A year passed, and it soon became apparent that Argyle and Goldie's relationship had become something rather more than a friendship. The change was perhaps most notable in Argyle. His manner was considerably easier now, with much of the social awkwardness gone, and he was also much more sociable. Clearly a long term relationship had helped him in that regard.

Argyle had dated before, but this somehow felt different. Goldie understood him like no other woman he had dated had. Being with her really brightened up his day. Just seeing her was enough to bring him joy. There was just something about this relationship that felt different, seemed different.

He knew the other guys he knew would rib him over this, so he decided to keep his inner thoughts to himself for now. But there was no denying what was going on. Argyle was convinced of it now.

He'd fallen in love with her.

But this also scared him. He had no clue how Goldie would react if he told her how he felt. Would she be accepting? Surprised? Completely lose it? Argyle had no clue.

I mean, on the face of it, they were a mismatched couple. A businesswoman and a nerdy art student. Argyle was familiar with the saying that love is blind, and that every bread has its cheese (as his father reminded him constantly), but Argyle wasn't convinced this was going to work.

He had to clear his head and try to find some inspiration, not to mention find a way to get back on track. To this end, he headed down to the station and bought a ticket to Southampton. A change of scenery would hopefully help him get his mind back in focus.

A few hours later, the dinging of door bells informed him Southampton Central had arrived. He got off and set off out of the station, heading towards the bus rank to travel onwards. His ultimate stop was Eastleigh.

Eastleigh had been the site of the main engine and carriage workshops for the London and South Western Railway, and later became one of the major engineering facilities for the Southern Railway (alongside the old London, Brighton, and South Coast works at Brighton). There was still a level of engineering work going on here, alongside a few old pieces of rolling stock that were yet to be dispersed to other locations.

As he walked round one side of the site, he suddenly heard something in the distance.

"Oh, the times are hard and the wage is low!

Argyle stopped. Had he just heard somebody singing, or was he simply imagining things? That confused him, so he decided to listen, just in case the mystery voice began singing again.

But then, he heard multiple voices singing together.

"Amelia, where you bound for?

There were multiple voices singing in harmony! Was there some sort of work party going on?

Argyle followed in the direction of the voices, noticing as he did so the singing got progressively louder. This made sense, after all; he was progressively getting closer to the source of the noise.

"The Rocky Mountains are my home!"

"Across the western ocean!"

And just as he arrived at the scene of the sound, he saw what was going on. An old diesel shunter was sitting on a siding and leading a group of ballast trucks in a chorus of singing- if Argyle had to hazard a guess it was some sort of sea shanty.

"That land of promise, there you'll see!"

"Amelia, where you bound for?"

"I'm bound across that western sea!"

"Across the western ocean!"

And then came the chorus.

"Amelia, where you bound for?
Amelia, where you bound for?
The Rocky Mountains are my home!
Across the western ocean!"

The diesel suddenly noticed Argyle standing there, and smiled. "Ahoy there, matey!" he said. "You be explorin' the yard today?"

The diesel was quite short, and had an offset cab partway up his frames. His front bonnet was long and blocky, and he had a squat cab with three windows. He had six wheels and connecting rods (meaning to the untrained eye he resembled a steam locomotive), and his face was in a toothy grin.

Argyle looked astonished. "An actual non-faceless vehicle," he said, in amazement. "I never thought I'd see one!"

"There not be many o' us around no longer," the diesel said. "But I'll keep on singing until the ol' sun falls into the ocean. I'm Salty. What's your name?"

"Argyle," Argyle replied. "Are you part of the museum?"

"Heavens no!" Salty replied. "I've been here a many great number o' years. The pesky hot box did the drag in, so I just got left here." His eyes looked down, and a tinge of sadness entered his face. "But that was nearly thirty years ago. I've just sat here all this time." He looked whistfully towards the sea. "I was based just down the line in Southampton Docks, and spent many a summer in the sea air. I'd love to shunt trucks on a dockside again, with shanties to keep the trucks in line."

"We're in good voice!" said one of the ballast trucks.

Argyle smiled. "I think I can help," he said. "My sister is a specialist in old machines, and I think she can help. Salty, I'm not leaving you here. I'll come back and visit as often as I can, and one day I'll get you back into working order."

Salty looked in amazement. "You'd do that for an old sea dog like me?" he said.

"Not only are you in fine voice, you're a piece of our heritage," Argyle replied. "And our heritage is something that needs to be saved. How can we possibly plan for the future if we don't know where we came from?"

Salty and the trucks cheered. "By Rodney's Roller Bearings, there is good in this world!" He looked to Argyle. "I won't forget this, matey. Do a sailor a good turn and you have a friend for life, so the saying goes."

But Goldie could sense something was different too. Although it wasn't to a debilitating degree, she found herself looking forward to their meetings (Argyle wouldn't really have called them dates, even though that was what they were effectively), and sometimes found herself a bit down when he wasn't around. Focusing on her work life helped, as did her other circle of friends she had made in Bristol, but sooner or later she would have to come to terms with these feelings she had.

She'd been in relationships before, of course. But again this one felt different.

For the first time in her life, Goldie was experiencing love. And she could sense Argyle felt the same way about her. For the first time in her life she had a partner who actually truly loved her, not her looks.

She had to tell him someday how she felt. So, she decided she would do so when they next met up for a date. Thankfully, that was pretty soon.

Unfortunately, things did not go to plan. For one, the weather was horrible, meaning raincoats and umbrellas were a must to avoid getting utterly soaked and looking like drowned rats. When Goldie got there, she noticed Argyle standing there, but he wasn't looking too happy. He looked downtrodden, and his eyes were red.

"Is everything OK?" Goldie asked, as she approached.

Argyle mumbled something.

"Sorry?"

Argyle spoke up. "I've been doing some thinking, and... I think we should break up."

Goldie was thrown for a loop with that one. "What?" she said. "Argyle, there isn't somebody else, is there?"

"No," Argyle said quietly. "I'm the problem."

Goldie was utterly baffled by what she was hearing. But before she could speak Argyle continued.

"I love you, Goldie. Truly, I do. Knowing you has changed my life for the better, and you understand me for who I am. You're a wonderful person- generous, kind, funny, and a woman I have been truly blessed to know." He closed his eyes. "You deserve so much better than me. I mean, who would want an overweight, nerdy art student as a long term partner?"

Goldie decided to speak up. "Argyle, you need to stop being so harsh on yourself. There's somebody in the world for everybody, and for me that's you."

Argyle looked down, and within a few moments it was clear he was sobbing. He was trying to hide it from the world (and doing a very poor job), as it was clear he was struggling with what to do. "You'd be best forgetting about me. Thank you, Goldie, for the time we spent together. I wish you luck with whatever you go on to do next."

Before Goldie could speak, Argyle took off in the opposite direction, into the rain. She began to dash after him. "Argyle? ARGYLE! WAIT!"

But he was soon out of earshot. Goldie stopped at the side of the path and looked down, feeling tears come to her own eyes. "What did I do wrong?"

Author's Note

Eastleigh, in southern England, was once the site of a major heritage project (and was one of the locations proposed for a second site for the National Railway Museum before Shildon was selected). The site is still used for some contract overhauls and general maintenance.

The engine is, of course, Salty, and this image gives you a good idea of the state he was in when Argyle found him. Happily, the real locomotive who shares a number with Salty (D2991) is preserved in real life; the engine is owned by Knights Rail Services and is based at Eastleigh, only a stone's throw from its old stomping ground.

And yes, the ending. I know that there's a certain level of tension removed from the story by virtue of being a prequel, but that's actually based on something from my own family history; my parents broke up for a bit before deciding to get back together.

This story shall now take a break over the weekend, before we resume with the fallout of the breakup on Monday.