Winter's Gift

The office was in absolute chaos. People ran in all directions, trying to complete weeks of work in two days. Not only that, but the mother of all snowstorms would be overhead in less than twelve hours. 

“I should have left yesterday,” Alex Nelson said to himself. “But no, I had to be nice and help settle the Stafford account.”

Alex shook his head and concentrated on finishing the last of his correspondence before leaving the office. He glanced out his office window and saw that the sky was still a non-threatening bluish-gray. 

At least the snow hasn't started yet.  

Alex considered that to be the one positive thing about today. 

He was supposed to have already returned home to Savannah, Georgia. He traveled to the home office in Wisconsin to help out over the holiday season. He also used the opportunity to visit his family. Alex was rarely here this long, and he was paying for his delay. Flights for the next two days had been canceled, and he was stuck here for at least that long. He was just sliding his laptop into its bag when he heard someone call his name. Alex rolled his eyes, then put his coat on.

Here we go again, he thought.

Despite his annoyance, Alex plastered a smile on his face as he turned to greet his brother.

“Hey, Brad. What’s up?”

Bradley Nelson was the man women pictured when describing their ideal partner. Brad was tall, broad-shouldered, and always dressed to impress. His blond hair and ice-blue eyes only enhanced an already impressive specimen. 

Alex was not an unattractive man. He was an inch or two shorter than Brad but not as broad. 

Alex’s dark brown hair and eyes, along with his light stubble, inspired people to call Alex ruggedly handsome.  

But when standing next to Brad, Alex, and anyone else, for that matter, suffered by comparison. 

“Just wanted to remind you about Christmas at Mom’s.” 

Alex nodded.

“I have not forgotten.”

He looked out the window again and sighed as he slipped his computer bag over his shoulder.  

“There is a good chance I will be there, considering I won't be leaving town. At least, not for a while.”

Brad smiled. 

“Mom will be happy to have you there. You know she loves to have everyone at home for Christmas.”

Alex swallowed his initial response and replied, “Yes, I know.”

Brad clapped Alex on the shoulder as they walked toward the elevator.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Jessica said that she was coming.”

Alex froze for a moment, then resumed walking. 

“Is that so,” Alex asked.

Brad nodded.

“Yes. Mom told me she saw Jessica the other day, and they talked.”

The elevator doors opened as they approached. 

The two brothers entered, and Alex pressed the close door button so that he and Brad could speak privately.

“They talked about what,” Alex insisted.

Brad slipped his hands into his jacket pockets and leaned against the elevator wall.

“The fact that Jessica is no longer engaged.”

Alex was taken aback.

“What? When did this happen?”

Brad shook his head.

“It isn’t my story to tell.”

Alex wanted to be angry at his brother. He was holding Jessica over his head to get him to come over for Christmas. But in truth, Alex wanted to see her. He and Jessica Hart had dated off and on in high school and during their first year of college but had parted ways. They were still good friends, and they occasionally went out together. But that ended when Jessica got engaged to Lee Murray. Lee was an okay guy, but he was very possessive of Jessica. Lee was never comfortable with the fact that Alex and Jessica had dated before and were still fairly close. To prevent any potential problems, Alex had chosen to minimize his contact with Jessica. This had been the state of things for the past three years, and Alex had assumed everything was okay between them.

“That’s too bad,” Alex said.

Brad laughed.

“Yes, you sound broken up about it.”

Alex gave Brad the finger as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. 

“I do feel bad for Jessica. Lee can go to hell.”

Brad shook his head as they left the elevator and headed to the door. Alex pressed a button on his key fob to start the Jeep’s engine

“Well, Jessica will be there. She can tell you what happened.”

Alex ground his teeth in frustration.

“I will think about it,” he said after a long moment.

Brad opened the front door, and the frigid air nearly drove them back into the building.

Alex shielded his eyes against the biting wind.

Brad said, “Be careful going home. If the wind is already kicking this much, I think that storm will be here sooner than the forecast predicted.”

Alex nodded.

“I will. I’m only going to the store for a few things, then heading home.” 

Brad hugged Alex’s shoulder. 

“See you at Mom’s,” he asked.

“Maybe,” Alex replied. 

The brothers parted ways, and Alex walked to his jeep as quickly as he dared. Ice was always a danger, especially if you could not see it.

Alex opened and quickly closed the driver’s door, relishing the hot air that greeted him.

He drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the street. As he merged into traffic, he saw dump trucks spreading salt onto the street behind him. Cars stayed far behind it to avoid the flying salt crystals. Alex smiled as he drove toward the grocery store. 

“Hopefully, they will be well past me by the time I am done at the store,” he said to himself.

As the store came into view, Alex saw that the parking lot was full. People were rushing in and out of the building with almost frantic speed. 

“Not today,” Alex said as he drove toward home.

Alex swallowed the last of his beer and sighed contentedly. 

He had cooked a simple dinner of broiled chicken, jasmine rice and broccoli. Alex watched a hockey game as he ate. He nearly dumped his plate on the floor several times as he reacted to a score or a bad call by the refs. The home team was down by two goals, and he turned the TV off with just over three minutes left. 

“Better luck next time, guys,” he said as he picked up the plate and empty bottle. 

He rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. 

After turning it on, he dropped the bottle into the recycling bin and took another beer from the fridge. Alex walked back into the living room and looked out the window. 

Snow fell steadily, but the wind had stopped blowing as fiercely as earlier. Alex opened the beer and took a few swallows. He stepped away from the window and over to his desk. He opened his laptop computer and began checking his email. His emails held nothing important, so he scanned his social media. He had only been scrolling for a few minutes when he came across a picture of himself, Brad, Brad’s girlfriend at the time, and Jessica.

They were in San Diego visiting another mutual friend. Alex smiled at the memory. They had such a great time that they wanted to make this an annual event. That was the year that Jessica had met her now ex-fiance, Lee. Alex’s smile faded as he remembered how little he saw Jessica while she had been with Lee. Alex shook his head. 

“Three years wasted,” he said aloud.

Are you angry at Lee or yourself that you wasted that time by not being with Jessica?

 The thought was so sudden that Alex looked around the room to ensure he was alone. 

“Where the hell did that come from?”

Alex shook his head to clear it and drained the rest of his beer in one long pull. 

I better get to bed before I start having more deep conversations with myself, he thought as he placed the bottle in the recycle bin.

Alex was up before the sun rose the next day. Most days, Alex would sleep until at least eight since he did not have to get to work until nine-thirty. Alex wanted to go to the market early to beat the rush he knew would come later. Alex poured coffee into a travel mug and added cream and sugar. He capped the mug and grabbed his thick leather coat from over the chair where he left it. Alex slipped it on as he walked out the door. Snow had piled up to his knees, and getting to the Jeep took some effort. Alex engaged the four-wheel drive before he backed out of the driveway. The oversized tires made short work of the snow in the driveway. He even rumbled over the pile of snow left by the snowplows at the end of the driveway. Alex saw that the main roads were cleared of snow and mostly empty of other cars.  

“Most sane people are still in bed,” he said.

The trip to the store was uneventful. Alex jogged inside and nodded a greeting to the few employees who were already there. 

He grabbed a shopping cart and started down the aisles. Alex made sure to stock up on water, non-perishables, and, of course, toilet paper. 

As he made his way to the self-checkout, he saw a familiar profile—a taller woman with dark blonde hair pulled through the back of a dark blue baseball cap. 

It can't be. 

Alex watched the woman as she turned toward the produce. It was then that he saw her face. 

Jessica.

Alex knew he could not just stare at her, so he approached her.

When she heard Alex coming, Jessica looked up and said, “Hey, Alex. It's been a while.”

Alex could not help but smile as he said, “It has. How have you been?”

Jessica’s face clouded as she replied, “I’ve been ok. What about you? I thought you would have been on vacation by now. You usually run from this arctic hell during the holidays.”

Alex chuckled.

“True. I did a favor for someone, and the weather shut my plans down for the next few days.”

Jessica tucked her hair behind her ear as she said, “I’m sorry about that.”

Alex waved off her words.

“It’s cool. No good deed goes unpunished.”

They laughed, and then Jessica said, “Since you are still in town, will you be going to your mom’s house for Christmas?”

“I have been thinking about it. It’s been a while since I have been there this time of year.”

Jessica leaned on her shopping cart. 

“Brad invited me, and I think I will be going. I have the time now that Lee and I aren’t together anymore.”

Although Alex was aware of this, he chose to play dumb.

“Oh man, what happened?”

Jessica said, “It’s a long story, and I’m sure we both want to get home before the storm starts again.”

Alex glanced out the large display window and nodded.

Jessica touched Alex’s hand.

“It was great to see you. Hopefully, I will see you at Mom’s.”

Alex nodded.

“Count on it. See you then.”

Jessica walked away, and Alex headed to the checkouts. 

The days passed quickly. Alex busied himself with last-minute shopping and keeping up with events in Savannah. He could not help but be envious of the sixty-degree temperatures they were having. Alex slipped his boots on and then looked in the mirror. 

He wore a simple but, more importantly, warm outfit. Khaki pants went with a long-sleeved green shirt and a thermal top underneath. Snow had been falling off and on since the morning he had seen Jessica. The streets were cleared on Christmas Eve, but a thin layer had already formed on the road. Alex pressed the button on his key fob to start the Jeep. Alex put on his coat and gathered a bag with some gifts he bought. Alex walked out the front door and into the light snowfall.

He got into the Jeep and put the gifts in the passenger seat. Alex then closed the door and backed out of the driveway. As Alex started towards his mother’s house, he said, “Let’s get this over with.”

Alex savored the hot apple cider. It was his favorite holiday drink, and he felt that his mother made the best version of it. 

He walked toward the kitchen to refill his cup when he heard someone being welcomed. When Alex returned to the living room, he saw that Jessica had arrived.

His mother, Anna Nelson, wrapped her in a hug. The sight made Alex smile. Anna always went out of her way to make Jessica feel like a family member.  As Alex moved toward them, Brad slid next to him.

“Aren't you glad you came,” he asked with a knowing smile.

Alex smiled back.

“Yes, I am. I was heading over to say hi.”

Brad held his hands up and backed away.

“Don't let me stand in your way, Romeo.”

Alex gave Brad a light shove.

Before Brad could retaliate, Jessica and Anna approached them.

“Look who’s here,” Anna said, gently pushing Jessica towards Brad and Alex.

“Hey, Jess,” Brad said, hugging her.

Alex hugged her as well, saying, “It’s great to see you again.”

Anna stood back and watched.

“It has been too long since all of you have been here for Christmas.”

“She’s right, you know,” Jessica said. “We stay so busy that we don’t make time for things like this.”

Brad nodded.

“Life tends to get in the way. Right, little bro?”

Alex glanced at Brad, then said, “Yes, but I will try not to let that happen as often.”

Alex looked at Jessica as he spoke.

Brad walked over to Anna and said, “I thought I saw Uncle Vince. Let’s say hi.”

Anna smiled and walked with Brad.

Jessica and Alex said nothing for a few moments. 

Alex then said, “So, what happened with you and Lee? I understand if you don't want to talk about it.”

“It’s ok,” she said. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

Alex motioned to the den.

“No one has come in here much since Dad passed away.”

Jessica touched Alex’s arm in sympathy as they walked. 

They entered the den, and Alex partially closed the door. 

Jessica sat in one of the leather chairs facing the fireplace.

“Should I light a fire? It’s a gas fireplace, so it's no big deal.”

Jessica nodded.

“Yes, please.” 

Alex turned on the gas and lit the fire.

He then sat in the chair across from Jessica.

“You don't have to talk about it, really,” Alex said.

Jessica dismissed his words with a wave.

“If I owe anyone an explanation, it's you.” 

Jessica shifted in the chair, and she spoke.

“You know that Lee was a bit possessive and jealous. He took it to a whole new level after we moved in together. He never wanted me to go out with my girlfriends. He was convinced that we were going to hook up with guys. After over three years, I never gave him any reason to suspect me. He could not deal with the fact that I had other people in my life.”

Alex nodded, not wanting to interrupt.

“Lee proposed to me six months before we broke up. He suddenly relaxed his hold. He let me go out with no arguments. He even offered us rides to and from where we were going. Honestly, it was the best time in our relationship.” 

Alex did speak then.

“What happened?”

Jessica sighed.

“I went to college and consider myself pretty smart. But I was as stupid as I could have been during those six months.” 

Alex reached over and took her hand. 

“You are far from stupid. Please don't do this to yourself.”  

Jessica stared at the fire.

“You might change your mind after I tell you the rest of the story.”

Alex shifted to sit at her feet and looked her in the eyes.

“Never,” he said.

Jessica smiled and squeezed Alex’s hand. 

“Lee had met someone else. A woman named Rhonda who lived in Chicago.”

“They started chatting online and then meeting up whenever they could. I took Lee’s truck to work one day because my car was in the shop. I saw a credit card receipt for a restaurant in Chicago on the passenger seat. Her name was printed at the bottom.”

Alex said, “You don't have to say anything else. I can figure out what came next.”

Jessica wiped a tear from her eye.

“I thought we were doing so well; we had turned a corner, and things would be fine. But he was keeping me happy so he could have a fling.”

Jessica wiped another tear and then faced Alex.

“It still hurts, and I am not quite over it, but I am glad it happened before we married.”

Alex nodded.

“I might sound like a jerk, but I’m also glad of that. It would have been much harder to end things after you said, ‘I do.’”

“You were never a jerk. I should have appreciated that more when I had the chance.”

Jessica’s fingers interlocked with Alex’s.

Alex cleared his throat.

“I am always here for you. Anytime you want to talk, have drinks, or whatever.”

Jessica said, “But you live in Savannah. That’s pretty far just to have a drink.”

Alex laughed.

“I’m heading back after Christmas. You could come with me and have that drink. It’s a much shorter commute that way.”

Jessica laughed.

“I just may take you up on that. I need a change of scenery. Even just for a little while.”

Alex stood up and pulled Jessica with him.

“What if it's for more than a little while,” he asked.

“I might like that,” Jessica said.