I Will Never Ever

     I will never ever be able to travel. You've heard of my past endeavors on traveling, most of the journeys consisting of me trying to get back home. Well, I had another journey to make last Monday, and it involved a train that I had caught many times before. No cause for alarm. I had a pretty confident sense about self as I made my way to the station.

     I left a little bit earlier than usual. By earlier, I mean half an hour earlier than I normally do. That sounds stupid, doesn't it? Like I was asking for trouble. But actually, my leaving earlier helped me out a lot. And the reason that I had left earlier is because I was ready to, and I figured that instead of waiting around in my room, I could walk to the station and wait around there. There was really no difference, I would be waiting.

     My train was supposed to leave at 11:52 AM, and I left at 11:00 AM, instead of 11:20 AM. It takes me twenty minutes to walk to the station, and I had to collect my tickets and all that jazz. I was ready to leave by 11:00 so I decided to walk over to the station and relax when I got there. I arrived, grabbed my tickets and walked to the platform where I noticed that something was amiss.

     It was a Monday morning, so the train station might have been busier because of that, yet there seemed to be an air of impatience and apprehension. People gathered underneath the information screen, which I glanced up at. My eyes scanned down the listing to be greeted by this:

11:52 AM - London Euston - CANCELED

     My stomach literally twisted in fear. And annoyance. And my mind screamed, "Why me? Why does it always have to be me?" It was either plain bad luck on my part, or bad karma. Why karma? The day before my Mum had phoned to tell me about her and my family's nightmare journey back home from Majorca, where they had to sit on the runway for four hours. I'd laughed. And now my train was canceled. Probably Fate's way of laughing right back at me.

     On the other hand, I never have any luck with train/bus/coach journeys. Or any form of transport. So it might have happened anyway, because Fate hates me, and doesn't want me to travel with ease. Either way, my train was canceled and that was my only way home.

     I went to investigate, seeing as my ticket was prebooked and meant I could only travel on the exact train that was canceled. I discovered from some nice Virgin train employees that all tickets that were heading in the direction of London were being accepted on any and all trains due to the overhead train lines being down in Wimbledon. Trains were still going to Milton Keynes, my destination, I just had to find one. Luckily for me, one such train was coming in now.

     Thank Goodness for me leaving early!

     The Virgin employee that I spoke with told me to get this train, as it was going to Milton Keynes. I didn't hesitate, ran and jumped on. The doors shut and the train pulled away and with a cold realisation, I figured this was the "other" train that went to London Euston. The one that usually skipped over Milton Keynes. And I'd also heard that the lines might be fixed.

     This is where my extremely overactive imagination kicks in. I had a horrible, sinking thought that they might fix the train lines and go straight to Watford or London and I would be stuck forever in another city. I know that if a train says it's going somewhere, it has to go there, but at the time I was frightened and freaked out and had visions of me seeing the station I wanted whizz by.

     All around me, commuters to London were planning ways to get into the capital without this line. Some were talking taxis, some other trains, others were talking a bus or coach. I was sat there, rigid, clutching my suitcase, chanting "Please stop at Milton Keynes, Please stop at Milton Keynes, Please stop at Milton Keynes" in my head, over and over again. Some of the other commuters gave me worried looks.

     To drive the fear home, the tanoy eventually announced that the lines were fixed and the train I was on would be one of the first into London. My heart literally stopped. My wild eyes glanced around the train at all the cheering, I desperately turned to the man behind me and asked if he were traveling to Milton Keynes, but he wasn't.

     The train driver continued his speech and informed passengers that the train would still stop at Milton Keynes for all the other passengers wanting to get off there. I tried to relax, but I think I was near hysteria from all the tension that had been racing through me for an hour. 

     I really think it is not safe for me to travel alone, so if anyone wants to volunteer to be my travel buddy ... What do you mean you don't want to risk it?