THE TRAIN

All that glitters is not gold, Jennifer repeated to herself over and over again. Her mantra! Months ago, Jennifer was head over heels in love.

During her last visit, Jennifer's grandmother consoled her, "It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Back then, she thought that time heals all wounds. Since she was moving on, all’s well that ends well, she grinned.

Unsurprisingly, Jennifer was fit as a fiddle. Constantly, her mom reminded her that she was brave as a lion, was as weak as a kitten, but had nerves of steel. With nerves of steel, Jennifer was her mom's hero! Jennifer wondered, "If that was so, how could it be that she didn't see the writing on the wall?" When Mark uttered, "I love you, I'm just not in love with you." She was heartbroken. Walking towards the door, Jennifer was devastated. She huffed, "What goes around comes around!" slamming the door behind her, It was time!

Shivering, was it the cold or the heart-stopping fear? Jennifer experienced gut-wrenching pain. Painfully, she heard it through the grapevine. Left high and dry, she lost track of time. Finally, the train's whistle blew, bringing her out of her stupor. The train was pulling into the station. She was moving on.

All aboard, the conductor announced. While in a mental fog, Jennifer boarded the train. Thinking, only time will tell. Today, Jennifer felt as old as the hills. Remembering last year, Mark cooed, "you are a diamond in the rough."

Indeed, every cloud has a silver lining. Jennifer questioned herself, "Was it the calm before the storm?" Maybe, all is fair in love and war. Yet! Nothing mattered, she was moving on.

Reflecting on her past, her grandfather scolded, "Don’t get your knickers in a twist!" when Jennifer was excited over an aw moment. Unfortunately, her grandfather didn't get it. "When much younger, her grandfather teased, " Cat got your tongue?" Even back then, she thought that was a silly saying. Now, she knew it was an overused cliche directed at very young children. Early on, Jennifer realized that life wasn't all fun and games.

After their break-up, Jennifer's grandmother exclaimed, "Kiss and make up!" Knowing it was too late for that, Jennifer was well aware that it was over. Afraid to share what Mark had said about love with her grandmother. It was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Besides, she was moving on.

The rhythm of the train calmed her racing heart. Calm and comfortable! Without a care in the world, Jennifer fell asleep on the train. Just a matter of time, the train would be making its first stop. A child's cry awakened Jennifer. A little boy was crying and refusing to listen to his mother. Jennifer heard the mother sigh, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." The boy's young mother and Jennifer began to laugh. Immediately, the little boy stopped crying, wondering what was so funny. The boy's mother looked down at him reassuringly and patted the top of his head. The mother whispered, "We're not laughing at you we’re laughing with you."

Without a doubt, it was time! Time for a new slate! There was no need to beat around the bush. Amazingly, in the nick of time, Jennifer was saved by the bell, and she was grateful. Happily, she left her fair-weather friend fall by the wayside. Letting the chips fall where they may, it was a new year. With experience comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes experience, Jennifer was going to be kind to herself first. It was a hard lesson, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

In a jiffy, Jennifer read between the lines. Knowing that laughter is the best medicine, she knew staying positive in negative situations, she would win. She was moving on.

Writers notes: Thank you for reading! You are appreciated! In case you were wondering, the prompt was cliche. Writing this story, my goal was to include as many cliches as possible. Once published, this story will be posted on the cliche thread at Vocal Writing Prompts here and will be posted on the proper thread at Vocal Social Society here.