Bright numbered cards trembled on the tabletop. Bobby looked out of the train window. The observation car was empty except for himself and his big sister Roxie. Mom’s new husband was a railway man, but Allen didn’t do something cool like drive the trains or stoke the coal. Allen was an accountant or something boring like that. Roxie who knew nearly everything also told Bobby they don’t even throw shovelfuls of coal into trains anymore. No coal stoking, no train whistling, no cool conductor uniforms, no nothing, Bobby thought, this trip is so boring.

Lowering his hand, Bobby watched the endless smear of green fields. He’d asked Roxie where they were and she said it didn’t matter, who cared, hell, and Just Shut Up, North Dakota. Mommy and Allen had planned this family vacation a three day cross country train trip to Florida as what they called a “bonding experience.” Roxie called it a “death march,” before she slammed her bedroom door. Mommy got mad and told Roxie what she was not gonna do. Allen just stood in the family room opening and closing his hands. Bobby remembered feeling bad for Mr. Allen.

Roxie stayed in her room whenever Allen was around and told Bobby she was staying with Dad and not going on this stupid trip. Mommy told her good luck with that and slammed her bedroom door. Bobby glanced over the table at his sister. With that don’t start face, Roxie was sorting her cards in her hand. Quickly he looked away. He could feel the heat of her eyes on his cheeks. Making a show of admiring the boring landscape, Bobby studied the fields of maybe corn. He thought of all the people in their houses watching this train go by thinking of him. Roxie had called Dad and he promised to try and pick her up. His sister waited for him in the driveway on her red suitcase. Bobby remembered she waited pass dinner. Roxie waited till it was dark. They are not allowed to eat in their rooms at their mom’s house but Bobby snuck some Hydrox cookies and left a stack on her pillow.

Most of the other passengers were old, real old. In the dining car the old people liked to ask lots of questions and eat with their mouths open. His sister would give one word answers and Mommy would be mad and Allen would laugh and look embarrassed. Bobby was just tired of bonding. Today he and Roxie got turkey on white bread and ate in the empty observation car.

They sped past a yellow train crossing sign. He wondered if Mommy missed Dad too. If the four of them would ever be together again and happy. He thought Dad had a girlfriend and then there was Allen. But you never know, Bobby thought. What if Dad stopped by to talk to Mommy and their hands touched or something. What about when they all older and Allen was like gone and Bobby set Mommy and Dad up on a blind date. Would Roxie be less mad? But Mommy seems happier now. But what about later? Was that a scarecrow or a person? The train jostled through the flat answer less farmland.

“Roxie, what do you think we will be like when we are older?”

Without looking up from her hand, Roxie placed a card on the table.

“Draw four.”