Stay on the Train

Sergeant Pepper was true to his orders, even though he didn't fully understand them. He rode the American Cyclone for twenty-nine years, starting in Chicago, then on to Bismark, Seattle, San Diego, Laredo, Sarasota, Boston and back to Chicago. But a circular route has no end. A less literal person might have considered the completion of one cycle the end, but not Sergeant Pepper or Aldo, as he was known to his friends. He had many friends, the conductor, the brakeman, the engineer, the fireman and the salesmen who peddled brushes, knives and lingerie. He remained on the line despite the pleas of his mother, not even leaving to attend her funeral. The family decided to cremate her and ship the urn around the country so Aldo could ride with her ashes in the mail car. After that, his sister tried to convince him to get off the next time the Cyclone stopped in Chicago, even if it was just to see the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza or watch the Cubs lose the pennant. After his sister stopped traveling, settled down and had children, his nephew started riding with Uncle Aldo and listening to his stories. By that time, Aldo was living on his retirement pay from the Army. His nephew became a neuropsychiatrist, inspired by Uncle Aldo's condition. “Hello, Doctor Pepper,” Aldo would say when his nephew boarded the train to study him. It was his little joke.