001. Snow // Danny McCoy // Las Vegas
Title: Memory Lane
Prompt/Number: 001. Snow
Rating: PG
Character/Fandom: Danny McCoy/Las Vegas
Word Count: 405
I never saw snow until I was 19 years old. Growing up in a desert leaves little chance of such occurrences.
I was four weeks into the grueling ten week OCS program in Quantico, VA. My world had been so turned around that I didn’t think anything could possibly throw me. Yet, I was stopped in my tracks with my mouth hanging open.
The small white flakes were blowing in the wind, barely landing on the street in front of me. As I stood there, the numbers landing on the ground increased and I watched as a carpet of snow appeared.
“It’s a good thing we’re on liberty Marine.”
I spun around, coming face to face with one of my classmates.
He smiled. “You never seen snow before?”
Nodding, I managed to remember speech. “No, I’m from Vegas.”
He laughed and slapped me on the back. “Don’t stand out here too long, McCoy. Someone might come along and make you do pushups or something.”
As I watched him clomp away, obviously a pro at dealing with the snow, I took a step forward and was surprised to find myself slipping. I quickly steadied myself and headed to a bench on the edge of the sidewalk. I sat down oblivious of the wet snow underneath me.
The snow I had seen on TV when I was growing up hadn’t done justice to the real thing. On TV it always looks so light and fluffy, but the stuff all around me was cold and actually reminded me more of crushed ice. Turns out, that has to do with Quantico being on the edge of the rain/snow line in the area; more water in the snow.
I must have sat there for twenty minutes before I came back to myself and realized that I was wasting what very little free time I had. I stood up and brushed the snow from my head and shoulders, stomped my booted feet a few times and slowly made my way the rest of the way down the street to my barracks.
That was ten years ago. The reason for my trip down memory lane? We’re decorating the Montecito for Christmas and someone thought it would be a good idea to bring in machines to make fake snow. I’m standing in the valet driveway watching my co-workers and a bunch of scantily dressed women throwing snowballs at each other; in the desert.