The Day I Missed the Train

Last summer, I planned a trip from Hanoi to Hue with my older sister, Hoa. We bought our train tickets two weeks before the trip. The train was going to leave at 7:30 in the evening, so we decided to meet at the station at 6:45.

On the day of the trip, I was packing my bag when my phone rang. It was my boss. She needed some documents urgently, so I had to send them before I could leave. That took almost forty minutes. When I finally left my apartment, it was already 6:50, and the streets were busier than usual because it was raining heavily.

While my taxi was waiting in a traffic jam, Hoa called me again and again. "Where are you? The train is leaving soon!" she said. I felt more nervous than ever. I could only look at the clock and hope.

I arrived at the station at 7:35. I ran to the platform as fast as I could, but it was too late. The train was moving away slowly, and Hoa was standing on the platform with both of our bags. She didn't get on without me!

At first, I felt terrible. But Hoa just laughed and said, "Don't worry. We can take the next train." We went to the ticket office and changed our tickets. The next train was at 10 p.m. It was slower and less comfortable than the first one, but the seats were cheaper, so we saved a little money.

While we were waiting, we ate a hot bowl of noodles at a small restaurant near the station and talked for hours. In the end, it was one of the best evenings of the whole trip. Now I always leave home early, and I never answer work calls on holiday!