It's not like I have a life to get home to or anything."
"I know. It's one of the things I love about you, Travis."
Before I could reply, the phone rang, then he was engrossed in conversation. I sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day and picked up the first paper from the pile. From outside the door, I heard the roar of the small rollercoaster and the screams of the people onboard. God, I hated the sounds of other people's happiness.
Chapter 2
----
"Travis? Travis Webber? Is that you?"
It was the moment I'd dreaded since I first started working on the stupid train. Sure, I'd seen people I knew before when I walked around the park, but I'd always managed to avoid them and slip by unnoticed. That was the benefit of working mostly behind the scenes and hiding in the office while the fun went on around me. I saw plenty of old classmates and their families, but luckily they'd never seen me. It's not that I was ashamed of what I did. It was easier to avoid having to explain why I was working at an amusement park instead of in an office somewhere, or at the very least taking college classes online.
But, ever since my uncle decided that in addition to all my other duties, he needed me to become the conductor on the silly train that took people all around the park, I'd been exposed to the general public. There was no hiding from the potential of an embarrassing encounter with someone who knew me and wanted to chat. There's nothing like the prospect of talking to an old classmate or boyfriend while wearing overalls and an engineer's cap to put your life into perspective. Those scenarios would have been mortifying enough, but I couldn't even manage to have that kind of luck. In my
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