The relief Randy felt when he saw taillights spark up in Vaughn’s driveway was unreasonable. With his palms pressed to the glass and his breath fogging it in a perfect circle, Randy watched the truck move hesitantly to the end of the lane, kicking up puffs of powdered snow with each move of the pristine tires that he would have had on his vehicle since October. The truck swung out in a long, wide arc and began to inch cautiously towards town. Without another moment’s hesitation, Randy snagged a fleece jacket and seized the two jugs from the counter.
The wind that blew through the trees was bitter enough to steal his breath. He steeled himself against the blast, huddled into an indeterminable shape, and skipped-ran across his lawn and toward Vaughn’s.
The difference in temperature from th
