Tom Loewy: The waiting is the hardest part
Jeremiah Eubanks wasn't interested in waiting Tuesday afternoon.
The Amtrak Depot on South Seminary Street was a fascinating place. The floor featured a brick pattern and the odd gum or candy wrapper. The piled bags of those waiting to board the next train held the same promise of any packed-away, zipped-up you-can't-touch.
But one of the floor's features proved to be the mother of all mysteries to the curious, blue-eyed 1-year-old.
"He just loves to poke his fingers in those grates," Sandi Meyer said.
She watched her grandson hover near the steel bars on the floor of the depot.
Jeremiah's eyes matched Sandi's, but the little boy did not intend to let genetics sway his actions.
"Get those fingers out of there," Sandi said. "Ucky."
Jeremiah's 21-year-old mother sat just a few feet from the scene of interrupted grate exploration. Marie Eubanks looked up from a map of Amtrak's nationwide service and laughed.
Moving as fast as his still-new legs could carry him, Jeremiah abandoned the contested grate and headed for another.
"We're here to meet my husband, John. He's coming in from Aurora, Colorado. He is on the California Zephyr, but it is already an hour late," she said. "See, I'm having my baby in Clinton, Iowa."
Grandma stopped playing grate guard long enough to explain.
"Clinton is right across the river from Savanna," Sandi said. "Because of costs, Marie couldn't have her baby in Aurora. She had to come home.
"She's in prelabor right now, but she just had to come along."
Marie nodded.
"I haven't seen my husband for six weeks," she said.
Jeremiah squealed in delight as his mother passed the Amtrak map into his tiny hands.
"John is from Des Moines and I'm from Savanah and we met when I was 18," she said.
"We got married when I was 19 and moved to Clinton.
"He was guaranteed a job for two years and we packed everything up and moved there - and then everything fell through."
Marie's ponytail swayed as she shook her head.
"The kids had to move in with us for a while," Sandi said. "Things have been so tough, financially. Of course, I wish they would stay closer to us, but if the employment opportunities are in Colorado then they have to move to Colorado."
Jeremiah grabbed grandma's attention by shredding the Amtrak map. He giggled and furtively reached for the grate.
Marie's ponytail swayed.
"It's been really hard for John and I to keep up with each other's lives," she said. "We're lucky to talk to each other 10 minutes a day.
"It's been hard. I don't think John really realized how much of a family guy he was until we moved back. He talks a lot about missing his son."
Jeremiah discarded the map and made a break for one of the doors.
"We're just waiting to hear on any of the jobs John is trying for in Aurora," Marie said. "If John could just get one of those jobs that would mean a huge change for our family.
"It would be nice to be settled with No. 2 on the way."
Marie smiled.
"We know it is going to be a little girl," she said. "And we already know her name - Eleanor Elizabeth. We're going to call her Ella.
"I can't wait to see John."
Sandi laughed and smiled.
"I know exactly what she is going to say when he gets off that train," Sandi said. "She's going to grab him and say 'I love you.' And then he is going to say 'Should you even be here?'
"It'll be nice when John gets here."
Jeremiah stood near the grate, but watched his mother. The wait was almost over.