In Our Hands

SYIC: Part 1: Survival — Chapter 16

Binghamton, a city of crossroads and carousels. A place where superhighways thread through endless mountains and where wooden horses, built for children’s amusement, sit idle in forgotten buildings.

The Triple Cities were now the new coordinates of Jack’s reality. The epicenter of his grief. And from there, he would do his best to pick up the pieces of his shattered life.

It was a bleak morning in the Southern Tier. Snow fell steadily as February deepened its hold. Nearly two months had passed since his exodus from New Jersey. He stood with Ben outside the Norfolk Southern office. A diesel locomotive rumbled beyond the chain-link fence; he might as well have been on another planet.

“This is the place,” Ben said, nodding toward the weathered modular office. A single pendant light glowed in the warm interior.

“Okay,” Jack said. “Let’s go in.”

Jack and Ben stepped inside. OSHA and union posters crowded the paneled walls. A row of bucket seats sat empty. On a low table, a scattering of Popular Mechanics and Hot Rod magazines looked as old as the trailer. Ben motioned for Jack to sit, then disappeared into the back office.

Jack gripped a clean copy of his résumé and stared at the wall cluttered with Post-its and stapled bills. He looked…