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Dear Dia,
We’re sorry we cannot be there to spend time with you on your birthday. Your father’s company is going through a rough time this quarter. His focus is on keeping everything running smoothly. It would be best for me to stay with him and help him where I can.
Please accept these gifts in our absence instead. We love you.
Love, Mother
Dia crumbled the letter in her hands. She stared at the “gifts” her mother had sent to her as a way to “apologize” for missing another birthday. One was a fancy dress while the rest were books. She found it difficult not to glare at the article of clothing her mother bothered to send. Only her mother would send such an impersonal gift while also forgetting her daughter’s current situation. Dia had no place to wear such a dress in Flowerbud Village. She was also kept in the Sanitorium for most of her days. Where would she wear such a thing that her mother had picked out for her? It would collect dust in her closet, sadly.
The books would at least provide her with some kind of entertainment. Dia wondered if it was her father who had chosen the books for her. It made sense since she was positive her mother knew nothing about the reading material that she enjoyed. While her mother never stopped her from reading, she never paid any special attention to what she read. Only her father ever asked which books she preferred.
It was no wonder Dia hated the day of her birth. She hadn’t seen her parents in years. Only Kurt and Tina ever visited her for it and, since her birthday was in the dead of winter, she couldn’t do anything interesting besides stay inside.
Slowly rising from her chair, Dia walked to the gift pile on her bed. Her fingers moved over the delicate fabric. It reminded her of the dresses she was forced to wear for her father’s events. Those events had made her skin crawl. Dia always felt like a doll on display with each boy she was forced to meet. Each one had the potential to be her fiancé and she was grateful it never worked out. She never had an attraction to men but it was never something she told her parents about. She had become too sick for it to matter in the end. The possibility of a future husband had been shelved for an indefinite time.
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Every year on her birthday she had these thoughts. Dia hated them. They would only grow worse when tomorrow, her actual birthday, arrived.
“Miss Dia?”
With a gasp, Dia spun around all too quickly. It made her feel dizzy and she placed a hand on her bed to steady her. Gina hurried to her side, holding onto her other arm.
“I-I-I’m sorry! Are you all right?” Gina asked. Concern was etched across her face. She looked over Dia to see if she was physically harmed.
Dia placed a hand over Gina’s. “I’m fine, Gina. You startled me, is all.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Dia. It won’t happen again,” Gina promised.
She sighed. Looking at the clock on the wall, Dia could see that it wasn’t time for Gina to stop working. Despite being in a relationship with one another, Gina felt the need to be professional during the hours she considered herself a nurse and maid. She explained to Dia that it didn’t feel right after all this time of using it. Dia hoped that she would move on from being so professional when they were alone together.
“Is there something you need, Gina?” Dia asked.
Gina chewed on her bottom lip. “I…wanted to check in on you after your mother’s…package.” She eyed the dress, her expression dropping to one of sadness. “It seems she has—”
“Sent another dress as though I’m going to still continue to be a debutante,” she said. It was hard for Dia to hide the disdain in her voice. If anyone else had pointed it out, she would pretend to show appreciation for her mother’s kindness. Gina was all too familiar with how her mother acted, though. “Can you please put it away for me?”
“Of course.”
Gina helped Dia to sit on the bed before scooping the dress delicately in her arms. Dia wouldn’t have cared if her girlfriend managed to rip the seams of the dress until it was beyond repair. She would never wear the dress and it would gather dust like all the others.
“Dia?” Gina called out.
She spun around to face Dia, the dress clutched tightly in her arms. It shocked Dia to hear her name said so casually by Gina like this when she was “on the clock”. But Dia could see that there was a spark in her eye, one that she couldn’t recall ever seeing before.
“Y…yes?” Dia asked, still reeling from Gina’s casualness.
Gina held the dress even tighter to her chest. “I…I know you are not fond of your birthdays. Grandma, Alex, and I are always doing what we can to make those days better. However, I would like it if you spent that day only with me. There’s…a few things I think you might enjoy doing.”
Dia felt her heart do a little flutter in her chest. She couldn’t imagine doing something with Gina that the others in their small family couldn’t enjoy. One thought came to mind but she quickly brushed it aside, reminding herself to stop reading such lurid novels before bed.
“I appreciate you wanting to do something extra for me, Gina, but I can’t imagine what you could have planned,” Dia commented. She gestured to the window. Snow had been falling since the morning. “In weather like this, I don’t think there’s much we can do. …Winter is not suited for anything enjoyable.”
The way Gina smiled filled her with hope. “Trust me, Dia. There are many things you can do during winter,” she assured. “The fact that it’s snowing tonight means we’ll have plenty to work with tomorrow.”
Dia wished that she understood what Gina meant by that. It felt like she knew a secret that she couldn’t tell her yet.
But if there was anyone that Dia could trust in her life, it was Gina.
It was always Gina.
She let out a playful sigh. “Very well, Gina. I look forward to what you have planned tomorrow.”
Gina smiled brightly. “I’m so excited! You w-won’t need to worry about anything. I’ll have everything planned and you’ll love it.”
Dia found her excitement addicting. It took her over quickly and it was hard to not be excited for tomorrow’s events, as well. She didn’t know what Gina had planned but she had never done anything that disappointed her.
“I look forward to it,” Dia said, smiling back at Gina.
Last night, Dia had had a hard time falling asleep. During dinner, she tried to convince Gina to tell her what she had planned. Normally, if Gina was excited to share something with her, she couldn’t wait and would tell her. She was tight-lipped this time, saying that it all had to be a surprise. It resulted in Dia tossing and turning until she finally fell into a deep slumber. She couldn’t say at exactly what time she had fallen asleep. Dia was only grateful that she did.
She woke up when the curtain above her bed was slowly drawn open. The light of the rising sun had her grumbling and she buried under her blankets.
“Five more minutes…” Dia mumbled. She curled up into the warmth that she had created during the night within her blankets. Dia would be content to spend most of her morning suspended in this warmth.
Gina’s giggle pulled her a little further away from sleep. “Happy Birthday, Dia. If you want to celebrate it, you’ll need to wake up.”
Their conversation from yesterday came back quickly to Dia. She sat upright so quickly that she startled Gina. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she started to toss the blankets off but was stopped.
“You don’t need to get up, Dia,” Gina assured. She sat on the edge of Dia’s bed to keep her from pulling off the covers again. “I’m going to serve you breakfast in bed. Grandma has always done that for me for my birthday. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy being cozy and warm while enjoying your meal.”
Dia played with the edge of her blanket. She had heard of others doing such a thing but had never considered it herself. Her mother had always scolded her for asking if she could eat in the comfort of her bed. Mother said it was uncouth for her to eat and make a mess in such a place reserved for sleep.
“What about getting crumbs in bed?” Dia asked quietly.
When Gina giggled, it didn’t sound like she was teasing or making fun of Dia. She never did whenever they were together.
“You won’t have to worry about that, Dia,” Gina answered. “Grandma said that she’ll take care of your bedding after breakfast. This will give us a chance to go through all that I have planned for us.”
Dia turned her bright eyes towards Gina. “Will you tell me what you have planned for us today?”
“I will soon.” Gina leaned forward to place a kiss on Dia’s forehead. “I’ll be back quickly with your breakfast. Stay in bed.”
Obeying orders, Dia settled back on her pillows. Gina nodded approvingly to her before she hurried back down the stairs to the main part of the sanitorium. From her bed, she could smell the food both Martha and Gina had made. It would be something that catered mostly to her health but delicious, nonetheless. Martha was a wonderful advocate for something being both healthy and delicious. Dia fondly remembered the conversations Martha and Alex had about what she should and shouldn’t eat. Needless to say, Martha had won that battle.
Dia leaned back onto her pillow and thought of the wonderful things that they could have cooked. She thought of blueberry pancakes and of other sweet goods that would give her a stomach ache later. All of it would be worth it, though. Dia trusted Gina to make her birthday memorable. Her excitement thrummed through her body, making her even more eager to start the events. She would have tried to get out of bed again if Gina hadn’t arrived before she could.
Gina carried a tray in her hands. The tray had pancakes piled high, a steaming mug of something sweet-smelling, blueberry syrup for her to pour, and a bowl of fruit to balance it all. Dia adjusted herself until she was more upright. She held her hands up and out of the way as Gina placed the tray on her lap. The warmth from the food radiated through the polished wood of it. It was comforting. Dia could now tell that the warm drink was hot cocoa.
“Gina…you and Martha didn’t have to go through all this for me,” Dia reminded.
“We wanted to, Dia.” Gina took hold of her braid and started to run her hands over it. “Your…we know your birthdays aren’t a source of joy for you anymore. We were hoping that…maybe this could be the start of changing that.”
Dia’s heart felt light. Since Martha and Gina had known her from when she was young, they would have had a front-row view of how miserable she found this day to be. Each year was the same as the last, weighing her down heavily. Usually, this day would have Dia lying in bed all day, reading a book while nursing a cup of tea. She was grateful to have a girlfriend like Gina and a caring mother-figure like Martha.
Reaching towards Gina, she cupped her cheek. They leaned in close to one another until their lips met in a chaste, sweet kiss.
“Thank you, Gina…” Dia muttered. Her throat was starting to feel tight and she willed herself not to cry this early in the morning.
Gina kissed her again, placing her warm hands on her cheeks. “Anything for you. Now, eat up. I’m going to get my food and I’ll join you shortly.”
Dia decided that she wouldn’t eat until Gina returned. She enjoyed sharing a meal with her, sitting in silence or talking about nothing in particular. She had finished slathering her pancakes in blueberry syrup when Gina returned with a plate of her own. Instead of sitting in the chair beside Dia’s bed, she sat on the edge, tucking her legs beneath herself as a makeshift table for her plate. They spoke softly to each other to avoid disturbing the morning peace. On the first floor, they could hear Alex and Martha talking about her choice of breakfast foods. The way Martha scolded the young doctor sent them into fits of giggles. No one was safe from Martha’s scoldings.
Her pancakes, hot cocoa, and half of her fruit bowl were finished before Dia decided to throw in the towel. She couldn’t bear to eat another bite. Gina packed their plates together on the tray and brought it over to the next bed. Dia took this as a chance to slip out of her own, shivering when her feet touched the cold tile of the sanitorium floor. She was helped into her slippers by Gina, an unnecessary task that she insisted on doing. It made Dia feel like she was Cinderella proving to the prince that she was the one he danced with at the ball.
Only her prince was a princess.
“I’ve prepared an outfit for you with Grandmother’s help,” Gina said. “It’s important to stay warm for what we’ll be doing today.”
This caught Dia’s attention. “Warm? We’ll be going outside?”
“Do you not want to?”
“No! I do!”
Dia couldn’t remember the last time she had gone outside during the winter. Perhaps it was when she was still a child, carried in the arms of her mother. She was never permitted to step foot in the freshly shoveled snow or to play outside in it. Even before she was sick, Dia was kept on a tight leash.
Buzzing with excitement, Dia followed Gina to her wardrobe. She had to resist the urge to take the items and start putting them on herself. When her clothes were set neatly down on a nearby bed, she looked over them carefully. Each article looked warmer than the last. Upon looking over them one by one, Dia could tell that some of these clothes were things her parents had sent over. She certainly remembered them sending the dark green winter coat and black boots. The wool-lined tights, the wool chemise, and the dress were items she had never seen before. Dia had always known she had an expansive wardrobe. She never thought that there were items she had never seen before, though.
“Grandma and I bought these for you when Winter started,” Gina admitted when she caught Dia staring. Her face turned red and she quickly looked away. “I’ve…been planning this day for a while and we both wanted to make sure that you were warm.”
Dia’s heart filled with so much love that it felt overwhelming. She could feel the love not just from Gina but from Martha, as well. Martha had always been a motherly figure in Dia’s life. She saw her more than she did the mother who gave birth to her. It was always Martha who coddled her when she had a fever and who took care of her so well even after she got severely ill.
Martha and Gina meant so much to her.
She jumped when Gina cupped her cheek, pulling her attention away from her thoughts. There was concern etched across her face and Dia wondered what she had seen. She didn’t want to worry her, though. Today was meant to be a day to celebrate her birth and enjoy time with someone she loved. Dia wouldn’t let today be filled with thoughts of her mother neglecting her.
Dia gently took hold of Gina’s wrist. “I’m fine. I was just…thinking how lucky I am to have you and Martha in my life.”
Gina smiled warmly, her eyes watering. “Oh, Dia…” She sniffed back a few tears and rubbed at her eyes. “Come—let’s get you ready.”
After forty-five minutes of getting dressed, Dia admired herself in the mirror. Everything fit perfectly and felt nice against her skin. Without the coat, she certainly felt warm. She briefly wondered if it would be needed but knew that was a silly thought. The temperature outside the sanitorium would be much lower than what she was currently experiencing. It excited Dia to go outside and experience the cold like the others in the village did.
“Are you ready to put your coat on, Dia?” Gina asked, coming up behind her. She placed her hands on Dia’s shoulders and smiled at her through the mirror. “I’m glad that they fit you so well. Do you feel uncomfortable?”
Shaking her head, Dia covered Gina’s hand with hers. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”
“We’re happy to do it. Let’s finish getting ready.”
Dia slipped on her boots and Gina helped lace them up. She rushed through putting her gloves and coat on. The warmth from all her clothes while moving around was felt instantly. Being out in the cold to counter it was something she looked forward to. Gina looked her over one last time before declaring them ready.
Hand in hand, they walked down the stairs of the sanitorium. Dia could hear Martha and Alex talking but it was hard to tell what they were saying. Whenever they talked about her, they always talked in soft tones and low hushes.
They never wanted Dia to hear what they were saying about her. If only they were less obvious about it.
Martha caught sight of them and smiled. She stepped away from Alex, effectively ending their conversation. When she got close, she placed her hands on their cheeks, delivering a kiss to both their foreheads. It was warm and comforting. Dia remembered such kisses fondly from when she was a little girl and sick.
“Happy birthday, Dia,” Martha said, warm affection in her voice. “Are you excited for your outing with Gina?”
“I am,” Dia answered. “It’s very warm in these clothes, though. I fear I’ll sweat right through them.”
Martha stroked her cheek. “Your temperature will even out when you step outside.” She placed her hands on her hips and looked at each girl in turn. “Now, Gina, you know how careful you have to be outside with Miss Dia, yes?”
“I do, grandmother,” Gina assured.
“Good girl. Dia, I know you’ll be excited about everything Gina has planned, but I would like for you to listen to her.” Martha’s expression softened. “We want you to have fun, but we also want you to be safe. Do you understand?”
Dia nodded. “Yes, Grandma.”
Martha kissed their foreheads again. “Good. Now, go on—have fun on your birthday, Miss Dia.”
Gina squeezed her hand and gently tugged her to the door. Alex waved goodbye to them. Dia could see that he was not entirely thrilled about this idea. When they left, she was sure that he and Martha would continue to discuss this at length.
It wouldn’t matter, though.
Because Dia would be with Gina and they would be having fun.
Stepping outside, the cold didn’t hit her as hard as she expected it to. Dia shielded her eyes from the sun. It was brighter than it was on any other winter day. It seemed that every day leading up to this point was cloudy and terrible. She couldn’t help but feel that the sun decided to shine just for her.
Hooking her arm through Gina’s, Dia clung to her. “Well, what is the first thing you have planned for us?”
“I thought we could go for a walk first. Sunny Lake is completely frozen over, but the area looks nice,” Gina answered.
Dia couldn’t recall the last time she had been close to a frozen body of water. When she was younger, her mother signed her up for ice skating lessons. She enjoyed it immensely but was ultimately pulled from it so that she could go to dance lessons. She wondered what it would feel like to be on the ice again. Would Gina allow her to do something Alex might consider risky?
“Could we…” Dia stared down at her feet. “Could we…skate on it?”
Gina gently led her away from the sanitorium. She looked over their shoulder until they were a good distance away. “I didn’t want to say it around Alex, but there are a pair of skates waiting for us at the carpentry shop. Grandma got them for us to skate if you’d like to.”
Dia’s heart felt like it was going to burst with love for the women in her life. “Oh, yes—please.”
The bell above them jingled when Gina opened the door to the café. “Katie, can you please make us some hot cocoa?” Gina asked.
Katie beamed at the two girls and Dia swore she heard her squealing. “One date special coming up! Two for the price of one!”
When she disappeared into the kitchen, Dia believed she saw Carl’s eyes start to get watery. She could only imagine what could be the cause of it. Gina often talked about Katie’s…accidents while working.
The snow that lingered on her clothes and hair quickly melted when they entered Café Calloway.
When they were at Sunny Lake, ice skating had started as fun. After warming up, Dia learned that a lot of her lessons from her classes remained intact. It was fun to show off what she knew to Gina since she had never seen her skate before. Most of the fun had drained out of her when Dia crashed into Gina and they slid into a snowbank. Terry had been nearby and asked if they were okay, but it was hard to answer when they were both laughing.
Gina decided it was time for them to end their skating excursion and to go to the next activity.
They walked to a tiny table near the back. Gina helped her out of her coat, putting it on the back of the chair she sat on. Dia was starting to feel warm again. After crashing into the snow, her body temperature had dropped. She was shivering when they were halfway to the café. It felt nice to warm up again.
“Are you s-sure you’re okay, Dia?” Gina asked. Her nervous stutter was back. It was understandable since they had crashed in such a way. “Y-you don’t feel like going to see Dr. Alex…?”
Dia shook her head. “I’m fine, Gina.” She took hold of her hand. “Perhaps in the morning, there may be a bruise somewhere, but we don’t have to tell Dr. Alex about it. I had a lot of fun skating again.”
Gina didn’t look convinced. She was chewing on her bottom lip, eyes cast down to the table. Her hand fidgeted in Dia’s as though she wanted to pull her hand away. “It’s just…I never intended for you to get hurt…”
“It was an accident.”
“Still…!” Gina quieted down when Katie arrived with their drinks. “T-thank you, Katie…”
“It’s my pleasure,” Katie said cheerily. Holding her serving tray to her chest, she turned her attention to Dia. “So, Dia, happy birthday! Are you enjoying the day Gina has planned for you so far?”
Dia had never seen herself as a close friend to Katie. She was better friends with Gina than she was with her. Katie never came to the sanitorium unless it was to talk to Gina and then she would leave. It felt strange that she was so interested in Dia’s thoughts on the day. She would be lying if she said it didn’t feel nice, though.
“It’s been very exhilarating,” Dia answered. She squeezed Gina’s hand. “We had an interesting time at the lake that ended in quite a slip-up, but it was fun.”
This intrigued Katie and she turned to Gina to hear the story. Gina appeared reluctant at first. It was only when Dia squeezed her hand again that she went through with telling Katie what had happened. At the end, she burst out into laughter and Gina giggled in turn.
“It sounds like you two had a great time!” Katie sighed dreamily. “I wish Carl would take me out on a cute date…” She forced a smile at the girls. “But I’m not going to bother you girls with my relationship, today of all days. Have fun! Let me know if you need anything else.”
“T-thank you, Katie,” Gina said.
“Yes, thank you.” Dia waited for Katie to be out of earshot before turning her attention back to Gina. “She’s…eccentric, isn’t she…?”
Gina giggled. “She is, but Katie has helped me a lot when I was less confident about asking you out.” Taking her cup, she pulled it in close and wrapped her hands around it. “I’m sure I would have done so eventually, but she certainly sped up the process.”
Dia hadn’t known that.
She knew that Gina and Katie were close but didn’t know that they had talked about her. If Katie was responsible for their relationship starting, Dia felt like she should thank her in some way. Perhaps she would enjoy a fancy cookbook of different desserts as a present. She thought about all the potential things she could gift Katie even as she brought her cup of cocoa to her lips. The first sip brought her thoughts to a halt.
“Oh!” Dia took another sip of her drink, feeling the chocolate warm her instantly. “It’s…it’s good—extremely good, actually.”
Gina beamed. “Katie and Carl have worked on this recipe for a while now. Or, at least that’s what Katie has told me. I suspect that it was Carl who did most of the work. Katie is…decent with baking, but it’s Carl who mostly makes the drinks.”
“Do you think he would consider giving us the recipe for it?” Dia questioned. “I would enjoy having this during my morning breakfast or sometime in the afternoon.”
“I can certainly try and see if Carl is willing to part with it.”
As they drank their cocoa, they relaxed quietly. The warmth and the atmosphere of the café was the perfect place for this. Dia regretted not being able to experience it before today. She wondered if she could convince Alex and Martha to let her stop by weekly. She could clearly see herself coming to the café to enjoy a book and a cup of tea. It would be a nice break from the stuffy room of the sanitorium.
When the cup was finished, she placed it gently down on the table. The warmth that spread through Dia couldn’t be replicated. She never wanted it to go away but knew they couldn’t stay in the café all day.
“So, what do you have planned next?” Dia asked.
Gina pouted behind her cup. “Are you…s-still up for continuing…? I’m not sure if you should be checked by Dr. Alex first before we continue…”
“I feel perfectly fine, Gina,” Dia assured. She reached across the table to take hold of her hand in both of hers. “I promise you: if after this next thing I feel strange or off, I will immediately go to see Dr. Alex.” Dia squeezed Gina’s hands. “I…I don’t want today to end just yet…”
She watched as Gina chewed on her lip. In her eyes, Dia could tell that she was slowly breaking her down. It was clear that she didn’t want this to end yet, either. She could only imagine how much time and effort Gina had put into planning today. It had to be a lot if she had even planned her outfit for the day.
A soft sigh left Gina and then she smiled. “Very well, Dia. I do have one more fun task left, but I do hope you like it.”
There was no way for her to express her excitement without embarrassing herself. She didn’t want to squeal to alert Katie or Carl. If Dia was in her own room, she would have kicked her feet out in delight. Instead, Dia calmly moved closer to Gina and smiled brightly.
“Can we go now to start it?” she asked.
“Dia!” Gina said with a giggle. “Wouldn’t you like another cup of cocoa first before we go? You enjoyed it so much.”
“I did, but I’m eager to see what you have planned for us.” Dia stood up and pulled her gloves on. She grabbed her coat and pushed one arm through it before Gina hurried to help her. “Let’s go—please?”
Gina let out a soft, dramatic sigh but there was a smile on her face. She finished her cocoa and grabbed her coat as she walked up to the counter. Dia followed closely behind her, holding onto her coat. Her entire body continued to buzz in excitement as she watched Gina pay for their drinks. She took a step back to help her with her coat, buttoning the first two buttons she could reach.
“Have fun, you two!” Katie said, waving her fingers.
“Feel free to come back i-if you need to warm up,” Carl advised.
“Thank you, Carl,” Gina said. She waved at Katie. “Bye, Katie—try not to be too cruel to Carl.”
She scoffed even as Carl groaned. “No promises. You two enjoy your date!”
Dia looked over her shoulder at Carl and Katie even as she was led out of the café. She could see how Katie glared at him until the door closed behind her. Gina let out a sigh of relief before smiling at Dia.
“Now, the next thing isn’t much,” Gina admitted, “however, we should take advantage of the warmth from the café while we still can.”
“Whatever in the world could you have planned?” Dia asked. She couldn’t stop from giggling. She was excited!
Clinging to Gina, they walked down the path leading to the sanitorium. Dia did her best to try and hide her disappointment. She couldn’t imagine why Gina would want to bring her back home so soon. However, she was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t walk through the door. Instead, Gina led them to the snow on one side of the path. Yesterday’s snow had piled up past her ankles. That explained why their crash at Sunny Lake hadn’t hurt as much. Dia wondered if it was suitable to make a snow angel and if Gina would let her.
“How do you feel, Dia? You’re not too cold, right?” Gina asked, taking her hands in hers.
Dia shook her head. “Not at all. The cocoa from the café certainly helped.”
Gina smiled. “Good—because I would like to ask…if you would like to build a snowman with me.”
A snowman.
Something so simple and childish that any kid growing up would have made one at least once.
But not Dia.
Even before she became ill, her mother never let her out. It was too “risky” in case she hurt herself and couldn’t dance or skate anymore. Dia had been robbed of a normal childhood experience because of her mother. All of her experiences had to either be secondhand from books or from Gina’s retellings.
So, it wasn’t a surprise that Dia grew even more excited about this prospect.
“How do we start?” Dia asked as she squeezed Gina’s hands.
Gina laughed. “Let me teach you how to make a snowball.”
For the next hour, Dia built a snowman with Gina. She had to learn how to make a snowball at first which was a difficult task, she realized. Either her snowball was too small or it wasn’t compact enough. After a few failed attempts, Gina made a few to put on the side if they needed them. The next step involved rolling the snowball in the snow until it became bigger and bigger. This was another complicated task. A few of Dia’s snowballs broke in the process when she fell over them. She was grateful that Gina had made so many for backup.
But the task was done and standing before them was a snowman of their own creation.
Dia felt tears in her eyes. It certainly wasn’t anything record breaking. In fact, she had seen better snowmen in Martha’s soap operas. It was misshapen with some parts bigger than others. The pieces of coal that Gina had gotten from inside were of different sizes and broken into pieces. If they were in a competition, they would surely lose.
But to Dia, it was beautiful.
She had made it with her own two hands and with Gina’s help. It didn’t have to be perfect. All that mattered was how much she loved it herself.
Gina sighed. “It…it doesn’t look v-very good…Does it…?”
Dia took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “It’s perfect.”
She could see from the corner of her eye how Gina looked at her with surprise. “R-r-r-really…? Y-you really t-think so…?”
“I do.” Dia smiled at Gina. “I’ve…I’ve never done anything like this before and, even if it’s not to the standards that others would but…” She took in a deep breath and looked at their snowman. “We made this—together. I couldn’t be happier, Gina.”
“Oh, Dia…”
Feeling bold, Dia moved closer to Gina. She brought her hands up to cup her perfectly round face. Through her gloves, she couldn’t feel how cold her face was but she knew it had to be. Dia wasn’t sure how long they had been out in the cold. She wanted to pull Gina back into the sanitorium to warm them both up.
But until then, she pulled her into a kiss.
Gina’s lips were soft, despite being out in the cold. They tasted like the hot cocoa they had been drinking together. She tasted so sweet and Dia never wanted to stop kissing her.
“Look out!”
Her head spun with how quickly she was tugged away and tucked in close to the sanitorium. Dia’s eyes widened as she caught the destruction of their snowman. Snow flew everywhere, landing at their feet. Her heart sank when she saw that their creation was completely destroyed.
Tina sat up from the snow pile, rubbing at her head. “Aw man…What a wipeout…”
Gina was the first to move, running to Tina’s side. Dia couldn’t. She stood there frozen as she tried not to cry. All their hard work was ruined.
“T-T-Tina, are you o-okay?” Gina asked, pushing snow away from Tina’s body.
“Yeah—yeah, I’m fine,” Tina answered. She stood up with Gina’s help. Looking down at the ruined remains of the snowman, Tina’s look saddened. “Oh…Oh Goddess, I’m so sorry, Gina. Did I ruin something important?”
“Our snowman,” Dia answered sadly. Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides. She was trying not to cry.
“It was Dia’s first one…” Gina added. “I-i-it’s fine, though. You’re not t-too hurt, right?”
“If she was, it would serve her right.” Jamie hopped down from their horse, walking closer to the trio. They crossed their arms and frowned at Tina. “I told her not to try jumping off the cliff and onto the snow hill the kids made.”
Tina smiled at them. “Hey, I didn’t hurt myself at least. And it’s a good lesson for the kids—don’t copy adults when they do something stupid.”
“I-I don’t think y-you should have done something so s-s-stupid yourself, Tina…” Gina said. “Are you sure you’re not h-hurt…?”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll be sore tomorrow but it’s winter! There’s nothing else to do,” Tina answered.
Jamie rolled their eyes. “I’ll bring her back to her place. If she complains about anything else, I’ll bring her by the clinic.”
“T-thank you, Jamie… Get home s-safe, you two.”
Dia didn’t pay much further attention to Jamie or Tina. She was aware of Jamie leading her back to their horse, helping her up, and then riding off together. She’d heard about them being in a relationship. This had certainly confirmed it but that wasn’t what held Dia’s attention. Instead, Dia walked to the destroyed remains of their snowman.
This time, she couldn’t stop her tears.
They flowed silently down her cheeks, blurring her vision as she did her best not to sob. Dia hadn’t felt this sadness since her mother sent her away to the sanitorium with Gina. This hurt so much more, though. She had created the snowman with Gina and it meant so much to her. Seeing it destroyed hurt just as much as accidentally ripping a page in her book.
Dia sat down in the snow, picking up a snow-covered coal that served as an eyeball. “It’s not fair…”
Gina sat down beside her. She wrapped her arms around Dia’s shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. “I know it isn’t, Dia…I’m sorry this happened.”
They pressed their heads together as they mourned the loss of their creation. It felt unfair that something they took so long to make could be destroyed in seconds. Why could such a thing be allowed to happen? Dia felt as though she was ready to throw a tantrum over it.
“We can make one next year if you’d like,” Gina suggested.
Dia perked up at this. She pulled away from Gina just enough to look at her with wide eyes. “R-really? Can we…can we do this again?”
Gina smiled. “Of course we can. I don’t recommend we do this tomorrow or sometime soon since it will only grow colder but…” She giggled. “We can do this every year for your birthday. I’d…I’d like it if we did.”
That was a wonderful idea.
Dia couldn’t remember the last time she had such an enjoyable birthday. If she tried to dive into the well of her memories, she would remember her tenth birthday party. However, it was a party of her parent’s associates and their children. She couldn’t quite remember what made it enjoyable but it had soured over the years. Even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t be able to compare to today. This day could only be compared to all her future birthdays.
All these days would be spent with Gina.
“Yes—yes, I would like that very much,” Dia said.
Gina smiled. She took hold of Dia’s hands and squeezed them. “Then it’s a date.”