Benetton Brooks is a thirty-five year old systems engineer for TCX railroad. She has devoted the past nineteen years to being a 'railroader' but after losing her best friend she is seeking other options. More importantly she is seeking what is best for Benetton. Her mother gave her to her father at nine months and Benjamin Brooks was an exemplary dad but Benetton feels for him to live his life she must find her own. She must also distance herself from a meddling aunt and perhaps find the love she's missing. Benetton decides to board the very train route she worked to see where the rails take her. She's on a sabbatical to wherever the rails take her. Join her in Train Tripping. Excerpt: Benetton Brooks stared at her father Ben from the train window. He stood tall, and straight, his appearance refined. As a community college math professor and the single father of a girl child, Ben was conscious of the impression he made. During her teen years they bumped heads often about appropriate attire. For the father it was dressed up, for the daughter it was bohemian, her look was usually a compromise, a conservative dress and wild hair or conservative hair and wild thrift shop clothing. Their conversation on the drive over filled her mind.
"Benetton are those people really holding your job, those train jobs are hard to come by? You've got a lot of life left to pay for at thirty-five." Benetton heard what he wasn't saying, "Don't mess up a good thing, you out earn me more than double." To Ben she was his daughter and his concern for her didn't consider her age. His driving her to the train station was part of that. Her plan was to take a taxi or Uber.
"Dad, they are holding my job. I'm an engineer and can even do things from home or a hotel room. There are engineers there, lots of them who work directly with the conductor. My supervisor encourages sabbaticals."
Ben glanced at her, pride in his chest, his daughter was an engineer and he wasn't sure at one time she would do anything other than drive him insane. At sixteen she quit school and he was unable to convince her to go back-because a week later she aced the GED test and started working as a train station clerk. In 2002 she earned eighteen dollars an hour. Ben conceded that battle.
"No wonder they have so many crashes. Engineering from home. So, you're just getting on the train and getting off somewhere-and what?"
The fear in Ben's voice was noticeable but he knew Benetton could take care of herself. He raised her to. She hadn't been a kid in years and never afraid of adventures. He allowed his sister, Bridget who assisted him in raising her get inside his head. Ben was fifty-six and Bridget eight years older. She hadn't spoken to Benetton since she told them her plans. Bridget was convinced she would be kidnapped or worse.
"I have it charted out dad, I've even made reservations in places. I've been on trains for the past nineteen years-to work. Now, I'm getting on the train to-wherever because I want to dad and I can. The train is free, my lodging discounted and you taught me to never make moves unless I got enough money to move with me. Dad, I'm good."
