I Waited on the Melting Snow While They Sang Her Birthday Song Chapter 03

At noon, I finally reached the start of the last snow-covered stretch of the trail.

It wasn’t a long walk. I could reach the pine tree at the end in less than twenty minutes.

But walking it alone wouldn’t count.

I sat on the stone steps and took four oranges out of my backpack.

Miles used to bring the oranges every year.

He always said the snowy trail was tough going, but if we peeled the oranges as we walked, we’d reach the end by the time we were done.

This year he’d forgotten, so I’d bought them myself.

I peeled one with my left hand, but the peel kept coming off in little pieces.

My right hand had already melted away to the wrist. My sleeve hung empty, dripping water.

A message popped up in our group chat. It was from Lily.

Lily: [Elliot took so many pictures of me! Nora, wanna see them?]

Me: [When are you coming back?]

It took a while for Elliot to respond.

Elliot: [Lily nearly slipped on the rocks. We’re taking her to get something to eat first. And please stop waiting for every update. You’re putting a lot of pressure on us.]

I stared at the words “a lot of pressure” and put the peeled orange back in its container.

At one-thirty, I called Miles.

Someone was ordering food in the background when he picked up.

I heard Lily say she wanted something warm, then Graham asked the server to add a bowl of hot soup to the order.

“Miles,” I said, “if you leave now, you can still make it.”

“Didn’t Elliot tell you? Lily almost fell.”

“So all three of you have to stay?”

“I was the one who took her out onto those rocks. If she’d gotten hurt, how could I live with myself?”

“I’m waiting for you, too,” I said.

He was quiet for a moment. “Nora, Lily could really hurt herself if we’re not there to walk with her. You’ve been walking that trail since you were a kid. How many times have you done it by now? I thought you’d understand.”

I gripped my phone, remembering the first time Miles had gone up the mountain and twisted his ankle.

Graham had supported him from the front while I kept him steady from behind. Together, we’d helped him all the way down.

We waited until he could walk again before moving on together.

“Miles, I can’t walk it today,” I said.

He sighed. “Then don’t. Wait until next year. Arguing with me isn’t going to change anything. I’m already at the beach.”

After the call ended, Miles sent me $30 through Apple Cash.

He’d added a note: [Buy yourself some oranges. Next year I’ll walk it with you two extra times.]

I looked at the four oranges in front of me and didn’t accept the payment.

A little after two, my lower legs began to feel weak.

Water gradually filled my boots, and every step made a wet squelching sound.

I braced myself against a rock, got to my feet, and tried stepping onto the final stretch of the trail.

The moment my foot touched down, the snow beside the path melted into murky gray water.

I stepped back and sent Graham a voice message.

“I know you’re spending time with Lily. You can stay a little longer, but you have to leave by two-thirty at the latest. It’s a three-hour drive. I can walk faster.”

More than ten minutes passed before he called me back.

“Nora, Elliot told me you got him all worked up. Can we please stop doing this?”

“I’ve worked out the timing. If you leave now, you can still make it.”

“Lily hasn’t even finished eating. How am I supposed to announce I’m leaving right in front of her?”

“You could tell her I’m waiting for you up on the mountain.”

“Easy for you to say. It’s her first time here, and you expect all three of us to just ditch her? Think how embarrassed she’d feel.”

I watched my pant legs grow emptier.

“Graham, I really thought you’d come.”

His voice softened.

“I want to be there for you, too. Next year, okay? I won’t go anywhere else. I’ll go up the mountain with you.”

“That’s what you said last year.”

“And didn’t I go with you last year?”

He had. He’d been there for me every single year.

That was exactly why I’d kept waiting so long this time.

Two-thirty came, and he was still at the beach. I put the four oranges back in my backpack, scrolled past each of their chats one by one, and stopped asking.