A Snowball's Chance....

[Gee Whillickers]

A short winter tale that came to me on a hot summer day. Hope you like it:

 

A Snowball's Chance...

 

The radio said, “And finally a break from the deep freeze. Today’s high will be 6 degrees Celsius with sunny skies.”

I smiled to myself. About time. It had been a brutal two weeks. And now, finally, above freezing. I got dressed, looking out the window at the slowly melting snow. T-shirt, fleece hoodie...and basketball shorts. Low cut socks and sneakers completed my outfit, and I went downstairs.

My mom looked up and smiled at me, and then did a double take. “Shorts, Dwayne?” It’s one degree out there.”

I grinned. “Sure, but a high of six. And sunny.” Mom started to shake her head, but before she could say anything I kept going, “Hey! I’ll be fine. I’m just going over to Ryan’s for a bit, and that’s a five minute walk.” I grinned wider and added a bit of false bravado, “After two weeks of minus thirty this is tropical. And I’m a tough Canadian kid, remember?”

Mom rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything else. And I knew I won that round.

I was about halfway to Ryan’s, just passing the park, when a snowball hit my bare leg. That was cold! I turned to confront my assailant. A grinning face, brown eyes, and a mop of messy brown hair sticking out from a striped toque looked back at me about fifteen or twenty feet away, standing in the park. He was right around my age, about 14. In his right hand he held another snowball. He wore a light jacket, the aforementioned toque, and like me, shorts. He raised his eyebrows in challenge, the grin never leaving his face.

I’m not shy. And I knew the mandatory rules. I bent down, scooped up a handful of snow and packed it into a loose snowball. Not too tightly packed; that would hurt!

Before I even stood up again I wound up and let fly, hoping to catch him by surprise.

My sidearm delivery wasn’t great, but my surprise release worked and my aim was pretty good. My low shot hit him right on his bare knee.

He reacted to the cold snow on his leg about the same way I did. And didn’t hesitate since he was already armed. He wound up. Of course, immediately upon releasing my own volley I was already re-loading, another handful of snow being shaped into the required weapon.

But I had to turn to get fresh snow, and I was still bent over when his snowball hit my just under my armpit on my side. I laughed, tripled the size of my snowball, and let fly once again.

He was closer now, so no way I could’ve missed. This one hit him mid chest.

A second later we were both flinging snowballs as fast as we could scoop up snow, and laughing.

We were closer still, somehow, and pretty soon the throwing became pushing snow onto the other person. Aiming, of course, for those bare legs where the cold snow had that much more effect.

He tackled me and we fell over into a snowbank, still shoving handfuls of snow where we could, trying to find opening in the other’s collar, wrestling now.

Suddenly I felt a big handful of snow get pushed up under my shorts on my left leg. Brrr!!!! Naturally, I retaliated.

A short minute or or two later we lay there exhausted, still laughing. I looked into his brown eyes. “I’m Charlie,” he said.

“Dwayne,” I answered.

I looked down at myself, then at Charlie. We were both covered in snow, half melted, even on our bare legs, now red from the cold and rubbing of snow. I shivered, realizing how cold that was. “I’m freezing,” I said.

Charlie’s hands were as red and cold looking as his legs. “Yeah,” he answered.

“We gotta warm up.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, again. I was really beginning to like that grin.

“I gotta hot tub. In our yard.”

Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

I stood up. “Yup. C’mon.”

I pulled out my phone and texted Ryan. “Something came up, I’ll call you a bit later.”

We got to my place. Mom took one look at us and laughed. “You both need to get warm.”

“Yeah. We’re going in the hot tub.”

I grabbed a couple of towels and walked with Charlie out to our back deck. “Uh, I don’t have a bathing suit,” Charlie said.

“I can lend you one if you want. But, it’s private, and I guarantee my mom won’t come out there. Family rule.”

That grin came back, just like I hoped it would. “What are we waiting for!?” He began stripping off, with me not far behind.

 

[Cole Parker]

Provocative.  I love provocative.

C

 

[Rutabaga]

Provocation.  It's provocation.

R

[Camy]

Several things struck me.

1) Canadians are mad.
2) I want a hot tub!
3) Best line: I pulled out my phone and texted Ryan. “Something came up, I’ll call you a bit later.”

 

[Merkin]

Stimulating. Gave me a chill.

[Cole Parker]

I guess we all want more.

C

[Camy]

13 hours ago, Cole Parker said:

I guess we all want more.

Oh yeah!

[Gee Whillickers]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.

[Bruin Fisher]

Do people run outdoor hot tubs in sub-zero temperatures? I didn't know. My experience with (in) them is limited.

Great story, Gee!

[Gee Whillickers]

20 hours ago, Bruin Fisher said:

Do people run outdoor hot tubs in sub-zero temperatures? I didn't know. My experience with (in) them is limited.

Great story, Gee!

Yes, we do. I'm in mine all year 'round, and winter is the best time to use it. Especially when it's between 0 and minus 15 C, snowing very lightly, lights cycling through the rainbow, soft jazz playing, and a libation in hand, watching the steam rise through the cold air.. Nothing like it. Hot tubs on the patios are real popular in the lodging at ski resorts for example.

When it drops down to minus 20 or 30 the worst part is getting out. Bare wet skin and minus 20. Fun. Not as bad as you'd think though since you're hot after soaking in 104 F water for some time, so you don't start shivering or really get cold before you can get inside. But the sudden cold air on your, ahem, nether regions is interesting. A bathing suit makes it *worse*, as the wet fabric immediately gets really cold when it's that temperature.

When it's below minus ten or so, you put your crocs or water shoes on while still in the tub, otherwise your feet on frozen ground is a bit too much. But, when it's really cold, if you stand there to towel off for more than a moment your wet shoes will freeze to the ground, and you gotta kinda rip them off of the deck when you're ready to move.

Some of my story ideas came while I was sitting in the hot tub on a cold day, watching steam rise, sipping a nice Glenfiddich.

Hot summer days, when it's above 30 C (above 85 or 90 F) I simply turn it down to the high 80s or low 90s F, or lower, and it's incredibly refreshing.

And thanks for your comments on the story!

[Jason Rimbaud]

My first experience with a hut tub in the winter time was in Pennsylvania, mid January, about four feet of snow on the ground. My "friend" and I would get hammered at the bar with our friends before rushing home and taking a soak. Always ended up with him sitting on the edge of the hot tub, a cigarette in one hand and my head in the other. I was always toasty warm in the water and he was always toasty warm in other ways!  Good times.  

[Camy]

16 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

My first experience with a hut tub in the winter time was in Pennsylvania, mid January, about four feet of snow on the ground. My "friend" and I would get hammered at the bar with our friends before rushing home and taking a soak. Always ended up with him sitting on the edge of the hot tub, a cigarette in one hand and my head in the other. I was always toasty warm in the water and he was always toasty warm in other ways!  Good times.  

Now I really, really want a hot tub... and a time machine.

 

[Merkin]

I'll settle for the time machine.

[Jason Rimbaud]

On 7/19/2022 at 4:42 AM, Camy said:

Now I really, really want a hot tub... and a time machine.

 

Hmm, I understand the hot tub Emu, but why the time machine? My mind goes into weird places, like a time machine to go back and see me and my friend in the hot tub...or a time machine to go back and entice me into a hot tub...so many possibilities.   😜  I'm feeling silly today.  

[Camy]

Now, just a few months later, here in the UK, the idea of boiling a kettle is frightening. 24/7 Hot tubs are now well out of my league. Soon, of course, baths and showers will only be in the purview of the uber rich. The rest of us will be back in the 16th century - washing once a year, and wearing nosegays to hide the stench of the rest of the 8... 9... 10 billion.

Oh lordy, how I want a hot tub!