A Letter to the Giftmaker - Chapter 15

The sun warmed the road just enough that dirt and slush combined into a syrupy mud that tugged at Harriet's shoes like an overzealous cobbler. Each step she wrenched the shoe from the viscous brown sludge just to press it down again with a wet sucking sound. Globules splattered up onto her coat.

Behind her, the other two had fallen nearly thirty yards behind. She could hear them breathing heavily and see the thick clouds of steam from each breath. Fortuitously, it looked like the road ducked into a valley at the next intersection, so the dirt should remain frozen.

She stopped at the sign and waited for Edwin, who had the scrawled map, to catch up.

"Alright..." Edwin said, breathing heavily. "If this the Halston Woods, we turn right."

He did indeed point down the slope into the shaded valley. The road was still frozen, and less traveled, so travel should be easier. She took eight steps before realizing she was alone.

"You coming?" she called back.

"Can we take a break?" Edwin asked. "My knees are stiff and I'm freezing."

Jo pointed to a large maple a few yards down the road. "We could sit under the tree. The snow looks not very deep, and it faces the sun."

They all agreed, and soon were seated against the rough bark, faces lifted to the sun. Harriet couldn't help but smile as she felt the warmth on her face. The large tree even blocked the light breeze from the north. It felt almost pleasant out.

After a few minutes, Jo began to roll up a ball of snow with his hand. He packed the snow in tight, then rolled it some more.

"What are you doing?" Harriet asked, looking over.

"Making a snowman," Jo said, smiling. "Just a little one."

He really is like a child sometimes, Harriet thought.

After another minute, his ball had gathered enough snow that it was nearly a foot across. Jo pushed it aside, and started another ball.

"I want to make one too!" Edwin started rolling a ball in his hands. It immediately turned oblong. "Oh, come on!" He started again.

"You're both being childish," she said tersely. "We need to get going if you're rested."

"Come on, Harriet, have a little fun!" Jo's smile was almost infectious, but she kept a level head. Someone had to.

The tree bark pressed into her back as she watched them. Edwin's ball kept collapsing in on itself when it grew larger than his fist. He would punch the ball, scattering the snow, then start gathering it up again with a huff.

There was no reason for Harriet to help. Firstly, it was childish and she was an adult now. Secondly, she was never good at building snowman, maybe even worse than Edwin. If she wasn't good at it, why bother doing it?

Jo finished the second ball, and tromped over to teach Edwin. The lesson didn't go well, as his fifth attempt at a ball also collapsed immediately. Jo laughed and Harriet had to fight back her own giggle.

She couldn't be sitting around, laughing like this. If she didn't focus, her career was in jeopardy. Edwin would report her and then everyone would find out about her. She bit her lip. That absolutely could not happen.

"Let's just call it quits there," Jo said as Edwin's ball reached a hand's breadth. "We can use it as the head for mine."

Edwin nodded. "Yeah, we should get going."

They lifted the egg-shaped ball and placed it on the top of the snowman. Two rocks from the shoulder of the road made two gray eyes, matching Edwin's eyes. Jo dragged his finger in an irregular arc, giving the snowman a crooked smile that matched his own. It was a tiny amalgamation of the two of them.

"He looks cute." As soon as she said it, she snapped her mouth closed. Her ears burned. That wasn't how serious adults talked, especially ones that wanted their post-office jobs.

"Thanks," Jo said. "His name's Walter."

"Walter?" Edwin said. "How about Edwin Junior?"

"Nah, he's definitely a Walter."

Harriet loudly cleared her throat. "Ahem. We should get going."

Edwin nodded. "Yes, we need to keep going."

"Good luck, Walter Edwin," Jo said, patting the snowman on the head.

They continued down the road, Jo and Edwin talking excitedly about the fictional life of the snowman. They fell back slightly and their voices turned into a vague hum.

Harriet shivered when the sun went behind a cloud. She looked back at the guys, talking conspiratorially. They didn't want her as part of their fun. Of course not, she wasn't fun.

Her jaw tensed. She walked quicker, putting more distance between them. Edwin already resented her, and now Jo did as well. She crossed her arms across her chest, trying to get warm despite the sun. If this failed, she wouldn't even have a job. She would be completely alone.