Snowfall [ h.s ]

four

f o u r

Long before I rolled the car into the drive way, I'd accepted my fate. The sun no longer peeked out from behind the clouds, having been replaced by a moonless night. Along with the light, any trace of warmth seemed to have vanished as well, leaving me a shivering mess in a flannel button-up and a t-shirt. A very annoyed, frustrated and hopeless shivering mess. Had the afternoon gone as planned, I'd already be tucked away in bed, laptop at the ready, editing and re-touching my most recent snapshots. The simple thought of the warmth and comfort of my bed sent a wave a dread through me.

I was so dead.  

My black grease covered fingers uncurled themselves from the steering wheel, leaving slick finger marks, and grabbed hold of the keys pulling them out in one swift movement efficiently cutting the engine. Immediately, my head connected with the leather of the steering wheel, a long groan escaping cracked lips, my eyes closing on their own accord. I was tired, I was hungry and I was cold. I felt like kicking the ventilation system, praying that maybe the heater would magically come to life, but my Volkswagen has had a tough night too. 

          "I should sell you," I muttered blindly into the empty cab, hoping that voicing out my frustrations would calm the tirade of angry emotions. 

It didn't. 

In retrospect it was my own fault. I'd avoided using the car for weeks because of the suspicious noises coming from the engine every time I took her out for a spin. I figured it was due to the fact that I hadn't sent her to the garage for a check up in almost two months. But of course, this morning it blissfully slipped my mind, which is how I ended up on the side of the rode, minus a cell and a dead car battery.

After a solid hour of violently turning the keys in the ignition, muttering words of encouragement to my car, I finally gave up deciding it was a total and complete waste of time. Of course, standing on the side of the depressingly unpopulated road for another hour didn't exactly make up for lost time. It wasn't until half an hour later that someone took pity on me and pulled over offering me their jumper cables. I must have looked pathetic to the man - he'd introduced himself as Jefferey- but he helped me out anyways. And now here I was, almost four hours late to supper and no one but myself to blame. 

Brilliant. 

          "Better late than never." I mumbled as I stepped out of the safety of the vehicle. 

All the lights were off, which was never a good sign. That meant my aunt and uncle were asleep. I thought about texting Lizzie, until I remembered my missing mobile. The air was icy and still, my breath coming out in white puffs of smoke as I clumsily made my way to the back steps. Having rolled down the sleeves of my flannel shirt, my arms were semi protected against the numbing temperature. It was September for crying out loud! Pieces of my hair fell into my eyes, but I refused to unwrap my arms from around myself. How could such a warm beautiful day take such a drastic turn? I was half expecting snow to fall from the sky at any given moment. 

Finding the doorknob with difficulty, I pulled myself closer to the door. For a few beats I stood there, my fingers wrapped around the frozen piece of metal, eyes screwed shut, praying to every God I knew the name of that they'd forgotten to lock the back door. 

Turning the knob painfully slow, my prayers were answered with a short click as the door swung open. 

The first thing I noticed was how deliciously warm the kitchen was. For several minutes I did nothing but stand and enjoy the way my fingers all regained feeling. The mouthwatering smell lingering in the air from supper came after, and the realization that it was pitch black came last. The entire kitchen was bathed in a thick layer of darkness, so dark that I couldn't even see my own toes. I contemplated going back out and coming in through the front, where the porch light turned on automatically, but decided against it. My aunt was not going to be too pleasant if I woke her from her sleep, especially not after I missed supper. But in reality, I was screwed either way. I was just buying myself a few extra hours by coming in through the back door.