Page 4 of Let it Snow
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Sometime later, Maxwoke with a start as the train car jolted to a stop.Rubbing his dry eyes, he blinked and looked around the cabin.Due to the late hour and the storm outside, he was one of only a few people on the train.As his head whipped back and forth, searching the seats for anyone else, he realized he was the sole passenger in his car.With a jaw-cracking yawn, Max stood and stretched his aching muscles then grabbed his luggage.He assumed they were finally in Edinburgh, but when he looked outside, he saw nothing but more snow and faint lights in the distance.There was no large station, no city lights.Nothing but a silent scene from a holiday movie playing out the window.
More than a little confused, Max shouldered his bag and made his way down the aisle to the car in front of him.After passing through the connecting door and finding that car was also empty, he kept going until he reached the conductor’s compartment.After tapping on the window and watching the older woman inside jump with fright, Max flashed his most charming smile to try and put her at ease.
When the partition between them slid away, he nodded at the woman.“Good evening.I was wondering why the train has stopped.”
The woman, whose name was Midge if her nametag was anything to go by, winced as she peered up at him.At six-foot-two, he was quite tall and was used to people having to look up at him, but the way the woman’s head tilted so far back was so comical he had to stifle a chuckle.With graying hair and a friendly smile, she reminded him of his mother and there was no way he would laugh in the face of his mum.
“I thought everyone had gotten off already,” she said to him in a thick cockney accent.“The tracks are iced over north of here, and I was radioed to stop.This is the end of the line for now.”
Max looked through the front window of the train in hopes that he would recognize where he was or at least see a sign for the town on the small platform.Sighing when he saw nothing but snow, he turned back toward Midge.“And where are we?”
The woman frowned at him, as if she were disappointed he couldn’t glean the answer from the nothingness outside.“We’re about half an hour from the Newcastle upon Tyne station.”
After some quick mental math, Max calculated he was at least three hours from his final destination.Wonderful.“I suppose this is my stop then.Thank you.”As he turned toward the door that would lead to the small platform outside, he pulled out his phone.One look at the freezing cold outside, he decided to call his mother while in the warmth and safety of the cabin.
As soon as the call connected, his mother’s panicked voice came through the speaker.“Maxwell?Are you alright?It’s brass monkeys out there today, and it seems like this snow isn’t stopping for man or God.”Max chuckled at the familiar phrase referring to the cold.It had been too long since he’d heard it or any other expression common to his homeland.
“I’m fine, mum, but it looks like the train won’t be pulling into Edinburgh anytime soon.”He peeked outside and saw that the snow seemed to be coming down even harder than it had been moments ago.“I may have to find some temporary lodging until the morning.Maybe by then the train will be running again, or I can catch a ride up North.”
“Are you sure?I don’t like thinking of you stranded alone somewhere.”
His mother acting like he was on some deserted island and not a small English town was entertaining, but Max kept his chuckles to himself.He could practically hear her hands wringing through the phone and tried his best to put her at ease.“I’ll be perfectly safe and warm in a hotel nearby.If anything, it will allow me a good night’s rest before I have to share space with Uncle Norman and his incessant talk of Manchester United.”Having grown up in England, Max too was a fan of football, but he had no allegiance to a particular team and listening to his uncle go on and on about his favorite had always been a bit too much for him.
His mother chuckled lightly and Max smiled at having been able to calm her a bit.“True enough.Well, send us a message as soon as you’re settled somewhere or I’ll worry that you’ve frozen solid.”
“I will.Love you, mum.”After she said the same, Max clicked off his phone and started to pull up listings for cabbie companies, but a throat clearing next to him caused him to pause.
Glancing over, he saw Midge smiling up at him.“I took the liberty of ordering you a ride-share.”She flashed her teeth and pointed out into the snow.When he followed her direction, he saw two headlights pulling into the lot near the platform.He sighed with relief that he had one less thing to worry about.
Max turned back to Midge with a smile.If she hadn’t already reminded him a bit of his mother before, she certainly did now with her taking care of his transportation for him.“Thank you, Midge.You’ve been an angel.”
The woman blushed and waved off his compliment.“Go on and save that for the younger women.Have a safe journey.”
“You do the same,” Max replied as he walked through the doors she opened for him.
Pulling his coat closer together, Max made his way down the stairs and over to the car that was waiting for him.There was some kind of business logo on the side, but the snow stuck to the door obscured it from view.Slipping into the back of the warm vehicle, Max shook the snow from his shoulders and hair and plopped his large bag on the seat next to him.When he looked up, he saw the driver had turned to look at him.
The younger man had dark hair and round glasses.A smile played across his face as he reached a hand out to Max.“Evening,” he said, his tone friendly.“I’m Brent, and I’ll be your driver this evening.”
Max shook his hand briefly and buckled himself in.“Evening, Brent.Thanks for making the trek out in this.”
“Not a problem.I was out making last-minute deliveries, so when Midge called and mentioned you were a bit stranded, I was more than happy to come out.”His eyes flicked toward Max in the rearview mirror as he started to drive out of the lot.“Where are you heading to...?”
“Max,” he replied.“And I need a place to stay for the night.I don’t suppose you know of a hotel nearby.”Much to his chagrin, one look out the window showed no signs of nearby accommodation, but perhaps this local knew better.
Brent sucked air through his teeth and shook his head.“There are a few in Newcastle, but I know for a fact they’re booked solid, and I’m not sure I trust this storm not to get worse along the way.”He seemed to think for a moment before his eyes met Max’s again.“There is one place that has a vacancy, if you don’t mind slumming it in a small town for the night.”
Max scoffed and straightened in his seat, slightly offended by the implication that he was a snob.“And what makes you think I would be slumming it?”
The man smiled and chuckled.“Oh, just the posh accent and the fact that your outfit looks like it costs more than my entire wardrobe put together.”
Max looked down at his Burberry coat and boots and winced slightly.He did have a London accent and spent most of his hard-earned money that didn’t go into savings on clothes, but it was because he preferred quality items that lasted a long time over fast fashion.“Be that as it may,” he addressed the driver.“Just because I look like a toff doesn’t mean I act like one.I happen to live in a small townthank...you...very...much.”Wow, he really did sound like a posh idiot.
Brent continued to chuckle as he steered through the heavy snow.“No offense meant, and I’m sure that even if you were a toff, you would absolutely enjoy your stay in Gingerbread Cottage.”
Max snorted at the name of the place he was heading.“Gingerbread Cottage?Are we heading toward a town of fairy tales and make-believe?”
