I'll be home for Christmas.

On any other day Lara would have enjoyed watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. Especially since it meant a white Christmas. But today was the absolute worst day for it. It wasn’t even suppose to snow today, but she should have known better than to try driving the mountain pass on Christmas Eve.

It’ll be worth it. She kept reminding herself. Mum hasn’t seen you in a few months and even though she pretends she’s okay with you not being able to come for Christmas, she really isn’t. She continued to think. Lara was feeling on the moodier side of things since she began the drive. The weather report as always was wrong, it was a seven hour drive to be home for less than two days, and she didn’t have any presents for her parents. The Christmas bonus she’d been expecting had hardly covered her gas bill, let alone allow her to buy gifts.

She grinded her teeth as one of her tires slide on the ice. This needed to be worth it. She was near her breaking point. And if she wasn’t so far along, she may have considered turning around, stopping at some 24/7 store and shipping out some trinket. It be all to easy to blame the postal service for the delay. Everyone else certainly did.

But Lara really wasn’t that type of person. For one she was punctual. And any other year she would have sent packages out in November. And she wouldn’t have contemplated blaming the postal workers for delays, not when everyone was using their services and she knew they were driving the hazardous mountain passes daily. No, Lara wasn’t the type to out the blame on someone else. She was just suffering from a lack of holiday cheer and the queasy feeling she often felt around this time of year. Christmas presented a numerous amount of challenges as an adult. Instead of Santa and toys, she was expecting credit card warnings and guilt. Which is what put her on the road in the first place. And that’s probably why the universe saw it fit to send the deer.

Lara hardly had time to react when the lamp like eyeballs gleamed back at her. Her heart flared as she swerved to the left of the buck who’d seen fit to stop in the middle of her path. Her tires groaned on the ice as she attempted to break before sliding off into the ditch. With a few good bumps her front tires embedded themselves in the snow bank and Lara felt her tailbone bounce against the seat. She glanced back at the road in time to watch the black tip of the deer’s tail bounce away.

“Are you kidding me! Damn it!” Lara whined. Gearing herself into reverse she reeved her engine. The car didn’t even budge. She slapped the steering wheel. “Seriously! I’m only 30 minutes out!” she was trying to keep herself steady. But a torrent of tears were soon dripping down her face. Her vehicle wasn’t moving. There wasn’t any other cars on the road to give her a hand. She laid her head on the wheel and let out a couple of sobs.

Well the adrenaline wasn’t helping matters, she’d really intended for her arrival to be a surprise. And the only tow truck in town, was of course her dad.

Dialing the familiar numbers of her dad’s cell, she drew in a breath.

“Hey Kid” he answered on the second ring. “is that Lara?” her mum’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey dad…. um.” She choked back another sob.

“What’s wrong Lara?” her dad’s cheery tone had changed in an instant. If there was something Peter Miles could be reliably about, it was his ability to get down to business. His wife in the other hand was already in a flurry behind him at the change of tone. Lara sobbed some more as she tried to tell her dad what was happening.

“Okay Kid, just take a breath. What road did you come in on?” he was grabbing his jacket and mittens with the cell balanced between his should and his ear.

“The Mountain pass” Lara’s voice hitched as she prepared for a lecture. “suppose that’s the fastest way.” Her dad replied. He knew his daughter didn’t need the lecture.

He promised he’d get there as soon as he could and to hang tight. And to make sure she opened her window for some air. Lara hung up the phone only to pick it back up as her mum phoned.

“Lara? Honey, are you okay?” Her mum’s voice was a pitch too high. Lara felt her voice wobble again, “I’m sorry mum, I just wanted to surprise you guys for the holidays and now I’ve worried you and ruined your dinner.”

“You haven’t ruined anything, Larbear.” Her mum’s nickname for her soothed her a bit. “And I’m happy to see you in a bit, but I really wish you would have told us you were coming. What if you’d bonked your head and couldn’t call?” her mum meant it in the best way, but it did make Lara brim up with tears again. But her mum did stay on the phone with her until her dad’s truck headlights had found her small silver car in the ditch. She reluctantly said good bye to her mum and hopped out of the car.

Miles had swung his truck in reverse and was lining himself up to the back of her car. Lara hollowed to him and he released the winch. Lara would know how to hook it up to her car. She’d use to love going on runs with him when she was younger… and it wasn’t the first time she’d been pulled out of the ditch. She looped the wire and hook and gave it a sharp tug to make sure it wasn’t going to come undone.

“give her a pull” She yelled as she backed up and gave her dad the thumbs up. Miles through the truck into drive and Lara watched as her car gave a little pop sound and slide from the snow bank with ease. She rolled her eyes. It would have made her feel a lot better had the vehicle given more of a fight.

She climbed into her dad’s truck and buckled herself in. “Thanks Dad. I’m sorry…” she trailed off. Miles laughed. “For what? The deer.”

Lara cracked a grin, “I meant for making you work on Christmas Eve, and scaring you.” Miles grinned back at his daughter, “Tell ya what, I’ll still give you the family discount, but your own your own with your mum.”

“She already called”

Miles let out another laugh before he turned the radio on and start on the way back home.

By the time they were pulling up to her parent’s light covered house, Lara was feeling better. “Go on inside, I’ll be in soon.” Her dad waved her as he headed into the garage. Lara let herself in the side door.

“Lara?” her mum’s voice came from around the corner. “Yeah it’s me.” She slipped off her boots and started on her coat. Her mum turned around the corner. She had her apron on and her greying hair pinned back.

“Do you have more grey?” Lara looked at her mum’s hair. She received a tiny sat on the arm as her mum scowled, “Never you mind. Most of them are from you.”

Lara grinned. Her mum bundled her into a hug. “This wasn’t really the Christmas surprise I was expecting. But I have roost in the oven, and I’m making your favorite potatoes.” She rubbed her daughters back as she smiled. Lara breathed in her mum’s perfume and smiled.

“I couldn’t really afford anything for you this year… so I thought.” Lara began but her mum cut her off. “Honey, I’m your mum. I don’t need anything special. Besides having you here is what I really wanted anyways.” Her mum pulled away. Lara felt a sudden warmth in her chest. She smiled again.

Her dad had popped in from the garage. He waved a bottle of brown liquor at her. “Got some scotch from your mother this morning? Want to help me with it.” He winked. “Obviously!” Lara started towards the kitchen.

“Not the whole bottle you two.” Her mum warned. “Aww it’s Christmas Karol.” Miles gave her a quick squeeze before following their daughter to the kitchen.

“Certainly feels like it” Karol watched them for a moment longer before joining in.