by Jo Gibson
Jay slipped his arm around Cindy’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. My truck’s got four-wheel drive. You and Di can ride with Larry and me. It’ll be a little crowded, but we’ll make it.”
“Thanks, Jay.” Cindy looked very grateful, but before she could say any more, Larry rushed up with a clipboard.
“Will you help me, Jay? I told Officer Goetz we’d make a list of everyone who needs a ride.”
Jay looked down at the clipboard and frowned. “All these people need rides?”
“That’s right.” Larry nodded. “And most of them have little kids they need to get home to.”
Diana peeked over Jay’s shoulder, and her eyes widened as she saw that the first side of the page was almost completely filled with names. “We’ll help, too. Is there another clipboard?”
“Officer Goetz has a couple up there at the table.” Larry pointed toward the front of the line.
Diana nodded. “Okay. Cindy and I’ll get a list of available cars and the number of passengers they’ll hold. That should make it easy to match the people who need rides with the cars we have.”
“Good idea!” Jay gave her a little hug. “Let’s get started. This should be a snap.”
But it wasn’t. Diana sighed as they finished, and brought their clipboards up to Officer Goetz’s table. Since they hadn’t had much snow this winter, almost everyone had put off switching to their snow tires. And they didn’t find a single vehicle with chains. There were a half dozen vans and trucks with four-wheel drive, but most of the drivers had car-pooled to the mall this morning, and they didn’t have room for extra passengers.
“Di?” Jay tapped her on the shoulder. “There’s a woman on our list, Gloria Olsen. She’s eight months pregnant, and she’s got two kids in day care. She’s really nervous about getting stuck out here. And then there’s a janitor with a heart condition. He’s got medicine he has to take at night. And another man’s wife is in the hospital. He’s worried and he wants to visit her tonight. I know I promised you a ride, but . . .”
“It’s fine with me, Jay,” Diana interrupted. “I don’t mind if you drive them home.”
Jay shook his head. “That’s not it. I thought I’d let them use my truck. I don’t really need to get home tonight, and neither does Larry. Cindy said to go for it, but are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I’m positive.”
“You’re a good sport, Diana.” Jay gave her a hug. “I’ll go give them my keys.”
Diana was smiling as Jay hurried off through the crowd. She didn’t mind being snowbound at all, as along as Jay stayed here with her.
“Di? I’ve got great news!” Cindy wove her way through the crowd until she’d reached Diana’s side. “You said you’d stay, didn’t you?”
“Of course. What’s the great news? Is Paul staying, too?”
Cindy shook her head. “No. He has to go with the news van. But guess who’s leaving?”
“Shane? I heard him say he had to fly back to L.A. tomorrow night.”
“Oh, he’s already gone.” Cindy made a disgusted face.
“He didn’t take anybody else with him in that big stretch limo, either. Paul told me he said it would be too much of an inconvenience.”
Diana shrugged. Surprisingly, the news that Shane was selfish and irresponsible didn’t bother her at all.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.” Cindy began to look a little worried. “Are you upset?”
“Not a bit. I’m completely over Shane. The whole thing was just a silly fantasy.”
Cindy nodded. It was clear she approved. And she began to beam again. “Back to the good news. I just found out that someone else is leaving. Nan just told me that Heather’s new car has four-wheel drive!”
Diana’s smile grew until it was even bigger than Cindy’s. Thank goodness Heather was leaving! But just then, Officer Goetz called for silence, and everyone gave him their attention.
“Okay, folks. I’ve got four sets of keys here, thanks to Jay Swanson. He started the ball rolling.” Officer Goetz picked up a set of keys. “These are from Hal Bremmer. His Dodge pick-up has chains and he says it’ll hold four if you squeeze.”
Cindy and Diana clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Hal had done the right thing.
“And this belongs to a new Ford Explorer.” Officer Goetz held up another set of keys. “Sue Langer says it’ll hold eight.”
Cindy and Diana applauded again. It was nice of Sue to lend out her new car.
“And here’s another set of keys from Dave Atkin. His father’s an investor and he owns the Crossroads Pub. Dave has a classic Lincoln with snow tires, and he’s willing to lend it to six people who need rides. These college kids are great, aren’t they folks!”
Everyone applauded, and Cindy grinned at Diana. “Good for Dave. But you noticed who didn’t give up her keys, didn’t you?”
“Everyone noticed.” Diana motioned toward Heather who was actually starting to look a little embarrassed.
“Okay, folks.” Officer Goetz called for attention again. “Raise your hands if you still need a ride. Let’s get these keys redistributed right away.”
Diana noticed that there were still a lot of hands, and she exchanged worried looks with Cindy as Officer Goetz counted the number of people who were left. “Oh-oh. I wonder what he’s going to do.”
“All right.” Officer Goetz nodded. “I can take four people with me. It’s against regulations, but I figure this qualifies as an emergency. Unfortunately, we still have almost forty people left. Does anybody have any suggestions?”
“I do!” Heather stepped up to the front of the crowd. “My father leased five delivery vans with four-wheel drive. I just called him, and he’s given me permission to turn the keys over to the carpool. They’re all gassed up, and they’re in the mall garage. And I’m throwing in the keys to my car, too. I’m staying here so that the people who really need to get home, can go.”
Cindy turned to Diana with a frown. “Damn! I should have known she’d do that.”
“But that’s not like Heather.” Diana was puzzled. “She’s never cared a bit about other people.”
“Of course not. But Paul’s getting it all on tape, and she knows we’re staying. She saw Jay hand over his keys. Heather wants Jay to think she’s just as generous as he is.”
“Right.” Diana nodded.
“But that’s not the real reason.” Cindy winked at Diana. “There’s no way Heather is going to leave you alone out here with Jay. She still wants him back, and that means she has to keep her eye on the competition.”
Fifteen minutes later, Diana and Cindy stood with the group of people who were staying. There were only seven of them, and they were all college students. Diana and Cindy, Jay and Larry, Hal, Sue, and Heather.
“I wish we could stay.” Nan waved as she climbed into the van with Betty Woo. “But my mom’s sick, and I have to take care of my little brother.”
Betty nodded. “And I’m house-sitting for the Forresters. They’d be really upset if it turned cold and the pipes froze. But I really feel like I’m deserting all of you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Jay smiled at the two girls. “Just make sure someone comes out here to get us when the roads are clear.”
“Hey, Cindy. I’ll see you later.” Paul leaned out of the window of the news van and waved.
Cindy waved back, but Diana noticed she didn’t look happy. It was too bad that Paul wasn’t staying.
Gradually, the caravan began to move. Officer Goetz was at the rear, and he gave a little toot on his horn as he passed them. No one had anything to say. The silence was only broken by the howl of the wind and the sound of sleet hitting the plate glass windows.
They stood like statues looking off into the distance as the caravan crossed the parking lot and pulled out onto the road. Even Heather was silent as they huddled in the doorway, under the overhang, and watched as the last set of taillights disappeared in the blowing snow.
Jay opened the door and they all trooped in. Their footsteps sounded hollow and empty in the giant open space and the sound of the Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers seemed forlorn now that everyone had left.
“Well . . .” Jay cleared his throat. It was a surprisingly loud sound in the empty mall. “Cheer up, everybody. We’re snowbound, and there’s nothing we can do about it. I guess we’d better make the best of it.”
Dave nodded. “Good idea. Is anybody hungry? I’ve got the keys to the Crossroads Pub, and my dad said to help ourselves.” “I think I should call home first,” Diana spoke up. “My parents might be worried if they hear we’re stranded out here.”
Cindy laughed. “It’s not if, it’s when. Your parents always watch the Night News, don’t they?”
“Always.” Diana nodded. “Why don’t we all call home and tell our parents we’re fine? Then nobody’ll worry about us.”
Jay nodded. “Good idea, but we’ll have to use a land line. Our cells don’t work way out here. Make your calls, and then we’ll all meet at the Crossroads Pub. And lighten up, gang. This is going to be fun!”
“Right!” Sue smiled her best cheerleader smile. “There’s plenty of food and we can stuff ourselves silly. And there’s a bed for everyone at the furniture store. Just think about how lucky we are. If you have to get snowbound, this is the perfect place!”
Diana nodded along with everyone else, but she strongly disagreed. Sue was partially right. The mall would be the perfect place to be snowbound . . . if Heather had left.
Five
The Crossroads Pub had a friendly atmosphere with its wood-paneled walls, oak tables with captain’s chairs, and stacks of pewter mugs behind the bar. There was a wooden sign on chains over the door, and the room was decorated to resemble a British pub, with antique family crests on the walls and framed pictures of famous British soccer players. It was a fairly small space, seating only thirty, and the intimate, almost cluttered atmosphere was a welcome change from the emptiness of the giant mall outside.
Diana could smell the bratwurst sizzling on the grill in the kitchen, and she smiled across the table at Jay. “Sue was right. This is fun. Do you think Dave needs any help in the kitchen?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go ask him.” Jay stood up and so did Diana. “Better take your mug with you. He says it gets hot back there.”
The kitchen smelled wonderful, and Diana walked over to the grill to inspect the plump sausages. They were a beautiful brown color and juice drizzled out to sizzle against the coals. She walked over to Dave and gave him her best I-haven’t-eaten-in-a-month look. “How long until we eat?”
“Less than ten minutes. If you want to help, slice open some of those buns and spread them with the coarse-ground mustard.”
“What can I do?” Jay looked just as hungry as Diana felt.
“Get the crock of pickles out of the cooler and fill a couple of those green glass jars.”
“I want to help, too.” Cindy appeared in the doorway, and grinned as she walked over to inspect the sausages. “God, it smells good in here!”
Dave grinned. “I know. Dad gets the sausage fresh from a little shop in Wisconsin. And St. John’s monastery bakes the buns, especially for us.”
“But who makes the pickles?” Jay came out of the cooler, carrying a huge earthen-ware crock of pickles. “They’re the best I’ve ever tasted.”
“My aunt makes them for us. She uses my grandmother’s recipe.”
Diana came over to peer into the crock of pickles. There were at least a dozen garlic cloves floating on top, and she grinned. “At least we won’t have to worry about vampires.”
“I didn’t know you were superstitious.” Jay looked surprised.
“I was just joking.” Diana was a little embarrassed. “I’m really not superstitious at all.”
Cindy laughed. “Oh, no? You won’t walk under a ladder, and you made me go three blocks out of my way so a black cat wouldn’t cross our path. Face it, Diana. You’re definitely superstitious.”
“No, I’m not.” Diana began to blush. Cindy had a big mouth. “It makes perfect sense not to walk under a ladder. Something might fall on you. And what’s the big deal about walking a couple of extra blocks? You’re always saying I should exercise more.”
Cindy turned to her brother. “Right. You heard her, Jay. She’s not superstitious. This is from the girl who totally freaked out when I bought black candles for Halloween.”
“I just don’t like the smell of licorice, that’s all. And the candles you bought were scented.”
“Oh, sure.” Cindy grinned at her brother. “Did you know that Diana rubs a rabbit’s foot right before she takes a big test? And she even goes through a little ritual, every night before she goes to bed. She’s got a set of miniature Guatemalan dolls in a tiny box on her bedside table, and she takes them out and gives each doll something to worry about. She says the dolls do the worrying for her, and that helps her to sleep better.”
Diana took a step toward Cindy. She was all primed to dunk Cindy’s head in the vat of pickles, but then she noticed that Jay wasn’t laughing. He just looked very interested.
“Where do you buy dolls like that, Diana?”
“I . . . I think I got mine from a catalogue.” Diana did her best to stop blushing. She still wanted to kill Cindy for violating her privacy.
“They’d make great gifts.” Jay looked totally serious. “I’d like to order some.”
Dave nodded. “Me, too. You could give them to almost anyone, and they demonstrate a very sound psychological principle.”
“They do?” Cindy stared at Dave in astonishment.
“Absolutely.” Dave looked serious as he turned to Cindy. “My psych professor was talking about the effect worry has on sleep patterns. It’s really disruptive. Haven’t you ever had trouble sleeping because you were worried about something? Like a mid-term? Or a killer final?”
“Well . . . sure.” Cindy still looked a little dubious. “But I don’t see what that has to do with Diana’s little dolls.”
“It’s simple. Diana tells the dolls her worries. And by verbalizing them, she takes off some of the pressure. Since her anxiety is lessened, she can sleep better. And it’s a well-known fact that well-rested people are much more efficient.”
Diana had all she could do not to say, I told you so! to Cindy. But she didn’t, because that would seem childish. She just grinned, and started to spread mustard on the buns.
“These are ready to come off the grill.” Dave signaled to Jay.
“Bring that big platter over, will you?”
Jay grabbed the platter and headed for the grill. Then he turned back to Cindy. “If you want to help, you can put pickles in those big green jars.”
Cindy walked over to where Diana was working, and lowered her voice so that Jay and Dave wouldn’t hear. “I’m sorry, Di. I never should have told them all those personal things about you. I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”
“You’re apologizing?” Diana turned to Cindy in surprise. Cindy never apologized.
Cindy nodded. “Yeah. I am. I started thinking about how it would feel if somebody did that to me. And I probably would have killed them. Are you still mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad anymore. But you do have a big mouth.”
Cindy winced. “I know. But I’m going to watch it, Di. Really, I am.”
“Okay.” Diana smiled at Cindy. And then she said the first thing that popped into her head. “You’ve never promised to try to watch your mouth before. What’s got into you, anyway?”
Cindy began to blush. It was so unusual, that Diana couldn’t help staring.
“I don’t know. I guess it was something Paul said. We were talking in the news van, and he mentioned that he used to go with a girl who had a big mouth. The reason he broke up with her was because she told her friends some of the personal things he’d said to her.”
Diana nodded, and waited for Cindy to go on.
“
We started talking about how some things are private, and how much it hurts if another person you trusted violates your privacy. And that’s what I just did, except I didn’t even realize what I was doing, until after I’d done it.”
Diana smiled. Cindy had only known Paul for an hour or so, but he’d obviously caused her to think very seriously about herself.
“Why are you smiling?” Cindy looked confused.
“Oh, I don’t know. I was just thinking about how much I like Paul. He’s perfect for you, Cindy.”
“I know.” Cindy sighed. “I wish he’d stayed behind. I gave him my phone number, but maybe he’s got a whole collection of girls’ phone numbers. Do you think he’ll call me?”
Diana took a deep breath. That was a difficult question. If she said yes, Cindy would be terribly disappointed if Paul didn’t call. But if she said no, Cindy would be horribly depressed. There was only one thing to do, and that was to tell the truth.
“I don’t know, Cindy. I hope he does. He seemed to really like you. But I don’t know him well enough to guess what he’s going to do.”
“Me neither. That’s why I asked. I guess I’ll just have to wait and . . .” Cindy stopped and frowned. “Did you hear something?”
“No. What did you think you . . .”
Diana stopped in mid-sentence as she heard a noise. It sounded like a muted pounding and it was coming from somewhere outside.
“I hear it. But I don’t know what it is.” Diana hurried over to Jay and Dave. “Cindy and I heard someone pounding, outside. Is there a back door to the Pub?”
Jay turned to Dave. “Oh-oh. I locked the front entrance when we came in. Maybe somebody’s trying to get in.”
“The loading dock!” Dave led the way through the storeroom. “We were supposed to get a delivery tonight. Those big rigs are heavy, and one of the drivers might have made it through. We’d better check it out.”
Dave unlocked the heavy metal sliding door and Jay helped him push it up. They peered out into the blowing snow, but there was no truck outside.
