Ski Lodge

1// Book Club

December 23rd, Thursday
First week of Winter Break

Reader, I'd like to thank Pride and Prejudice for being the greatest book ever.

But first... It's winter break, and I am home from college. My mother and her two best friends, Dr Greene and Dr Becker, meet every Friday night for book club; it usually takes place at our house since we have the largest wine cellar. But this week it's down the street at Dr Greene's and all three women are discussing Pride and Prejudice over copious amounts of red wine and tiny cheddar cheese cubes. And I am watching Dr Greene's two young children, Weston and Laura, upstairs.

I didn't go downstairs until Weston asked me for a glass of water, and when I finally descended the marble staircase of the six bedroom Texan house, I found all three middle-aged, book club women in the office, completely drunk, and giggling at the computer.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, not really sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Nude men!" Dr Becker called out, which sent my mom and Dr Greene into a fit of laughter.

"Don't scar my daughter!" My mom laughed, "honey, honey." She leaned over to me, almost tripping over Dr Greene and her chair. "Sorry," she apologized... not to Dr Greene but to the chair. "We're watching... no, wait," she laughed again, "we're looking at a website for lodges. There's no men. Or at least no nude men."

"Lodges?" I questioned.

My mom awkwardly pulled me over to the computer by my arm, "yes, ski resorts with lodges. In Colorado!"

"That might have nude men in them!" Dr Becker added with a grin and a wink.

"Or alcohol," Dr Greene cheered while raising her sloshing glass of red wine.

"I think you've had enough of that," my mom hiccupped, "but I might get another glass for myself."

I turned my gaze to the screen which showed a beautiful cliff side ski resort with a huge snowy courtyard surrounded by cobblestone streets with fairytale-esque, townhouse-style lodges and shops lining the stone sidewalks. The streets reflected the glow from vintage street lamps, and it was all set high in a sublime mountain range.

"Look honey, honey look," my mom smudged her fore-finger on the screen, "the lodges are skinny little itty bitty townhouses, but seven stories tall! And we'd all fit into one lodge- one family on each of three floors. There's a pullout couch in this tiny living space outside the bedrooms on each floor for you, and Weston and Laura, and Emmett. And the bedrooms will be for the adults, of course. And the bottom two floors are living space and kitchens and washers and dryers and stuff. And then all the bathrooms are on the third floor which is a little strange but totally doable. And we just booked it!"

"Wait! You what?" I leaned closer to the screen. On the top right, a little pop-up read, 'thank you for your purchase.'

"Yeah, why not?" Dr Greene threw her arms in the air, "you kids are all on break right now, and I've got vacation days saved up."

"But Christmas!" I yelped.

"We won't miss Christmas, honey," my mom hugged me, "we leave the day after."

"We will get to go on a plane! I haven't been on a plane since Laura was born!" Dr Greene exclaimed.

"Oh lord, we are old! Emmett's in med school, and Trisha, you're in college! I still remember when you were in diapers" my mom cried.

"I'm the youngest!" Dr Greene yelled, sending all three mothers into another fit of laughter.

I snuck by them and into the kitchen, where I got Weston's glass of water.

On my way back up the stairs, I wondered why we even needed to go on this trip. Other than the unusually high consumption of alcohol my mom and her friends seem to have. Perhaps, I soothed myself, they would forget about the whole trip tomorrow... or maybe I could get dad to cancel the trip... or perhaps there would be a snowstorm and we'd be stuck. I really didn't want to go on a trip with Emmett Becker; I was determined to enjoy my holiday break, not spend time co-babysitting with him.