Page 66 of Through the Snow Globe
Diana resisted the need to expel a loud, painful sigh. “My mom isn’t really in the picture, Joann. She probably won’t even attend the wedding.”
“Oh.” Joann was quiet for a moment. Diana guessed Linus had never filled his mother in on Diana’s side of the family. “Well, that’s okay. I’ve always wanted a daughter, you know. I know I won’t be your real mother, Diana, but I will love you as if I were.”
Diana swallowed hard. Her agitation about the repeating day seemed to dissolve for a moment. She couldn’t hold on to that promise, though, even if Joann was sincere in making it. Because tomorrow, Joann would have forgotten this whole conversation and Diana would be the worse for remembering it. “I’ve got to go.”
“Of course, you do. Talk to Linus and get back to me.”
“I will. Goodbye.” Diana disconnected the call and took a breath. Next train wreck was Sparky’s Tavern.
* * *
When Diana arrived at Sparky’s, she headed back to Rochelle’s table and plopped into the chair with a heavy sigh.
Rochelle had a plate of fries and two drinks in front of her. She slid one drink toward Diana. “Here. I ordered for you.”
“Because you are an awesome friend. And I am a crappy one.”
Rochelle’s smile slid down at the corners. “Something you want to talk about?”
Diana looked at her friend for a moment. “Yes. I don’t like it when you try to be a counselor with me. You’re not my counselor. You’re my friend.”
“Loosely the same things,” Rochelle teased, wobbling her head back and forth. “I just happen to have a degree in counseling so I’m better than your average Joe.”
Diana lifted her drink to her mouth and took long sips, wondering if Rochelle could fix her problems. Maria couldn’t. Addy and Mr. Powell couldn’t. “Okay, if you want to be a counselor to me so badly, here goes. I’m in a time loop and reliving this day, December fourth, over and over again, like a broken record. Today is December fourth. But it’s really supposed to be Christmas Day and no one else knows that except this little boy at Linus’s store.”
Rochelle angled her face slightly, giving Diana a strange look. “What do you mean that today is supposed to be Christmas?”
“I mean, yesterday was December twenty-fourth and I met you here for our traditional Christmas Eve drinks.” Diana sighed. “Linus was in a coma and I was sad and—”
Rochelle held out a palm. “Hold up. Linus was in a coma?”
“Right. On December fourth, the first one, he got into an accident while riding his bicycle home. He was in the intensive care unit of the hospital for one week. Then they deemed him hopeless, pretty much, and moved him to New Hope Long-Term Care.”
Rochelle’s eyes went wide. “Is this some kind of joke or some sort of mental health crisis that you’re having?”
“It’s none of those things. This is really happening. Anyway, my neighbor, Ms. Guzman, picked up a snow globe that Linus had given me. She told me to shake it and think of the one that I had loved and lost, and that I would get one more day with that person. So I did, and I thought of Linus, and now I’m trapped here in that day from three weeks ago. But it’s the day that he got into his accident, so I hope that if I can stop the delivery truck from hitting him, I can keep him from going into a coma.”
Rochelle swayed her pointer finger around in the air, talking with her hands. “Okay, if—big if—this is a repeat of some day from the past, then you think this day will record over the one that already happened? Effectively erasing it from history?”
“Exactly.” Diana blew out a breath. “Finally someone speaks my language.”
“Or . . .” Rochelle said, trailing off as she picked up another French fry and swirled it in her ketchup.
“Or?” Diana waited impatiently for Rochelle to continue.
“Or it’s just a chance to see Linus again and say goodbye.” Rochelle bit into her fry and chewed. “Not saying I believe this story at all, because I don’t. If I’m reliving December fourth again, seeing that it’s my birthday, then that kind of means I’ve jumped another year in age, and I am not okay with that.”
Diana blinked, focusing on the first thing Rochelle had said. “I don’t want to say goodbye to Linus. We’re going to grow old together. We’re going to have a family and pets. We don’t even have a dog yet.” Tears welled in her eyes. “We haven’t even set our wedding date.” Which was, of course, all her fault. “No, I’m going to think positive. I’ll go back to the store before he closes.”
Rochelle let out a disbelieving laugh. “I’m starting to think you really believe this crazy story, Diana.”
“That’s because I do.” Diana reached across the table and grabbed one of Rochelle’s fries. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“That is so typical of you.”
“What do you mean by that?” Diana asked, hackles rising. She finished off her drink and flagged down the waitress for another one, which probably wasn’t the best idea because she had always been a lightweight. She didn’t care anymore, though. If she was just going to wake up in the same day tomorrow, that meant she wouldn’t have to endure the hangover.
“I mean that you won’t allow yourself to ever let people in on what you’re feeling. Because if you did, maybe we would realize that you don’t have your shit together. Well, guess what, Diana? No one has their shit together. None of us. And that’s okay. We don’t have to. What you can’t do is shut everyone out. I’m not trying to psychoanalyze. I’m trying to be a good friend, but you won’t let me and you won’t let Linus be a fiancé either. So, what’s going to happen is that, one day, you’re going to wake up and these walls you’ve built around yourself will have become your prison. I’m sorry. That might sound harsh, but it’s true.”
