First Fall

My pen friend from another country came to visit me today. I picked her up from the airport in my battered old convertable, the heater working just enough to keep us safe from frostbite.

“Do you think it will snow?” she asked as soon as she got in the front seat beside me. She had never seen snowfall before so I could understand her enthusiasm.

I personally hate winters. The cold gets to me, I always have a runny nose and my sore throat prohibits ice cream consumption. Further, I detest freezing my fingers off shoveling snow off the driveway and despise the extra work needed to put snow trackers on the car tyres.

But she looked so eager to see the little specks of frozen water, I couldn’t help but allow a small smile to form on my face.

“Maybe.” I said looking at the grey skies. It was a terribly dull evening, dark and cloudy, the road illuminated by yellow headlights and bylanes with half hearted Christmas decorations. My friend was dressed in bright colours, as though trying to compensate for all the grey, with splashes of red and yellow all over her coat and tall boots.

“It’s always warm in my country.” she said between shivers. I realized that her jacket, though lovely to look at, did little to keep her warm. I shrugged off my own and gave it to her.

“Thanks.” she said gratefully putting on the larger garment. I was almost sorry when the brown faux fur covered her bright coat. It was as though, I had subdued her light. I needn’t have worried however, because her energy was back in an instant.

“It’s Christmas tomorrow!” she said happily, taking out her phone to text her Mum.

“And my brother’s birthday.”

“Is his name Jesus?” I asked sardonically.

She laughed, clearly missing the sarcasm. “No, his name is Max. He’s only twelve, and I miss him.” she said as she typed.

The signal turned red and I stopped the car, squirming around in my seat to look at her.

“What will you take back for Max?” I asked noticing her flushed face, and chattering teeth. If only I’d earned a bit more during summer break, I could afford to replace the car’s heating system.

The signal changed to green, and I pressed the accelerator, eager to snatch my eyes away from her discomfort and my guilt.

“Lots of gifts, he loves Hollywood and baseball, so that’s convenient.” she said with a smile as she tried to hide her shivers. The cold was getting to her and I wanted nothing more than to rush her home, hand her hot chocolate and pile all our blankets on her. But it would be midnight by the time we reached, and I hoped she would be okay.

“I really hope it snows.” she said blowing into her hands and rubbing them together. “It’s warmer when it snows.”

Impulsively, I swerved into a Chinese takeway restuarant and ordered the hottest items I could find. I produced some money, the remainder of my student loan, and handed it to the lady at the counter.

“Don’t you think it’s too much?” she asked when the lady handed her a huge bagful of inexpensive warmth.

“No.” I said, feeling better now that she was surrounded by noodles and soup. “Start eating, you must be hungry.”

She peeled open a pack of dumplings and stuffed one in my mouth.

“These are good.” she announced as I struggled to clear my mouth to speak. “Thanks.”

I swallowed and forced myself to look at the road, more so because I found a speck of sauce right beside her lips.

She is your friend.

“Thanks for coming to see me.” I said stiffly after a while.

She stopped eating to stare at me. “Don’t thank me, you’re the one who’s letting me crash at their place during the Christmas holidays.”

“Nah, you’re away from your family, stuck with me in this cold godforsaken place.” I said shaking my head. “I think you got the shorter end of the straw.”

She yawned, stretching out her legs and leaning on the door.

“I got you as my pen friend.” she said looking out of the window. “I got the best.”

My face turned hot as I continued to drive. A blush crept over my cheeks and neck as I tried to keep myself staring at the road. By the time I garnered the courage to look at her again, she was fast asleep.

I drove diligently, pausing only at crossings to sneak a peek at her. She looked like an angel, as she dreamt, surrounded by cooling takeway food and covered in my old jacket. I wondered what she was dreaming about. Was she thinking of home? Her family, her little brother, the Christmas dinner?

The night dragged on and the stars popped out. The sky felt heavy now, as we neared my address.

“Melissa,” I called softly after I shut down the engine. “Melissa, wake up, we’re home.”

She stirred and looked around disoriented. “Is it snowing?” she asked innocently.

I have never wished for snow this much before.

I shook my head at her words and helped her out, stopping short as something soft and white fell like cotton candy and onto my palm.

There was no mistaking it. I stared up at the skies and followed a tiny speck as it dwindled in the air. It danced in the light wind, twirling, and flowing loftily before coming to a soft halt.

The snowflake landed on her nose. All I wanted to do at that point was tell her. Tell her so many things. But it seemed she wanted to do something different.

“You have a snowflake on your brow.” she said, reaching up to wipe something off.

Her cold fingers touched my flushed skin and for a single moment, all I could see and feel was her: her smile, her eyes, her touch and then all too soon it was gone.

She distanced herself and looked up at me as though afraid I would have pushed her away if she hadn’t moved of her own accord.

“You have one on your nose.” I said closing in on the space between us. She bit her lip nervously as I gently lifted the snowflake off her nose and showed it to her.

“If you look under a microscope, you’ll see be able to see a unique pattern.” I said sagely.

She laughed, clear and cymbal like lighting up the night. I glanced at my watch, and sure enough, it was midnight.

“Merry Christmas.” I said simply, frozen not by the cold. “Guess it snowed after all.”

“Guess it did.” she said, still standing far away. “Merry Christmas.”

It’s too soon. It’s not even been twenty-four hours.

And yet…

My heart is already hers.

“Shall we go inside?” she asked shaking me out of my thoughts. Her eyes met mine, and for as long as our gaze held, I could tell her heart was beating in tune with mine.

“Yes.” I said with a smile. “Let’s go.”