Blizzard

It’s a beautiful snowy day, actually it’s a snow day. I love when a Monday is a snow day, not just because I don’t love my classes on Monday, but because Mondays are exhausting. I love a little extra sleep and snuggling with cats instead of trying to stay awake in AP Biology and Interpretations of Lit. However, after Grace, my best friend, woke up she asked me if I wanted to drive to Burlington with her. I said absolutely, but we took my family’s van because it’s heavier and has all wheel drive. I also like driving my own car and am not a big fan of being driven to places by friends. I just feel more comfortable when I am in charge of the vehicle. When we safely arrived in Burlington we took a nice run on the bike path. When we had eaten lunch and were on our way back, the snow started coming down harder and faster and soon the highway became less safe because cars were sliding off each and every way. I decided to take route 2 home from Williston cause I didn’t want to be one of the people off the road. On route 2 Grace has fallen asleep, she didn’t get enough sleep last night and needed a power nap. We’re going around a curve, my brights are on and all of a sudden a moose comes out of nowhere in the middle of the road. I slam the brakes and the road is slippery so I careen right off the side of the road, but thank goodness I didn’t hit the moose. Grace of course woke up and was grateful for my alert driving but not happy about the situation I’d put us both in. Off the side of the road I tried to turn the car back on to get us going again, but our van had finally kicked the bucket. It hadn’t sounded like it was running well earlier, but maybe the combination of the weather, the moose coming out of nowhere and the heavy van sliding across the opposite lane of traffic into the shoulder was too much for our poor old van. The van wouldn’t start, Grace’s phone was dead and I had no service. I called 911. They picked up and said they’d send out a tow truck and send a police car to make sure everything was going well and under control. Grace was now fully awake and we were problem solving about what to do while we waited. The issue was the waiting, snow was falling so fast and hard that soon our car would be obscured by the snow. Fortunately we had a scraper and a brush in the car. So every 5 minutes one of us would hop out fast to continue brushing the snow off the car, but seriously if we didn’t do it every 5 minutes we’d be in deep trouble, and a lot of snow too. What I really wanted to do was call one of my parents or Grace’s, because, once the car is out of the snow we still need a way to get home, and I don’t see anyone fixing the van in a few hours. I decide to take a walk, hoping that I’ll approach a place with better service. As I keep walking I hear rustling in the bushes off to the side. It looked like a young moose waiting for it’s mother, thank goddess I’d slammed on the brakes, because I think I knew who they’re mom is. I took some pictures, because as long as I’ve lived in Vermont, I have never once seen a moose, and today, I saw the mom from too close, and now I’m seeing it’s three kids. While taking pictures I notice that I have two bars, enough to call my parents right? But I need to distance myself more from the moose calves because if there mom comes back I don't want her to think I’m threatening her kids after not quite running into her. I dial my dad, because he is more likely to respond. On the last ring he picks up. “Hi dad, how’s it going?” “Good, I expected you to be back, where are you?” “Funny you should ask, we’re off the side of the road, long story short, we were coming home and I felt like the interstate wasn’t being safe to drive on, so from Williston we started going home on route 2. Then I was going around a curve and a moose, like a big mama moose came out of nowhere, I slammed the brakes, the moose was fine, but our car slid off the side of the road, not the river side, but then when I tried to restart it, the battery wouldn’t turn on. I called 911, so a tow truck and police car are on the way, but I’m going to need a way to get home, and so is Grace.” He paused for a moment to take in everything I’d said. “I’ll leave now and be there as soon as I can. Let me know any updates you get from the tow truck people or the police.” I say thanks and goodbye, hangup and then walk back to the car to see Grace. “Hey.” She says. “Called my dad, he’s on his way.” I respond. We both do some jumping jacks and run circles around the car, we really want the tow truck and police to hurry up, we’re freezing. “Have you thought more about the road trip to Maine this summer” Asks Grace. “Yeah I have, we just have to convince my parents to allow your parents to rent it for us. I really want to go, even if you don’t go to France, I still think it will be a nice quick trip. If we do I was thinking we could do it on a long weekend so I wouldn’t have to take any days off until vacation at the end of July.” Grace says, “That should work, my parents will be willing to rent us an Airbnb and I’m planning on working a lot this summer, but I can work some long catering shifts coming up to the weekend we want to take off so it would be fine to make myself unavailable for those three days.” “We should probably start looking for some places to stay and where in Maine, by early 2024, otherwise the prices are going to skyrocket.” I say. We agree to start looking at Airbnb’s to rent starting in 2024 assuming the parental part of the equation works out from both our ends. Grace is just about to tell me some news she’s been wanting to share when we see flashing orange and blue lights. Help has finally arrived. The tow truck gets the van loaded up onto the bed and the police assure us they’ll find a good place to meet my dad. Before we get into the police cruiser I thank the people driving the tow truck, then I ask Grace, “When do you find out if you’ve gotten into the program?” She gives me a sad smile and says, “They’ve found someone, it’s not me, but if the person doesn’t accept or can’t put together all the necessary paperwork and funds, I could be back in the running.” I give her a big hug and say, “You worked so hard and deserved to be chosen, I hope they reconsider, and if they don’t I’ll have my best friend here with me in VT and won’t have to be sad and lonely for a whole year.” I give her a grin and she says, “I would’ve loved to go, but now I can focus on getting into Norwich and seeing my family and staying connected with my friends.” I smile, as we get into the police cruiser and say, “Let’s still take that trip to Maine, car trips are fun with you, especially when we don’t get stuck in a blizzard, with no service and our old van dies.”