Bohemians and Weather Winkys

Paulette put the old Volvo into gear and made a right onto the Great Highway, passing the surf at Ocean Beach.   At the next turn, we were on the I-35, heading into Minneapolis.

"Oh my, I didn't know we were headed this way.  What's up, sis?"

Paulette keeps her eyes on the icy road.  The air is heavy with snow that hasn't fallen yet, but we can smell it.  I lean over to crank the heat and wrap my arms around myself.

We pull up in front of our childhood home - a three bedroom bungalow.  It looks exactly as it did forty years ago, and so do we.  Paulette is wearing a pink wool cap with ear flaps, a red Weather Winky coat, flannel-lined dungarees and snow boots, and I mirror her in my attire.  Our feet aren't touching the floor boards.  "Hey, we are little!"

Paulette reaches over to pull on my braid, "Yeah, I thought it'd be fun to go home for Christmas."

We push hard to open the doors of the old Volvo, which now looks brand new.  Paulette grabs my hand as we trudge through the foot of snow.  We press our faces to the kitchen window to see our mother making cookies.  She is painting each snowflake, each crescent and Santa, but pauses to look out the window.  We wonder if she sees us, but she is looking past us.  She pushes a blond strand away from her forehead with the back of her hand.  Her shoulders lift slightly and then we see a tear slide down her cheek.  We can hear strains from Puccini's La Boheme.  It must be Saturday, the day the weekly radio broadcast of the Texaco Metropolitan Opera Hour airs.