Week 8 Vignette

Needlepoints of snow pierced my face as I plowed my way to the car. The swirling wind was so bad that snow pummeled me from every direction. "Talk about being jerked around," I complained into the wool covering my mouth. I pulled my scarf even higher and jerked the hood of my coat down over my forehead. Now if I could have windshield wipers over my eyes, I'd even be able to see where I was going. But, this was my front yard and I knew that the only obstruction between me and the car was the lingering darkness. Plus tons of snow, of course! So I closed my eyes for a couple of steps, squinted for another step, closed them...and finally reached my destination. I blindly tugged at the door handle. "Damn! I locked it!" I say in a disgusted tone. I wiped some snow off the door and the windshield, fumbled a bit with the keys in my heavily gloved hand, opened my eyes fully and shoved the key into the keyhole. More snow enveloped me as I opened the door and quickly slid into the seat. I banged the door shut and at least eliminated the blowing part of my world. Of course I had been in such a hurry to get into the car that I hadn't brushed the snow off me. Some of it drifted on to the front seats as the numbing white stuff from my boots settled on to the floor. I removed my outer glove and inserted the key. The car groaned as the motor refused to turn over. "Oh please," I prayed as absolute despair washed over me. Enough already! I twisted the key again and could hear a bit of a half turn. Encouraged, I tried again and the blessed sounds of an unwilling but running motor reached my ears. I sat very quietly just listening to the hard-working engine as the car virtually bucked underneath me. I shuddered along with the car for a few moments and then began scraping the thin layer of ice covering the inside of the windows. As the scraper bit into the ice, a shower of crystals began to cover my gloved hands and the front of my coat. Well, that counteracted any warmth that the activity might have produced in my body. Shuddering was beginning to feel familiar!