LJ Idol Wheel of Chaos: "The E Train"
Jun. 20th, 2025 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
halfshellvenusThe E Train
Idol Wheel Of Chaos | Week 1 | 7 x 100 words
Quality
x-x-x-x-x
Queenie
"Can't carry the world, can't bury the world," her mama used to say, but somehow Queenie was still trying.
With her daughter going to prison, there'd be two more mouths to feed. Queenie was headed to Brooklyn, where the food pantries were supposed to be better. She'd never used them before, but a secretary's salary only stretched so far.
Where would her grandbabies sleep? Her own kids already used the sofa. Guess she'd have to put them in her bed, at least for now. Anything but foster care.
Queenie couldn't protect her daughter anymore, but she'd keep her children safe.
Umesh
Umesh wasn't nervous yet. He was on his way to the airport, to fly home and begin the process of choosing a bride.
He wasn't sure he was ready, but he was twenty-eight and he'd already outlasted his mother's patience. He'd hoped he might meet someone on his own, but it hadn't happened. And his parents wanted him to marry a traditional girl, even though Umesh was a modern man.
He wanted someone pretty and accomplished, but who knew what women his mother had selected? Would the beautiful Anjali be among them?
Umesh shivered. No, he wasn't nervous at all.
Anthony
Quit yer bellyachin', he thought, his father's voice still in his head after all these years. So what if he hated his job? The pay was good. Not everyone got to live their dream. His dream was drinking beer and watching baseball, so no chance of making a living there.
If he had a car, he wouldn't have to ride this goddamn train. And if you was a surgeon, you wouldn't be going to Mrs. Sepka's to fix her toilet.
But there was a game on tonight, and Billy was coming over with a six-pack. Suddenly, things were looking up.
Lainie
It was just after eight o'clock, but Lainie was already drunk. She sat in the back left corner, her usual spot, and watched the other passengers' eyes slide past her. She used to be just like them.
Losing John had destroyed her. Five months she'd known it was coming, but that hadn't prepared her for the crushing grief that followed. Two years later now, she didn't want to die, but she couldn't figure out how to live.
Better to numb the pain and hope it would someday leave her.
Someday, she thought.
But today would not be when that happened.
Isabella
Isabella fingered the acceptance letter inside her purse. Medical school! It was everything she'd ever wanted.
She knew she had a hard road ahead of her. The studying would be intense, and then the years of internship and residency, and after that she still had to pass the boards. But it'll be worth it.
She was dressed in her most businesslike clothes now, on the way to interview for a loan. She hoped she looked grown-up, instead of like a kid going with her grandmother to the ballet.
And Illinois… She'd never been. But she couldn't wait to get started.
Teo
Abuela smelled like cinnamon, the most delicious smell there was. Teo's stomach growled as he thought about churros, but those were a Saturday treat, so he played with his toy car instead.
Down his leg and over the back of the empty seat in front of him it went. He imagined being a race-car driver, though "pirate" and Futbolista were still his favorites.
Abuela touched his cheek and offered him a slice of mango. "Tres paradas," she said. Teo could count to tres.
He watched treetops go by as the train rushed past. This is the world the birds see…
Yuri
Yuri's duffel bag held everything he could carry.
He'd hoped for acceptance, but he hadn't been surprised. There was no room in his parents' culture for boys like him.
"When did this happen?" his mother had asked, but Yuri always knew. He was just tired of hiding, and Andrei's smile had made him brave. Even if his parents never forgave him, he was still running to something instead of away from it. Andrei's house was just a few miles down the track, now.
Down below, sunlight glinted off car windows, a stream of stars pointing the way toward Yuri's future.
--/--
If you enjoyed this story, please vote for it along with any other favorites here
Idol Wheel Of Chaos | Week 1 | 7 x 100 words
Quality
x-x-x-x-x
Queenie
"Can't carry the world, can't bury the world," her mama used to say, but somehow Queenie was still trying.
With her daughter going to prison, there'd be two more mouths to feed. Queenie was headed to Brooklyn, where the food pantries were supposed to be better. She'd never used them before, but a secretary's salary only stretched so far.
Where would her grandbabies sleep? Her own kids already used the sofa. Guess she'd have to put them in her bed, at least for now. Anything but foster care.
Queenie couldn't protect her daughter anymore, but she'd keep her children safe.
Umesh
Umesh wasn't nervous yet. He was on his way to the airport, to fly home and begin the process of choosing a bride.
He wasn't sure he was ready, but he was twenty-eight and he'd already outlasted his mother's patience. He'd hoped he might meet someone on his own, but it hadn't happened. And his parents wanted him to marry a traditional girl, even though Umesh was a modern man.
He wanted someone pretty and accomplished, but who knew what women his mother had selected? Would the beautiful Anjali be among them?
Umesh shivered. No, he wasn't nervous at all.
Anthony
Quit yer bellyachin', he thought, his father's voice still in his head after all these years. So what if he hated his job? The pay was good. Not everyone got to live their dream. His dream was drinking beer and watching baseball, so no chance of making a living there.
If he had a car, he wouldn't have to ride this goddamn train. And if you was a surgeon, you wouldn't be going to Mrs. Sepka's to fix her toilet.
But there was a game on tonight, and Billy was coming over with a six-pack. Suddenly, things were looking up.
Lainie
It was just after eight o'clock, but Lainie was already drunk. She sat in the back left corner, her usual spot, and watched the other passengers' eyes slide past her. She used to be just like them.
Losing John had destroyed her. Five months she'd known it was coming, but that hadn't prepared her for the crushing grief that followed. Two years later now, she didn't want to die, but she couldn't figure out how to live.
Better to numb the pain and hope it would someday leave her.
Someday, she thought.
But today would not be when that happened.
Isabella
Isabella fingered the acceptance letter inside her purse. Medical school! It was everything she'd ever wanted.
She knew she had a hard road ahead of her. The studying would be intense, and then the years of internship and residency, and after that she still had to pass the boards. But it'll be worth it.
She was dressed in her most businesslike clothes now, on the way to interview for a loan. She hoped she looked grown-up, instead of like a kid going with her grandmother to the ballet.
And Illinois… She'd never been. But she couldn't wait to get started.
Teo
Abuela smelled like cinnamon, the most delicious smell there was. Teo's stomach growled as he thought about churros, but those were a Saturday treat, so he played with his toy car instead.
Down his leg and over the back of the empty seat in front of him it went. He imagined being a race-car driver, though "pirate" and Futbolista were still his favorites.
Abuela touched his cheek and offered him a slice of mango. "Tres paradas," she said. Teo could count to tres.
He watched treetops go by as the train rushed past. This is the world the birds see…
Yuri
Yuri's duffel bag held everything he could carry.
He'd hoped for acceptance, but he hadn't been surprised. There was no room in his parents' culture for boys like him.
"When did this happen?" his mother had asked, but Yuri always knew. He was just tired of hiding, and Andrei's smile had made him brave. Even if his parents never forgave him, he was still running to something instead of away from it. Andrei's house was just a few miles down the track, now.
Down below, sunlight glinted off car windows, a stream of stars pointing the way toward Yuri's future.
--/--
If you enjoyed this story, please vote for it along with any other favorites here
