Winter Journey

Winter Journey
by
Lesley Renee Charles

 

I got into my car and sped away from my family home. Just got into another major fight with my father who could not accept me for who I am but wanted me to fit into his ideal. I did not pay attention to the gathering grey clouds or maybe I noted that they seemed to fit my mood.

I thought that I would take a nice drive into the mountains and get away from the problems in my life. I did try to pay attention to my driving speed as I tend to have a lead foot, but at this particular moment I did not need to have trouble with the police.

My little Volkswagen Beetle bug, all metallic blue of it, climbed steadily up the side of the mountain when I started to notice that the snow was falling quite heavily up in the mountain tops. I also noted that the roads were getting slippery when I suddenly realize that I did not have either snow tires or chains on my tires. It was taking all my concentration not to either hit a tree or slip into a ditch.

All of a sudden a young buck appeared in the path of my car, so I swerved to avoid him and ran into a deep ditch. As I hit the airbag in my car, I slipped into unconciousness.

I felt a pair of strong arms, reach in and lift me from the wreckage of my car and I felt movement as the stranger started to walk. I slipped back into darkness as I again blacked out.

I regained consciousness slowly. I realized that there was a soft downy feeling under my back. I could still hear the sounds of the snowflakes hitting the windowpanes and I began to fear that the storm was worse than I thought. It was Christmas Eve and I was sad that I was going to miss spending it with my family.

"I see that you are finally awake." A baritone voice said by my side. I looked up to see a tall, handsome man. He had blond hair and appeared to be about thirty.

"I apoligize for barging in on your holiday. I did not realize that a storm was approaching. I had a fight with my father and left."

He chuckled. I lifted my arm up from under the covers when I realized that I was not in my cream colored Angora sweater. I was now in a silk nightgown of the palest lilac. I realized that my benefactor must have undressed me and changed my attire. 

I also knew that he discovered my secret.

"My name is Chris." I told him, deliberately keeping to a gender neutral nickname.

"I am Ciaran and I am glad to meet you. I was taking some time away from society and enjoying being by myself. But I am glad to have some company for the holiday. I was out looking for a tree to decorate when I saw you hit the ditch. I always wanted to be a Knight in shining armor to a damsel in distress."

"Did you find a tree? If so, I could help you decorate it."

"Not yet, but now that I know that you are fine, I will go out again and get one before it gets dark."

He turned to leave, as I started to get drowsy again. The fire in the small cabin felt so nice and toasty as I slipped off to sleep again.

About a half hour later, I heard the cabin door open.

"Honey, I am home." I heard a voice say jokingly. As he came in dragging a six foot tree behind him. "Let me get the tree stand set up, then we can decorate the tree together. I was afraid that I was going to spend the holiday by myself but I am glad to share the holiday with a beautiful woman."

I got up carefully from the bed and made sure that the nightgown did not expose anything that I did not want to be seen.

"What was the fight with your father about?"

"It concerned my not living to my father's expectations. Do you think I could use your phone and call my mother? I don't want her to worry about me."

"I would but unfortunately the storm as damaged the phone lines so I am without phone until the storm stops. That also means that I cannot call a mechanic to take a look at the damage to your car."

I walked over to where he set up the tree and looked through the delicate glass ornaments that he had and started to hook them up and put them on the fragrent pine tree.

After the tree was done, we shared a delicious hot chocolate before be both settled to sleep. Ciaran was a gentleman and let me take the bed while he spread a blanket on the couch.

I got up the next morning, planning on getting the holiday meal started. I figured this would be a good start to repaying Ciaran's hospitality. I opened the refrigerator and saw the turkey. I took it out, took it out of the wrapper and rinsed it under cold water in the sink. I put it in a roasting pan I found in the cupboards. I then rubbed olive oil over the sking and sprinkled Italian seasoning over that. I turned the oven to preheat.

Next I found both white and sweet potatoes. I peeled them and cut them up. I put the white potatoes in with the bird.

I figured I would also get breakfast started, so I put on the coffee and then scrambled some egg whites.

Ciaran smelled the coffee and got up.

"Good morning, I see you have been busy."

"I hope you don't mind but I love to cook." That was another thing that my father got on me about. He was always trying to make me act like a man.

"No, I don't mind. But do you want to open up your presents?"

"Sure, but I didn't plan on having anything."

We walked over to the tree and he handed me a few packages. I opened the first one up and it was a beautiful negligee in a pale lavender. The next package had a pair of heeled slippers that matched, luckily in my size. The last one had a silk dressing robe in a darker lilac shade.

"Where did you get these? I don't have anything to give you Ciaran."

"That's all right, your being here is enough. I have lived by myself since my life partner passed. As to where I got them, they were Shelly's, my partner. She was a special girl just like you."

I went over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. I was wondering if I was finally going to find the love and acceptance I needed my whole life.