Snowflakes

Right Now
The first snowfall was a demanding presence when I woke up this morning. At first I thought maybe the sun was greeting me through the curtains or headlights from a car leaving early in the morning. When realizing that this could not possibly be it from how angelic white it was, a little bundle of joy seeped through my pores opening up the curtains. This opening revealed crisp white snow, the kind that seems to float so slow that it was possible to see each individual snowflake. Each snowflake displays an intricate design of God’s tears. There’s a season for everything. There’s a season for love, for grief, for forgiveness and for discovery. Because to each person their own time; to each person their own season.
The snowflakes however always come at the perfect time. They come when all the leaves have fallen and left only the dead carcasses of spring flings and summer getaways. Indian summer has faded in all its colors, leaving only blank canvases. It’s the closest place to death. Seeing all these beautiful things just fade away to only a distant memory. People tend to become so dark around this time; even the fashions only allow black, brown, purple and navy to cover the store’s shelves. It makes it hard to think of anything else besides freezing in our cars listening to oldies. The snowflakes though; they revive dead land to a place beyond just frozen life. Even in death there’s life they say. The snowflakes are an earthly proof that in death; is life.
Two Months Ago
Ally doesn’t think twice when she does things, she just does them. I think that would be good, doing things without conscience or reason. Reason is the ultimate form of admitting you think just like the rest of the world. How lovely, I have now become just what I didn’t want to be; normal. Ally however isn’t just normal, she’s abnormal. People either love her or hate her and Ally wouldn’t care what they thought as long as they bought her another beer. That’s what’s nice about Ally, she just doesn’t care.
Ally and I have been waitresses at a rural restaurant called “The Place” for about a year. It’s called “The Place” because this little town never wanted a fancy name for it. Fancy names get old real fast, and besides the obvious that it’s a place. Nobody can argue with that statement, that a place is a place. Therefore Ally and I work at “The Place”. As Ally says, “why the hell would I want to work anywhere else, at least here I can remember where I am going and somebody might even know my name“. Ally’s not at all my best friend, but if you ask her she would say yes and then tell you about how her shower was cold last night. Ally’s just like that, not knowing when to shut up.
It was a Tuesday evening in September when Ally finally realized that she knew nothing about me. She was waiting on some Buddhist tourists when she had this revelation. This revelation was so strong that she couldn’t wait until after she took down their orders. In a casual tone Ally simply said;”Here write it down” handing them the notebook and running to the back. At this time I was taking a smoke break outside when Ally busted the damn door open, “Bette do you ever talk?” I inhaled and puffed a smoke ray towards her feet before replying, “Nice shoes?” only to return to staring at the artwork on the fence. This pissed Ally off a little bit so she of course sat down next to me without asking, because if you ask beforehand they will most likely say no. Go figure.
“Bette, I mean talk DO YOU TALK?”
“Sometimes”
“Sometimes; like as in once every year? Bette that’s like saying the leprechauns only come out to play once a year on St. Patty’s day. Where did you grow up? Why is it you fell out of the sky to work here a year ago? WHY?”
“Grew up in Michigan, don’t visit if you don’t like unpredictable weather. Then I fell out of the sky to work here because I moved here. I needed a job, fancy that”
“Real funny Bette, so you’re from Michigan eh? Why did you leave Michigan to live in North Dakota, seems to me like you lost a bet with a devil.”
“Ally have you ever been to Michigan?”
“No, but I hear it’s quite pretty. I would like to go someday. Seems like a place with more to do and see than here.”
“So why don’t you go?”
Ally slumped back in her chair and for the first time she fell silent.
“Ally, why don’t you go?”
“Don’t know, say you want to leave this place and go?”
“I just came from there! I am not going back”
“Why not did you kill somebody?”
“No”
“Then what are you some sex offender on the run? I mean I highly doubt it since you probably got cobwebs up there. We need to go to the bar tonight, some guy’s going be your maid tonight.”
“Ally, I am not a sex offender and you can tell me about the bar tomorrow afternoon. Besides I liked our relationship better when you talked and I just sat here. It was a great friendship.”
“Bette, that’s your idea of friendship? Damn then I don’t want to know your definition of fun? Actually go ahead, define it.”
“Define fun?”
“Yeah, define fun.”
I paused as I inhaled the last of my cigarette, throwing it on the ground. Then getting up and walking towards the door I said, “If you want it defined then your barking up the wrong tree because unlike you I got work to do”. Opening the door to the kitchen I felt this weird sensation as if talking about stuff actually felt good. I never thought about going back to Michigan. Just like I never thought I would reveal that much information to anybody I worked with. I guess Ally has always had a way with people, getting them to be out of their element for just a little while.