The Melting Snow

It was a warm morning, and something I was about to find would change my life forever. The snow was just beginning to melt and the birds were returning to their spring home. I had been on my way to class in my usual hurried pace when I stepped on something buried deep in the winter snow and planted face first in the ground.

"Ouch," I exclaimed, picking myself up off the ground. "Ugh, my clothes are soaked! What am I going to do, I've got class in a few minutes, my dorms on the other side of campus, and the professor hates when we are late!" I began to panic in my usual fashion, pacing back and forth wasting even more time.

"Nice fall, I give it a 9 out of ten," said a voice behind me.

"Yeah well my clothes are going to need to go through ten washes before I get this mud out of my jacket.” It had rained last night and what snow had melted now mixed in a muddy slush.

“I’m not sure about that, you might have to try twelve for good measure.”

 I had finally collected myself and looked up at the voice who had been speaking. It was Mike, I knew Mike from a couple of my classes, we were both planning to go into the same field. However this was the first time I had ever spoken to him as he was usually surrounded by his usual crowd that seemed to circle him like a god. I quickly began to grab my things and tried to dash knowing that if his crew showed up I would get laughed all the way back to my hometown.

As I scurried away the voice rang out again, “Hey, you forgot your…” I was gone before I heard the end of the sentence.

I rushed into class still soaking and covered in mud and quickly took my seat in the corner of the room. I scavenged for my books in my mud covered bag and got them out mere seconds before the professor arrived.

“Great, another long boring lecture,” I said to no one in particular.

I few more classes passed before I had a chance to head home and get out of the mud covered clothes. I quickly changed into a hoodie and some warm jeans and headed back out ready to face the second half of another monotonous day. How little I knew about what was in store for me. 

About half way through afternoon classes I ran into Mike again. It was obvious he tried to speak to me, but I cowered against the side of the hallway as his posse practically pushed him down the hall. I caught him look back as if he wanted to talk to me, but I pushed it off and hurried to my next class.

After my last class I headed to my dorms to grab my skis. I’d been skiing since about the time I was four and it was a major reason I decided to move out to Colorado for college. My family had always taken ski trips every year and towards the end of my teenage years it was just about the only time my parents weren’t fighting. For me the slopes were where dreams came true and life was pure bliss.

I gathered my stuff and headed towards the lifts from the town to the slopes, beginning the long monotonous trek from lift to lift before I eventually reached the top. I had just gotten off the first lift and was in line for the second when the voice slid into line next to me. I pretended not to notice him as he looked over my way. Luck for me this was a two person lift and he got stuck on the lift behind me, or so I thought.

“Hey bro, do you mind if I  go ahead of you, my sister is stuck up on the summit and she’s kinda freaking out.”

“Yeah, sure thing.” They began to switch places as I realized I wouldn’t be able to avoid the awkward conversation about my earlier fall any longer.

Luckily he didn’t say anything until we were already on the lift. As the lift began to slide closer we slid up to the line.

“I don’t have a sister,” I suddenly heard beside me, “you just rushed off earlier and you left your necklace. It was hooked on the stump you tripped over. I saw it peeking out of the snow as you took off.”

“I wasn’t wearing a necklace, did you bring it with you?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He began to pull it out of his pocket. “ Are you sure it’s not yours, it's rather nice actually.”

It was stunning, the whole thing seemed to shimmer against the snowy background and the white glistening diamonds inlaid in an ornate circle around the whole thing were much more than I could ever have dreamed about or afforded.

“Ha, I wish that was mine, it’s stunning.”

“You keep it then I have no need for a necklace.”

“Are you sure it I feel like we should try to find it’s owner.”

“Good luck with that, if it’s not yours it probably been buried in the snow since the beginning of winter. Who’s ever it is has probably all but forgotten about it.”

“Yeah maybe you’re right.”

He began to pass it to me when the lift came to a sudden stop and sure enough the necklace went flying off the lift into the snowy abyss below.

“No! I’m so sorry I’m a major clutz,” he exclaimed.

“Don’t worry about it we can just go find it, the snows almost gone here it probably won’t be that hard.”

“Yeah sure, let’s look for a white shiny object in a hay stack of white shiny snow… easy.”

The lift began again and we slowly continued on towards our destination at the top of the mountain.

“I’ll race you down,” I yelled at Mike as I began to race towards the fallen necklace.

“Yeah right, I’ve been skiing all my life there’s no way you are beating me.”

“We’ll see about that Mr. Popularity.”

Mike stumbled and slowed down almost in shock, but I was going to fast to notice. I reached the bottom and began to pop off my skis as Mike finally arrived.

“Told ya you wouldn’t beat me, Mr. Popularity.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? You’re always surrounded by your minions”

“They’re not my minions, they just want to use me to meet my brother.”

“Who’s your brother?”

“He was star of the football team here a few years ago and they all kiss up to me just hoping to meet him.”

“Your brother was Nathan Hess?”

“Yeah… All they do is follow me around angling for an invitation to meet him. I hate it! I haven’t had any time to myself since I got here. Other than my time on the slopes.”

“Wow, I had no idea. That sucks, but it can’t really be that bad to be that popular. You are constantly surrounded by people who are complementing you and praising you. It seems like life.”

“It is when they do it for you. I love having friends, but they aren’t my friends, they're just using me. Most of my friends don’t even speak to me anymore because of them.”

“Ouch, I’ll be your friend, and I swear it’s not because of you brother!”

“Ha, thanks.” He began to search for the necklace, obviously not believing me.

“I promise, up till a few minutes ago I thought you were some pompous popular dude that thought he was above everyone else.”

“Oh wow, thank you so much, I feel so honored.”

“I’m not joking, but you’re actually really sweet and kind, and care about other people. You don’t deserve fake friends, you deserve people who truly care about you.”

He broke down into tears and I walked over to sit next to him.

“Listen to me you are perfect how you are, you don’t need all those phonies to be popular or loved. You’ve got me now and I’m willing to bet just about anyone would be overjoyed to be your friend. Not because of your brother, but because of you.”

“Thanks, I haven’t had someone truly care about me in a while.”

“Well get ready cause I’m not going anywhere,” I laughed as we sat there in the glistening snow. “You’re stuck with me.” 

He layed his head on my shoulder and slowly we watched the sun set over the college campus as all our troubles seemed to fade away.

No, we didn’t find the necklace. I found something much better, love. It’s been twenty years and I still remember the day we found love in the melting snow.