JC


"You are out of your mind. Turning forty did something to your brain."
Eric paced my bedroom, the fingers of one hand in his hair, the other propped on his hip. He was watching me volley back and forth between the closet and the duffel bag that yawned open on the bed. I was piling clothes and shoes into it, then added my shaving kit and a few other items.  
"I wasn't soliciting opinions, really. But thanks for your concern." I paused to give him a smile and a friendly shoulder pat. "I'll be fine. Really. I'll see you guys in a few days."
Every year, Eric planned an elaborate trip and invited some of his favorite clients to join him. We'd done everything from weekends in Vegas to hiking in Iceland. This year, the group was gathering at Taos Ski Resort in New Mexico for seven days of powder skiing during the day and pure debauchery all night.
Since the day I bought the bike, I was obsessed with it. After getting a clean bill of health from a mechanic, I'd been out on it every day, exploring my neighborhood and the West Hollywood Hills in a way I'd never seen them before. The colors were vibrant, the air cool as it blew over my skin. The scent of fresh air was addicting. And inspirational.
I needed more of that, tons more of that. So, I decided that instead of hopping a cushy, private jet and sitting through flight with nothing to do but throw back a couple of high end craft beers, that I'd hop on the bike and use the twenty hour ride to Taos Ski Valley to break her in.
"You don't even know this bike, JC. It's like... forty years old, right? Something could break down on it. Then you'd be stuck somewhere- God knows where, with a bike that becomes a hunk of metal that has to be shipped home."
I chuckled. "At which point, I call my manager and he sends the jet to pick me up and arranges for my bike to be shipped back to LA. Problem solved."
Eric groaned. "But then your impulse becomes my problem."
"That's why you make the big bucks, buddy."
"So..."
He huffed, following me out of the bedroom and down the stairs. I wanted to pack up a few snacks to take with me and I needed to fill a few water bottles. Of course, I could buy more on the road, but I wanted to set off my trip on a good foot.
"When are you leaving? Don't you think someone should ride with you?"
I pulled a leather backpack from the hall closet and dumped out the few things that had been left inside the last time I'd used it. Now empty, I went to the pantry and started filling it with cheese and cracker snacks, pretzels and dried fruit slices. Eric was following me closely, hands in his pockets and sad frown on his face like a puppy I was leaving behind.
"Tomorrow morning. Planning on 6AM, but I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep, so... when I'm ready, I'll leave."
"Okay, but maybe you could just wait a day, get someone to-"
"I don't need a babysitter, Eric. I've had bikes since..." I tossed a hand in the air while I tried to calculate how many years I had been riding motorcycles. "Since forever. I passed a safety course, I have my license. I know what I'm doing. And I have a cell phone. I'll call someone if I need to. I promise."
"By someone, you mean me."
I grinned. "Now you're smellin' what I'm cookin'."

Katori


"Mom! Mom!"
The echo of heavy feet pounded across the living room downstairs, then up the steps and down the hall to my bedroom. It was barely light outside, the glow of dawn just brightening the horizon.
I sat bolt upright at the sound of my bedroom door bursting open. "Nasaan! You'd better be bleeding or on fire. What!?"
"It snowed! Crowley called- they've got four inches at the resort! I'm going to get in a couple of hours before school, okay?"
I sighed, flopping back into my soft pillow and pulling the comforter back over my shoulders. "You couldn't have just written me a note, huh?"
"Sorry. I'm just excited. Four inches! And it's still coming down. I'll lock the door on my way out."
"Mmhmm. Don't be late for school."
"I won't," came the muffled response from the other side of the door. I heard him stomp down the stairs and out of the house, slamming the front door in the process. That boy had never been quiet a day in his life.
I rolled onto my back and yawned. Now that I was awake, it would be hard to get back to sleep. And I needed to get breakfast on so Kaya could eat and get to bed. I wasn't in a hurry to get up, though, so I stretched into a spread eagle in an attempt to cover all four corners of the bed. I didn't even come close.
There was a time when I'd have to fight for covers in the middle of the night, when there was another body in the bed, keeping me warm and sleepy, worn out from... activities the night before. I missed those times.
Come to think of it, I missed those times more than I cared to admit.
I pushed myself up from the bed and swung my feet to the floor. The bare wood was cold, so I played leapfrog with the area rugs, trying to only land on warm surfaces in the bathroom, through my morning routine and then down the stairs. The sun was coming up, but since it was snowing, the day was grey.
I opened the curtains anyway to brighten the room. I liked the view of the mountain in front of us, so pretty all covered in snow. In the distance, the lift lines were running, a few chairs already occupied with skiers trying to get first tracks in the new snow.
An hour and a half later, Kaya and Nasaan came through the kitchen door, one right after the other, both covered in snow.
"It's coming down like crazy out there!" Nasaan exclaimed, his face bearing a huge smile. "School has a two hour delay, so I worked longer." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a wad of green bills, then walked toward the refrigerator and pulled down a large metal coffee can, the kind with the plastic lid.
He opened the can and added the money to what had already been collected. Trying to get Nasaan to open a bank account was like talking to a brick wall. Many years ago, his grandfather had taught him to save money in a coffee can. He liked to be able to see it, count it, get to it when he needed it.
Kaya unwrapped her scarf and unzipped her jacket, then slipped it off of her shoulders and hung it on the back of a chair. "Smells good in here. I have to eat, take a little nap and head back. I picked up a few hours this afternoon."
"Good! I mean, good on the extra hours. Not on whatever mayhem is going on that they need you more."
"Oh," she said, flapping one hand in the air while the other reached for a plate stacked with fluffy pancakes. "You know how it goes. We get a good snow dump and suddenly everyone wants to trade hours so they can go play. Pay me more to work today, and I can have a few hours to myself on Friday? I'll take that deal."
I joined Kaya and Nasaan at the table and we enjoyed a leisurely but lively, chatty breakfast together. It was nice, with no one having to rush off anywhere.  
A flick of my wrist told me I needed to get up from the table and get moving. "I guess it's my turn out in the snow globe. Nasaan, do you want a ride to school?"