It was a long, long drive to Niagara Falls and they had this stuff up north called black ice, which made the roads treacherous and Eric proclaim their impending deaths on a recurring basis.
“You’re a great driver,” Rebekah told him over and over again, as if that would keep the VW’s tires from slipping. They were just outside of Buffalo when thick, fluffy flakes of snow began to fall.
Eric leaned forward in his seat to peer up at the gray sky. “We’ll never make it in this. Maybe we should find someplace to stop.”
“We’re almost there,” she said as she consulted her phone’s map. “Less than twenty miles.”
“Well, if we die, we’ll go together.”
“Stop saying we’re going to die. Look how beautiful it is.”
The large snowflakes quickly covered the dead grass along the side of the road and coated gnarled tree branches in a blanket of white. After gazing at a thousand miles worth of dormant vegetation, the snow appeared magical.
“Reminds me of the white sand beaches of Tahiti,” Eric said under his breath. “Except it’s deadly and it’s cold.”
“You’re the one who wanted to go to Niagara Falls.”
“It always looks warm there on the postcards!”
After paying a toll to cross a long steep bridge that had Rebekah clinging to the dashboard and praying to sweet baby Jesus, they found themselves in an expanse of wilderness. The emptiness seemed strange after having just skirted a city through an industrial zone.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” Eric asked.
She consulted her navigation app again. “I’m sure. We’re right on course.”
As if trying to refute her claim, the minibus hit a patch of ice and fishtailed. Eric tried to keep them in their lane, but he overcorrected, sending them into a spin that made Rebekah’s stomach turn. Eventually they came to a halt with the back wheels off the side of the road and the windshield facing oncoming traffic.
“Are you okay?” Eric asked.
“Yeah.” She was pretty sure if she elaborated, she’d be sick.
“Well, that was fun.” He laughed.
Her eyes popped open wide. “Fun?”
“It felt like an amusement park ride.”
“I guess it wasn’t as bad as that crazy contraption at the top of the Stratosphere.” She’d felt closer to death then than she did now. “Are we stuck?” She peered out the window at the chaotic tire tracks they’d made in the fresh snow.
Eric shifted into first gear and tried to coax the vehicle out of the ditch. Both rear tires whirred noisily, kicking up plumes of snow as she watched in the side mirror.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to get out and push,” he said.
“Me?”
“You know the minibus won’t run for you.”
Rebekah glared at him. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, his sarcasm thick. “I couldn’t wait to slide off into a ditch so I could make you get out and push.”
“That’s what I thought,” she grumbled. Still, she crammed her hands into her gloves and pulled on a stocking cap, zipped her coat up to her chin, and then braved the wintery outdoors. She could have sworn she heard Eric snigger when she slammed the door.
“Don’t stand behind the tires,” he called out of his open window. “I don’t want you to get hit by flying debris.”
“Your concern is touching,” she yelled angrily.
“Are you ready?”
She slapped both gloved palms on the back of the bus and put her weight behind her push. “Ready!”
The tires spun slowly, as if Eric were afraid to hurt her by gunning it, but she was pissed off enough to find uncommon strength. The wheels found a bit of traction and with a loud roar, the bus popped up onto the shoulder and halfway into an oncoming lane. Luckily, the road was deserted except for the enormous yellow snowplow headed directly for them.
“Oh shit!” she heard Eric yell as he directed the van onto the narrow shoulder.
Rebekah scrambled to duck behind the Volkswagen as the plow roared past, the giant blade scraping the asphalt and spraying snow and salt and debris all over their vehicle. Some rained down on Rebekah’s back as she crouched and covered her head with both arms, but most missed her entirely.
“Rebekah?” Eric’s door swung open and he jumped out. “Rebekah!”
“I’m fine.” She squeaked when he lifted her out of her huddle and into his arms for a mighty hug.
“I’m sorry I made you get out to push. We should have just called Triple A.”
“Too late now,” she said as he set her on her feet.
“I can’t believe you got us out of that ditch.” He nodded at the idling VW before swatting Rebekah on the butt. “My woman is badass.”
“And don’t you forget it,” she said, laughing as she circled the van and settled into her seat. Eric climbed in beside her, and she pointed to the road in the opposite direction. “Follow that snow plow.”
Once Eric got the vehicle turned around, they crawled along the deserted highway, Eric having learned his lesson about speed and slippery roads, and made it to their hotel without further mishap.
Their accommodations weren’t opulent, but she could see the fast-flowing Niagara River out their window. The falls weren’t visible from this vantage, however. Their location was situated behind the falls. Rebekah scrunched her brow at yet another disappointing view. She vowed to demand a good view when they got to Tahiti. This was her honeymoon, for heavens’ sake.
“I think we have to stay on the Canadian side to be able to see the falls from our hotel room,” she said.
“Canadians take all the good stuff,” Eric said, unzipping his coat and hanging it in the closet.
Including her brother’s ability to walk, she thought darkly. Though she knew the bus accident that had partially paralyzed Dave wasn’t Canada’s fault, she couldn’t help but feel the entire area was bad luck for her family. Technically, she was still in the United States, but she was close enough to the Canadian border that it had sent her and Eric flying off in a ditch.
“Why are you taking off your coat? I want to see the falls before it gets dark.” Seeing as it got dark around noon this far north—not really, but it sure felt that way to her—they probably had less than an hour to venture out.
“It’s cold out.”
“It’s not that bad. Just a few degrees below freezing.”
“And still snowing.”
“We should enjoy it while we can. I never get to see snow back home unless I go up into the mountains.”
“It’s cold out,” he said again. “And you promised you wouldn’t let me freeze my ass off.”
“You have snow pants,” she reminded him.
He huffed out a resigned sigh. “Fine.”
He bundled himself up as if he were going to climb Mt. Everest and the peak had magically been transported to the South Pole.
“You’re going to suffocate,” she warned as she wrapped a scarf around her neck.
“Vru zay tat dow,” came from somewhere in the layers covering his face.
“What?”
He tugged his mouth from its twenty layers of scarf. “You say that now.” Using thickly gloved hands, he fumbled with the scarf to cover his face again.
They ventured out into the twilight-lit park just across the street from their hotel. There were few others out braving the cold, but those who were gaped at the tall, bundled-up abomination who was holding her hand and walking like a pengu
in to keep from slipping. A cold, damp breeze blew through Rebekah’s jeans and she shivered. Perhaps Eric, in his ridiculous snowsuit, had the right idea after all.
The park stretched out in both directions where the path divided to follow the river. They followed a partially snow-covered sign to the falls. The mist churning up from the water clung to poles and benches, trash cans and lamps, making everything sparkle