FROZEN
Illustrated and written
by Elaine Troisi
Freedom! Marnie had earned an entire weekend to herself, a true luxury for a book editor and a mother of two active teens.
Jack, her ex, was happily remarried and a good father. This weekend he and the boys were headed to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Her editing duties were all caught up. Making for a very relaxing weekend, snowflakes were now falling, blanketing her home and creating a winter wonderland.
Padding to the kitchen in bare feet, she made herself a toasted bagel and a cup of coffee, enjoying its nutty aroma. Then to her cozy parlor to sit by the window and enjoy her breakfast.
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She was watching the snowflakes swirl when she began to worry her family might be stranded at the airport . Just then the phone rang.
Jack teased, “ I bet you are at the window watching the snow fall, worrying about us!’
She laughed, “ You got that right!”
“ I think we were the last flight to make it out on time, but we did,” Jack’s voice was reassuring, as always .
“Thank goodness,” she said as she sipped her coffee. She spoke briefly to the boys, who were excited about their coming adventure. She listened intently.
“Hey, guys, gotta’ run. Screwball is barking and dancing in circles. And you know what that means. Your nutty pooch needs my immediate attention. Talk soon and have a great time in …” but they had already hung up . “Kids!” she thought, chuckling.
Donning her high boots, heavy parka, hat, and gloves, she opened the back door. A flurry of cold snow took her breath away. Screwball was out the door faster than she could get out. She called his name, but it was carried aloft on a gust of wind.
Where had he run to so fast? There, just a few yards away, he was already stuck in a drift. He yelped for attention. “Uh,oh!” she muttered. “ He needs a poop path.” She smiled, remembering that’s what the boys called it.
Screwball weighed about 8 pounds and was pretty defenseless in a light snow, let alone a near blizzard.
This snow required the heavy shovel, not the lightweight plastic one. In the garage on the back wall she found just the right one. Back outside, she could barely see Screwball. The little thing was practically frozen. She picked him up and put him inside her parka pouch. Just right for him. She hoisted the shovel when she saw her new neighbor waving at her, so she waved back. “Darn it,” she thought. He’s been the “new” neighbor for over a month. Maybe around Christmas. She planned to bring him a casserole but just never got around to it. “Oh, well, “ she mused. “When Jamie and Luke get back, I’ll invite him to dinner.”
“Get to it, woman,” she commanded. By then the snow was biting at her. The little dog was shivering inside her parka. She lifted the first shovel full . It was a wet snow and very heavy. She got about a yard when her ankle caught on a fallen tree limb buried under the snow. Down she went, striking her head on the limb. She went to sit up but was too dizzy.
“Let me help you up,” she heard a voice from somewhere echo in her head.
“Jack?” Her voice was hoarse. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy. Frozen.
“No, not Jack,” came the voice. It sounded closer.
She felt the dog stir and whimper. “Screwball,” she uttered, eyes open now, large pieces of crusty ice making her vision blur.
“Screwball?” the voice asked, disconcerted. “No , I’m not a screwball! Is that what you call all your rescuers?“ He leaned down to clear the snow from her. He went to pull her up. Marnie let out a chilling scream.
“My ankle, ohhh. I think it’s broken!” She moaned.
“Okay. I’ll be gentle, and go slow. Can you raise your arms?” That’s when he saw the blood on the snow. She’d struck the back of her head on a large limb when she fell backwards.
He was down on his knees, bracing his back for the lift. “Put your arm on my shoulder, and we’ll slowly raise you to a sitting position. Not to worry, but I need to check your head,” he explained.
Now his face came into view. Marnie was quite confused, but she felt oddly safe. “Thank you,” she managed.
Very slowly, he raised her to a sitting position. Her head rolled onto his shoulder as though sleeping. Worried now, he examined her head . He found a small patch of matted frozen hair. He believed it to be a superficial wound, so he changed his position. This made it easier to pick her up.
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Her clothes weighed as much as she did, frozen now, once wet. Something stirred on her belly. “Hello there. You must be Screwball. My name is Jeremy. I wish I knew your mom’s name.”
“Marnie,” she murmured.
“Hello, Marnie.” He was smiling.“Nice to meet you,” he replied.
He managed to get the door open. “Don’t worry, Marnie. I’m actually a surgeon. I can manage your injuries just fine.” His voice was comforting.
Soon Marnie was lying on the sofa. A fire was blazing. Parka and all weather clothing gone. Blanket and pillow to warm her. Screwball snuggled beneath the blanket, seeking warmth. She opened her eyes and moaned. Her head and ankle felt heavy and swollen.
Jeremy came in from the kitchen. In his hand was a tray with coffee and hot broth.
“The coffee is for me and the broth is for you,” he explained as he sat on the chair opposite her. On the coffee table was another tray with scissors and bandages.
“Are you planning on surgery,” she managed.
Jeremy smiled. “No, I took care of that while you were out. Sorry I had to cut it off …”
“What? You cut off my foot?” There was bogus alarm in her voice.
“Your boot, Marnie. Sorry, but it had to go, the hard way. You’ll be glad to know that your ankle is intact. Better yet, your ankle isn’t broken! Once you are warmed up, we’ll apply some ice. Right now, just drink the broth.”
She laughed, “You carry an x-ray machine in you back pocket, just in case you have to rescue a damsel in distress?” She managed a smile, but a little shiver crept up her spine as she realized what could have happened had he not been there.
Jeremy beaned. This woman has a sense of humor.
Marnie drank the broth, and it warmed her. Jeremy checked her head for more bleeding, but all was good. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay awhile. I want to watch for signs of concussion,” he explained.
“That’s quite the line, Jeremy. Clever way to ask a helpless stranger for a date.”
They both laughed then, smiling and talking.
Soon the evening became morning. A special bond was born that night.
Maybe something more!
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