First Snow

The winter came here. Dean looked outside of his big apartment in New York City. He stared at the first snow coming down from the sky to greet him before it landed to the cold asphalt ground. So cold but sweet to look and pleasant to heart. He looked up to the grey sky and sighted.

Again, this year he would spend his time alone. His father died two years ago, the last person in his family. After his mother threw him in front of his father's apartment door 25 years ago, his father took good care of him. He was his hero. His father never married and he dedicated his whole life for him. 

When his father died Dean World fall apart. He wasn't just a father, he was the heart of life for him. Never missed any of his basketball matches, remembered very birthdays, took him to the wild, taught him how to fish, how to drive and the greatest thing he taught him how to take care of himself. All of his father effort made him the wealth that he just shared with him for short time.

Dean drank his hot chocolate. One of the lessons of his father too.

"Son, Don't drink if you are going to work, drive or spend a night with a woman. You should be responsible for all of your actions. Don't do something stupid and blame it to the drink". Dean had some work after this break.

He always told him that when he reached age of allowing drinking.

And Dean was loyal to his father, but he broke that role when he was in his second year of collage. He shook his head. This night supposed to be a night of greeting the first snow not remembering a bad memory. He came through that incident one piece that all it is matter now.

PING…PING

The doorbell. Dean looked at his watch. It is 10 pm. He ignored that and went back to look at the window. PING…PING…PING…

"This is my door" he talked to himself.

He put his cup on the tableside and strode through the hall to the door. He shook his head, who could be? He looked through the door eye. He stepped back and froze. 

"What the hell she is doing here?" he was stroke by blue blots. 

He tiptoed and tried not make any sound.

"Dean, I know you’re inside. Open the door, please" Wobbly woman voice cracked the fancy white door of his apartment.

 He closed his eyes tightly, stiffened his whole body and stood still. 

"Dean please I need your help. Please Dean. I'm freezing. Let me in"

Three knocks on the door and the woman voice never changed.

Dean tried to hold his breath, his feet were numb or shaken he didn't know just he couldn't stand much longer.

"Please…Dean…" the voice was going faded and he heard the sound of heavy thing hit and sidled on the door. He took a deep breath, let it out and lowered his head. 

The sound of unlocking the door. Dean opened the door just a little bit what the chain allowed him. He didn't see any one, however he looked down. His eyes caught a woman kneeled down on the floor.

"What you want Ann?" Dean said in cold.

The woman raised her head and she smiled

"Dean, Cousin how are you?" she said in the same law voice.

Dean gasped for air; his eyes didn't believed what they witnessed.

Ann face was all swallowed, blue bruises, her lip is cut in its edge and there where blood running from her nose. 

"What happened?" he held himself. He was going to open the door widely but for his good, the chain was still in the stock.

"I…"Ann hesitated and looked down.

Dean shook his head and closed the door.

"Dean please let me…" Ann put her hand on the door. But she stopped begging when she heard the sound of the chain removed.

"Come in" Dean opened the door widely and motioned for Ann to step inside. She stood up but she tripped. Dean held her and dragged her inside.He put her on the couch, ran to the kitchen.

Ann looked around her. "You have a Fancy apartment," she giggled.

"You are drunk Ann" Dean came out from the kitchen holding ice bag and two towels.

"We had this party. Me and Greg and it was fun a…"she was talking while she waved her hand.

"Hold this " Dean placed the ice bag on her palm and directed her to the swallowed part of her face. He rushed to the bathroom.

"There were cute boys and I talked to them. They were funny… I danced with them and …"

Dean came back. He put a box on the table, took out the antiseptic bottle and Cotton gaze. He applied it on her wounds.

"That's hurt Dean .. "Ann Cried.

"Be patient." Dean taunted.

"Greg did this to you? "Dean threw the gaze to the trash bin and took another.

Ann nodded. She closed her eyes when Dean wiped another antiseptic.

He went silent for a moment. Ann stared at him and she touched his cheek. Dean snapped and pushed her hand away.

"What are you doing?" he shouted.

"You still look handsome Dean" she giggled and reached her hand again. Dean veins popped out, he clenched his fist and gritted teeth. "Don't touch me." he pushed her ,stood up and left the room

Ann shrieked, and lowered her head. Her eyes filled with tears. She could understand Dean's anger; her heart clenched, gasped for air and held her cries. 

Dean went to bathroom. He leaned to the sink and lowered his head.

"You have to help her. Remember what your father said. Be kind to everyone. Don't let the anger take away your kind heart" he looked in the mirror and watched his reflection. The white line extended from his right eye corner to the middle of his cheek in front of his ear, this white shallow scare a reminder to what happened that night. 

That night, he thought one foolish night won't hurt anybody. And that was the one big mistake. He went to party with his friends, a big party in house of some rich guy, many young people where there and of course drinks. He just had two drinks, and then she came to him.

His cousin Ann, they played all the time together when they were children. They exchanged greetings and hugs, "how are you?", "what are you doing?" and those type of questions. Dean noticed Ann was anxiety about something, looking from her head moves, she was looking around her like she was hiding or chased by some one.

"Are you okay Ann?" Dean asked her and she just faked a smile and conformed she was ok. Then silent moment, she asked him if they go to more quite place. They got to the room up stairs, after a nice talk about family, school and other life stuff, she suddenly kissed him and by mean kissed not innocent kiss. Dean pushed her away. He then realized he shouldn't say yes. She was drunk. He pulled himself.

"You need to go home Ann" he took her hand. 

"I don't want to go home. Come on handsome. Have fun with me" 

"No, you should go home come on I will take you."

Dean pulled her hand, however she slapped him and got away from his grip.

"Leave me alone. I want to have fun" she was wasted; she tripped and hit back of her head on the wall. Dean rushed to help her.

"Are you okay?" he checked her head but good thing it wasn't bleeding.

"What are you doing to me? Monster!" she yelled and hit him on his chest.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouted and stood up.

She stood up, rushed like a lunatic ran away from a mental hospital, he followed her.

"He hit me! he tried to attack me!" she went to some guy was sitting with his group. Dean stopped. The guy friends surrounded him.

"You tried to touch my girl?" the guy said in gang tone.

"No. I did n…" the guy pouched Dean on face and he fell on the ground, Ann shrieked.  

"Have fun boys" after the guy said that, his friends kicked Dean while he was on the ground. He tried to escape but they were above him in numbers. 

"Tony …" Ann said in low voice and held Tony's tattooed left arm.

"Baby don't worry I will beat him for you " he patted on her head.

"Boys hold him," he ordered his men and they immediately obeyed.

Tony took out a pocketknife from his pocket.

"let me go!" Dean tried to get loose from their grip, a man punched him in his abdomen, and he groaned and stayed still. 

"I will cut your pretty face".

His skin bleed, the sharp burning pain went through his all nerves in his face. 

Dean shook his head, he shouldn't think about that now.

He went back to living room where he left Ann. She was covering her face.

"I'm sorry…" Dean tremulous voice cut her sobbing sound.

"Come let's get you cleaned up okay" Dean patted on her shoulder.

"I'm monster… I sho..uld die… I des..erved to.. be hurt" Ann words came broken and unlinked.

"No, No. Don't say that. You just upset that’s all. Come let's get you cleaned okay" 

Dean embraced her so she stops shaking and crying.

"Just stop crying. You will be fine. He is not here. He is not going to hurt you. You are safe" he ruffled her hair.

He held her for a while until she stopped crying. He left that wet feeling on his shirt.

"Sorry I wet your shirt with my…" she said in low. He laughed 

"It's okay. It's ok" he replied softly.

"Now shall we get you cleaned up" he stood up and directed her to the bathroom.

 50 years later …

"She stayed with him?" a young woman asked with excitement.

" No, she left after two nights" old and winkled face smiled to his granddaughter Grace.

"Oh, that is not a good story grandpa" Grace nagged

"Yes I know it is not good story," the old man said.

"Did she love him?" Grace asked 

"I don't know my child" 

"What did happened to her?" Grace spit her tea.

"He heard she died in over dose. Or something maybe an accident... he attended her funeral. And all of her family told him the same thing. It seemed they didn't care. They didn't know she had problems" he spit his tea.

"How horrible." Grace gasped. She looked at her grandfather's teacup, turned back and wiped her tear before they came out.

"Do you want another tea grandpa?" Grace raised the teapot.

"Yes please." He passed his cup to Grace

"So the guy, your friend did he love her?" Grace refilled the tea.

"He told me that he didn't. You know because she got him in trouble at the party and she framed him with that lie"

"Yeah. If it was me, I would hate her too" Grace handed her grandfather his tea.

"Yes he was very angry. Someone called the police that night when he had his scare. But they didn't believed him. They arrested him while he was in hospital and because lack of evidence they released him. And even his name was cleared, everyone still looked at him as monster. He even was rejected from a girl he liked back in collage because of that incident. They never caught the guy, you know Tony." he spit his tea.

"All of that happened. He must hated her so much. Poor man. He must felt lonely. I feel ugly to think she was a poor woman" Grace sighted.  

" No my dear. You shuoldn't feel ugly. He told me he loved her after that night." He smiled.

"How come grandpa?" Grace widened her eyes.

"I don't know. He said when she left him, he tried to find her again and tell her his feelings. He hoped she maybe had the same feeling. Love don't knock on doors and asks if it is ok to come in, it just forces it way to your heart." a faint smile appeared in the all winked face 

"It is too sad he couldn't tell her. That maybe changed her life" Grace lowered her gloomy face.

"Yes maybe my dear".

Dean looked at the first snow outside. Like the other day. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to the doorbell. It might ring like that night.