Granny, She's Dead

NEW ORLEANS.  December 2010.  Amtrak.  

[A train goes daily from New Orleans, through Jackson and Memphis, and on to Chicago and back]

She stumbled off several times to smoke as many times as she could before our train departed.  She wore faded, ripped jeans with a black jacket embellished with a picture of a skull in diamonds.  Seemed like it was something that she wore on a daily basis.  My first impression was a trashy New Orleans girl who had perhaps no family, no ambition, no significance in her life.   

She was young. very young, not much older than myself (I was 18 at the time).  However, her youth did not hide the ever-evident endless years of nonstop smoking that showed through the wrinkles and weariness of her face.  She walked into the bathroom where she stayed for hours, probably smoking.

 Of course, not allowed. 

Soon she came out of her stall and sat down on the train’s floor ahead of me, where passengers entered, not on a seat, just on the ground.  She opened her ragged suitcase and started rummaging through her clothes to find and pull out her phone. 

Granny? Can I tell you what happened?

No!  Granny, she wouldn’t wake up.  Bawling, the girl told her story.  No, my friend spent the night with me, and when I tried to wake her up she wouldn’t wake up.  Granny, she likes bad people and she spent the night with me, and granny, she wouldn’t wake up.  She was Dead, Granny. 

Suddenly, I was interested...

I’m on the train back to Tennessee.  I’m on the train.  I’m on the train. 

Granny, I’ve never had anything happen like this to me in my life ever.  I don’t know what to do with my life right now.

Granny, I’m on the train.  No! The train.  

She wouldn’t wake up, Granny.  She wouldn’t wake up.  She was dead. 

She was dead.  She wouldn’t wake up.  She overdosed.  She wouldn’t wake up.  Granny, she wouldn’t wake up.

I tried to wake her up.  I tried.  Can I please come stay with you.  I’ll give you fifty dollars.  No Granny, my dad’s in jail.  In JAIL.   In JAIL.  They came and took him.

My daddy’s in JAIL.  Mama, I can’t do this anymore.  Mama, I called the ambulance and everyone.  She wouldn’t wake up.  She was dead.  Dead.

Mama, tell Granny I want to come stay with her.

I don’t know what to do.  I can’t do this.  Granny, my friend died.  Mama, she wouldn’t wake up.

Please, I’ll come right now.  Right now, Mama.  I’ll go to school.  I’ll stop all the dancing.  I don’t wanna do this anymore.  Please.  I’ll stop now.  Right now.  I don’t wanna do this anymore.  I can’t do this anymore.

She was in my bed, Granny.  In my bed, she wouldn’t wake up.  I’m on the train.  I’m on the train back to Tennessee. 

I need someone to calm me down.  She was dead.  In my bed.  I let her stay with me, and she wouldn’t wake up.  She done overdosed.  She overdosed.  She was dead.  I knew it.  I couldn’t wake her up.

I didn’t know what to do.  I’m on the train back to Tennessee.

I can’t do this anymore.  I’ll stop the dancing.  Please let me stay with you, Granny.

  Please.