Jillian Chantal

This week’s word prompt for the Tuesday Tales authors is prompt.  How fun is that?  I am still working on my train story.

Check out the other tales here.

“All right. I need to see those IDs as I’m not getting into any car without being sure you’re who you say you are.” I was pretty sure he knew I’d have no choice unless I wanted to wait for the next train that would actually stop at my station. The express sailed right by where I get off and the locals don’t run as often as the faster ones. I could still bluff as if I had other options.

He pulled a black folder from his pocket and passed it to me.

When I opened it, I couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped.

That was as prompt as I expected,” he said.

“Is that really your name?”

“Yes. Please don’t say it out loud. Those guys know me as Al. I don’t want them to know. You can’t even imagine the tagging I get.”

“What would possess your mother to name you that?”

He shrugged. “Family name. What can I say?”

“I bet you were teased relentlessly as a kid.”

“For sure.  It made me who I am today. When you have to defend yourself on the playground every day, you learn to take care of yourself. When I got a bit older, when I got my schedule, I’d go to the school and ask my teachers to call me Al from the first day. I was able to keep it under wraps for a long time that way. People thought it was short for Allen or Albert.”

“What happened after that? How’d your colleagues know?”

“A sadist sergeant at the academy started and ended every sentence he spoke to me with my first name. Soon, everyone was doing it.”

He looked so sad, my heart hurt for him. I caught myself almost reaching a hand out to him, but stopped in time as it would be wildly inappropriate. “How long did it last? Did it stop when you graduated?”

“It went on for a bit. Pretty much the whole time I was a rookie and in uniform. Once I got the gold shield, it stopped. Except for once in a while when I run into some of the old guys. Luckily, there aren’t many occasions to see them. My precinct is out of the way of main headquarters.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”