glowy evening
Mimi set the old brass tea tray down on the small table between themselves and Ravi. "It's been awhile since we've been able to sit down for some tea, hasn't it?" Mimi questioned, finally taking a seat on the nearest cushioned stool, heaving a sigh of relief after having been on the move all day.
“It has. Has the shop been busy lately?” Ravi replied, taking a long sip of his tea while Mimi nodded grimly.
“It’s been much busier than I could’ve anticipated, which is strange, especially for this time of year,” Mimi responded, looking down at their own cup of tea as it blew light steam into their face. “Even with Livi lending me a hand sometimes, I’m still working from nearly dawn to dusk.”
“Well, it’s definitely worth it, right?” Ravi commented with a small smile. Mimi nodded with enthusiasm, setting their tea back down on the tray despite never having taken a sip of it. Ravi was right. As hard and often as Mimi worked, it was always worth it, because they were doing what they loved. That was something they never doubted. “I know how you feel, though. Being on the train all the time, especially during longer routes, it gets exhausting. But you’re doing what you’re passionate about, and great at, so it’s all worth it in the end. Oh, and speaking of which, if you ever need any assistance and I happen to be in town, just drop by my house and I’ll be glad to help out!”
Mimi smiled, grateful to have friends so willing to lend their help. They expressed this gratitude to Ravi before continuing, “...And, I would take you up on the offer, but really, I manage. Or, Liviana helps me manage.”
Their girlfriend deserved a lot of credit, because after working long shifts at the clinic, she would always come to their aid if they needed it. Liviana had always been driven and hardworking. Mimi figured that’s what brought them together in the first place.
“I’m glad you have someone as dedicated as her to be there for you,” Ravi replied pleasantly, a strange smile on his face just before he took another sip of tea, eyes falling to the ground. Mimi finally reached for their own tea to take a quick gulp. “Speaking of Liviana, I've been meaning to ask, how long have you two been together?”
Mimi nearly spit out their tea as they were instantly reminded of their upcoming anniversary, which had completely slipped their mind, despite the heaps of notes they had made themselves and posted around their living space upstairs. Their face went blank with a sudden wave of silent panic. Ravi seemed to pick up on this, because he raised an eyebrow and asked if Mimi was feeling alright.
“We've been together for… Well, in three days it'll have been two years,” Mimi replied after a spell, casting their vacant gaze to the ground as they frantically raked through their busy mind trying to figure out what they would be taking Liviana to do. Mimi had, in true Mimi fashion, promised her the most elaborate, wonderful evening of her life. And Mimi had wholeheartedly meant to provide that for her. “And yet, I can't come up with anything for us to do that's even the slightest bit close to how magical these past two years have been!”
But now, with only three days away and no plans whatsoever, Mimi was worried they might not be able to live up to what they had promised.
Thankfully for Mimi, however, Ravi could sense the unease within them and he did his best to quell the rising anxiety. “Two years, that's so lovely. I'm happy for both of you! And, trust me, I know that you'll be able to plan something great, so try not to stress too much about it. Like you said earlier, you always manage!”
“I suppose I do,” Mimi sighed, a tired smile crossing their face. Even though Ravi was right, and Mimi always did manage, their mind was still completely void of any good ideas. Or, at least anything that was of the high caliber they had in mind.
“You know,” Ravi began, refilling his teacup with the pot that had been sitting expectantly on the tray. “Me and a friend once hopped a train in the middle of the night to visit a town together. It was around this time of year. The ride there was so beautiful… And, well, romantic, I suppose. It might be nice to take a trip to somewhere you've never been before! Not suggesting you should hop a train or anything, but I could pull some strings for you!”
Mimi immediately began to imagine it. A romantic, whirlwind train ride to a quaint little town to spend some quality time together. It sounded perfect. “That would be amazing!!”
They were already so wrapped up in the fantastical idea of it that they almost forgot about their shop. Mimi couldn't just close up for several days while they were so busy this season. Especially with the number of orders they had to fulfill. “Great! I'll get it all organized. Fortunately, I'm also certified as an engineer, I just need someone to lend me a train from the yard for an evening. And I can probably get you guys some tickets to come back, depending on how long you'll be staying.”
Mimi wilted a little, the wondrous vision of their anniversary fading away just as quickly as it had been implanted in them. “Well, I suppose you won't have to worry about doing all that, since I won't be able to close up my shop for more than a full day,” Mimi sighed, already trying to come up with alternatives.
Ravi frowned a little, not that Mimi registered it, because his facial expressions were always quite subtle and Mimi was often lost in thought, as they were now. “You shouldn’t have to worry about that… You know, what if I look after your shop for a couple days? I wouldn’t mind at all, I can fulfill orders and do whatever you need me to do. I’m not going to be on the train for the next couple days, so it will work out perfectly.”
A spark of hope for their perfect evening was reignited just as quickly as it was smothered. Under normal circumstances, they would be a lot more hesitant about turning their shop over to someone in the middle of a busy season, but this was for Liviana - to give her an evening that she deserved. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you, but that’s very thoughtful, and I would greatly appreciate it,” Mimi replied with a smile, already thinking of ways they could repay Ravi for his generosity in the future.
“Well, in that case, just show me what I’ll be doing… And I’ll let you know when I’ll be ready to pick you up at the station on the day of your anniversary!”
//
The golden glow of the train station lamps basked the platform in a burnt yellow light. Mimi stood beneath the light, looking out into the dim evening town of Mt. Bougainvillea while the train heaved behind them, puffs of steam misting onto the platform from the undercarriage of the train as it pulled into the station. Mimi waited and watched anxiously for the figure of their girlfriend to appear from the dark streets. Mimi wasn’t waiting for very long when they finally caught sight of her.
She strode up the steps to the platform with a smile, eyes cast downward while she gently pushed her braids from her face. Mimi marveled at the silky, deep blue dress that Liviana wore. She looked fantastic. Mimi immediately told her so.
“You look fantastic,” Mimi smiled, totally enraptured by how beautiful their girlfriend was.
“So do you,” Liviana replied with a mirrored smile as she took Mimi's hand. “So, are you going to tell me about this big surprise? Where are we going?”
Mimi's impatience and joy seemed to rub off on Liviana, because she asked her question with such a boundless curiosity that Mimi wanted to give her even more than they already had planned.
Ravi appeared from the train car, beckoning the pair of them aboard and leading them back to the observation car where they were going to be spending their ride. “I hope you have a wonderful ride. I'll be in the engine room, so I'll see you once we arrive at our destination!”
Mimi sat down next to Liviana. They were surrounded by windows, and at the end of the car, there was a small open-air platform to look out behind them. “You'll see when we get there,” Mimi finally replied, holding both of Liviana's hands and sitting angled to face her. “For now, we just enjoy the ride!”
Mimi hadn't been on a train in awhile. They spent most of their time in town, so when they finally got moving, it was a little strange. They jolted a little bit and Liviana giggled at this, holding Mimi’s hands tighter to soothe her. They smiled, sheepish, and chuckled nervously.
The both of them peered out the windows, watching the blur of the tallgrass fields in the darkness. It was very pretty, especially when tall yellow and blue flowers poked from the top of the grass, but it only truly became a sight to behold when Mimi saw the first flicker of light, followed by another, and another. They got up from their seat and pulled Liviana to the viewing platform on the back.
Yellow glowing lights blinked over the field, a whole sea of lights, flickering in the night. Mimi now understood what Ravi was talking about when he said that the trip there would be romantic. The fireflies seemed to light up the entire evening. Both Mimi and Liviana watched in awe as they overtook the breezy fields, their gorgeous dim glow reminding them so much of the shine Liviana had, and still had, when they first met. Mimi had been completely stupefied by how one person could be so beautiful. Mimi turned their gaze to Liviana, who had her elbows leaned against the railing, the breeze tugging against her dress.
“Happy Anniversary. I love you, Livi,” Mimi murmured to her, pressing a kiss against her cheek and resting a hand on one of hers. Liviana’s eyes fluttered over to Mimi and she turned her head, her magically alluring eyes pulling Mimi in. Liviana straightened up and slipped her hand from beneath Mimi’s to cup their cheek and press a soft kiss to their lips.
“Thank you, Mimi, I love you, too.”
