High C

20. And Comfy Cozy Are We

"What an idiot! I am so sorry," he apologized, rushing over to help her tidy up.

"That's okay, I've got it," she said, moving her safe measurements out of the way.

"Let me help."

"Just hold out your hands," she said.

So earnest was his regret that as she fussily used the leafy top of the carrot as a broom to sweep cocoa powder all over his hands he didn't realize she was messing with him until she started giggling.

"I see," he said, cracking a surprised smile.

Two more quick dust strokes to sprinkle powder on his shoes were emphasised with playful eyebrow raises.

God, he wanted to kiss her.

Suddenly, there the thought was. Then again, maybe not so suddenly, he knew DeeDee was the girl for him.

Down boy, he thought. Danger. Off-limits. For now, anyway.

She liked him, didn't she? He couldn't get her not to. But would she be interested romantically? He had to try. Naturally, after her sister explained everything to her, she'd be fair game. Maybe even a little impressed? Too impressed to be sore, he hoped. And her parents would get over it, wouldn't they? Maybe a little chocolate had gotten up his nose and into his brain, but surely they would have learned their lesson about dictating their daughters' love lives and welcome him, well, if not exactly with open arms, then with fewer threats of disinheritance. Once a person sleeps over and uses the shower and meets the neighbours, don't they sort of have a pass?

"All right. Go steal your potato salad," DeeDee dismissed him.

Bob reached for a shortbread instead and backed out of the kitchen as if retreating from royalty. Four o'clock felt very far away.

******

"Sure you don't want to come?" DeeDee asked.

"No, you two go," Natasha said. "I'm just going to make a few phone calls as they start shutting down. We can get going when you're done."

"Great!" Bob said, a little too enthusiastically.

The last train ride had not sold out and there were as many adults in pairs and groups as there were those with children. DeeDee and Bob settled for easy seats in the train's caboose, planning to avoid the last lineup for a Santa who probably wanted to get out of there.

The train moved like it was pulling out slowly, the hissing sound of brakes or steam or whatever it was supposed to be powering them to the North Pole. Outside the window, the city rolled by, the projected sky dulled to the appropriate grey of the late afternoon to mimic what was happening outside. As the ride picked up speed, the train rocked evenly. City scenes became separated by blurred browns and greens and just when one might have thought they were the next major city over, a loud, merry whistle blew and a voice over the PA announced that everyone should fasten their seatbelts because "portals tend to be bouncy."

The ride seemed to lift up as if taking off. Passengers in the front of each car rose at slightly crazier angles than those at the back. It was as though the train was flying through a night sky with odd flashes of colourful lights, undulating with turbulence before settling down to swerve through a snowy mountainous region.

"How about that, folks? Made it to the Rockies in less than five minutes. Let's have some refreshments and enjoy the scene before we blast off to Alaska!"

DeeDee and Bob declined their servers, not wanting them to work any harder than they had to.

Once the train had run out of Rockies, hot chocolate cups were cleared, and with a friendly warning from the unseen conductor, the ride rose again in take-off position. It appeared as if they were flying over Alaskan terrain. A heard of reindeer grew smaller and smaller until another portal spit them out to where they were surrounded by lights of the Aurora Borealis.