Waterbound

1921

Winter

~~~

Kate was alone. The world was still. A thick blanket of snow laid heavily over everything, muffling all sounds, while large flakes drifted lazily from the sky. The biting cold had numbed her nose and she was certain that her shoes were filled with snow. She leaned against the house and cautiously peeked around the corner. There was no one in sight.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and rubbed her nose. Definitely numb. Wasting no more time, she darted out of her hiding place and found cover behind a large tree. Kate quickly scooped up some snow, forming a ball in her hand. She glanced to the side and locked eyes with Sarah who was crouching behind a tree of her own. Sarah smiled and beckoned to her but Kate shook her head. Her friend then held up three fingers and wordlessly counted down.

When the last finger dropped, Kate burst forth from her hiding place, the snow crunching beneath her feet. But before she made much progress, a volley of snowballs pummeled into her, punctuated with John's boisterous shout. She tried to retaliate, flinging her own snowball in his direction but wasn't sure if it hit its target.

Kate lost her balance and fell into the snow. She threw her arms over her head. "I surrender!" She called out, breathless with laughter. The moment the snowballs stopped, she looked up and saw John watching her with a grin. At once, she seized the opportunity and hurled a snowball at him, catching him off guard.

A happy shriek echoed across the yard as Pat caught Sarah, lifting her off the ground. John rushed over to them and, grabbing onto Pat, they all tumbled into the snow.

Kate climbed back to her feet and brushed the snow from her coat. "I'll be headin' indoors," she said as she approached the group in the snow. She reached down and pulled John to his feet. "Me face is frozen and I'm fairly certain I've lost a few toes to frostbite."

John groaned.

"Ah, ye can stay out here as long as ye please," Kate remarked, tapping his nose. "But I thought I'd fix meself a nice mug of' hot cocoa."

His eyes lit up at the thought.

"Going inside sounds wonderful to me," Sarah said. "I'm pretty sure someone put snow down my dress."

Kate looked at Pat who smiled sheepishly.

"Why'd ye always think it's me?" He asked.

"Because ye always have that guilty look," she replied. She wrapped an arm around Sarah and guided her away. "Come on now. We'll go in and get some hot cocoa and leave the children outside where they belong."

"No!" John protested, already sprinting towards the house.

"Take your shoes off before you go in," Sarah shouted. She picked up her pace and ran after him, leaving Kate and Pat behind.

Kate glanced at Pat and found him gazing back at her. She tried to think of something to say but nothing came to mind and they walked the rest of the way in silence. At least we're not yelling at each other , she thought. That's something.

~~~

The nightclub was full of people again, always an endless party within its walls, but Cal enjoyed being there, becoming one among many, entirely anonymous. There were no expectations in that sea of faces, no correct way of speaking or acting, complete and total freedom. It was in that place, that he almost understood Rose and her desire to break free. Sometimes he wished he would run into her so he could tell her that, at last, he understood. But he knew he would never be able to bring himself to admit it, even if she was willing to listen.