My Ex's Sister Asked Me to Drive Her Home… Then Blushed When I Asked, “So Where Am I Sleeping?” — Transcript

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1. 0:00At 1:14 in the morning, after driving my
2. 0:03ex-girlfriend's little sister 5 hours
3. 0:06through a Wisconsin snowstorm, I parked
4. 0:09my truck in front of her family's dark
5. 0:11farmhouse, turned off the engine, and
6. 0:13asked the most innocent question in the
7. 0:16world.
8. 0:17So, where am I sleeping?
9. 0:19Annie Jensen turned bright red. Not a
10. 0:22little pink, full tomato from her chin
11. 0:25all the way up to her ears. She looked
12. 0:28at the farmhouse, she looked at her
13. 0:30mittens, she looked anywhere except at
14. 0:32me.
15. 0:34Annie?
16. 0:35The guest room, upstairs on the left.
17. 0:37Grandma made it up.
18. 0:39Your grandma knew I was coming? You only
19. 0:41called me 5 hours ago.
20. 0:44Annie closed her eyes. She took a long
21. 0:46breath, and then she said the thing that
22. 0:49changed everything.
23. 0:51I may have told her 2 weeks ago.
24. 0:54I stared at her.
25. 0:562 weeks ago? Your flight didn't get
26. 0:58canceled until tonight.
27. 1:01I know.
28. 1:02So, how did your grandma know 2 weeks
29. 1:04ago that I'd be driving you home? She
30. 1:07covered her face with both mittens.
31. 1:10Because I wasn't going to ask you to
32. 1:11drive me home, Noah. I was going to ask
33. 1:14you to come for Thanksgiving. I bought
34. 1:16you a plane ticket.
35. 1:18My name is Noah Pierce. I'm 31, a
36. 1:21paramedic for the Chicago Fire
37. 1:23Department. I'm calm in emergencies, but
38. 1:26in that moment, I had absolutely no idea
39. 1:30what to say.
40. 1:31Let me back up. 3 years ago, I dated
41. 1:35Annie's older sister Cara for almost 2
42. 1:37years. Then Cara got a job in Los
43. 1:40Angeles and told me, very kindly, that
44. 1:43she didn't see me fitting into her LA
45. 1:45life.
46. 1:47When I dated Cara, I got the whole
47. 1:49Jensen family, her parents, her grandma,
48. 1:52her two brothers, and her little sister
49. 1:54Annie.
50. 1:55Annie was a children's librarian at a
51. 1:58public library on the north side of
52. 1:59Chicago. She was 28, big brown eyes
53. 2:03behind round glasses, light brown hair
54. 2:06that was always falling out of a clip,
55. 2:08cardigans with little buttons shaped
56. 2:10like books, and a laugh so loud she'd
57. 2:13been shushed in her own library.
58. 2:16Cara and Annie were completely
59. 2:17different. Cara was a fancy cocktail.
60. 2:21Annie was hot chocolate with too many
61. 2:23marshmallows.
62. 2:24After the breakup, Annie and I kept in
63. 2:26touch. She text me pictures of books she
64. 2:29thought I'd like. Once, she brought me
65. 2:31soup when I had the flu and read me an
66. 2:33entire mystery novel out loud because I
67. 2:35was too sick to hold the book.
68. 2:38I told myself we were just friends, two
69. 2:40people left behind by the same person.
70. 2:43Then, the night before Thanksgiving at
71. 2:457:00 p.m., my phone rang.
72. 2:48"Noah?"
73. 2:49Annie's voice was shaky.
74. 2:51"Are you working tonight?"
75. 2:53"No, I'm off till Saturday. Are you
76. 2:55okay?"
77. 2:57"I'm nowhere. There's a huge snowstorm.
78. 2:59They canceled every single flight to
79. 3:01Wisconsin. Everything's sold out. Every
80. 3:04rental car is gone. And my grandma" her
81. 3:07voice cracked "my grandma's 89, Noah.
82. 3:10She's been sick this year, and she told
83. 3:12me this might be her last Thanksgiving,
84. 3:15and I promised her I'd be there."
85. 3:17"Where are you?"
86. 3:18"Terminal 3, sitting on my suitcase next
87. 3:21to a man eating tuna out of a can." I
88. 3:24was already grabbing my keys. "Stay
89. 3:27right there. I've got a truck with
90. 3:29four-wheel drive and a full tank of gas.
91. 3:31I'll be there in 40 minutes."
92. 3:33"Noah, it's 5 hours in a blizzard on
93. 3:36Thanksgiving Eve." "Then we'd better get
94. 3:39going." There was a long pause, then she
95. 3:42whispered, "You'd really do that?"
96. 3:45"Annie, you read me an entire mystery
97. 3:47novel when I had the flu. I owe you."
98. 3:50I found her 40 minutes later in a pink
99. 3:53pom-pom hat, her round glasses fogged
100. 3:56up. The tuna man had moved on to a
101. 3:58second can. She jumped up and threw her
102. 4:01arms around my neck. You came. I said I
103. 4:04would. Okay, let's go, but I'm picking
104. 4:07the music.
105. 4:09The snow was coming down so hard my
106. 4:11wipers couldn't keep up, but Annie made
107. 4:14it fun. Somehow she always made things
108. 4:17fun. She'd made a playlist called
109. 4:19Blizzard Survival Hits. It was entirely
110. 4:22Christmas music on Thanksgiving Eve.
111. 4:25It's not even Thanksgiving yet. The snow
112. 4:28says it's Christmas.
113. 4:30The snow doesn't get a vote. The snow is
114. 4:33the only one who gets a vote.
115. 4:35She sang along to every song loudly and
116. 4:38badly using a granola bar as a
117. 4:40microphone. I laughed so hard I almost
118. 4:43missed our exit.
119. 4:45At the Wisconsin border we stopped at a
120. 4:47truck stop with a little diner and a
121. 4:49glass case full of pies.
122. 4:51Annie pressed her face against the glass
123. 4:54like a kid. Noah, look, they have
124. 4:56cherry.
125. 4:58Cherry's your favorite.
126. 5:00How do you know that?
127. 5:02Because every Thanksgiving at your
128. 5:04parents' house you'd eat one slice of
129. 5:06pumpkin pie to be polite and then sneak
130. 5:09two slices of cherry when you thought
131. 5:10nobody was looking.
132. 5:12Annie stared at me. Her cheeks went
133. 5:14pink.
134. 5:16You noticed that?
135. 5:18I noticed a lot of things.
136. 5:20She didn't say anything. She just turned
137. 5:22back to the pie case, but I saw her
138. 5:24smiling in her reflection in the glass.
139. 5:27We split a slice of cherry pie in a red
140. 5:30vinyl while the snow piled up outside.
141. 5:33She stole the crust off my half. I let
142. 5:36her.
143. 5:37Can I ask you something? She asked
144. 5:39licking cherry filling off her fork.
145. 5:41Sure.
146. 5:43Why don't you ever go home for
147. 5:44Thanksgiving? You always work it.
148. 5:47I shrugged. My parents were tied to
149. 5:49Arizona. My brother's in the Navy. It's
150. 5:52easier to just work. Somebody has to
151. 5:54cover the holidays.
152. 5:56So you just spend every Thanksgiving in
153. 5:59an ambulance?
154. 6:00Pretty much.
155. 6:01She looked at me for a long moment.
156. 6:04Something soft and sad passed across her
157. 6:06face.
158. 6:07"That's the loneliest thing I've ever
159. 6:10heard." She said quietly.
160. 6:12I laughed it off, but Annie didn't
161. 6:14laugh. She just reached across the table
162. 6:17and squeezed my hand. Then she kept
163. 6:19stealing my crust.
164. 6:21The last 2 hours, the roads turned ice.
165. 6:24Somewhere in the middle of nowhere on a
166. 6:26dark country road, she got quiet.
167. 6:29"Noah?"
168. 6:31"Yeah?"
169. 6:32"Thank you for this.
170. 6:34I know it's weird driving your ex's
171. 6:37sister 5 hours on Thanksgiving Eve."
172. 6:40"It's not weird."
173. 6:41"It's a little weird."
174. 6:43"It's not weird for me." I said. "You're
175. 6:46not just Cara's sister, Annie. You're
176. 6:50you're you."
177. 6:52She was quiet for a long time. When I
178. 6:54glanced over, she was looking at me in
179. 6:56the glow of the dashboard lights.
180. 6:59Her glasses had slid down her nose. She
181. 7:01didn't push them back up.
182. 7:03"What does that mean?" She asked softly.
183. 7:07I didn't know how to answer, so I just
184. 7:09kept my eyes on the snowy road and said,
185. 7:12"It means I'd drive you anywhere."
186. 7:16She didn't say anything else, but a
187. 7:18minute later, I felt her hand slide
188. 7:20across the center console and rest on my
189. 7:22arm. And it stayed there for the rest of
190. 7:25the drive.
191. 7:26And that's how we ended up parked in
192. 7:28front of the Jensen family farmhouse at
193. 7:311:14 in the morning. With her hiding
194. 7:33behind her mittens, confessing that
195. 7:35she'd bought me a plane ticket.
196. 7:38"You bought me a plane ticket?" I
197. 7:40repeated.
198. 7:42"2 weeks ago."
199. 7:43She lowered her mittens.
200. 7:45Her face was still red.
201. 7:47"I was going to ask you last week, then
202. 7:50I chickened out. Then I was going to ask
203. 7:52you on Monday, I chickened out again.
204. 7:55Then the storm happened and both our
205. 7:57flights got canceled and I sat in that
206. 7:59airport and thought, well, now I have to
207. 8:02call you anyway."
208. 8:03"Our flights?"
209. 8:05"Your seat was next to mine, 14B, aisle.
210. 8:10You like the aisle because of your long
211. 8:11legs.
212. 8:13I couldn't breathe.
213. 8:15Annie, I said slowly,
214. 8:17"Why did you want me to come to
215. 8:19Thanksgiving?"
216. 8:20She looked out the windshield at the
217. 8:22snow falling softly on the dark
218. 8:24farmhouse. The porch light was on.
219. 8:27Somebody had left it on for us.
220. 8:30"Because
221. 8:31I couldn't stand the idea of you
222. 8:33spending another Thanksgiving alone in
223. 8:35an ambulance." She whispered. "Because
224. 8:38every year I sit at my parents' table
225. 8:41and look at the empty chair where you
226. 8:43used to sit, and I miss you.
227. 8:45Not Cara's boyfriend, you."
228. 8:49She turned and finally looked at me.
229. 8:52"And because I've had a crush on you
230. 8:54since the first time you came to
231. 8:56Thanksgiving 4 years ago, and you carved
232. 8:59the turkey wrong, and Grandma yelled at
233. 9:01you, and you laughed instead of getting
234. 9:03mad."
235. 9:05Her voice dropped.
236. 9:06"I never said anything because you were
237. 9:09Cara's, and then you weren't, and you
238. 9:11were sad, and I didn't want to be the
239. 9:13girl who swooped in on her sister's ex,
240. 9:16so I just kept bringing you soup." The
241. 9:19truck was completely silent. The heater
242. 9:22hummed. The snow kept falling.
243. 9:25"So, when you asked where you were
244. 9:27sleeping," she said, her cheeks going
245. 9:29red all over again, "I panicked because
246. 9:32Grandma made up the guest room 2 weeks
247. 9:34ago with the good quilt, and there's a
248. 9:37sign on the door."
249. 9:39"A sign?"
250. 9:40She closed her eyes.
251. 9:42"It says Welcome Noah
252. 9:45in glitter. Grandma made it. She's very
253. 9:49excited."
254. 9:50I stared at her.
255. 9:52Then I started laughing.
256. 9:54I couldn't help it.
257. 9:56"Your grandma made me a glitter sign?"
258. 10:00"She's 89, Noah. She has a lot of free
259. 10:03time and a lot of glitter."
260. 10:06"She knew about your crush?"
261. 10:10"Grandma's known since the turkey,
262. 10:12groaned Annie and leaned her head back
263. 10:14against the seat. She calls you Annie's
264. 10:17paramedic. She's been praying for this
265. 10:19for 4 years. She lights a candle at
266. 10:22church.
267. 10:24I laughed so hard I had to wipe my eyes.
268. 10:27And then I stopped laughing because
269. 10:30Annie was looking at me with those big
270. 10:32brown eyes, waiting, nervous, brave,
271. 10:37completely exposed.
272. 10:39I took off my seatbelt. I turned toward
273. 10:42her.
274. 10:43Annie, I said, can I tell you something?
275. 10:47She nodded.
276. 10:49When I had the flu and you read me that
277. 10:51whole mystery novel,
278. 10:53I took a breath.
279. 10:55I wasn't that sick by the third day. I
280. 10:58was fine.
281. 10:59I just didn't want you to stop reading.
282. 11:02Her mouth fell open.
283. 11:05You faked the flu?
284. 11:07I extended the flu medically for two
285. 11:11extra days.
286. 11:13No, up here, you're a paramedic. That's
287. 11:17fraud.
288. 11:18It was a really good book.
289. 11:21It was a terrible book. The butler did
290. 11:24it. The butler always does it.
291. 11:26I didn't care about the butler, Annie, I
292. 11:29said quietly.
293. 11:30I cared about your voice.
294. 11:33She stopped talking. Her lips parted. In
295. 11:36the glow of the porch light, I could see
296. 11:39her eyes filling with tears.
297. 11:41Every text you sent me, every book
298. 11:44recommendation, every cup of coffee, I
299. 11:47said, I looked forward to them more than
300. 11:49anything. I just never let myself think
301. 11:52about why because you were Cara's little
302. 11:55sister and that felt like a line I
303. 11:57wasn't allowed to cross.
304. 11:59And now? She whispered.
305. 12:02I reached over and gently pushed her
306. 12:04glasses back up her nose with one
307. 12:06finger.
308. 12:07Now, I just drove 5 hours through a
309. 12:10blizzard. I think the line's been
310. 12:12crossed.
311. 12:14She laughed, a wet, shaky laugh, and
312. 12:17then she leaned across the center
313. 12:19console, took my face in both of her
314. 12:21mittened hands, and kissed me.
315. 12:24It was soft and slow and tasted like
316. 12:27cherry pie. Her mittens were scratchy
317. 12:30against my cheeks, her glasses bumped my
318. 12:33nose, her pom-pom hat fell off into my
319. 12:35lap,
320. 12:36and it was the best kiss of my entire
321. 12:39life.
322. 12:41When she finally pulled back, she was
323. 12:43smiling.
324. 12:44I've wanted to do that for 4 years.
325. 12:48I'm sorry it took a blizzard.
326. 12:50I'm not. Blizzards are very romantic.
327. 12:54You said that about the Christmas music,
328. 12:56too.
329. 12:57I'm consistent.
330. 12:59Then the front door of the farmhouse
331. 13:01opened and a tiny old woman in a pink
332. 13:03robe and slippers stepped out onto the
333. 13:05snowy porch holding a flashlight.
334. 13:09Anne-Marie, she called, are you two
335. 13:12going to sit in that truck all night or
336. 13:14you going to come inside? I'm not
337. 13:16getting any younger.
338. 13:18Annie buried her face in my shoulder.
339. 13:21Oh my god, she saw.
340. 13:24Do you think she saw?
341. 13:26Noah, she's 89, not blind. She's been
342. 13:29watching from the window. She probably
343. 13:31took a picture.
344. 13:33Grandma Jensen waved her flashlight at
345. 13:35us.
346. 13:36And I saw that kiss, too. Finally, I'm
347. 13:39calling Father Mike in the morning.
348. 13:42Annie and I laughed all the way to the
349. 13:44porch.
350. 13:46The next morning was Thanksgiving. I
351. 13:48woke up in the guest room under a
352. 13:50handmade quilt with a glitter sign on
353. 13:53the door to the smell of turkey and
354. 13:55coffee and cinnamon rolls. Outside the
355. 13:58window, the whole Wisconsin countryside
356. 14:01was white and sparkling in the sun.
357. 14:04Downstairs, the farmhouse kitchen was
358. 14:06chaos. Annie's brothers, Eric and Lars,
359. 14:09were arguing about football, and Grandma
360. 14:12Jensen sat at the table in a turkey
361. 14:14sweater, supervising everyone like a
362. 14:16general.
363. 14:18When she saw me, she pointed at the
364. 14:19chair next to her. Annie's paramedic,
365. 14:22sit.
366. 14:23I sat.
367. 14:25You carved my turkey wrong 4 years ago,
368. 14:28she said.
369. 14:29Yes, ma'am. You're going to do it right
370. 14:32this year.
371. 14:33Yes, ma'am. And you're going to marry my
372. 14:36granddaughter.
373. 14:37Grandma! Annie yelled from across the
374. 14:40kitchen, nearly dropping a bowl of
375. 14:42stuffing.
376. 14:43Grandma shrugged. I'm 89, no time for
377. 14:46subtle. Lars fell off his chair
378. 14:48laughing.
379. 14:50Her dad shook my hand and said, "Good to
380. 14:52have you back, son." And Annie came up
381. 14:54behind me, wrapped her arms around my
382. 14:56shoulders, and kissed my cheek in front
383. 14:59of her whole family.
384. 15:01"Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered in
385. 15:03my ear. For the first time in 4 years,
386. 15:06it really was.
387. 15:08Annie taught me her grandma's cherry
388. 15:10pie. Every time her hands touched mine
389. 15:13over the dough, her brothers made
390. 15:15kissing noises.
391. 15:16Then, at noon, there was a knock on the
392. 15:18front door. Annie's mom opened it, and
393. 15:21she froze. Cara?
394. 15:24The whole kitchen went silent. Standing
395. 15:27on the porch in a fancy white coat with
396. 15:29designer sunglasses pushed up on her
397. 15:32head and a rolling suitcase was Cara
398. 15:34Jensen, my ex-girlfriend.
399. 15:37"Surprise!" Cara said. "My flight from
400. 15:40LA got rerouted through Minneapolis. I
401. 15:43rented a car and drove down this
402. 15:44morning." She stepped inside, pulling
403. 15:47off her gloves. Then, she saw me
404. 15:50standing at the kitchen counter with
405. 15:52flour all over my shirt. She stopped.
406. 15:55Noah?
407. 15:57Hi, Cara.
408. 15:58Cara looked at me, then at Annie
409. 16:00standing right next to me, then at the
410. 16:02flour on both of our hands, then at the
411. 16:05way Annie had moved half a step closer
412. 16:07to me without even realizing it.
413. 16:09"What are you doing here?" she asked
414. 16:12slowly.
415. 16:13Nobody said anything.
416. 16:15The turkey timer beeped. Annie's face
417. 16:18went pale. She stepped away from me.
418. 16:21"I'm going to check on the cows," she
419. 16:23said quickly, and she grabbed her coat
420. 16:25and walked out the back door before
421. 16:27anyone could stop her. Cara watched her
422. 16:29go. Then she turned back to me.
423. 16:32"Can we talk?" "Outside?"
424. 16:35We stood on the front porch in the cold.
425. 16:38Cara crossed her arms.
426. 16:40"So, you and my sister?"
427. 16:43"Yeah."
428. 16:44"Since when?"
429. 16:46"Since about 1:15 this morning,
430. 16:48officially." She let out a breath. Then
431. 16:51she looked out at the snowy fields for a
432. 16:53long moment.
433. 16:55"I came home early because I wanted to
434. 16:58see you," she said quietly.
435. 17:01I stared at her. "What?" "Mom told me
436. 17:04you might be coming. Annie mentioned it
437. 17:06to her last week, and I" She looked
438. 17:09down. "LA hasn't been what I thought,
439. 17:12Noah. I've been lonely, and I keep
440. 17:15thinking about you, about us. I thought
441. 17:18maybe if I saw you again, we could"
442. 17:21"Cara?"
443. 17:23"I made a mistake when I left. I think I
444. 17:26made a mistake."
445. 17:28I looked at her. This woman I'd loved
446. 17:30for two years. This woman who'd left me
447. 17:33for a life that didn't have room for me.
448. 17:35And I didn't feel anything except
449. 17:37kindness.
450. 17:39"You didn't make a mistake, Cara," I
451. 17:41said gently. "You were right. We weren't
452. 17:44right for each other. You needed a big
453. 17:47life. I needed a quiet one. You did the
454. 17:50brave thing by leaving." Her eyes filled
455. 17:53with tears.
456. 17:55"And Annie?"
457. 17:56I looked toward the big red barn where I
458. 17:58knew Annie was hiding.
459. 18:01"I told Cara the truth," I said. "I told
460. 18:04her that I'm in love with her little
461. 18:06sister, the one with the book buttons,
462. 18:08the one who sings Christmas songs in
463. 18:10November and steals my pie crust and
464. 18:13reads terrible mystery novels out loud."
465. 18:16Annie stared at me.
466. 18:18"You're in love with me?"
467. 18:20"I think I've been in love with you
468. 18:22since the flu.
469. 18:23The fake flu.
470. 18:25The medically extended flu. She laughed
471. 18:28through her tears, and at that exact
472. 18:30moment, the pregnant cow in the pen let
473. 18:33out a long, loud moo. We both turned
474. 18:36around. The cow was lying down in the
475. 18:39straw, breathing hard.
476. 18:41Annie, oh no, that's Daisy. Dad said she
477. 18:45wasn't due for another week.
478. 18:47Where's your dad? In the house, carving
479. 18:49the She jumped up. I'll get him.
480. 18:53Annie, wait. I was already climbing into
481. 18:55the pen. I don't think there's time.
482. 18:58Daisy mooed again, louder.
483. 19:01Noah, you're a paramedic, not a
484. 19:03veterinarian.
485. 19:04I've delivered three babies in the back
486. 19:06of an ambulance. How different can a
487. 19:08calf be?
488. 19:10It turned out it was very different. For
489. 19:1245 minutes, I kneeled in the straw while
490. 19:15Annie held Daisy's head and talked to
491. 19:17her softly, the way she read to the kids
492. 19:20at her library. And at 1:14 in the
493. 19:23afternoon, exactly 12 hours after our
494. 19:26first kiss, a wobbly, wet, brown and
495. 19:29white calf slid into the straw and let
496. 19:32out a tiny, squeaky moo.
497. 19:34Annie burst into tears. I fell back in
498. 19:37the hay, covered in things I won't
499. 19:39describe, laughing.
500. 19:41The barn door flew open. The whole
501. 19:44Jensen family rushed in and stared at
502. 19:46me, sitting in the straw, covered in
503. 19:48mess, with a brand new calf trying to
504. 19:51stand up next to me.
505. 19:53"Well," Annie's dad said slowly, "I
506. 19:56guess we're eating late."
507. 19:58Grandma Jensen walked right up to the
508. 19:59pen, looked at the calf, looked at me,
509. 20:02and nodded. "That one's named Noah," she
510. 20:06announced.
511. 20:07"Grandma, it's a girl." "Then her name
512. 20:10is Noel, for Christmas." Grandma looked
513. 20:12at me with a sly smile, "Since somebody
514. 20:15brought the Christmas music early."
515. 20:18Everybody laughed. Cara put an arm
516. 20:20around her little sister's shoulders.
517. 20:23"He's a good one, Annie. Don't let him
518. 20:25go.
519. 20:26Annie leaned her head on her sister's
520. 20:28shoulder and cried a little more.
521. 20:31At 4:00, 12 of us sat down around a long
522. 20:34wooden table. Cara was quiet at first,
523. 20:37but by dessert, she was telling
524. 20:39embarrassing stories about Annie as a
525. 20:41kid. And I carved the turkey. Correctly,
526. 20:45this time.
527. 20:46Grandma Jensen watched every single cut.
528. 20:49When I was done, she inspected the
529. 20:51platter, looked up at me and said,
530. 20:53"Acceptable."
531. 20:55Annie's brothers cheered like I'd won
532. 20:57the Super Bowl. Then, Grandma tapped her
533. 20:59glass with a spoon.
534. 21:01"I'd like to say something," she said.
535. 21:04Everyone went quiet.
536. 21:06"I told my granddaughter this might be
537. 21:08my last Thanksgiving. I'm 89. You never
538. 21:11know." She looked around the table at
539. 21:14all of us. "But I'm not going anywhere
540. 21:17until I see her married to her
541. 21:19paramedic."
542. 21:20"Grandma!"
543. 21:21"So, hurry up, young man. I'm very old."
544. 21:26That night, after everyone went to bed,
545. 21:28Annie and I sat on the porch swing
546. 21:30wrapped in Grandma's quilt watching the
547. 21:32snow fall over the farm. The barn light
548. 21:35glowed in the distance. Somewhere in
549. 21:37there, Daisy and Baby Noel were sleeping
550. 21:40in the straw. Annie rested her head on
551. 21:43my shoulder.
552. 21:44"Best Thanksgiving ever," she whispered.
553. 21:47"I delivered a cow."
554. 21:49"That's why it's the best one."
555. 21:52I laughed and kissed her top of the
556. 21:53head.
557. 21:55"Can I ask you something?" she asked.
558. 21:57"Always."
559. 21:59"Can we get back to Chicago? Will you
560. 22:01come over and let me read you a book?
561. 22:03Not a terrible mystery. A good one."
562. 22:06"Only if I can fake the flu."
563. 22:09She laughed. Then, she lifted her face
564. 22:11and kissed me slow and sweet under the
565. 22:14porch light while the snow came down
566. 22:16soft and quiet all around us.
567. 22:19The next year flew by. to me every
568. 22:23Sunday night on my couch with her feet
569. 22:25in my lap. She took me to story time at
570. 22:28her library and I sat on a tiny chair
571. 22:30surrounded by four-year-olds.
572. 22:33Cara met a nice architect in LA and
573. 22:35called Annie every Sunday. They'd never
574. 22:38been closer.
575. 22:39And Grandma Jensen, who was supposed to
576. 22:41be on her last Thanksgiving, got
577. 22:43healthier every month. Her doctor called
578. 22:46it a miracle. She called it motivation.
579. 22:49A year later on the night before
580. 22:51Thanksgiving, there was another
581. 22:52snowstorm. Of course there was. This
582. 22:55time I'd booked us both on a flight to
583. 22:57Wisconsin, seats 14A and 14B, and the
584. 23:02flight got canceled again.
585. 23:04I wasn't upset.
586. 23:05"Guess we're driving." I told Annie at
587. 23:07the airport, holding up my truck keys.
588. 23:10She grinned. "Blizzard survival hits,
589. 23:13volume two?
590. 23:14I'd expect nothing less."
591. 23:17Five hours later, at 1:14 in the
592. 23:19morning, we pulled into the snowy
593. 23:21driveway of the Jensen farmhouse front
594. 23:24door. The porch light was on. Somebody
595. 23:27had left it on for us.
596. 23:28I turned off the engine and Annie turned
597. 23:31to me with a little smile and said,
598. 23:33"So, where am I sleeping?"
599. 23:36I'd been waiting a whole year for her to
600. 23:38ask that. I reached into my coat pocket.
601. 23:42I pulled out a small velvet box and I
602. 23:44opened it.
603. 23:46"Next to me
604. 23:47for the rest of our lives,
605. 23:50if you'll marry me."
606. 23:52Annie stared at the ring, then at me,
607. 23:55then she started crying so hard her
608. 23:57glasses fogged up completely.
609. 24:00"Noah Pierce!" She sobbed. "Are you
610. 24:03proposing to me in a truck at 1:00 in
611. 24:05the morning in a blizzard?"
612. 24:07"Blizzards are very romantic. Somebody
613. 24:10told me that once." She laughed and
614. 24:13cried at the same time, threw her arms
615. 24:15around my neck, and kissed me so hard
616. 24:18her pom-pom hat fell into my lap again.
617. 24:22"Yes." She whispered against my lips.
618. 24:25"Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes." I
619. 24:31slid the ring on her finger and the
620. 24:33front door of the farmhouse flew open.
621. 24:36Grandma Jensen stood on the porch in her
622. 24:38pink robe holding her flashlight in one
623. 24:41hand and her phone in the other
624. 24:43recording the whole thing. "I saw that."
625. 24:47She yelled. "I'm calling Father Mike."
626. 24:50We got married the next summer in the
627. 24:52big red barn on the Jensen farm with hay
628. 24:55bales for seats and string lights
629. 24:57hanging from the rafters. Cara was the
630. 25:00maid of honor. She cried through the
631. 25:02entire ceremony and gave a toast that
632. 25:04made everyone laugh.
633. 25:06"To my little sister." She said raising
634. 25:09her glass. "Who loved him first and
635. 25:12loved him best." Daisy the cow and Noel,
636. 25:16now a full-grown heifer, watched from
637. 25:18their pen wearing flower crowns. And
638. 25:21Grandma Jensen, 90 years old, sat in the
639. 25:24front row in a brand new dress beaming.
640. 25:27When the ceremony was over, she grabbed
641. 25:30my hand and squeezed it.
642. 25:32"Told you I wasn't going anywhere." She
643. 25:35whispered.
644. 25:36On the guest room door upstairs, the
645. 25:38glitter sign is still hanging. Grandma
646. 25:41added one new word to it with a gold
647. 25:43marker. It used to say, "Welcome Noah."
648. 25:47Now it says, "Welcome home Noah."
649. 25:50So, tell me, would you drive 5 hours
650. 25:54through a blizzard for someone? Have you
651. 25:56ever had a grandma who knew how you felt
652. 25:59before you did? Share your story in the
653. 26:01comments. And if this story made you
654. 26:03smile, hit like, subscribe, and I'll see
655. 26:06you in the next one.