© Copyright 1999 James David Pearce
A TRIP TO NEWPORT NEWS
Junior was sitting on the ground by the track in No Man's Land, the parking lot at the depot, when he felt the first tremor of the rails indicating the train from Norfolk was near Ahoskie on its early evening run to Rocky Mount.
He took two pennies and carefully placed them on the track about a foot apart, and then walked toward the station. He could barely make out the locomotive down the straight, flat roadbed of the Atlantic Coast Line. He climbed onto a high-wheeled baggage cart and waited.
The locomotive, bell ringing and steam pulsing, slowed to a halt. The engineer tipped his cap to Junior, and the boy grinned.
Junior recognized the first passenger off the train, and called to him: "Boweaver, where've you been?"
The tall, lanky passenger walked toward the cart.
"Hey, Junior. I've been all the way to Newport News and back today, and I'm tired. Let's go home."
"One minute, Boweaver. I'll be right with you," said Junior, jumping down from the cart. "I've got some pennies on the track."
The taller boy looked at Junior and shook his head. "You know, you're going to get in trouble one day, smashing U.S. money on the train track."
"Ah, it's only two pennies," said Junior. "Nobody's going to miss two pennies."
"Junior, the United States Mint has a record of every penny ever made," said Boweaver, "and when they turn up with your pennies missing, somebody's going to come looking for you."
"Boweaver, I ain't going to tell 'em, and if you don't tell 'em, ain't no way they're going to know that I was the one that smashed the pennies."
Boweaver grinned. "Well, Junior, if the FBI has to find out from me that you ruined those pennies, they ain't ever going to find out."
Junior, picking up his flattened treasure, matched his step to Boweaver as they walked down Main.
"Why did you go to Newport News?"
"Well, I went to see a girl."
"Almarie?"
"Yeah, Junior, but it didn't work out too good."
They stopped for a drink at the schoolhouse water fountain.
"Junior," said Boweaver, "do you know what you have to do to get to Newport News?"
"Well, I know the train doesn't go all the way."
"Well, Almarie gave me her phone number and told me to come see her sometime in Newport News. She said we would go down and spend the day at Buckroe Beach."
"Did you go to the beach?"
"Not exactly," said Boweaver.
"I got on the train this morning, and it stopped at Port Norfolk, in Portsmouth. That cost forty-five cents. I got off the train and took the bus uptown to the ferry. That cost eight cents. I went across the ferry – that cost a nickel – and then caught a street car on Granby Street to the Newport News ferry. That was another dime. The Newport News ferry costs a quarter and that's a long half-hour over rough water. When I got off in Newport News, I was about halfway broke and about three-quarters seasick. I bought a Pepsi and put a nickel in a pay phone to call her."
Boweaver hesitated.
"Well, I got Almarie on the phone, but she said she wasn't feeling so good. She said she had a splitting headache, and couldn't go to Buckroe today." Boweaver's face sagged. "She wouldn't even tell me what else I would have had to ride to get to her place."
~~~
"You know, I'll bet she didn't have any headache," offered Junior.
Boweaver shrugged. "Yeah, Junior. I know."
~~~
A penny awaits smashing on Ahoskie track, lower-left of center
~~~
In 1944, the tracks leading from Ahoskie were just the first stage
of a complicated journey to Newport News
~~~
No Man's Land, Ahoskie, 2001
~~~~~~~~~
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