Expats. Episode 6. Adrian goes East.

Not many people dare to venture out of their comfort zone but for some Brits it is in their nature and that once led them to India and beyond.
Adrian’s decision to go east of the country wasn’t for the faint hearted due to disturbances there let alone the outdated night trains with their lack of oxygen. You can see the enemy from the orange glow of their cigarettes. Adrian was not easily scared and he would rise to the challenge. After all he had travelled before on Chinese overnight trains sitting upright uncomfortable wooden benches for hours, what can beat that.
Old carriage was not the problem. Actually it was relaxing nice to lie down and listen to the sound of rocking train. What annoyed Adrian was constant flow of smoke from the toilets where local men and sometimes women were happy to have a cigarette despite all the prohibit signs. The sealed windows of the train didn’t really help so all the passengers including kids became exposed to the pollution that selfish smokers produced. He tried to explain this to one of the smokers but they just showed no intention to stopping.
Oh well, what can’t be done for the sake of love. And yes there was a girl involved which made the journey worth while.

The previous morning, sipping the coffee, Adrian announced his travel plans to his mates. The gang was surprised by his sudden decision that came from nowhere. Adrian didn’t tell them about his pen friend he had already written e-mails to for the few months and who lived on the other side of the country 1000 kilometers away and near war zone.

So Adrian said to the guys that for the next few days he wouldn’t be available as he was going East.
A moment of silence followed while they processed the information.

• East?
  -Go East?
• Are you insane?,- they mocked.

Recalling this moment made Adrian smile while train lullaby made him sleepy. He actually slept most of the way. Taking into account the obvious old age of the carriage Adrian appreciated the simplicity of the design. Again the whole idea of a sleeping carriage makes a lot of sense with a little table and a few neighbors in the coupe. He even found out that before even one of toilets was designed to be a shower, could be perfect for hot summer weather. Definitely in its hay day the carriage looked much better, but carrying thousands of passengers over during its long lifetime had taken its toll.He wondered if the smokers of previous generations were as inconsiderate as modern travellers.

The train was carrying him gently through the vast fields of wheat and corn, traditional villages with small whited walls houses looking a century old. From time to time there were cows grazing, gaggles of geese in little ponds, old villagers in a horse-drawn carts riding on dirty tracks. This was like a Constable painting mesmerizing by its rural beauty.

Observing ever-changing skies was perfect for philosophical thoughts. What would the future bring, - he thought.

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Thank you for reading. That is a conclusion of the Expats Series 1.
Next Series 2 Xpaths to follow https://steemit.com/story/@dovetail/xpaths-adrian-s-story-series-2-episode-1

All the stories and characters are fictional and based on events at least a few years old. No financial or other types of advice can be followed.