Maricruz threw open the door and flinched as the chilled air from the stairwell rushed through her and into the apartment. A figure stood on the landing outside wearing a full snowsuit, a ski mask, and skiing goggles. Even in the dim light she could tell that the figure was too short to be Lyle, but she asked anyway, "Lyle, is that you?"
The person took off the goggles and ski mask, and said, "No, Maricruz. It's me."
"Daddy?" she said to the man in front of her, then turned toward Benny. "It's your Grandpa, sweetie."
Her father, Fernando, a man in his early sixties with a full face, salt-and-pepper hair, and a silver goatee, walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him and scanning the room filled with candles. He smiled. "I can see you've been visiting Abuelita."
"What're you doing here, Dad?" Maricruz asked, completely confused. "It's the middle of the night. How'd you even get here? There must be more than a foot of snow out there."
Fernando pulled the gloves from his small hands one plump finger at a time. "I came to check on the restaurant and to take you and Benny back with me to the house. Your mother insists, and as always your mother is right." Benny had walked over and given his grandfather a hug then sat down at the kitchen table with Maricruz and Fernando following him in doing so. "I got here on a snowmobile. Pretty impressive, huh? When I saw the forecast, I called up the rental place in Pueblo and sent your brothers to pick it up with a truck and trailer they borrowed from a friend of theirs. They ended up coming back with two of them so they can go out and have fun over the next couple days. I didn't gripe at them too bad because they paid for the other one themselves and gave me some money to help with mine. Plus, I plan to take Father Carl around on one of them tomorrow afternoon to visit his shut-ins as a donation to the church."
Fernando pulled the gloves from his small hands one plump finger at a time. "I came to check on the restaurant and to take you and Benny back with me to the house. Your mother insists, and as always your mother is right." Benny had walked over and given his grandfather a hug then sat down at the kitchen table with Maricruz and Fernando following him in doing so. "I got here on a snowmobile. Pretty impressive, huh? When I saw the forecast, I called up the rental place in Pueblo and sent your brothers to pick it up with a truck and trailer they borrowed from a friend of theirs. They ended up coming back with two of them so they can go out and have fun over the next couple days. I didn't gripe at them too bad because they paid for the other one themselves and gave me some money to help with mine. Plus, I plan to take Father Carl around on one of them tomorrow afternoon to visit his shut-ins as a donation to the church."
"Tax deduction, right? You're a real saint, Dad," Maricruz said sarcastically, but lovingly.
He stood and then put his arm around her. "Your mother thought it was tacky, but I knew my accountant would understand." He winked at his daughter. "I'm going to go check on things downstairs. You and Benny put on your snow gear. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes to get you."
Maricruz protested. "We're not going, Dad."
"But, Mom, a snowmobile," Benny begged. "In the middle of the night! How cool is that! Please?"
"No, Abenicio. We're waiting for Lyle." Fernando looked puzzled as to why Lyle would be coming on a night like this, so Maricruz explained to him that this was the ninetieth day and that Lyle had gone to Pueblo even with the storm coming. She told him all the sheriff's department had told Rick. Her father had not been very supportive at first of her giving Lyle a second chance, but as he always did, he had finally decided to support her, even if reluctantly, until he could see whether or not Lyle really came through. "So, you see, Daddy, we need to be here. If--I mean, when--he makes it here, I need to be here."
Fernando put his gloves back on but put the ski mask and goggles under his arm. "Nonsense, Mari. We live less than a mile away. Leave him a note on the door and come be with your family." He opened the door and looked back. "Fifteen minutes. Okay?"
Maricruz closed the door behind her father and had Benny hold a candle in each hand to give her light as she searched for all of their cold weather gear in the hall closet. She didn't want to go to her parents' house but she knew her father wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and Benny was too excited about the late night snowmobile ride in the middle of the night. If Lyle could make it all the way back to Rocky Ford he could surely make it another ten blocks to her parents' house. It might be nice to have some company as she waited anyway. After changing clothes and throwing together a small overnight backpack, they pulled on their snow overalls, parkas, boots, and hats. Maricruz tore a piece of paper from a spiral notebook and wrote a note that said, "Lyle, We're waiting out the storm at my parents' house. We love you so much. Please come see us," then taped it to the door. When her father came back up to the apartment, she left the faucets dripping, and then the three of them blew out all the candles before pulling on their gloves and hats and walking out the door.
The wind and snow assaulted the three of them the moment they stepped out the downstairs door. Her father had parked the snowmobile on the sidewalk that was buried beneath snow that reached up almost to Maricruz's knees. "It's only made to fit two," her father informed her, "But we can put Benny in between us and you can wear the backpack, Maricruz. It's not hard to drive at all, so we should fine. Benny will be a little smooshed for a few minutes, but at least you'll be warm, huh, kiddo?" Fernando patted Benny on the back. "It's only ten blocks." Maricruz and Benny put on their secondhand ski goggles from a year earlier when Fernando had splurged and taken the entire staff of Los Tres Hermanos on a ski weekend to celebrate a record year of sales. Maricruz watched as Fernando fired up the snowmobile, then wiped the snow from the seat and gauges. The three of them then squeezed themselves onto it, Maricruz holding tightly onto Benny who was mashed in between the two while holding tightly onto his grandfather.
As they weaved through the streets, Maricruz took in the dark and surreal scene. Cars were almost completely covered by the snow and the drifts against the houses looked like ski slopes. The stop sign had been knocked to the ground by the wind and the only light along the way was the occasional candle in a window. The ride was brutally cold but it only lasted five minutes or so. During those few minutes, she really began to doubt for the first time if Lyle would be able to survive the night. She had seen a few blizzards in her life but she had never seen anything like this. Lyle would have to be the luckiest man in the universe, carried by angels, or the toughest damn cowboy in Colorado to make it back to Rocky Ford alive. Her heart took on a weight as she thought about losing Lyle. There had to be something she could do. She'd never felt so helpless.
When they pulled into what must have been her parents' driveway beneath the blanket of snow, Maricruz's father parked the snowmobile next to the other identical machine rented by her brothers. As they climbed off, her dad said, "Not too bad, huh? It's pretty fun actually, a lot like driving a four wheeler. Maybe you could go out with us tomorrow and give it a try. You'll love it." He looked at Benny. "You too, kiddo."
"Yes!" Benny said as he pumped his fist.
They peeled off their snow gear on the tile floor in the foyer and then crept in slowly and quietly into the house. With the house's open floor plan, Maricruz could make out more than a dozen sleeping family members on the couch, in the chair, and all over the floor. Maricruz's mother stood from the table in the breakfast nook and came to hug and kiss her daughter and grandson. "I've made you two a pallet on the floor in Abuelita's room." She kissed Maricruz on the cheek. "Finally I can go to bed now that I see your faces and know you are safe. Tonight's no night to be off by yourselves." Carrying a candle, she showed them to Abuelita's room, where Maricruz's tiny grandmother snored softly in the darkness of her twin-sized bed.
Benny lay down on the pallet made of afghans and quilts and immediately closed his eyes, having only been awake this late maybe once in his life. "I'm going to the bathroom real quick," Maricruz told him before leaving the room. She knew he'd be asleep before she made it back. As she walked down the hall, she could hear her parents' muffled voices through their bedroom door. She leaned in close to the door and was pretty sure she could hear her father telling her mother about Lyle. Then she tiptoed down the hallway, stepped over her nieces and nephews sleeping on the living room floor, and walked into the kitchen, barely illuminated by the dim light of a candle on the stove top. Then she saw what she had come looking for. There it was on one of the key hooks just above the light switch and below the calendar--the key to the snowmobile. With her heart already beginning to beat like a drum within her chest, she crept back to the bedroom to wait until everyone was asleep.
"But, Mom, a snowmobile," Benny begged. "In the middle of the night! How cool is that! Please?"
"No, Abenicio. We're waiting for Lyle." Fernando looked puzzled as to why Lyle would be coming on a night like this, so Maricruz explained to him that this was the ninetieth day and that Lyle had gone to Pueblo even with the storm coming. She told him all the sheriff's department had told Rick. Her father had not been very supportive at first of her giving Lyle a second chance, but as he always did, he had finally decided to support her, even if reluctantly, until he could see whether or not Lyle really came through. "So, you see, Daddy, we need to be here. If--I mean, when--he makes it here, I need to be here."
Fernando put his gloves back on but put the ski mask and goggles under his arm. "Nonsense, Mari. We live less than a mile away. Leave him a note on the door and come be with your family." He opened the door and looked back. "Fifteen minutes. Okay?"
Maricruz closed the door behind her father and had Benny hold a candle in each hand to give her light as she searched for all of their cold weather gear in the hall closet. She didn't want to go to her parents' house but she knew her father wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and Benny was too excited about the late night snowmobile ride in the middle of the night. If Lyle could make it all the way back to Rocky Ford he could surely make it another ten blocks to her parents' house. It might be nice to have some company as she waited anyway. After changing clothes and throwing together a small overnight backpack, they pulled on their snow overalls, parkas, boots, and hats. Maricruz tore a piece of paper from a spiral notebook and wrote a note that said, "Lyle, We're waiting out the storm at my parents' house. We love you so much. Please come see us," then taped it to the door. When her father came back up to the apartment, she left the faucets dripping, and then the three of them blew out all the candles before pulling on their gloves and hats and walking out the door.
The wind and snow assaulted the three of them the moment they stepped out the downstairs door. Her father had parked the snowmobile on the sidewalk that was buried beneath snow that reached up almost to Maricruz's knees. "It's only made to fit two," her father informed her, "But we can put Benny in between us and you can wear the backpack, Maricruz. It's not hard to drive at all, so we should fine. Benny will be a little smooshed for a few minutes, but at least you'll be warm, huh, kiddo?" Fernando patted Benny on the back. "It's only ten blocks." Maricruz and Benny put on their secondhand ski goggles from a year earlier when Fernando had splurged and taken the entire staff of Los Tres Hermanos on a ski weekend to celebrate a record year of sales. Maricruz watched as Fernando fired up the snowmobile, then wiped the snow from the seat and gauges. The three of them then squeezed themselves onto it, Maricruz holding tightly onto Benny who was mashed in between the two while holding tightly onto his grandfather.
As they weaved through the streets, Maricruz took in the dark and surreal scene. Cars were almost completely covered by the snow and the drifts against the houses looked like ski slopes. The stop sign had been knocked to the ground by the wind and the only light along the way was the occasional candle in a window. The ride was brutally cold but it only lasted five minutes or so. During those few minutes, she really began to doubt for the first time if Lyle would be able to survive the night. She had seen a few blizzards in her life but she had never seen anything like this. Lyle would have to be the luckiest man in the universe, carried by angels, or the toughest damn cowboy in Colorado to make it back to Rocky Ford alive. Her heart took on a weight as she thought about losing Lyle. There had to be something she could do. She'd never felt so helpless.
When they pulled into what must have been her parents' driveway beneath the blanket of snow, Maricruz's father parked the snowmobile next to the other identical machine rented by her brothers. As they climbed off, her dad said, "Not too bad, huh? It's pretty fun actually, a lot like driving a four wheeler. Maybe you could go out with us tomorrow and give it a try. You'll love it." He looked at Benny. "You too, kiddo."
"Yes!" Benny said as he pumped his fist.
They peeled off their snow gear on the tile floor in the foyer and then crept in slowly and quietly into the house. With the house's open floor plan, Maricruz could make out more than a dozen sleeping family members on the couch, in the chair, and all over the floor. Maricruz's mother stood from the table in the breakfast nook and came to hug and kiss her daughter and grandson. "I've made you two a pallet on the floor in Abuelita's room." She kissed Maricruz on the cheek. "Finally I can go to bed now that I see your faces and know you are safe. Tonight's no night to be off by yourselves." Carrying a candle, she showed them to Abuelita's room, where Maricruz's tiny grandmother snored softly in the darkness of her twin-sized bed.
Benny lay down on the pallet made of afghans and quilts and immediately closed his eyes, having only been awake this late maybe once in his life. "I'm going to the bathroom real quick," Maricruz told him before leaving the room. She knew he'd be asleep before she made it back. As she walked down the hall, she could hear her parents' muffled voices through their bedroom door. She leaned in close to the door and was pretty sure she could hear her father telling her mother about Lyle. Then she tiptoed down the hallway, stepped over her nieces and nephews sleeping on the living room floor, and walked into the kitchen, barely illuminated by the dim light of a candle on the stove top. Then she saw what she had come looking for. There it was on one of the key hooks just above the light switch and below the calendar--the key to the snowmobile. With her heart already beginning to beat like a drum within her chest, she crept back to the bedroom to wait until everyone was asleep.
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