The Holiday Blizzard

I walk out of the Aspen county airport to see snow on the ground and continually snowing down with one of those carts that have gray carpet on the bottom, except this one has one giant stain in the middle of the carpet. How do you get a stain on a luggage cart? Also, I had to choose the only one with a jammed wheel. I wouldn’t even need this stupid thing if it wasn’t it being the holidays and my mother insisting I come home for a bit after my fiancé, who also happens to be my boss dumped me. I stand freezing on the little sidewalk trying to wave down a cab. Each and everyone keeps passing me because who wants someone with a cart full of luggage, which would cause them to actually get out, open their trunk, and put a couple of cases of luggage away. I stand out there for about 10 more minutes before a cab pulls up in front of me. The driver gets out and walks up to me. He’s around my age. Has messy brown hair that is now topped in snow, hazel eyes, and is about a couple inches taller than me. Basically to sum him up, he’s your average hallmark guy. 

“Hi, I’m Alexander, but you can call me Alex. How may I help you?”

“Hi Alex, I’m Eve and I need to get to the end of Spruce St.”

“Okay, I’ll put your luggage away, but you’ll most likely have to sit in the front due to my trunk,” Alex points out as he waves towards the trunk of the cab. I didn’t notice it till now, but it’s crunched in about half of its regular length. I notice that he’s already putting away my luggage so I grab my purse and head to the front. After a short second, I hear the back seat car door open and Alex shoving in my luggage. 

“It will be just another minute and then we will be able to get going,” Alex breathes out as he puts yet another case in. 

“Okay do-” I asked till I was cut off by the door shutting. Even though it seems that I have a ridiculous amount of luggage, it’s not that much you see, I have 4 cases and 2 of those is carry-ones that have small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shoes. The other two are clothes and work things. I sit there in the passenger seat watching all the people in the airport hurrying around. I pull out my phone remembering to text my mom that I’m on the way and will be there in about 40 minutes. Alex gets in the car and runs the engine as we pull out of the airport. We sit in silence for a while until I break the silence. 

“So how did your trunk get like that?” 

“Um… well, I actually backed into another car trying to pull out and have to drive around like this till I raise enough till I can pay to fix it, since I had to pay for the other person's car first,” He recounted quietly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. How much more do you need?” 

He laughs as he says “It’s not much I’ll make it all soon. I need just a couple hundred. It’s really fine.” Even by just meeting Alex I know that he is covering up that he would be making any money any time soon. 

“Well, hopefully, you’ll get good business.” 

“Yeah, maybe… What are you here for? And why all the luggage?” He questions as he looks in the rearview mirror as if making a point about the luggage. 

“I’m here to visit my family since my job has gotten really busy and haven’t had a chance to see them and since it’s the holidays it the perfect time. The luggage is mostly clothes and work.” 

“Huh… what’s your job, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“I work in Maine for L.L. Bean.” 

“Wow, there’s a bunch around here due to the snowboarding and skiing.” 

“Yeah, well Colorado is known for that.” 

“Did you grow up here?” 

   I look out the window at the mountains looming over the small city that we are driving through. “Yeah I did, I actually lived in the same house since my family has moved here,” I respond with memories flying by in my head. 

   “So you weren’t born here? Where were you?” 

“No, I wasn’t. I was born in Newport, Rhode Island and moved here when I was 4. Did you always live here or did you move here, also?” I question as I notice we are about half-way to my house, we are driving right through the city, but due to it being the middle of December there is a couple of inches of snow on the ground. Also to make matters better it’s snowing like crazy and there’s a bunch of traffic. 

“I’ve always lived here, but I did move away for a little to Californa, but warm weather isn’t for me. Speaking of which it’s snowing like crazy. I heard that it’s supposed to be really bad, but at least we’re supposed to have a white Christmas.” He glances out the window trying to see where the traffic starts, but no one seems to be moving and it’s blizzarding outside which is only making the snow, pack up against the car. Soon the tires will be stuck that we won’t be able to move. 

“Yeah, that’s good. I’ve always loved a white Christmas,” I breath out as my heart starts racing when Alex tries to drive the car and it’s not working. He keeps trying and pressing down on the gas but, it’s failing. I look at the car in front of us and it’s having the same trouble. I look at all the cars around us and it’s happening to all of them. 

“I’m sorry, I guess with this blizzard and the snow the car um… got stuck,” he stammered as he looks down out the window with a creased brow. 

“It’s okay, I’ll just call my parents to tell them.” I pull out my phone and dial the home phone. I sit there looking out the window looking out at the vast mountains and hearing the ringing of the phone in my ear. It rings and rings till it stops dead and cut-offs. It then robotically tells me there is no service. 

“Great!” I mumble angerly under my breath. 

“What is?” Alex asks as he still is trying to get out but it’s no hope even if we do get out we can’t get anywhere. 

“My phone has no service and we’re stuck here. There’s no hope.” 

“No, the police will notice soon and help, we’re not totally stuck,” Alex remorses. 

“Yeah, when? The suns going down and soon it’ll be covered by the mountains and then there will be no help and then you’ll have to put on the headlights which will only waste gas, then soon enough we’ll be freezing with the rest of the people as snow piles on top of us.” I feel myself going into my head and spiraling. I know what’s going to happen next and it’s won’t be good and I’ll only make matters worse. I look outside hoping that it will calm me down but it only matters worse which kicks in my claustrophobia, which will turn into a panic attack. How lovely! What else could happen?

“No it will be fine if traffic keeps coming then, people will notice and they’ll get help and everything be okay,” Alex tries to reassure me, but it’s not helping as I start to breath harder and harder. “Um… Eve are you okay?” I shake my head no as I try to calm down to tell him what’s happening. 

“No, I-” I take a breath. “No, I’m claustrophobic and… this isn’t helping being trapped, so may panic kicks in and… I- I get a panic attack. I’m sorry but-” Everything comes flooding back about being trapped, not getting help, stories I read about people in this situation, my parents getting worried, how were stuck, and so much more. I take breaths and try to do them evenly, I even close my eyes and think I’m somewhere else, safe and secure. 

“It’s okay. Imagine that you’re at a beach, and you feel the warmth of the sun hitting your face. You hear the waves rolling in, and that it’s crashing against the warm sand and cooling it. You have a nice drink next to you as touch the sand.”  

“Okay, okay…” I breathe out and in. Trying to be even and steady. 

“That’s it breathe in through your nose and out your mouth. Everything is fine, your okay. Remember you’re at the beach with the sand in your toes. Listen to the waves.” 

After a few more minutes of Alex calming me down, I open my eyes and relax enough that I can control my thoughts to a point. 

“Thank you, Alex,” I acknowledged. 

“No problem, so what is something you like? Or hobbies you have?” 

I stare weirdly at him for asking a random question, but I quickly realize what he’s doing so I answer by saying “Well, I like writing, reading, and also space. What about you?” 

“Huh… well, I like drawing, traveling, and cooking.” I stare at him trying to figure him out because I never would have imagined him liking those things. Maybe traveling, but definitely not those other two. “Um, what about your family do you have siblings?” I quickly turn my head to look out the window instead of him as I answer by saying, “I have an older sister and younger brother. Do you have any? And what did you mean when you said huh?” 

“Oh, well… I didn’t expect you to like those things, but I guess that’s me judging a book by its cover, and I have an older brother.” 

“Okay, what did you expect me to like? I’m interested.” He hesitates before answering. After a breath, he says “With your brown-ish hair I would expect you to be a businesswoman, that has a higher authority, works for a bigger company. With your brown eyes, though I would imagine that you like adventure, want a more spontaneous job, like the cold, and like nature. Your body language says that you are watching everyone, analyzes people, is an expert at that too, and is more intelligent. Therefore, I would expect you to want to travel the world, is a hopeless romantic, likes to read, works hard, seems shy to people, but really just wants someone you can have a deep conversation with. This then tells that your greatest hopes are to travel with someone you love, have a job you love, help people, and find true love, but you don’t believe it will happen,” He finishes as he turns towards me and stares directly into my brown eyes. “Did I get it right?” He breathes out. I stare back at him trying to recollect what he said. It was as if my brain was laid right in front of him. I’m in so much shock that I don’t think that words would come out of my mouth right. So I nod as I quickly figure him out. “And you with your messy brown I would expect you to be artistic and messy, in a good way. Your job definitely would be an architect, artist, or something like that. You’re eyes show that you also like nature, like all four seasons, an adventurer, and want to travel. Your body language says that you are friendly, welcoming, warm, and any person would love to be around you. Which makes you a conversational. With all that though you like intelligent people because you feel like they understand you, because you want deep conversations as well and that even though you’re friendly you have real problems,” I say quietly to Alex in the small of this cab as if someone could overhear us. We both are still looking in each other’s eyes and none of us want to break it. “Did I get it right?” I ask just as Alex did, not wanting to be in the teasing mode due to the atmosphere. 

“Yes, you did, Eve. It’s almost like…-” He cuts-off with a weird expression on his face. 

“It’s almost like what?” I press on. He hesitates before saying, “Like you’ve known me my whole life.” 

“Yeah, maybe. I feel the-” I get cut-off by the sound of sirens and deep voices directing orders. There’s a knock on the window. We both turn to see an officer standing there. I know that I’m glad that we’re being helped and getting out of this situation, but I can’t help wanting more time to get to know Alex and wishing that he could drive me home. 

Me and Alex both stand on the side of the road waiting for my family to come and for his cab to be pulled out of the snow. It turned out to be about 2 hours we were waiting and stuck in traffic and snow. My family comes up and starts hugging me and saying things like “I’m so glad you’re safe.” My mom thanks Alex for protecting me and keeping me safe. He starts walking away as I pull away from my family to go thank him personally. 

“Thank you, Alex for everything.” He knows that I mean so much more than that. 

“It was no problem, you should take care of yourself, Eve,” He states with sadness deep down.

“You, too. So… I guess this is goodbye.” 

“Yeah, I guess. Goodbye, Eve.”

“Goodbye, Alex.” 

I watch him walk away down to his cab. I know that Alex will forever change me and I wish that someday we will see each other another time, but I know that sometimes life will get in the way and time won’t always be perfect. At least he’ll get a good amount to fix his trunk.