Igloo

¶ It's dark by the time I finally get off of work, and blistering cold to boot. The snow is coming down in sheets, and of course, I'd forgotten to put the windshield cover on my car. I open the door, brush off the snow that the door deluged onto my seat, and hop in, teeth chattering.

As the engine revs, cold air blasting out of the vents, which I quickly shut. Panting with cold, I take a moment to catch my breath, and warm my hands. The engine hums, and the windshield wipers sweep away the blanket of snow off the sheet of ice blocking my view. Of course.

Maybe some music? What's on the radio?

''...don't want a lot for-"

NonoNOPE! It's only November! I switch the station to something less seasonal.

As I sit in my car for the next fifteen minutes, I run through my plan for the evening:

Make a run to Target, and make a sweep of Holiday shopping. Nothing specific, just look for stuff I think friends and family would like!

Next, the grocery store. I have a rather long list of items I've procrastinated on getting, and I can NOT skip that again!

I look at the fuel gauge, and realize that it's running low. Great. Something else I didn't budget for.

After checking that the vents are still blasting cold air, I grit my teeth, and get out the scraper. After five frigid minutes, my windows are ice-free, and my fingers are aching with cold. I can almost feel the skin cracking.

Muttering several things that would put me on His Naughty-List, I clench my teeth, and drive to the nearest gas station. The card reader plays with my hopes for thirty seconds, before suggesting I go inside.

Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffun...

Inside the station itself, I can finally breath without feeling my teeth freeze. I let it melt some of my stress, as I casually peruse the shelves, trying to buy myself some time in the warmth. Then, on impulse, I grab a paper cup, and pour myself a cup of hot-coco from the machine. Drink paid for, and gas pre-paid, I grip my fingers around the steaming cup, and make my way out into the Minnesotan arctic.

The gas takes an obnoxiously long time to pump, but at last, I set it back on its hook, and get into my still frigid car. As I drive towards the Target, I periodically hold the hot cup in one hand, and then the other, trying to keep feeling in my fingers.

After getting stuck behind at least two drivers who have never seen or heard of snow in their lives, I find a space in the parking lot. But just for fun, I turn on the air again.

Warm... and then hot! Without hesitation, I put the air on full blast, set to Defrost/Underflow! I sit back in my seat, letting the warmth wash over me.

Outside, I can see the snow falling. It's quiet outside, other than the sound of blowing hot air, and the occasional car passing by, looking for an open spot. Snowflakes drift past the lamp-posts, creating luminescent cones of white against the pitch black sky. The ones that land on my windshield begin to melt with the heat, and I know I am safe here, in my car. Safe from the cold. From the biting wind.

I sit here sipping my coco, savoring every sip. It's not great, to be honest. Just enough powder mixed into hot water to suggest that chocolate might have been involved at some point. But after a long day of cramming two day's worth of work into eight hours, and trying to juggle everyone's holiday schedules, it's certainly the best tasting coco in this snowstorm.

Well, at least the best-tasting in this car.

The cup is half-empty, now. Not because I'm a pessimist, but because cups generally tend to empty more than they fill. So, I make a decision. I look up one gift, just one, that I think my brother might like. I know he has something similar to it, but a new one couldn't hurt.

And so, I make record time! I turn off the car, dash into the Target, grab the gift straight from the section I know it's in, and bring it to the register. In the seven minutes it took me to do all of that, a layer of snow has started to form, and I know that the once melted snowflakes on the windshield are beginning to freeze.

But when I get in, there's still a warmth. Not the blistering heat I'd set it too, but it's cozy. Turning the car on, I also turn the heat down a notch, to a more moderate temperature. I continue sipping my gas-station coco a bit longer, before fastening my seatbelt, and trekking my way to the grocery store.

And once again, I'm fast! I don't complete my list. I don't even do half! I simply choose the one item I cannot do without at the moment: milk! I've been putting off the baking because of that.

I don't spend quite as long in my mobile little igloo this time; the milk is one thing I don't want to heat up. But, I do drive a nice, savely sedate pace back to my apartment.

As I pull into my spot, I sip the last dreggs of the coco, the remaining powder turning into a gritty texture in the last drops of water. I know I've done enough for today. But, maybe I could do a little baking. Not a whole batch of fudge, or anything. Just something simple, to bring over this weekend. Resolved, I leave my shelter, braving the biting wind one more time, the milk hooked weakly in my last two fingers.

Today was a day I don't wish to repeat... but it's surprising what a warm car and some cheap coco can do!