transfer

          She watches the train grow larger down the tracks and twists her hands together. She hasn’t heard anything from Alfred, which was expected granted the limited time frame, but despite this she manages to be well-plagued with anticipation. She is the only person on the platform. Her hair falls in waves about her rigidly held shoulders, and her neatly pleated skirt just barely brushes the filthy stone floor.
          The glowing train puffs into the station and she swallows, holding her chin a little higher and allowing thoughts of his return to flit about in her head, distracting her from reality. In the back of her eyelids she can almost see him striding toward her through the crowd. How she’ll run to him and apologise for her reckless and apathetic behaviour.
          “Captain Harrison. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He hoists his bag over a shoulder and his eyes travel over her face, seeming to feast on the very sight of it.
          “I had to see you.” She bounces slightly on the balls of her feet. “I was so worried the transfer wouldn’t go through.” They are jostled about by the crowd and he guides her off to the side with a gentle hand on her back. They stop in the mouth of an alcove and he sets down his bag, leaning against the wall.
          “Might I ask why?” His eyes never leave her face, though she avoids eye contact, fidgeting and questioning the choice of coming here.
          “Because I couldn’t stand the thought of you riding out on a suicide mission.”
          “Any particular reason?” There is a tentative smile in his voice.
          He knows. He knows but he wants to hear her say it.
          “Because, Mr. Fielding, it became apparent to me recently that...that …” She flicks her eyes up to meet his., and finishes her thought in a whisper. “That I'm quite fond of you.”
          The smile she missed so much splits his face and he holds her twisting hands to still them. “I assure you the feeling is mutual, Captain.”
          The shrill train whistle startles her from her imaginings, and the nervous flutter in her chest returns full force. She can barely keep from sprinting to the train and waiting to intercept every passenger as they step off. Doors are pulled open by weary hands, and soldiers spill from the cars. She scans the crowd, ready to run at a moment’s notice, at the briefest glimpse of him.
          But she doesn’t spot him. The crowd pushes around her and he is nowhere to be seen. The nerves morph into grating panic. She takes to weaving among them and looking up into their faces, thinking she might have seen him without noticing. She spies the general speaking with the conductor and takes a moment to wrap herself with a facade of calm before approaching him.
          “General, excuse me.”
          “Might I help you, miss?”
          She brushes her hair over a shoulder so he can see the pin she is required to wear with plainclothes.
          He chuckles. “Forgive me, Captain Harrison, what a pleasant surprise. I am used to you in uniform. How are you this fine day?”
          She smiles. “Very well, sir. I am looking for a soldier, a friend of mine, who was transferred on this train. Do you know where I might find a Sergeant Alfred Fielding?”
          A crease forms between his eyebrows. “You say you were friends with Fielding?”
          “Yes, sir. I planned on meeting him here before he was deployed to his next area.”
          “Well then, Captain, I am sorry to bring you the news.”
          She feels her chest cave inward. “Did the transfer not get through?”
          He purses his lips and takes her hands in his. “It was received too late. Sergeant Fielding was gunned down in a surprise attack the night before last. He died with six others. They gave the rest of the battalion time to rally.”
          All the breath leaves her. “Sir?”
          “He isn’t here, Eliza. I’m so sorry.”
          The clock chimes and he pats the back of her hands. “Excuse me, Captain. I’ve a meeting.”
          He walks off, leaving her once again alone on the platform, the breeze off the departing train blowing her hair about her face.