WINTER... The bleakest time of year (Part 30d)

We agreed that we both needed to finish our exams. I’d come back on Friday and we’d do some planning at that time. In the meantime we’d focus on doing the best we could on the exams that we had left. I hadn’t brought anything to study so just sat with her in the Student Union while she did. I ended up sleeping in there as I’d done a few times the year before. It was comfortable and wasn’t restful. I spent most of the night trying to figure out how to proceed. We needed to tell our parents and I needed to get a job and both were daunting tasks. I took the first bus out the next morning. Elle had gotten up early and met me to walk with me to the bus. Other than a few hugs and a few pecks on each others cheeks that hadn’t been much in the way of intimacy, especially considering the commitment we’d made to each other. But, I wasn’t worried about that at the moment.

Even though my worries were great, at least one of them wasn’t Elle herself. I made an honest effort to concentrate on studying for the exams I still had to take. Originally, I’d been upset that I had one exam scheduled for the last day because it was robbing me of a few extra days of intersession. But, in the long run, it worked out for me. I spent most of the time cramming and when the exam was over I felt I’d done OK.

It had started snowing the night before and by the time the exam was over there was at least 6 inches of new snow on the ground. Not only that, but now the wind was blowing and you couldn't see but a few feet in front or yourself. I’d arranged to get a ride the first thing in the morning that would drop me off in the town where Elle’s school was located. I spent that night drinking with a few of my fraternity brothers who weren’t leaving campus during the break from school. Even though I was pretty drunk when we left Mo’s Tavern I do remember how hard it was to walk through the snow on the sidewalks. As I remember it, it was almost mid calf. By the time I reached my room I was exhausted. My roommate, Bob, had left two days prior so I was alone in the room. I took off my coat and shoes and “crashed” on the bed, clothes and all.

The next thing I knew there was a knock on my door. It was Mrs K. and she wanted me to shovel the snow off the porch roof outside my window. She handed me a shovel and left. I was supposed to have met my ride at 7am and when I looked at my watch it was after 10am. I wanted to kick myself. I’d told Elle that I’d probably be at her place by 9:30am and here I was hung over and still in my room. At that point I didn’t have much of a choice but to climb out the window and to push snow. It was still snowing and, after I’d pushed a path to the edge I looked out into the street and could barely make out the K’s car. It looked like an oversized loaf of bread for all the snow on the roof. The snow on the porch roof was up to my knees. This was a major storm! And, it ended up being the excuse I need for Elle.

My ride hadn’t even attempted to leave. Since I wasn’t allowed to take calls at my room he’d left a message at the fraternity. I trudged my way there by 1pm. The kitchen had officially closed after Wednesday nights meal so there wasn’t anything to eat but bread, jelly and peanut butter. There were about a dozen “brothers“ still there and they were all chowing down when I arrived. I grabbed a few pieces and then called Elle. She’d not had as much snow but it had pretty much closed down her area as well. I was both relieved and disappointed. The snow had saved me as far as missing my ride but I desperately wanted to see Elle. I told her I was going to hang out at the fraternity and would call when I got some news as far as the ride was concerned.

I spent the afternoon sleeping on the sofa. Some of the guys were headed for Mo’s and asked if I wanted to join them. I was still somewhat hungover from the previous night so said I’d pass. I fell back to sleep and it was the phone ringing that woke me up. I answered it and it was Elle. ”IT CAME! IT CAME!“ was what I heard. It took a few seconds for me to figure out what she was telling me. But, when I realized what it was I can honestly say I was disappointed more than relieved.

With classes starting Monday morning and a school rule that, unless you had a legitimate excuse, you had to go during the first week, I was ”trapped“. I’d thought about taking the bus to see Elle on Sunday and then pleading that I’d gotten stuck there but, realistically, knew it wouldn’t hold up. When I called Elle to tell her there was no way I could come over to see her I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I promised, come hell or high water (or snow) I’d be there the next weekend. It was the best I could do.

What the situation did was to allow me to focus on Elle’s and my total relationship. I knew that I loved her before but all of this reaffirmed it. And, more importantly, it had confirmed it to Elle. As I looked to the future I knew we had to do some serious planning. It was no longer a ”game“.

To be continued...