Twin Peaks WC: 789

Twin Peaks
789

My friends and I get together once a month at yoga. In December, we all went out for coffee after our yoga class to discuss our New Year’s plans.

Eve spoke up first. “I have nothing planned. I’m sure Jeff does with what’s-her-name.”

Eve was working hard to forgive.

Joanna jumped in. “I think we should do something exciting, memorable.”

She was still dealing with the reality her narcissistic ex probably never loved her.

“I think we should go to my daughter’s cabin in Twin Peaks.” I said, “She said I could use it.”

I have been divorced for a while, but I realize that betrayal never really goes away.

“Twin Peaks?” Eve wasn’t familiar with the area, being from Vermont until recently.

“Near Lake Arrowhead,” I said. “San Bernardino Mountains.”

“I love Lake Arrowhead!” Joanna was from southern California and was familiar with the area. “Oh, Eve, you’ll love it. It’s about an hour and a half away. When do we leave?”

So, the plan was hatched. We would leave New Year’s Eve after work.

I would coordinate cabin details. I called my daughter and confirmed.

“Sure, Mom, of course, but there’s a storm warning."

I assured her we could manage whatever came our way.

Eve was in charge of refreshments. “Champagne, wine, wine, wine, snacks, and stuff for breakfast. Nothing I have to cook.”

Sounded good.

“Dinner will be at Antlers Inn, as you mentioned, Kelly.”

Antlers Inn was the fine restaurant right down the road from my daughter Cindy’s cabin. I loved, loved, loved Antler’s Inn.

Joanna was in charge of activities.

“Let’s go skiing on the first day of the new year, or at least troll the area for men while we look like we are skiing. And we can go hiking in the woods.”

So, we had a plan.

The drive to the cabin was super fun. We laughed and talked and commiserated about our divorces.

We pulled into Twin Peaks just as the snow hit. We parked in the designated area in front of my daughter’s cabin, about a block away from Antlers Inn.

I unlocked the front door, and everyone voiced their approval.

“This is perfect, Kelly, Eve said as she flittered about. the A-frame. Cool! Three bedrooms. Fireplace.”

“Now ‘this’ is a cabin,” Joanna said approvingly.

I started prepping the cabin; I turned on the thermostat. The heat came on. So far, so good.

I tried the water. Nothing!

“I think the pipes are frozen,” I announced to myself, more cheerfully than I felt.

We would have no water and no toilet facilities unless I could figure this out.

I called my daughter.

“Mom, I think you’re stuck. What needs to be done, you can’t do. Don’t drink liquids and don’t eat much. I wish I had better news.”

I kept this information to myself for the time being.

“Oh my gosh, look at it come down!” Evie announced as she looked out on the blizzard.

I turned on the news. Twin Peaks would be snowed in; the entire area would be.

“Oh, goody, an adventure,” Evie said.

She did not know about the catastrophe with the pipes.

“Let’s get a fire going,” I said, as casually as I could. “Try not to drink too many liquids.”

“What’s up, Kelly?” Evie said.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Joanna added.

“Okay. Bottom line. The pipes are frozen. So unless you want to pee in a snowdrift, don’t drink too much.”

“We have no water?” Evie asked, just as the power went out.

I handed out flashlights and started a fire in the wood-burning stove. Luckily my son-in-law always made sure there was enough wood.

“Now what?” Evie asked. “No dinner at Antlers Inn?

“Looks like not,” I said.

“I brought some weed,” Joanna said. “It’s festive.”

“Bring it on!” Evie said.

So we sat around the fire, smoking and giggling.

There was a knock at the door. I answered it.

“Hi, we’re in the cabin next door, and we thought maybe you would like to welcome in the new year with us since we are all snowed in,” this older dude said. “Oh, and we smelled the weed,” he added.

There were three of them, all pretty darn cute.

“And,” he added, “we know how to fix frozen pipes.”

“Come on in,” we all said in unison.

So, these older guys joined us, and we happily welcomed in the new year with champagne, snacks, and whatever… by the fire.

Side note: what happens at the cabin stays at the cabin.

The holiday had never been celebrated like that before --and it could never be duplicated.

It would live in infamy: New Year’s Eve 2021.