Short stories

Everyone needs help

Finally! Christmas holidays has arrived! The young woman hurried out of the huge building where her office was. The snow glistened under the hot sun. The afternoon was warm for December. There was basically a Santa at each street corner. They were all ringing their bell to raise funds. A bum approached the young woman and held out his hand.

“Do you have some money?”

She passed him, ignoring him completely. He called out again, but she didn’t look back. She had no time to waste with people like him. She walked to her car. Children were playing with the snow. The young woman received a snowball in the face. Her high value sunglasses fell on the snowed pavement. She glared at the child, who seemed on the verge of crying.

“Little brat!” she yelled. “There are people walking on the sidewalk. Go play somewhere else!”

The boy burst into tears. A woman approached the child to calm him down a bit. Then she looked up at the young woman, outraged by her reaction.

“You have no shame? These kids are just having fun!”

“There are parks for that. Is this your child?”

The woman shook her head.

“So mind your own business, ma’am.”

And she walked away when the child began to cry again. She arrived at her luxury car. A man stood between the woman and the vehicle. She sighed deeply, forcing a smile.

“Michael,” she said.

“Hello Catherine! It’s been a while since I have heard from you. Your secretary is already on vacation?”

She gently pushed him away, but he didn’t go as far as she wanted it. He took her by the shoulders and brought his face close to hers. She backed up.

“Why don’t you take my calls?”

“I don’t want to talk to you, Michael.”

“And why not?”

“Because I have more important things to do than talking to you.”

“Oh! I love when you’re aggressive!”

She took the key to unlock the door of her car, but he took her hand.

“Since when do you wear gloves?”

“It’s winter. It’s cold.”

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“Yes, and you’re not included. Goodbye, Michael.”

She got into her car and drove off. He waved his hand, but she wasn’t looking. Michael was disgusting her. She still couldn’t believe she had slept with him. She shook her head quickly to remove this horrible memory from her mind. It was a mistake she didn’t want to commit again. The ringing of her cellphone rang. She pressed the button to activate the headset.

“Yes?”

“Hello my dear!”

“Ah…! Mom… What do you want?”

“To talk to you, of course! It’s been a while I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So why didn’t you called me back?”

“For the simple reason I didn’t want to talk to you, mom.”

“Catherine! I’m still your mother?”

“So what? This is not a reason to hunt me like you do.”

“You’re not coming for Christmas? Your brother and sister will be there. Don’t you want to see them?”

“No. Sonia is a perfect fool and William is too stupid to stay with the same woman for more than two months. You seriously think I miss them?”

“But it is your family!”

“Don’t remind me, please! Anyway, I have other plans for the holidays.”

“Why don’t you love your family, Catherine?”

“I’ve got to go. Bye.”

She quickly hung up by pressing the button again. She kept a very clear memory of her last conversation with her sister Sonia. Her sister accused her of being so indifferent to all those around her that one day, she would need someone and nobody will be there to help her. In response, Catherine had lit a cigarette and replied her career was much more valuable than anything else. Sonia had retorted that everyone needed someone someday. Catherine simply shrugged her shoulders and looked away. The discussion was over for her. Her sister had thrown a long look that said everything.

The young woman parked her car in her parking space and got into her luxurious condo on the top floor. She only had to take her bags, put them in her car and leave. After, she could set off for the ski resort where she was going to relax all week. She walked to the window and was shaken by a deep chill. Her horrible neighbors came out of the building. How a family manage to afford an apartment here? They can’t have that kind of money! When she bought her condo, she was unaware that families with young children could live there. If she knew, she wouldn’t have made an offer. She thought about her condo back on the market. The family believed there was nobody else in the building. The two children were doing all the noise they could.

She went downstairs and threw her bags inside her car and climbed aboard. On her way, she made a stop at a small supermarket to buy some snacks: cheese, crackers, cookies with nuts and oats and some bottles of water. She inserted a disc into her radio and let the soft music of Mozart engulfed her. She had some opera CDs, but she preferred the tranquility of melody.

The roads were snowy but okay. The visibility was absolutely perfect and the sun was still shining. She arrived at Aspen Field about two hours later. The ski slopes stretched out of sight, filled with skiers and snowboarders. She parked her car in one of the finest parking of the station. She went to the reception and asked someone to take care of her luggage. She took a few minutes to change and decided to attack the slopes.

As she descended, a young woman screamed before falling in the middle of the slope. Catherine slid over her and had to slow down because of her. The woman asked for her help. She stopped completely and leaned toward her.

“Listen to me: if you don’t know how to ski, don’t do it.”

“It’s not the first time…”

The woman began to moan.

“Help me, please…! I think I broke my ankle. It hurts!”

“Then push yourself on the side and let expert skiers have their fun.”

“I’m not a beginner! I just badly fell!”

“It’s my holiday! I don’t have time to waste with you.”

And Catherine went down the slope, living the woman in pain. She could hear the cursing between each moan.

* * * * *

Snow had begun to fall around six o’clock. The young woman was on a track for experts studded with bumps. She made a wrong move and found herself isolated in a small clearing with large pines. When she spread out on the mass of snow, she could hear a sinister crack. She noticed one of her legs was at a strange angle. She had probably broken her leg in the process. She tried to straighten and relying on her good leg, but her left knee suddenly bent in the opposite direction before cracking too. She screamed in pain. Lying on the ground, she winced as she felt her pulse in her legs.

The temperature went down drastically and the wind rose.

The pain became unbearable. She lost consciousness. The snow covered her body completely.

* * * * *

The next day, skiers noticed a ski pole in a small clearing. A rescue team was sent there. Catherine’s body was found. She never regained consciousness and intense cold over the night killed her on the spot, erasing the pain.

THE END