Chapter 17 -The Train Trip That Changed My Life

After about seven days of leave I caught the train heading east from North Platte to Chicago, the first leg of my journey to Florida. In Chicago, I transferred to a train called the Dixie Flagler that ran most every day down through the Midwest and South to Central Florida. The Flagler was a first class train that was then used mostly for moving troops. There were many soldiers and other military personnel on board, either on their way south for training or on their way overseas. The train had a club car that was open to any rank. It was a rolling party. Most of us couldn’t afford to pay for drinks but we had our own flask. I didn’t run into anyone I recognized, but it seemed like we all knew each other.

Along about dark that first night on the Dixie, I heard the conductor call out that the next stop was Terre Haute, Indiana. I remembered that’s where my older brother and his family lived now. On the spur of the moment, I grabbed my duffle bag and got off the train. I called my brother. He picked me up and took me out to their house where I enjoyed another home cooked meal and being with family. Their daughter, my niece, was all excited about getting a bicycle for her birthday. They’d bought her a used bicycle from a lady in town and the woman was to deliver the bike the next day. Luckily, she got there with the bike early in the day - before they had to take me back to the station late that afternoon.

I was smitten immediately. She was a cute, petite, outgoing gal with a great smile. She was friendly, spirited and had a sense of humor. She fit right in with the family and from then on she and my niece became great friends. We spent most of the day teaching my niece how to ride the bike. Everyone enjoyed Lori’s company so much my sister-in-law invited her to stay for an early picnic dinner before they took me back to catch that night’s train headed for Florida.  It was a short stop but one that changed my life.