Wintertide: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

tried to make me drive
him all the way to California. But I wrestled the gun away from him and managed
to push him out of the car. So, sorry I’m a little late," I said casually.
    She pursed her lips together in
that scolding manner she has. "I don't find that funny at all.” She walked
over to the passenger side, opened the door and silently sat herself down
inside.
    By the time we reached the lot where
the trees were sold, it was dark, and Mom was chattering on happily again. "Do
you remember that lovely young girl from your class? The blonde one who was in
the honor society with you? Well would you believe she dropped out of college
because she got pregnant? I hear the father was her English professor.” She
paused waiting for my reaction.
    "Really," I said
uninterested.
    "That's right. And that nice
couple, the ones who own that big grey beach house down near the cliffs. Well,
you weren't here then, but they left abruptly right in the middle of the season.
It turns out they went into bankruptcy, the bank foreclosed on them and the
house is now deserted. Can you believe it? That big beautiful house?"
    My mother always thrived on gossip.
I listened with half an ear. The lot was busy with late shoppers. Mom and I
walked up and down the rows of trees inspecting them carefully. She stopped in
front of one. I went over and stood beside her. The tree was small, barely six
feet, but it was full with healthy green needles.
    "This is the one," she
said. She turned to me excited, "Oh Daniel, it has been so long since
we've done this."
    Looking at her, something occurred
to me for the first time. "Mom, did you get a tree last Christmas?"
    She turned away and waved her hand
in the air. "Oh no we didn't bother. Without you home, it just wasn't the
same."
    I stared at my mother in disbelief.
She hadn't bothered to get a tree last year, a ritual I could not imagine her
neglecting. My throat became tight, and my head suddenly throbbed right where I
had hit it at the professor’s house. I stood rooted to the ground while she
called someone over to purchase the tree. I couldn't understand why she would
remain in a life that made her so unhappy. But I couldn't imagine her having the
strength to change her situation either.
    My dad used to come with us to pick
out a tree, but as soon as I grew big enough to fasten it to the roof of the
car myself, he’d stopped. I was just tying off the last cord when I heard my
mother's voice rise in an enthusiastic greeting. I walked around to the other
side of the Buick and there was Seth, standing over her smiling. He looked
older with dark stubble and a fuller face than I remembered.
    "Hey Danny, I heard you were
home.” He turned his smile on me and gave me a small wave.
    "Hey yourself. Good to see
you."
    "I told Daniel you were home,
but he has a job working for one of his professors over the vacation. In fact,
he already spent his first day of vacation there.” She smiled with pride.
    "Dan always did work
hard," Seth acknowledged. "I told my mother I'd be back early. So I'd
better start looking for a tree. Maybe we'll get together some time before we
have to go back to school,” he said to me. “That is, if you're not too
busy."
    "Sure," I said mostly for
my mother’s benefit. "Give me a call."
    "I will. Good-bye, Mrs. Hiller.
Nice to see you."
    Mom called after him, "You,
too. Say hello to your mother for me."
    As Seth walked away she turned to
me and whispered, "Now that was embarrassing. I told you to call him. Now
it looks bad, like you never intended to."
    "It doesn’t look like
anything. Besides, I didn't intend to call him."
    "What happened between the two
of you anyway? You used to be such good friends?"
    It was freezing out and I didn’t
want to have this conversation while my toes were turning numb. I opened the
car door for her hoping she would take the hint. She looked at me waiting for
an answer.
    "I don't know, Mom,” I finally
responded. “I guess we just grew apart.” I