I stood there in an empty train station. Confused. And scared.
When I was in my early twenties, I took a trip to visit some relatives that live outside of Atlanta.
Instead of driving, I decided to take Amtrak. I had never experienced riding on a train before and thought it would be a fun way to travel.
This was before the train station in Hattiesburg had been revamped and I actually bought my ticket on the train while we were moving.
The trip was long with numerous stops.
During the stop in Birmingham, I faintly remember there being a long delay due to a passenger who was having health issues and had to be taken off the train and rushed to the hospital.
When taking public transportation, you never can anticipate these types of random occurrences.
Also, you never know who you might meet and spark a conversation with.
I bumped into Vaeda Mann and her mom in the bar car.
They were heading to Washington D.C. and decided to take the train.
We played cards and chatted for a couple of hours. Taking Amtrak can be fun, but it takes longer than driving, so it’s good to bring something to occupy you.
Books, magazines, and Walkmans are all great things to bring to help you pass the time. I had retired to my seat in coach for the last portion of the trip and struck up a conversation with a girl who was heading to North Carolina.
She was from Hattiesburg and was heading to North Carolina to visit friends.
We talked about movies and even made plans to go see “Memoirs of a Geisha” once we were back in Hattiesburg.
Unfortunately, we never saw each other again.
Eventually, the train arrived in Atlanta some 12 hours after we departed Hattiesburg.
I arrived to a station where there was a lot of hustle and bustle and people trying to get on and off the train.
When I walked into the station, it was a packed house with people everywhere.
I got picked up by my cousins who drove me roughly an hour away to their house in the burbs. It was a great visit with family that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
My cousin drove me back to the train station early so I could be sure to make the departure time.
He dropped me off, quickly said goodbye and sped off, back to the suburbs.
He didn’t wait for me.
He left me.
When I walked into the station, I was greeted with an eerie feeling.
There was no hustle nor bustle. There were no people lining the walls. It was quiet. I felt like I was the only person there.
I walked to the information desk and spoke with the only person working.
The person told me there was a train derailment and the train would not be running that day.
So there I stood in an empty train station, confused and scared.
How was I going to get home?
I called my father and he simply told me this was a situation I would have to figure out on my own.
Nobody was there to rescue me.
My cousin had left, and it was on me to manage.
My plan was to get to the Greyhound bus station and see about getting a ride to Hattiesburg. I spoke with the person at the station again and was informed that there was a MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) bus stop outside that could take me to the MARTA subway station.
Along with all of my luggage, I took to the streets of Atlanta and took city transit to get to the Greyhound station.
Upon my arrival to the Greyhound station, I was informed that there were no buses going to Hattiesburg, but there was a bus that was going to Jackson (through Meridian).
I bought a ticket to Jackson and sat and waited for a couple hours for my bus to depart.
Luckily, I had my cellphone and was able to reach friends who were nice enough to come pick me up in Meridian and give me a ride back to Hattiesburg.
I know it might sound silly, but this felt like a rite of passage for me. This was a walkabout into independence.
I felt like this was a day that I had a lot of growing up to do.
Any day that you are tested and can learn and grow makes you a better person.
It may not have been the entire plot to “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles,” but in those few short hours, I felt like I matured.
Sometimes in order to get where you need to be, you have to progress.
Jamie Massengale is a native of Meridian who has lived in the Hub City for a number of years. He’s currently a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi.
