Edelweiss

Chapter Three

April 3rd, 2014

Eva Abrams enjoyed going back to Provo to visit her family, but it was also good to get back to her everyday life and routine in Salt Lake City. She was attending the University of Utah, and though she had hoped to go a little farther away from home for school, possibly California or maybe New York, she had gotten accepted here and could not pass up the in-state tuition.

She worked at a daycare on the weekend and pulled a few night shifts during the week at the University of Utah Hospital. Neither of the jobs brought in much money, so she had applied for financial aid and took out a loan to help with school, and her parents helped with the rent.

She drove her 1997 Geo metro down Interstate fifteen back to Salt Lake; she had class early in the morning. Otherwise, she would have spent the night. She reached over to turn the heater up but realized it was already on high. The fan in her car was not strong, and the heater never really got hot, but it wasn't even blowing out lukewarm air now. It was an unusually frigid April, and the roads were slick. She kept her speed at thirty and hoped she didn't go off the road. The snow was falling so fast that her windshield wipers could hardly keep up, making it almost impossible to see.

"Why didn't I go home earlier," she said, chastising herself. A buzzing sound came from the passenger seat; she reached over and dug in her purse for her phone with her right hand as she gripped the steering wheel tightly with her left. As usual, it was at the bottom of her bag. She pulled it out, flipped it open, then put it to her ear and held it with her shoulder. "Hello."

"Eva, where are you?"

"Jenny, I'm sorry, but I'm still driving from Provo. I won't be home for at least an hour, maybe longer. The roads are bad, and I have to drive slowly. If I went any faster, I would probably slide off into the ditch."

"Well, that really sucks! Everyone is having a get-together tonight at Michael's house, and I wanted to go, but I didn't want to go alone, so I was going to see if you wanted to come with me?"

"I am sorry, Jenny, I would if I were going to be home earlier. But I will already get home past eleven, provided the roads don't worsen, and I have a class at eight tomorrow, so I need to go to bed."

Jenny made a grunting sound. "Well, that just spoils everything. I guess I'll just stay home too then."

"Maybe we can go to the next party if there's one. I know you like Michael and have waited a long time for a chance like this. You know, you could go without me. You don't need me there to hold your hand. I have faith in your ability to procure a man without my help."

Jenny laughed sarcastically. "No, it's OK, maybe another time. I need a wingman to help me, anyway. Just drive safe, and I will see you when you get here."

"OK, bye, Jenny." Eva closed her phone and tossed it in the passenger seat without bothering to put it back in her purse. She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then blew it out, seeing her breath in the air as she gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands.

Jenny had been her best friend ever since they met in college. She had never met another person who cared more for her or tried harder to look out for her other than her parents and brother. Her life and its events were paramount to Jenny, as were Jenny's to her. She could not ask for a better friend.

As Eva drove, she thought about school and what she would do when she finished. Sometimes she was unsure what the future held. Some days Eva seemed to know exactly where her life was heading and what she wanted out of it, and then there were days like today. She was going to school to get a better job and, as a result, hopefully, have a better life, at least as far as finances go. But that was the extent to which school could help her. Relationships and personal happiness were all on her. She had broken up with her boyfriend just before Christmas. They had dated for almost eight months, but it had not worked out and certainly was not a healthy relationship. There was a time when she was ready to try to make it work, but he was unwilling to make the changes she needed him to. She tried everything she could to make him happy, but the more she gave, the more he wanted. And the way he was controlling, combined with his hot temper, weighed on her a little more every day. The night he lost control and completely snapped was more than she could take. No matter how much love or commitment she felt for him, it was not enough. She always kept the details of that night from her parents and brother. They never knew how he really was. When she broke up with Kevin, her parents were disappointed. They liked him, or at least the Kevin they thought they knew. When her parents asked why she broke up with him, she told them that their lives were moving in different directions.