“What do you mean, without your luggage?”
“My luggage got lost! You’d know that if you had actually listened to me, asked me how I am, rather than just worrying about you and your plans.”
“Ourplans! I just can’t believe there isn’t something you can do to fix this,” he said, sounding petulant. The flare of anger that had risen up inside Anna grew more fierce.
“I’m not in charge of the weather,” she retorted.
“No one said you were!” he shot back.
“I need a break,” she found herself saying, surprised by the words that came out of her mouth.
“Anna!” Nick sounded shocked, but recovered his composure quickly. “Fine,” he said, his tone now cold. “If you’re not sure about us at this point, maybe you’ll never be.”
“That’s not what I meant...” In her mind’s eye, Anna could see the glittering diamond ring. Marriage was a huge decision—and just the day before, she had been convincing herself that saying yes to a proposal was the right thing to do. Because she had grown used to going along with the things Nick wanted. But if they couldn’t get through a snag in their holiday plans, should they really be considering spending the rest of their lives together?
But before she could say anything more, Nick blustered out an angry-sounding “Fine! If you need a break, let’s take one. Goodbye, Anna.” The line went silent.
Anna stared down at the receiver. In the now quiet phonebooth, arguing with Nick suddenly seemed like a huge, terrifying mistake.
It wasn’t too late to rectify it, though. Her finger hovered over the buttons that would call him back. She could tell him she was sorry, that she didn’t mean any of the things she had just said to him, that she certainly didn’t want a break from their relationship.
Or... she could let it be. She could take Mr. Dadu’s sage advice andnot worry about it right now. She could decide not to call Janey, either—given that being snowbound in the middle of nowhere was a very good excuse not to check in to work. Anna blew out a sigh so forceful the glass of the phone booth fogged up completely. But her mind felt clearer than ever, decluttered from the debris of her many concerns, like a freshly cleaned and painted room.
She was startled by a tapping on the glass.
“Everything okay in there?”
It was a familiar voice. She opened the door.
“Josh!”
“Sorry, hope I’m not being nosy—but you sounded upset. I wanted to make sure everything was okay...?”
She stepped out of the phone booth and stood in front of him in the falling snow. He wasn’t wearing his glasses today, and she found herself suddenly lost in his deeply concerned, warm brown eyes. She also felt that sense of déjà vu she seemed to experience when he was around. “Coming to my rescue, yet again?” she managed to say.
“I’m happy to see that at least today, you’ve got a coat and boots on,” he replied. “But seriously, Anna, are you okay?”
“I am,” Anna said, and meant it. “That was just... work stuff,” she lied. “My boss isn’t thrilled that I’m still stuck here.”
“I guess all the planes are still grounded,” Josh said. “It’s snowing again, and it’s starting to look like yesterday was just a dress rehearsal for the real storm.”
Anna nodded. “I came into town to try to find a few necessities, but to be honest, I have no idea where to find anything.”
Josh checked his watch. “I have about half an hour before I have to be back at my... work thing. I can help,” he said. “Come with me.”
Soon, they were passing by a strip of stores and establishments that were nothing like the ones on Main Street. Those had red brick and gingerbread-icing-like trim, all with the same colored lights and decorations. But this area of town was a hodgepodge. There were four old town houses in a row, mini versions of a Brooklyn brownstone, each containing a different kind of shop: Funkytown Cheese, Randy’s Rare Manuscripts, Jatinder’s Fabrics, and Sanko Japanese Goods. There was also a Turkish coffee shop called Topkapi Café, a Chinese restaurant called Heavenly Hakka, a Jewish deli called Lala Lavine’s (“The best smoked-meat sandwiches this side of the forty-ninth parallel!” Josh told her), twootherHakka Chinese restaurants called Hav-a-Hakka and Hakka Empire, and a Tandoori House.
“Wow,” Anna said as they walked. “This town isn’t exactly what I expected.”
“Snow Falls contains multitudes,” Josh agreed. “That’s why I like it here so much. And here we are.”
They were standing in front of a pharmacy. Anna foundherself laughing as she read the sign. “Of course it’s called Chemis-Tree,” she said.
“Naturally. I’ll wait out here?”
Anna headed inside and soon emerged with a bag full of toiletries.
“There,” Josh said. “That’s one problem solved. Now, what’s next on your to-do list?”
