"In the news this afternoon...you guessed it, folks--snow and lots of it! A winter storm warning is in effect. More than twenty-five inches of snow has been predicted for the northeast, so get ready! The flakes have already begun to fall and heavier flurries are expected a little later this morning. High temperature today was twenty degrees. Current temperature is fifteen. Temperatures are expected to drop to ten degrees this evening, with a wind chill factor of fifteen below, so please be sure to bundle up."
"Are you almost ready to go, Michael?" Ben waited by the door, tapping his foot.
"Yes," said Michael with an air of distraction. "I'm just listening to this weather report. Did you know that this snowstorm is supposed to bring at least two feet of snow?"
"Yes. That's why I wanted to leave early. I wish I could have had the whole day off from work. It would have been much better if we had left this morning. But if we get a move on, I think we'll beat the worst of it."
"Maybe we should reconsider," Michael said worriedly. "We can always go another time."
"Another time won't be Valentine's day." Ben walked up to Michael and kissed the worry lines on his forehead. "Come on, baby. We made all these great plans already. We just have to get there. It's only a six hour trip."
"Okay," said Michael with doubt. He flicked the radio off, grabbed his jacket, and walked out with Ben to the car.
"Can you believe all this traffic? Why aren't these people at work? Or better yet, why aren't they home? Don't they know there's a storm coming?"
"Michael, why are you complaining? You're not even the one driving."
"I'm sorry." Michael sighed. "I just wanna get there and spend time with you alone."
"We're alone now." An obnoxiously loud car horn, blowing to the right if them, made a lie of Ben's words.
"You can't possibly have to go the bathroom. We practically just left the house."
"I told you...Coffee runs right through me."
"Then why did you drink coffee this morning of all mornings?"
Michael snuggled closer to Ben...or at least as close as he could snuggle with his seatbelt on. "But honey, I love your coffee."
"This flattery won't get you anywhere. You're going to have to hold it for a little while."
Michael pouted. "I've been practicing my whining. You wanna hear it?"
Ben grumbled under his breath.
"What was that, sugar bear?"
"I said that I'll pull over to the next rest stop, honey buns."
Michael smiled in satisfaction for himself and his bladder.
"If you drink all that soda, aren't you going to need a bathroom again...soon?"
"Don't be silly, Ben. I'm a man. I can always pee outside if necessary. Heck, once this cup is empty, you won't even have to--"
"Michael!"
"Yes?"
"I get the picture."
"Sorry."
"So why did you make me stop at a rest stop before?" Ben flicked the radio off. Maybe a few minutes of peace would keep his growing headache at bay.
"Hey!" Michael stopped his bouncing and head banging to protest. "Why'd you turn that off? I like that song."
"Michael, why are we on this trip?"
"Because you can't throw darts."
Ben was derailed from the point he had been about to make about maintaining a romantic mood. "I CAN throw darts."
"What kind of a stupid idea was it to pick the location for our getaway by throwing a dart at a map?"
"You might recall that the idea was yours, Michael."
"Oh. Yeah...Still, I'm not the one with no aim."
"I can aim!"
"Maybe you need to get those glasses checked."
"They're reading glasses."
"So what's your excuse? Why are we driving, in February, in the middle of a blizzard to upstate New York, where it starts snowing in the summer?"
Ben muttered about gross exaggerations.
"What was that?"
"I said the sun was in my eyes."
"I'd believe that if we hadn't been throwing the darts in the basement...with the curtains pulled...at night."
Ben turned the radio back on.
Michael looked out the windows with an anxious expression on his face. "It's coming down a lot heavier than I thought it would."
Ben reached out and squeezed Michael's knee comfortingly. "Don't worry. We'll be fine as long as we stick to the main roads."
"Watch out, Ben!"
Ben swung his eyes back to the road and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "Watch out for what?"
"Never mind. I thought I saw something."
"Michael! You almost scared me to death."
"Sorry. It's really hard being a back seat driver."
"Maybe you should take the wheel. We did say we would take turns, didn't we?"
"I don't know, Ben. I don't drive that much and I never drive in bad weather."
"Michael, I need a little break. I'm getting a crick in my neck."
"I can give you a nice neck rub," Michael said hopefully.
"Just drive for a little while. Look, there's another rest stop. You can even use the bathroom...or a tree trunk if that's what you prefer."
"I don't know about this sarcastic side of you. It's like you're turning into Brian...What?...Don't look at me like that!...Okay. I didn't mean it."
"You know, driving in this weather isn't so bad."
"Michael, watch out for the--"
"I saw it," said Michael as he swerved to avoid the large pothole. "Like I was saying, it's not that bad. It's even kind of fun."
"Michael! Don't swerve too--"
"Don't worry, Ben." Michael smoothly steered the car back into the right lane, not noticing the angry driver in the next lane, waving his fist. "I'm thinking of getting another car. Ever since I got rid of the one that my ex-boyfriend gave me, I've missed the convenience of not having to rely on buses and cabs for transportation."
"Michael!"
"What? What did I do?" pleaded Michael. Luckily, the state trooper he had passed hadn't notice the car going at 20 miles per hour above the speed limit. She was already preoccupied ticketing another driver with a lead foot.
"Nothing, baby." Ben sighed deeply and put his hands in his head so he wouldn't have to watch. A couple of minutes later, Michael startled him.
"Holy moly! That was close! Where did that tractor-trailer come from?"
"Michael, please don't be angry. It's nothing personal."
"But WHY can't I drive?"
"Because you can't drive," mumbled Ben under his breath.
"What did you say?" demanded Michael.
"Nothing. I just feel better when I'm driving," he replied. "And a thousand times safer," he added so Michael wouldn't hear.
"What?"
He turned and gave Michael a broad smile. "I didn't say anything."
"Oh."
Ben turned to look with fondness at his lover. Michael had fallen asleep and he looked like a fallen angel. His spiky, black eyelashes rested on his snowy white cheeks. His lips were rosy. Ben reached over and gently stroked Michael's face with the back of his hand. If only they could reach their destination soon.
Ben looked at his lover who was still sleeping. Michael was snoring softly. It was kind of sweet, really. The snow was getting heavier, muffling the sound of the traffic. Overhead, what little sky was visible was steel gray.
Ben glanced at his still sleeping lover. He reached out for the radio and flicked the knob all the way to the right. The boom of the dance song playing hurt his ears.
"What the...!" Michael jackknifed from his sleeping position and looked around in wild confusion. After a moment, he reached out for the radio and turned down the volume.
"Why'd you do that? You scared the bejesus out of me!"
Ben shrugged in innocence. "I didn't touch it. It must be malfunctioning."
"That doesn't make any sense. The knob can't turn itself, can it?"
Ben shrugged again. "What do I know? But now that you're awake, maybe you could talk to me. I feel like I'm falling asleep."
"So how come I couldn't drive before, but now it's okay?"
Ben looked around. They were on a narrow road--one lane in each direction. There were few turns, no curves, no surprises, and flat land as far as the eye could see.
Ben admitted, "I think you'll be relatively safe on this road." He gripped the dashboard while Michael pulled off the side of the road and continued the drive.
"I don't see what the point is in switching drivers now. I thought you said we were almost there."
"Stop talking and concentrate on the road."
"If you're going to be criticizing my driving, then you might as well--"
"Concentrate!"
"Fine!"
Ben waved yet another car around them. "Michael, it is okay if you drive a little faster."
"I don't want to be too reckless. I'm trying to CONCENTRATE."
Ben looked out the car window. The two children walking with their mother, through piles of snow had long since passed their car and were making tracks, twenty yards ahead. An elderly man, walking gingerly with a cane, zipped by them.
"I think they can actually give you a ticket for driving too slow," Ben commented.
"Why would they do that?"
"Obstructing traffic and creating hazardous driving conditions? What a bunch of bull--"
"I told you to drive a little faster."
"Fine. You drive. I can't take the stress."
"Ben, how can you tell if we're on the right side of the road?"
Ben and Michael peered through the windshield.
Actually, they tried to peer. All they could see was snow, blowing straight at the car, so heavy that visibility was nil. Even the valiant windshield wipers couldn't keep up.
"The real question is how do we know if we're on the road at all? Maybe you should get out and clean off the headlights again. I can't see anything with all the snow caked over them."
"Why do I have to get out of the car?"
"Would you rather drive?"
Michael thought about it for a nanosecond before putting his gloves on. "Pull over."
"We're gonna die out here. We're gonna freeze to death."
"We're not going to freeze to death, Michael," said Ben calmly despite the niggling worry deep inside.
"I'm sure we'll lose a limb or two or at least a few fingers and toes."
"We're not going to lose any body parts. Don't be so melodramatic."
Michael looked, but besides the silo in the distance, he saw nothing. No other cars, no houses, no lights. Not a thing. "They're going to make a TV special about us: two gay lovers, tragically killed during a freak snow storm. No one knows why they were stuck in the middle of a cornfield in upstate New York, in the dead of winter. Hundreds mourned their passing."
"Don't exaggerate."
"You're right...Dozens mourned their passing."
"Let's just keep driving. I'm sure we'll find a town soon. I think we're almost there."
Michael let out a sound that sounded remarkably like a snort of derision.
"Look, Ben!" said Michael excitedly. "Town lights!"
"Thank goodness."
Giddy with relief, they drove towards civilization. In the small town, one of the first things they saw was a small motel. They drove into the parking lot and found a space. It felt like they had been driving all day.
Ben said tiredly, "I feel like I've been driving all day."
"That's because you have, honey." Michael leaned over and kissed Ben briefly, but with promise. "I'll make it up to you tonight."
They trudged into the motel and up to the desk. The man behind the desk was giving a set of keys to a couple already standing there. When the couple had taken their bags and departed, Ben and Michael stepped up.
"We'd like to rent a room, please," said Ben.
The motel registrar looked at them with deep regret. "I just rented my last room." He was surprised when the smaller, dark-haired man began to walk away, laughing uncontrollably, and talking to himself.
Ben looked at his boyfriend with concern, then back at the registrar. "Do you know of ANY place...before my friend loses his mind."
The registrar raised an eyebrow. "Seems to me it's a bit late for that, but there is a bed and breakfast down the road. I can call them and ask them to hold a room for you. Won't take you but a minute to get there."
"Thank you! Thank you very much."
The B and B owner showed them to their room. "I'm relieved that you made it through the snow safely. You're not the only folks to get stuck. You're lucky there's a room left."
"Believe me," said Ben. "We know."
"Blankets are in the closet. There's a clock radio by the bedside. The shower and bathroom are across the hall. You'll be sharing that with the couple in the other room on this floor. Be careful with the shower, the hot water tank is a bit small. I've been meaning to replace it."
"Thanks, Norma. Everything looks great."
"Breakfast is between 7:00 and 9:30. It's served buffet style, so help yourself."
"Thanks again, Norma."
Norma left and Ben towed Michael into the room. "Baby, we're here."
Michael looked up from his conversation of one. "We're here? We're in Cooperstown?"
"Well, not exactly, but almost. Only fifty miles away."
Michael clutched Ben's sleeve with mounting panic. "We don't have to go there tonight, do we? I don't think I can go back out there."
Ben pulled Michael into his arms and kissed the icy tip of his nose. "We are going to take hot showers, go to bed, and sleep like babies."
Michael leaned his head against Ben's broad chest. "That sounds so nice. If only I weren't so tired, I would show you how grateful I am to be safe and warm again."
"Sit." Ben pushed Michael gently until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He squatted down and pulled off Michael's wet boots and socks. He tried to rub some of the circulation back into Michael's cold feet. "Wow! They're like blocks of ice."
"My hands, too." Michael pitifully held out his frozen hands, which looked a little blue at the finger tips.
"I think we can take care of that." Ben sat on the bed and pulled Michael closer. He lifted his sweater and tucked his lover's underneath to heat them with his own body. He tucked Michael's feet into his lap, and pulled a blanket from the bed to wrap around them both. Then he slowly rubbed Michael's back. "You drove me crazy today."
"I know," mumbled Michael against Ben's chest. "I'm sorry."
"I still love you. I'm glad we decided to do this."
Michael hesitated. "Would you be mad if I said I'm not as glad as you are."
Ben chuckled. "No, baby. I understand."
"But if I had to do it with anyone, I'm glad it was you." He snuggled a little closer. "It's a good thing I love you so much. Otherwise, I'd have to hate you for talking me into this trip."
"Michael, you say the sweetest things."
"Gimmee a break. You know what I mean. Let's go take that shower."
"You wanna go first?"
"You heard what Norma said...small hot water tank. We should be careful to conserve our resources. It's the right thing to do."
"Michael, that's the smartest thing you said today. Let's go."
Laughing quietly, they toweled each other dry after the shower. It was hard to finish between the kisses and caresses.
"Shh," warned Michael. "These walls are probably as thin as the ones at my mother's house. I don't want to disturb the other couple on this floor."
Ben leaned down and captured Michael's lips in a soul-searing kiss. "Let's go back to our room, then."
They tiptoed out of the bathroom, only to encounter an elderly couple, a man and a woman, walking towards the bathroom. The other couple was dressed in long bathrobes as they were, and carried towels and bathing supplies as they did.
Michael blushed and shyly said, "Hi. How are you?"
The woman answered with a polite smile, "Just wonderful. Thank you. If I don't see you again, have a nice Valentine's Day."
The man smiled and tugged his wife towards the bathroom. As the two couples moved apart. "I told you we wouldn't disturb them. They're probably doing exactly what we were doing." He looked back, smiled sheepishly, and dragged his wife into the bathroom.
Michael's eyebrows had shot up and his face had turned beet red. Ben quickly hustled his embarrassed lover into the room where he immediately began to exclaim, "Can you believe her? I've never been so embarrassed in my life...Okay, I have been that embarrassed before, but still..."
"Did she lie?"
"Well...no."
"And she didn't insult us?"
"No."
"Then who cares?" Ben tossed his bathrobe onto the chair and threw himself onto the bed. Posed there, ever so sexily, he asked, "Do you want to talk about her or do you want to--" He never got to finish his question because Michael had already launched himself onto the bed and was doing his best to devour every inch of Ben's body.
"We've lost it, haven't we?" Michael snuggled against the furnace of Ben's body. It was just the right temperature to keep him warm.
"Lost what?"
"That lovin' feelin'...our mojo...IT."
Ben wrapped his arms tighter around Michael's smaller form, and buried his face in his hair to kiss him. "We haven't lost anything. It's just resting."
"It's comatose."
"It's tired. WE'RE tired. You'll see. Tomorrow, we'll be up and raring to go."
"Is it Valentine's Day yet?"
Ben leaned up to look at the clock. "We're almost there. Four more minutes."
"Don't let me fall asleep, okay Ben?"
"Why not? It's not like this is the New Year's Eve countdown."
"Because last year you were out of town, and the year before that, I had the flu," murmured Michael drowsily. "I don't want to waste a minute of this one."
"It doesn't really matter what day it is. I love you and I know you love me."
Michael lazily brought his hand up and traced Ben's mouth with one finger. "With all my heart." He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, his hand still tracing the planes of Ben's face.
They lay quietly for a couple of minutes until Ben saw the numbers of the clock change to 12:00. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby." He kissed his sleeping lover on the forehead and let himself drift into dream land.
Michael rolled over and opened his eyes slowly and reluctantly. He was draped over Ben's broad back, so he planted a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Happy Valentine's Day, honey."
Ben rolled over and snagged Michael around the waist. "Good morning."
"You let me fall asleep even though I asked you not to. We've already wasted eight hours."
"I disagree. I spent the last eight hours with the sexiest, sweetest, most loving man I know in my arms. I'd say that was a pretty good deal."
Michael cleared his throat and blinked to mask the sudden rush of emotion. Ben noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Sometimes I'm afraid you'll wake up and realize that you could do much better than me. Someone smarter, more sophisticated, and better looking than me." Michael hadn't meant to spill any insecurities. Usually they stayed where he hid them...deep in the corners of his mind. Other times, they came out of hiding and mocked his happiness.
"Couldn't," said Ben simply.
Michael sniffed. "Couldn't what?"
"I couldn't do better. How could I do better than the other half of me?"
This time, Michael was unable to hide his tears. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"Of course...because of you. We're amazing together."
"I vote we stay here all day and forget about the rest of the trip."
Ben pulled Michael until his lover was laying on top of him. "I second that." He threaded his fingers into Michael's hair and pulled his head down to kiss him deeply. Their tongues and their bodies tangled together as they made love in the warm cocoon of blankets.
"Do you think they'll ever come down for breakfast, dear? They seemed like such nice boys. I'd love to meet them formally."
The couple looked up at the ceiling at the latest scraping of furniture on the floor. Faintly, a squeaking sound resonated through the house. "Ah, to be that young again, Sharon," said the man to his wife.
His wife replied, "Oswald, sweetheart, they haven't got a thing on you or me." Sharon gazed happily at her husband, with deep and abiding affection. She leaned forward and kissed the papery skin of his cheek. "But give them a few a little more time. They're almost there."