The Blizzard

The Blizzard

She sat up as she heard on knock on her car window. Savanah was just trying to get home but the black ice on the road had other ideas. Thank god she swerved missing the two oncoming cars that were headed in the opposite direction. 

She had worked a double at her restaurant because her employees didn’t think that they should report to work during a blizzard. 

She was on the verge of shutting down her restaurant for good so she didn’t want to miss out on business even if it was a blizzard. 

“Ma’am? Are you okay?” 

Savanah groaned, not because the uniformed officer was prying but because he made her feel twice her age just by calling her “ma’am”.

She looked up at the blinding light shining through the driver side window.

She held up her hand and offered a smile as she rolled down her window. “Hey, officer. I’m good, just some ice I didn’t see.” 

Gusts of window passed by causing the heavy snow to sprinkle in. His eyes widened. “You have a cut on your head.”

Savanah looked in the rear view mirror. “Shit!” She had blood trickling down. 

“I’ll be right back,” The officer said before she could object. Savanah looked in the back of her car. She still had one big delivery to make and it looked like she wouldn’t make it. The officer returned in seconds carrying a case. 

“What is that?” 

“A first aid kit, ma’am.”

“Please stop calling me ma’am. It implies I’m older than you and if you know what’s good for you, you’d ask me my age and say that you can’t believe I’m twenty-one because I look so much younger.” Savanah sighed, opening the door for him to patch her up.

He blinked at her, amazed that she can say all that without taking a breath. “Is that a threat?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow. 

Savanah sat up straight, worried that she was really going to be in trouble. “Do I look like a threat?” She asked with so much sweetness, he thought he would get a cavity. Did she look like a threat? She looked defeated. Her oversized coat, hair snow blown, blood trickling down her head…she looked deranged…in a non threatening kind of way. 

“I’m sensing some hostility from you. Do we know each other? Did I kick your puppy?”

Savanah smiled despite her cloudy disposition. “Having kick puppy as an option doesn’t shine the best light on you, officer...” Savanah read his badge. “Reyes.” 

He smirked. “I guess it doesn’t, ma’am”. 

“Are you serious?!” Savanah glared at Officer Reyes. 

He laughed causing the corners of his brown eyes to crinkle. “I’m sorry! I just didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Savanah Luna.” 

The wind blew hard again, almost knocking this full grown man to the ground. “Alright, let me see.” He dug into his kit and pulled out a bottle of alcohol and some cotton balls. 

“That’s gonna burn!” Savanah shrieked. 

He put on rubber gloves and gently grabbed her chin, pulling her head down and shining a light at the cut. “Don’t worry, i promise it won’t hurt.”

“Everyone says that before they go in for the kill.”

She heard him chuckle, which oddly calmed her down. “Hold still, this will only hurt for a second.”

“But you said—“ before she could finish her sentence, Savanah felt the sting of alcohol right above her eye. “Shit!”

“Ma’am!”

“Stop calling me ma’am!” Savanah was positively feral.

Officer Reyes planted a band aid across the cut. “It’s a superficial cut. I don’t think you need stitches. But with the way you’re carrying on I think you need to see someone for a possible head injury.” 

Savanah scolded at him as she closed the car door. “I feel fine.” 

She turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. The car had had enough and refused to turn on. 

Savanah felt the hot sting of tears. This food was getting cold and she would have to offer a refund. 

She couldn’t stand to lose this money. 

“Is there someone to you can call to take you home?” Officer Reyes yelled through the window and over the wind.

Savanah could call her brother but he was stuck in the hospital, working overtime due to the storm.

Her parents were on the elderly side and in the next town over, she didn’t want to endanger them. She shook her head. 

Officer Reyes looked around. “Are...you okay?” his muffled voice came through, 

“I’m fine!” she tried to smile but her lips quivered.

Reyes opened the door, holding on to the handle as the wind tried to sweep him up as if he were a witch from OZ. “You don’t look fine, I can take you to the precinct until the storm dies down...please don’t cry.” That’s when the water works opened up. “Oh, look at that, you’re crying,”Officer Reyes muttered to himself. 

The emotion Savannah held down during their whole exchange came up.

She banged her hands on the steering wheel. She reluctantly sighed, sucking in her ugly cry. Officer Reyes stood still as a statue, taking this woman in as she tried to remain calm but failed miserably. 

“Get into my car and we’ll send a tow truck.”

Savanah grabbed the food, her purse and followed the officer to his vehicle. If this wasn’t a sign that she should call it quits on the restaurant…she didn’t even wanna think about it. 

Reyes opened the back door for her. “Serious? I’m not a criminal.”

“It’s the rules…or you can screw the rules and freeze out here,” he shrugged.

“Tough love. No wonder they got you out on patrol. Tell me officer, You get a lot of action out here in these mountains?” 

“So, we’re talking dirty now?” He teased. Savanah’s head shot up, hitting the roof of the door, smacking her head. “Relax, it was a joke. You really won’t stop until you get a concussion, huh?”

Savanah began rubbing her head as she finally got in the car. “It’s your own fault.”

“You crashing is my fault?!”

“Aren’t you supposed to warn people not to drive through that?”

“The snow storm wasn’t enough to keep you home?”

Reyes got in the drivers seat, turned the ignition…the car wouldn’t start. 

“Are you serious?” Savanah said from the backseat. 

He tried again. “Let me radio it in.” Reyes tried to use the radio but it was down. He didn’t want to irritate Savanah more than what she was.  “So, looks like we’re gonna be here a minute…why are you out in this storm?”

She sighed. “I had to make a delivery.”

“You’re a delivery person?”

“No, I own my own restaurant…or owned. Imma have to shut down.”

“What’s it called?”

“Mami’s Cocina” 

“I didn’t know we had latin food in Lochrose.” He was right. The closest thing they had to exotic was a Panda Express. 

“You don’t, I’m two towns over.”

Reyes turned around in shock. “Why are you delivering alone during a snow storm?!”

“Because I’m desperate. I need the money”

“But you’ll use up the money just in gas.”

“But if the food is good…people will come.”

“Is that’s what’s in the bags?”

She nodded. Savanah couldn’t believe that she drove during this blizzard. As he said it out loud, she felt like a dummy. “Well, we can’t let it go to waste,” Reyes said. They locked eyes in the rearview mirror. 

“You want to try my food?”

He had the audacity to smirk. “They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach.”

“I’m not trying to get to your heart.”

“There’s still time.”

Reyes caught the slight blush as Savanah cast her eyes downward. He got out the car and opened the back door. “I’m going to let you sit in the front but you gotta promise me no crying and no trying to take my gun.”

“Only if you promise to try the food and give me your honest opinion.”

The wind picked up again. “Hurry before we blow away!”

Savanah hustled to the passenger side. “Will you get in trouble for this?”

“Not if you don’t say anything.” Reyes looked around. “Where’s the food?”

They both turned around to see the bags siting in the backseat.

***I left the ending to this open on purpose. If you would like to add on, leave it in the comments and if the story gets juicy I’ll add them to instagram stories and highlights. Or if you think I should expand on this story, tell me in the comments and maybe I’ll do just that!

Love Always,

J.L.