Page 2 of Once Upon A Snowfall
Suddenly, the sky shifts from bright and sunny to a dull, dreary gray. It’s not surprising that I’m holding my breath as the wheels touch down—I’m completely blown away that planes are able to take off and land in these conditions. Definitely different from the Texas winters I’m accustomed to. If it’s as cold outside as it looks, I’m in trouble.
When I finally make it off the plane, I stop by the restroom to freshen up before heading to baggage claim for my things and to meet my sister. I can’t believe I’m finally here! I remove my phone from airplane mode and wait for my notifications to load. I’m a little surprised to see none are from her, though. I type a quick message letting her know I’m here, then hurry along with everyone else down the corridor.
I’m not sure why I feel the need to run—excitement, maybe—but I stop long enough to catch my breath and to check on my sister’s flight, in case she’s experiencing a delay. Scanning the list on the digital screen overhead, a wave of panic washes over me when the arrival time out beside her flight from St. Louis is blank.
I grab my phone out of my bag and immediately press the call button beside her name. The phone rings and rings, then goes to her voicemail. “Hey, Madi. Just checking in to see if you’re here yet. I’m headed to the café now. I’ll go ahead and grab us a table. Give me a call as soon as you get this message.”
I find an empty table in the back corner of the café across from gate 13 and push my luggage to the side, out of the way of the couple servers making their rounds to all the different tables.As soon as someone stops by to take my order, I explain that I’m meeting my sister and ask if it’s okay to wait a couple more minutes. In the meantime, I sip on a glass of water and watch the latest weather report on one of the TVs mounted to the wall.
Though I’m not familiar with the area, it doesn’t take a genius to realize there’s a major winter storm fast approaching. Motorists are being advised to get to their safe places now, since it will be almost impossible to see the roadways come dark. Madi and I are supposed to pick up our rental car soon, then make the hour drive to Tahoe. Neither of us have driven in these conditions before, so I’m expecting it to take us a lot longer than that. According to the directions, the cabin is only a few blocks off the main road and just north of the lake. I’d like to think I’m a fairly good driver—my record is squeaky clean—but even I’m worried what we’re up against. Especially since I’ve yet to hear anything from her. If we don’t get on the road soon, we may be in trouble.
I try her cell again but she still doesn’t pick up. I feel bad holding the table and place an order for a soda and a plate of nachos the next time the server passes by.
“Have you checked to see if your friend’s flight is even coming in?” the young man asks when he comes back with my drink. “They’ve been cancelling flights since early this morning, and I’d be willing to bet the one you’re waiting for is probably on that list.”
“I sure hope not.” I look down at my phone for what feels like the tenth time. “I’m sure she’ll be here any minute.”
Chapter Three
Annie
“Madi, where in the world are you?” I say a little too loudly into the phone. It feels so good to finally hear her voice. “I’ve got us a table, but I think I should just meet you at the rental counter. Have you gotten your luggage yet? They’re saying the road conditions are really getting bad. We need to leave as soon as we can get the car—”
“Annie, hold on a minute. Please.” Madi sounds stressed, not like herself at all.
“Fine, but we can’t wait too much longer. Want me to see if the server can get you a sandwich or something to take with us? You can eat while I drive.” I’d sort of wanted her to be the one to get us from the airport to the cabin, but I’m sure she’s starving to death having been on the plane since before daybreak.
“Annie, will you give me a second to get a word in?” she pleas.
I fall silent and an uneasy feeling washes over me. “You’re not on your way, are you?”
“No, Annie. I’m not. There was some kind of mechanical issue right off the bat and we sat on the runway for what seemed like hours. Then they told us they were going to put us on another flight that was heading to the west coast and we wouldn’t get to Reno until later tonight. But the winter storm—”
“Oh, Madi,” I burst into tears. “What am I supposed to do now? The weather, it’s getting—”
“Annie, you know I’d be there right now if I could. I’m already looking at trying to rebook, but there’s nothing available until Sunday. And even then there’s no guarantee. They’re predicting a foot of snow, maybe even more”
“Sunday?” I manage to say, using my napkin to swipe the moisture off my cheek. “But that’s…that’s Christmas Eve.”
“I know. I don’t care what it’s going to cost, but please know I’m trying my best. I don’t want us to spend Christmas apart this year.”
“I…I was just…looking forward to seeing you. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”
“I’m going to call the rental company right now and have the car swapped over to your name. You shouldn’t have any trouble, but just in case—”
“The roads, they’re saying they are in bad shape right now. Should I just try to catch a flight back home?” Though I’d love to make it to the cabin, the thought of being there all alone this coming week doesn’t exactly sound like fun.
“Nonsense, Annie. Now let me make some phone calls so you can be on your way.”
No longer in the mood to eat, I take care of my check then wheel my things to a nearby seating area while I wait for Madi to call back. It’s crazy how much quieter the airport is now than when I first arrived. More flight cancellations are showing on the screen than they were before, so even if I did try to find a flightback, I don’t think I’d have very much luck. Not to mention how disappointed my sister would be.
After what feels like forever, my phone finally rings. “Well, what did you find out?”
“I’ve got some good news,” she says then pauses.
I know from Madi’s hesitation that there’s usually something not-so-good going to follow. I just can’t imagine things getting much worse than they already are.
“Why am I not getting a good feeling about this?” I stand up from my chair and walk to the window.
