I pear outside the studio window and see snow rapidly falling to the already-covered ground like powdered sugar. God has blessed me with such a magnificent, ineffable hometown. The snowfall makes Cody appear like an idyllic town on the cover of a postcard. I turn off my old computer, wait for the usual whirr of its shut down and quickly leave. Twenty minutes away, my impatient sisters are waiting for my return to build the first snowman of the season.
Waiting for my little Toyota Corolla to heat up, I smell “summer breeze” car scent, reminding me of summer, the acme of my year. In my peripheral vision, I see two abandoned cars on the side of the rode. My car begins to slide out of my control as I cautiously turn onto main street, giving me a racing heart. Quickly correcting and driving back in my lane, I wipe my sweaty hands on my lap.
Winter is easily my least liked season. Mother Nature perspicaciously deceives us all during the winter. She blesses us with a seemingly beautiful snowfall, but we later realize the snowfall is a curse. Our cars slide into other lanes, risking our lives and others’. We are forced to make up work because of snow days like I am today.
Yet some have invented mundane activities to supposedly make winter easier and more pleasurable. Some are zealous about winter because it’s the season of skiing and snowboarding. Others spend their time gaining weight and watching movies, enjoying the absence of bugs and insects, all in the confinements of living rooms and cafes. On the other hand, are the honest Scrooges like me. We are not fooled by the beauty winter portrays. At first it appears beautiful, but the next day the glorious sea of white snow is a muddy mess. Whoever said winter is the most wonderful time of the year lied. Salt infests your carpet, your dog smells like the breath of someone who need a root canal, and your nose is constantly running. It takes significantly longer to drive home with the dangerous roads and lack of sunlight after 5pm.
My phone vibrates loudly in my leather bag, interrupting my irritable thoughts. My sisters are probably wondering what is taking me so long. When I come home, I’ll tell them I was stuck behind Winter. Are there any pleasant things about winter other than its fake beauty? Thinking of an answer to my own ridiculous question, I shove a handful of animal crackers into my mouth with one hand and keep the other on the steering wheel, trying to control the vehicle. I mentally add another thing to the endless list of reasons of why I despise winter- we are obligated to keep food and emergency supplies in our cars, just in case we become stuck.
Turning onto my driveway, I see my three younger sisters have started building the snowman without me. They begin waddling towards my car in their snow pants, hats, gloves and probably a billion layers of long-sleeved shirts. Nathalia, the youngest, hugs me tightly and dampens my jacket with snow. “Let me go and change so I can help, alright?” I say as I step into the safety of my home and am welcomed by the smell of my mom’s cooking.
I change into my own snow gear and think that maybe winter isn’t that bad. Winter is when I spend the most time with my sisters. I honestly enjoy spending time with them doing the amusing things that sway my mind away from my hate for winter.
Walking towards the door I put on my hat, no longer caring if it ruins my hair. Opening the door, I see my sisters are ready to bombard me with snowballs. Before I can run ten feet, Mother Nature catches my boot in a mound of snow and pulls me down. My sisters watch me fall and run towards me, giggling at my stupidity. They realize my vulnerability and throw hard-packed snowballs at me simultaneously. Rubbing the snow off my face, I realize the one and only enjoyable thing about winter- the end.
