Change of Plans

Chapter Three

Chapter 3

My hand was wrapped tightly around Bryce's arm as I tugged him up the walkway to the house. I rang the doorbell once, twice, then three times before knocking furiously. When Dad finally opened it, I could tell that he had been asleep. He was dressed in his pyjama pants, a raggy college t-shirt and he was rubbing his eyes. 

"Here."

"Beth? What are you doing here?!" His eyes shot open.

"Just take your son." I nudged Bryce forward. Dad looked between Bryce and me, at a loss for words. "You promised me that he wouldn't be trouble. He cost me my flight and now I'm probably going to miss my meeting in New York," I grumbled.

"Beth, I--" 

"It's fine, Dad. Really. I have to go. If I want to make it to the meeting in time, I have to get to Hertz and rent a car before they close. It's going to be a long drive," I said, ready to leave.

A soft voice from inside the house broke in, "Beth? What are you doing here?" I looked over my dad's shoulder to find Kim padding quickly down the hall while trying to tie her robe around her revealing pyjamas. "Where's Bryce?" 

"I'm right here, Mommy," Bryce muttered from behind Dad. 

"Hey Kimmy." I waved. Here comes the interrogation.

"What happened? Is anyone hurt?! Is the flight cancelled? Was there a crash? Are you both okay?"

"There was a misunderstanding at the airport, courtesy of Bryce, here," I admitted. "I'll spare him the humiliation, but long story short, we're banned from the flight." I crossed my arms over my chest and shivered as the air nipped my skin.

"I'm so sorry, honey!" Kim squeaked and wrapped me in a hug. She pulled away only to wrap her arm around Bryce's shoulders and dragged him into the house. 

Dad grabbed his keys from the small key hanger beside the door. "Take these, sweetie." He handed them to me.

"Dad, wh--"

"Just take them. It's the least we can do. I don't want you to miss your meeting, so take my car instead of renting one. Just be careful, okay? The forecast is calling for a massive storm and I don't want you getting hurt." 

"Dad, but--"

"As for what Bryce did, I'm going to find out. And when I do, I'll see to it that he gets a fair punishment," he told me. 

I hugged him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the car, Dad. Don't be too harsh on Bry. He's just a kid, after all," I reminded.

He smiled at me and tugged up the zipper on my coat. When he smiled, I could make out the laugh lines around his eyes. He was a good-humoured man who loved to laugh, but I didn't fail to notice the countless wrinkles. With that amount at only fifty-two-years-old, I could tell that is career was definitely taking a toll on him. "Well I'd better be going. Merry Christmas, Daddy." 

"Merry Christmas, Elizabeth. Take care! Drive safe!" He wore on as I shuffled down the walkway and hopped into his BMW. I waved at Dad one last time as I drove away.

The windshield wipers beat furiously back and forth across the glass trying to clear it of the on-coming snow. I had been driving for four hours now and I'd just barely passed Buffalo. The snow was coming down hard, sometimes turning into hail and back to snow again. When the news forecaster said that this blizzard would be extreme, that was an understatement! I could barely see two meters in front of the car and the headlights weren't helping. 

I inhaled and smelled the lovely, mouthwatering smell of McDonald's fries and Big Mac I had picked up just before leaving Toronto. Feeling my stomach grumble, I reached my right hand into the brown paper bag sitting on the passenger seat to pull out some fries. In a second, my left hand slipped off the steering wheel. The car spun wildly out of control, sliding across patches of fresh ice. My body lurched forward, my head striking roughly against the steering wheel.

Then everything went black.