Cafe Car, 8:45

The train starts with a lurch. Miles lifts the narrow counter segment and takes his place with the food. The actual "cafe" is only a small part of the "cafe car." In the front are six booths, which are empty for now. In the middle is the "cafe" itself, with its narrow counter and expensive food, and then in the back, behind a black curtain is the first class section.
Every few minutes someone comes in thinking there is seating, only to have to turn back. The train always starts out full, he thinks. It will clear out by New York. It always does.
In a few minutes he will open the cafe. He goes through the routine of preparing the cafe for the trip.

Tim McGrath, wearing his cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat, walks in and asks if he can get a beer.
"Sorry," says Miles, "cafe car doesn't open for another ten-minutes."
Tim mutters something that sounds obscene under his breath and stalks out.

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