“Train, Granpa! Big train!” Madeline squealed. A very big locomotive hauling a lot of boxcars roared through the station. Granpa had decided he would take her there as a special treat, for Madeline loved trains almost as much as her daddy did! Ah, how the joy on his granddaughter’s face brought back memories! Together they waved at the engineer as the freight train rushed on by, not even forgetting the caboose. When the train was long gone, Granpa said-

“When your daddy was a very little kitten, Madeline, I used to take him to watch the trains all the time. Just like we are now,” said Grandpa Murray. Well! The idea that her daddy had been as small as she was now made Madeline feel excited! “Really? What else, Granpa?!” “Well, I’ll tell you a story about it.”

“One day, on the Island of Sodor-“ “Grandpa! Yoor teasing,” Madeline giggled. “Daddy nebber lived on the Island o’ Sodor!” “Heheheh, no, but he did love Thomas the Tank Engine when he was little. But one day, when your Daddy was a little kitten, I took him to the train station. And we listened for trains for such a long time. I couldn’t hear anything , but your daddy did. He told me over and over that a train was coming, but I told him there wasn’t. Well, I wanted to go home, and your daddy was not happy. But do you know what happened next?” Madeline listened in, eyes gleaming. “We had barely left the station, when this big CSX train rushed right through out of nowhere! Isn’t that something?”

“Wow,” said Madeline, fascinated. The idea that her daddy had loved trains too made her feel that much closer to him. So she asked “Tell me more abou’ daddy when he was a kitten, granpa.” The old cat smiled, happy to relate some lovely memories to his granddaughter.

“ One day, when a grown-up asked your daddy what I did for work, you know what he said?” “What, what?” “Johnny said ‘My daddy makes buildings.’ Joseph said ‘My daddy rides horses.’ Charles said ‘My daddy drinks coffee.’”

“Ewwww,” Madeline giggled. How could anyone like coffee? It tasted so yucky! “What else happened, Granpa?” “Well, we have some time before we have to go back to Granny. Let me see now…” And together the two went forward into the past.

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Last one for tonight, but expect the other two tomorrow evening. The characters, alas, are fictional, but the stories included here are true. Yep, including the one about the mystery train and my dad drinking coffee for a living. :)