Snow that never melts

The lamp is burnin' low upon my tabletop

The snow is softly fallin'

The air is still in the silence of my room

I hear your voice softly callin'

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter's night with you...             

Arthur started singing. His voice was trembling he didn’t even know why exactly! because the weather was cold or because of old age or because of crying. He wanted to sing without showing his feelings or at least his real feelings. He should be happy singing this song. Especially since this song is his and Carol for more than 60 years.

He closed his eyes and continued to sing and started dancing slowly… And for the first time, he hated being with Carol…. for the first time in 60 years. He doesn't like to see his love in a wheelchair looking at him with an empty glaze without knowing who he is.

He closes his eyes because he can't accept the idea that he's dancing alone on this song now. He closes his eyes so that he does not see the ugly reflection of the old man in the mirror of the closet in front of him.

He is now an elderly man who is unable to sing, to dance. He is nothing but a lonely person ... Even in her existence, he is lonely. Carol doesn't know him anymore ...After all these years he is a stranger, unable to win her little warm heart again… He put his back on the wall and the memory went back to that night.

That night in 1952, when he met Carol by chance for the first time in the skating mountains in Ayn Dreham, Tunisia, and how he bribed her little brother Sidney to get away to be allowed to meet her in private and sing to her:

If I could know within my heart

That you were lonely too

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

Upon this winter night with you

That night, Carol was swaying and laughing... He opened his eyes and returned to reality after 60 years... He approached her and

 sings the same passage to her. Once, twice … but she looked at him with fear .. she is not the same Carol. He did not know what to do, he started singing again and dancing like a fool until he fell on the ground … He started laughing hysterically so that the situation did not seem strange and pitiful. And then approached her to put his trembling head on her legs and stuck to the wheelchair. then began to cry. Carol didn't know what to do, she raised her head and looked around, she wanted to understand what was happening her glaze was asking for help. But the house was completely empty, with no one but Arthur, who, after 60 years, became a stranger, too.

Arthur got up slowly and then went to the room where they spent all their memory, where they laughed and lived their best moments.

He entered the room and opened the wooden closet and took out a book then returned to his wife in joy like a little child who lost his mother in the market and suddenly found her.

He sat next to her pretending he didn't fall like an idiot in front of her a few minutes ago, she won't remember it in all cases. He sat next to her and started reading:

“ Dear diary, I'm Carol again .it has been a while... finally I overcame my miserable life with that asshole Dunolde, now I feel so much better, I feel like I'm really a 19-year-old girl, and I love my life. Yesterday was my trip to Tunisia. Traveling half a globe was very tiring, but I met that boy. Arthur... It's true that he is being silly over me but I loved that he is trying to impress me, I can’t resist his long wavy hair. His square face and the beauty of his eyes. I don't know exactly what color they are. I hope to see him again tomorrow in ayn Draham. Even though I'm not a ski fan, but seeing him again worths a try. I'm so happy…”

Arthur closed the diary, kissed her hands, and raised his face to her, and said, "I'm Arthur, Wrinkles covered my eyes but they are still beautiful ... I hope so.., and by the way, they are blue. And please don't be bothered too much because of my baldness because my long black hair was attacked by lice so I had to cut it all ...and, You're Carol, and let me tell you a fact about you, every day you are prettier than ever".

She smiled at him, held his head in her hands, passed her hand over his head, then said, "I doubt the hair will grow here again". and laughed.

Arthur got down on his knees and said, "Do you want to go on a date with me? I've arranged a meeting for us in a beautiful place. It called ain drahem" ...

 -----

Hours later that night, Carol slept after Arthur carried her to her bed. He must spend the night in the living room. For 60 years he sleeps only with her and now she must be alone so she doesn't be afraid when she wakes up at night and finds a stranger next to her…" And who won’t be afraid waking up and finding the 80-year-old ugly man next to him?” Arthur wondered.

He went to the kitchen and made coffee, ignoring its side effects. All he was thinking about was to pack the bags before sleeping. He should be on the plane to Tunisia in less than 24 hours. He took out a picture of his pocket. A picture of his first meeting with Carol and her stupid brother Sednay licking his finger.

For the first time, He did not look at Sednay with disgust but felt a bond that brought both of them together. The doctor said that his love Carol had a maximum of a month to live. Sednay will be the last reminder of Carol..” I can improve my relationship with him now. After 60 years. It's all right.. 60 years is nothing ..” Arthur said.

60 years with Carol has never been a long time...

. He looked at the picture again, trying to think of clothes to put on in Tunisia, similar to the ones they wore when they first met. That might help Carol’s memory. He put the clothes in the suitcase .then slept, woke up, slept, woke up, slept, woke up, slept…..

He had to control Carol's health every while, everywhere, in the house, On the plane, and in Tunisia. Until they reached the Mountains of Ain Drahm.

 They wore ski clothes .. Carol in her wheelchair stood next to her Arthur in front of the same hill where they met before 60 years ago… he Closed his eyes and hold her hand. This time he didn't feel stupid, he felt the same touch of the hand, the same air, the same place, the same love, the same Carol.

He took the picture out of his pocket and gave it to Carol. She looked at it for minutes, Until a tear fell from her eye on the picture, Arthur took it and hid it in his pocket. In a month, that picture will be everything he has . he doesn't want anything to happen to it.

He carried Carol out of her wheelchair, sat her in front of him on the skateboard, held her on the board, and then sat behind her. He put his hands around her waist and began to sing:

If I could only have you near

To breathe a sigh or two

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

And to be once again with you

To be once again with you.

Then he kissed her shoulder and approached her ear and whispered “I love you”. Carol spoke and said, "I don't know who you are, but I'm sure that I love you”.

Arthur moved the skateboard with his leg and rushed laughing from the top of the hill with the snow’s spray covering their faces. Here we are again in 1952…