Derailed

Pierre took a sigh as his fiancé dragged him into yet another store to shop for wedding décor. “What do you think about these flowers dear?” Holding the bouquet for him to see, he sneezed at the smell before looking surprisingly at the price tag.

“Twenty dollars for one bundle? That’s a lot of money dear. Are you sure?”

“If it’s going to be a proper wedding there needs to be flowers. But if you don’t like it, we can do without.”

“No, no dear, it’s just I’m a little startled at the price. You’re right, flowers will make the place look beautiful. Whatever to make my lovely queen happy.”

“Ten bundles should be alright you think?”

“Je d’accord. I agree honey, ten should be suffice.”

Giving the florist the location of their wedding venue to have the flowers delivered, they paid for the order and started to walk back to their car. Upon leaving the shop, Pierre couldn’t help but notice a wilting flower, and he thought to himself how some of the most beautiful things in life were so fragile. Watching a pedal fall ever so slowly to the ground, they walked back into the mid-summer heat and shielded their eyes from the scorching sun.

The downtown of the quaint Quebecois town was homey and warm, with a large brick cathedral looming over the streets. The time seemed to move slowly in the picturesque rural neighbourhood, and as they drove past house after house screaming old country charm.

Pierre and Eleanor moved to the town from their home of Montreal, eager to settle down into somewhere not as busy, and quiet enough to raise a family in peace.

Working remotely for the company owned by Eleanor’s father, they both were customer service representatives dealing with any complaints, from website bugs to incorrect deliveries. Having been given the okay, they decided to take two weeks off work together, to have the wedding before flying off to Jamaica for their honeymoon.

Elated for the occasion, they couldn’t believe that in two weeks they would officially be man and wife, after nearly seven years of dating. They had been both looking forward to this day, having since met each other in high school and immediately feeling a connection between them.

Being made fun of as other students joked about their relationship, the lovebirds stayed true to one another even past graduation, defying all rumours that they would split up after school was over.

Pierre remembered the countless movies they watched together in the theatre, and what he enjoyed the most was when his then girlfriend would lean on his shoulder and he would put his arm around her, keeping her close.

In one particular film, the plot got so frightening that Eleanor closed her eyes, waiting for Pierre to tell her it’s over. Patting her head reassuringly, he promised to not force her to watch a horror movie from then on, seeing that she hated them. Nearly three years later, he still held onto that promise, and had given up watching any scary movies that his fiancé did not approve of.

Working on opposite sides of the office room in their small bungalow, they often competed with one another to see who could solve the most cases per day, in a friendly rivalry which usually ended up with Pierre on top.

Hanging up with an especially irate customer, Pierre simply shook his head, catching the attention of Eleanor who asked him what was wrong. “Another ACT?”

“Oh, ha ha, yeah. Another abusive customer transaction. This one made my day. She said that if I didn’t reimburse her, she would take a broom and shove it…er…yeah.”

Chuckling at his bad experience, she recalled her worst case working the job. “Remember when that guy called about how to use his computer to order some products? Then he accused us several days later of using his credit card to finance purchases. Said he would sue us to the ground.”

Taking a bite full of poutine, Pierre relished the salty gravy and fries with the melted cheese curds stretching into strings of deliciousness. Hearing some barking coming from the yard, he went over to let their dog Belle back into the house.

Wagging her tail and whining to get his owner to help, she started barking excitedly as she saw Pierre coming.

Opening the door a bit, but blocking it so Belle couldn’t force her way in, he then took a towel and wiped the dog’s feet before opening the door wide enough for her to jump in. Dashing towards the office where Eleanor was taking a call, Pierre picked up Belle and placed her in her living room bed so as not to disturb them while they worked. Closing the door to the office, Pierre laughed as he heard the whining and scratching from the other side. Taking the next call, he and his fiancé worked till about five in the evening and as he solved yet another case, Pierre won their daily challenge once again, having resolved nearly fifteen cases to Eleanor’s twelve.

Opening the door to get cooking in the kitchen, they were met by an overly-enthusiastic Belle, whom needed to be taken outside for a bit. While Pierre walked the dog, Eleanor started working on a steak dinner, or a chateaubriand. By the time dog and man were back, the beef was nearly done and was finishing up in the oven while Eleanor worked on a red wine sauce. Sitting down and enjoying the classic French entrée, they chatted about the upcoming Canada day celebrations which were to be held at the town square on Monday afternoon.

Holding flags in a show of patriotism alongside their fellow citizens, Pierre and Eleanor watched as fireworks exploded in the night sky, in a dazzling display of colour and light. After the show was over, they headed back to their car and drove back home, eager to get to bed before staring the next week of work.

Finishing the last workday on Friday, they decided to go for a stroll and to stretch the old legs after sitting in their office for nearly the entire day. They said hi to a couple walking by and both of them remembered how pleasantly surprised they were when everyone they met would greet them nicely. The friendliness of the townsfolk was one of the main reasons they chose to move there from the metropolis of Montreal. In the big city, everyone would keep to themselves, and nearly all seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. After growing up in the fast lane, they had a desire for slowing down the pace and enjoying life bit by bit.

In fact, the day they moved into their small house, the neighbours came by greeting them and brought a financier almond cake as a welcome gift. They had wondered whether to locate to the north of the railroads where most of the town was, or to pick a less densely populated southern area. In the end, they opted for the quiet feel of the south, and chose a rather old house, which was in need of some repairs. The only drawback was that most of the restaurants, shops and banks were all to the north of the tracks.

Continuing on their walk, they had to restrain Belle every time another dog passed by, as she would bark enthusiastically and playfully lunge towards them much to the embarrassment of her owners.

“How on earth did we get such an energetic girl? Keeping her at bay is like trying to stop a whirlwind. Ooouff, there she goes again.”

“Perhaps we could enroll her in dog training? I’ve heard that with some work, even the rowdiest of dogs can be transformed into calm, tame obedient pooches.”

Thinking on it for a moment, Pierre liked that idea and promised to look into it when they returned home. Stopping near the tracks, Belle barked nonstop at the train cars passing by, as if trying to drown out the noisiness of the blaring warning signals. Watching the cargo being transported, Pierre figured it was probably heavy crude oil, and couldn’t help but notice all the flammable signs on the cars. Turning their yapping girl around, they headed back for home, eager to start working on dinner, which would be the highlight of their day off.

Making her own puff pastry, Eleanor directed Pierre to dice the chicken breast, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes and to cook them in a pot in chicken stock. Adding in a rue to thicken the sauce, she lined a casserole dish with pastry, doled out the vegetables and chicken into the dish and covered it with another thick layer of puff pastry. Putting it in the oven, they waited till the tops were golden brown before taking it out and serving it.

Cutting into the chicken pot pie, they let out a gush of steam filling the room with the delectable smell of chicken. Waiting a while till it cooled down a bit, they both dug into the pie and congratulated one another for another successful dinner.

Hearing Belle whine, Pierre looked over at their dog and noticed she wasn’t eating any of her kibble. Kneeling down, he patted her head and wondered what was wrong with her because it wasn’t like her to miss out on a meal. “You okay girl? Eleanor, you think Belle is okay? She’s barely eaten anything.”

Concerned that there might be something seriously wrong with Belle, Eleanor decided to take Belle to the vet the next morning, Saturday. Heading to the bedroom Pierre was shocked when he heard his fiancé calling out for him. Rushing to the washroom, Eleanor was holding a pregnancy test and proudly showed him the mark, confirming that she was going to have a baby. Hugging his fiancé tightly and letting all his surprise and joy emanate out of him, he couldn’t wait to be a father.

Yawning on her dog bed, Belle ignored the commotion in the house and quietly whined, not feeling like celebrating with her owners as she would normally have.

Getting up in the middle of the night to go to vet, Eleanor was glad she didn’t need to work and had the day off. She hurriedly changed and carried Belle to the car, who was howling and whining in pain.

Offering to go with her, Pierre was about to go upstairs to get changed as well, but his fiancé ensured him she would be alright by herself, telling him to go back to bed.

Driving in the dark night, Eleanor could hear the train crossing alarms ringing as she pulled up behind a pickup truck waiting to get across the tracks. Looking over at Belle, she suddenly seemed calm, as if everything was going to be okay. Hearing the screeching of train cars getting closer and closer, a petroleum car derailed and barreled straight towards them, crashing and exploding in giant plume of fire and smoke.

Bolting upright hearing the explosion, Pierre looked outside his window and saw the glow of fire burning where the city’s downtown was located. Quickly donning a jacket, socks and shoes, he rushed outside alongside other people who were also curious as to what happened. Calling his fiancé as he ran, he couldn’t get through to her phone, which worried him all the more. When he got near the tracks, what he saw was absolutely gut wrenching to his mind. Their car was on fire, burned and with only the exoskeleton of steel still standing against the flames. Unable to get near to the car because of the searing heat and toxic fumes, Pierre called out over and over again to his fiancé, despite choking on the smoke. As firemen grabbed him and pulled him away from the fire, he struggled to free himself, unwilling to accept the reality of what just happened. His tears of sadness mingled with regret, wishing he was the one who took the dog to the vet instead of Eleanor. Now she was gone, and he would have to live the rest of his life without her.

Watching as the fire spread northward, engulfing buildings as if they were food, fueling the voracious hunger of the flames. Every now and again an explosion could be heard, as propane tanks or jerry cans of gasoline caught fire. Several rail cars were on fire, releasing a stream of dark black poisonous smoke into the air.

Even though some of the buildings avoided fire damage, they were contaminated by petroleum and would have to be demolished as a further loss to the city.

Within hours, the entire accident was broadcasted on the news, and the authorities worked to keep everyone back away from the scene; putting up police tape to let the investigators do their job undisturbed.

As the smoke dissipated, the extent of the damage could be clearly assessed. Nearly the entire downtown centre was burned or demolished, and nearly fifty people were killed in the explosion, including Pierre’s fiancé and dog.

Having spent several days mourning his loss, he started getting used to his life as a widower. Working in the office by himself, he would constantly look over to the empty desk where she would’ve worked, hoping she would come back somehow.

Ring Ring!

Having zoned out for a second, he hastily picked up the headphones and went back to work, putting on a brave face to avoid exposing his demoralized and depressed feelings. Those feelings though couldn’t help but come out when he attended Eleanor’s funeral, and his to-be father-in-law patted his back while holding back tears himself after losing his daughter. Like Pierre, his in-laws had just heard the good news that his fiancé was pregnant, and they had eagerly awaited meeting their first grandchild. Now, it would seem that would never happen, a satisfying joy in life cruelly snatched away by death.

His father-in-law offered to give him some paid time off to grieve, but Pierre refused, wanting to keep busy and avoid thinking about his loss all day. Working long hours, he poured himself into his work and only slept for five or six hours a day. The rest of his time he would spend cleaning the house or doing other odds and ends, resisting the desire to slack off in depression.

While wiping off the dust on the mantle, he came across a photo of himself and Eleanor, standing in front of the Brandywine Falls; a provincial park near the resort town of Whistler. They had decided to go hiking and skiing in BC to celebrate their sixth year together, and it was the highlight of his marriage that he would treasure forever.

“Here Ellie, come here girl! Good girl!” Taking the frisbee from the puppy’s jaws, Pierre threw it further and the little dog chased after it, happily barking at its target. Watching as Ellie returned, he rubbed her belly and scratched behind her ears, spoiling the puppy in undivided attention. Whistling as he started walking back home, Ellie obediently followed, holding onto her frisbee and wagging her tail happily much to the amusement of Pierre. It didn’t take much to keep his dog happy, and in fact Ellie brought him joy in return, offering her loyalty and friendship. Pouring out some kibble into the dog bowl, he went about making his own dinner, boiling some frozen potstickers from the freezer. After several minutes in the hot water, he

flash-fried them in a pan till they turned golden and crispy on the bottom, and were ready to eat. He put vinegar and soy sauce in a small dipping dish, and paced himself as he ate the dinner.

Hearing a small whine from behind him, he looked over and saw Ellie sitting and staring at his food. Laughing in disbelief, Pierre took a piece and handed it to the puppy who ate it with relish and licking her lips after. Finished with the meal, he gathered the cutlery and dishes to be washed and rinsed them in hot water before setting them out to dry.

There hasn’t been a day since the accident where Pierre did not wonder what life might have been like if they had not decided to see the vet. Their dog Belle would have probably perished, but at least Eleanor would have been safe and sound with him. Every day, he regretted letting her go alone, regretted going back to sleep and regretted not protecting her from danger.

Walking to the cemetery, Pierre laid a bouquet of fresh flowers in front of his fiancé’s tombstone, and Ellie, sensing the sadness, kept quiet as well. As fresh tears began falling down his face, he felt something licking his hand. The little puppy was staring deeply into Pierre’s eyes, as if begging him to let her help him. Ruffling her head, he accepted her consoling and they both walked slowly into the distance, moving on with their lives but not forgetting the past that shaped them and made them stronger still in the end.

The End