Once

IV

Mom Hannah

- Doesn't answer calls. There is a signal. And she doesn't answer. Does not write.

I saw a high school student grip her phone tightly. Just about to throw it into a snowdrift with anger. Charlotte gently put her arm around the girl's shoulders.

- Do you think something bad could have happened to them?

I shuddered at the sound of the words. But it seems that Zoe hoped with all her might that the reason for her vain attempts to get through to her friend was precisely this. I intervened.

- She doesn't answer my calls either. So maybe.

The girl's grip eased. She looked at me apologetically. Shrunken, hunched over. The phone went into the pocket of a spacious jacket, clearly from someone else's shoulder.

- What if they are already near the house? And they lost the phone, - my companion, as soon as she saw Charlie's photo, was in euphoria. What I could not brag about. She seemed to be sure of the happiest outcome. I was thrown from cautious relief to debilitating doubt every half minute.

The three of us hurried to my house. There were a couple of blocks left. Sleeping houses and rows of snowmen greeted us along the road. Silence was squeezing.

- Did you quarrel with your friend?

Zoe shook her head.

- Not really. We ... I was just stupid. Told Aaron a secret. And now he may have told it to Barb. Therefore, she ignores me. Though. After all ... She cares about Arthur.

- Someone shared a secret with me today, too, - Charlotte's voice changed sharply.

- Which one?

Most likely, it was not only me that was tormented by the silence to the accompaniment of falling snow. There is still a block and a half ahead.

- In the afternoon called me on the ad. Reported that saw Charlie in this town. Of course, no one wanted to give me a ride. Holidays and blah blah. The last train left. So I got into the first car I saw and ... Well, I was extremely convincing. I came across a driver dressed as Santa Claus. Nervous. As if the steering wheel is about to tear off. I think it would be! He has his own plans. And then I fell on his head. Not a very nice Christmas present, right? Ha. Ahem. The car stalled in the middle of the track. Then there was already only snow around. The Internet does not catch. There is no one on the road. Just an unfamiliar nervous guy with a synthetic beard. So lucky so lucky. We decided to push the car to the nearest gas station. None of the physical education lessons were so excruciating. I thought I'd fall dead. But Santa and I got to talking about something. Still on the way. Don't laugh, okay? If we were the heroes of the book, I would fall in love by the law of the genre. Hey! Stop it! I would really fall in love. He turned out to be cheerful and sweet. Charming. He thought Charlie was my boyfriend! It seems even jealous of me for my dog.

- Wait, but you came to town in an SUV with some thugs. I thought you were almost a hostage. All white as chalk!

Don't think of me as a prejudiced person, but none of the guys in the SUV looked like a funny guy in a scarlet suit that you can fall in love with like in a road novel.

- Yeah. We said goodbye to Santa at the gas station.

- But why? Because of a breakdown? - Zoe longed for a good ending to the story.

- Not really. Because of his secret. He confessed that he had stolen the car in which we were driving all this time.

- Jesus, what? - my laugh was hysterical, not malevolent.