51 On That Winter Day in December

The view outside of the windows was gloomy. Gray clouds covered the skies, banishing any ray of sunlight to touch the ground. It was almost dark in the afternoon. The pace of the day really didn't match the time.

Two thirty-four P.M.

All four of us were in the blue SUV, driving towards a town called Osoyoos. We had just crossed the town called Hope and were on the wavy highway. The speed limit was Eighty kilometres per hour, but Mappa drove at sixty, much to the chagrin of anybody who followed us. But I believed he was driving on this road that was cut in the mountains for the first time. Also, the endless ditch on our side was reason enough for him to restrict himself to safer driving.

The car behind us honked once again. Thrice in the past ten minutes. I had been keeping count. And I had flipped him off the past two times. I decided to stick to my ritual. I rolled down the window barely enough to squeeze my hand out of the car. Chilly air flooded the air through the crack in the window. I decided to make it quick. Balling my fist, I let my one finger out to let the person behind us know how I felt about him. A long middle finger with red painted nail popped out, flipping the guy behind us' opinion out of our car.

I retracted my arm and rolled up my window once again, laughing as I did so. The other three were not as amused.

"Why do you keep doing it?" Trigman asked.

"Well, he knows we are not driving faster than we already are going, so why doesn't he just knock it off? Its just not safe to go crazy on a windy road like this."

"We all know that you are cracked in the head. Why do you want the whole world to know that?"

I pouted.

"Please, don't that anymore. The toasty car goes berserk with wind drenched in ice every time you do so," Trigman requested after preceding it with a snarky comment. I loved him so much.

I rubbed my hands together and glanced at my wife. She was looking at me with soft eyes. Blowing warm air between my hands, I smiled at her. she bent over and came near my face. I could feel her breath rubbing my earlobes. She slowly whispered the same thing I had heard a million times before. She was careful her words were not audible to the two men sitting in front. And like the million times before I had heard them, I smiled.

Not much time left before we meet her, I thought.

These handful moments that we had made, in Vancouver, in this car, I treasure them. And I will not forget them, will not let them go away from my heart.

With a heavy burden of reminisce, I collapsed in my wife's lap and closed my eyes.

Not much time left now…

I felt a jolt and my body almost went off the seat I was crammed up on. Luckily, Kyo held my body back and didn't let me move.

With a tired but an equally irritated manner, I spat my harsh words at our driver.

"Be more careful, Mappa. I almost went under your seat."

"Ah, My bad. I slammed the brakes a little too hard and there was black ice all over the parking spot. I think I also crashed the bumper in the concrete up front", Mappa replied as he unbuckled his seat belt.

All three except me exited the vehicle to check on the damage. Luckily, nothing more than scratches. I rubbed my eyes and took a better look outside. It was dark. Like a black blanket stretching all over us. Nothing but glooming clouds, which were themselves hard to notice in the pitch-black night.

I checked the time on my cellphone. The bright screen made my eyes flinch.

4:58 P.M.

What?

Its only 5'o clock? Why is it dark outside like it's the end of times?

I opened the door on my side and called Kyo for a little aid. As she helped me, a young brown guy came dashing out of the building in front of us. He was in his early twenties, wearing a gray shirt that said 'GASMAXX' in bright green.

"Are you guys okay?" The young clerk spoke with a thick accent. Was he a fellow Nepali? Or maybe Indian? Pakistani? Mexican? Why was I thinking all these things at this moment?

"Yes, we are fine. Thank you. Do you have seating inside?" Trigman questioned the employee.

"Yes. There is an in-house restaurant in the store, you can sit there. Please come," the clerk said as he kept the door open for us."

One by one, we stepped inside. It was warm inside. Kyo helped me to the restaurant while the guys paused in front of the cashier to have a small chat. The restaurant was not a restaurant at all. There was nobody working in the kitchen, and here were no customers at all.

Kyo dragged a chair and made me sit. She dragged another chair and put up my injured foot on it. Then she went back to the guys to check on them.

I looked around to see what kind of place I was sitting in. There were boxes of windshield cleaners next to one side, Two boxes full of candy and chocolates behind me, and cardboard boxes half empty with magazines ten feet away from me. Other than that, there was noise coming from the other side in the store. Nobody in the store other than the clerk and my friends.

Is this right? Are you sure? But why? Why did you want me to meet here, Gian?

I closed my eyes and felt the sleep seeping back into my eyes. If only I could drop my head back and not have a murdering pain in my neck tomorrow, I would do it.

Something cold touched my hand and I slowly opened my eyes back. With concerning eyes, the clerk was looking at me. I nodded to prove that I was fine. He handed me the bottle of water he touched my hand with and smiled at me. Then he turned back and started walking back to his register.

"Hey," I shouted to get his attention. "What is your name?"

"Ri-Rish. You can call me Rish. I am from India."

"Oh really. Nice to meet you Rish, I am Madonna. Those two dum-dums up front are Mapalla and Trigman. And the lady with them is my wife," I said proudly.

"Ah, so you are, you know, that- "

"Hmm? That? Did you mean gay?"

The guy put his hands in his pockets and replied," I have never met a gay person. I have been in Canada for two years, and this town is so small, you don't get to meet a lot of people. So, I was taken aback as well as surprised. I don't have a problem or anything with it. Its just- "

"Too realistic from the porn you watch, huh?"

I could see his cheeks turning red. I smiled at his innocence. Or was it ignorance? Whatever it was, he seemed cute with all his confusion.

"Tell me, if this town is really small, maybe you have heard of a lady. A little old, gentle woman. Her name is Gian. Gain House."

Rish's blush went away and he calmed a little bit.

"Yeah, I have heard of her. She is really nice. She is actually on her way over here."

"What? Why did you have her contact number?"

"Why wouldn't I? She owns the place."

My mind broke once I heard it. It all makes sense. After that night, that makes all sense.

Her starting a new life, because of my stupidity.

Shit.

I heard a car screeching and a door slamming. The nearest door flung open and a woman entered. Her black hair was wet. In the December winter, no less. Her maroon jacket and a cream shirt under suited her mature body. She darted her eyes from one end to look at my friends to the other end where I sat with water in my hands.

She had not aged a day.

I saw Gian, in all her glory, walking slowly towards me.

My body started shivering. I could not control my body when I saw her. All those memories, all those times. They came gushing back to me.

I lifted my shaking arms to touch her face.

She held my arms with her soft hands and kissed them.

Tears came out of my eyes when I felt her lips against my palms.

I have met you, at last. I have seen you once more.

"Bunny," Gian said as she went down on her knees. Through my fingers, I saw her face in tears. Even while crying, this woman was pretty. Those tears looked like gems all over her pretty face.

"Bunny, you are here," Gian said while sobbing slowly.

I could not take it a moment further and broke down as she held my arms.

"I'm back home…"

The cold winter day felt a little warmer in our hearts.