Page 3 of Matchmaking Under the Mistletoe

“Thank you for the ride,” I say with a weak smile to the older man who introduced himself as Huey. “My name is Millie…uh, Millie Pouncey,” I say awkwardly, deciding to revert back to my maiden name for the first time in ten years.

If Huey notices my hesitancy, he doesn’t acknowledge it, and I’m thankful. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Millie. I’m glad I came outside when I did. Another thirty minutes or so and you would have been a human icicle. This cold is brutal, and like I said, it doesn’t look like that car of yours is going anywhere anytime soon.”

I shake my head, feeling like I’m on the precipice of going into shock from everything that’s happened over the last few days. I try to center myself and feel a moment of panic at his words, even though he’s not telling me anything I don’t already know.

What the actual hell am I going to do in this little town? I feel like I landed myself in the inside of a southern little snow globe.

“So, what brings you to our little corner of the world?” Huey asks as we ride through the fields that are completely blanketed with snow.

“Uh, well, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what corner I’m even in. Where exactly am I?” I ask before letting out a shaky chuckle at how absurd that sounds.

“I have to say, you couldn’t have picked a better place to get stuck. You’re in Springside, Alabama. Where were you headed before Mother Nature changed your plans?” the older man asks with a good-natured laugh.

Crap. How the heck am I supposed to explain that I have literally no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going?

“Well, I guess you could say I might be a bit lost on that front too,” I say with a weak smile as we continue to ride.

At my confession, Huey gives me a kind smile, and I feel myself relax a bit, despite the chaos I feel surrounding me.

“Well, Miss Millie, I’ve gotta say, I’ve had two great loves in my life. My late wife Alice and this town. They’ve both given me more joy than an old man like me deserves. And they both always had this talent for attracting the people who need them most. And something tells me Springside may be just what you’re needing too,” he confesses, and I feel the sincerity in his voice.

It should seem weird for him to be sharing this much of his life with someone he just met, but instead it puts me a bit more at ease. I definitely don’t believe in the supposed magic of this little dot on the map but considering the fact that he saved me from certain frostbite, I just offer him a tired smile, and we ride in comfortable silence as I lose myself to my thoughts.

The weight of the last few days hits me, and I realize I’m exhausted. I tossed and turned for hours last night in the tiny roadside motel room, trying to determine where I went wrong in my marriage before finally dozing off for an hour or two. I alsocame to the realization how easily I lost myself in trying to be everything that Allen wanted me to be. It started slowly, just by trying to dress and act in ways that would make him happy. But somehow, before I knew it, I became a doll he put up on a shelf and only took down when he needed me to plan an event or wear a pretty dress. I don’t remember the last time I did anything for fun, or just because I wanted to.

On top of everything else, I isolated myself because Allen didn’t enjoy hanging out with my “silly little college friends”, and he and my sister clashed mightily every time they were in the same room together. I’d been well liked in college between my sorority and campus involvement, and my sister and I used to talk everyday, even when we were both busy with school. But by the time Allen proposed, our daily chats had dwindled down to monthly check in’s as I tried to keep the peace. A rush of shame rolls through me at how easy I made it for him to control me.

“Oh my goodness, are those all your cows?” I ask loudly, shaking myself from the pity party I was just throwing myself. Right in front of the ATV are more cows than I’ve ever seen, making their way closer to us and letting out loudMOOOOOOOOOs as we come closer.

“Yep, that’s them. I don’t think they’re too sure about this whole snow thing, but they’ll get over it,” Huey says, reaching out his hand to let one of them nuzzle into his palm.

“They’re huge! Did you know cows were this big?” I ask in awe, cowering into the seat a bit as a large brown cow leans in and sniffs me.

Huey tries to maintain a straight face before bursting out into laughter. “Well, Miss Millie, I’ve lived on a farm my whole life, so yes, I did know that. But most people tend to underestimate their size. Is this your first time seeing one up close?”

“Oh, I don’t know what in the hell would’ve given you that impression,” I say as two more of the large creatures join in on trying to get my attention.

“Sorry ‘bout that. They’re just hungry. I know they look scary, but they’re harmless as long as you don’t stand behind them. Here, why don’t ya give ‘em something to eat?” Huey offers before reaching into the glove box and handing out a handful of pellets.

I take them from him tentatively and let out a squeal as their sandpaper tongues scoop up the feed from my hands. After I get over the fear of them trampling me, I realize they’re pretty darn cute. One of the smaller animals steps forward, nuzzling her nose into my arm, and I reach up to pet her snout, her warm breath instantly calming some of my nerves from the day.

“Huh, well, I’ll be damned. I reckon Miss 46 is feeling real friendly today,” Huey says, gesturing at the small black animal. “Usually that one won’t come anywhere near the rest of them.”

I smile, as she comes closer, nuzzling her nose into my hair, making Huey and I both laugh. I continue to feed them for a few minutes, as Huey supplies me with more and more feed, until his glove box is empty.

“All right, that’s enough for now. I’ll be back to check on you ladies later. Miss Millie has had quite the afternoon, and I promised to get her somewhere warm,” Huey calls out to the animals, while cranking the ATV up again and taking off through the snowy pasture.

If you had told me a month ago that I’d be letting a bunch of cows eat out of my hand in the middle of a field and nuzzle their cold noses into my hair, I would have laughed. But there’s something about the large animals that brings a much-needed smile to my face.

The truth is, the last few years of my life have been consumed with tasks and obligations that I don’t enjoy, andI don’t remember the last time I let myself be present in the moment without wondering what our social circle would think about what I was doing. Sure, I never really complained about the shopping days in Georgetown and some of the other luxuries I enjoyed throughout my life with Allen. But after a while, the Pilates classes, book clubs, and society lunches grew incredibly old, especially when it seemed like they were competitions to see who could find the hottest new instructor or plan the most extravagant event.

I can imagine how insufferable most of the women from my life in the city would be if they were in my shoes. Honestly, if I could overlook the whole being stranded in a snowstorm aspect, the simplicity is kind of nice.

We ride for another few minutes before he pulls up to a small, rustic farmhouse. Suddenly, despite how friendly Huey has been, I feel a surge of panic realizing the reality of my situation.

Oh, God, I’m alone in a strange town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere without my cell phone and my only company is an older, albeit friendly, man I just met. I’m pretty sure horror novels have started with less. How in the HELL did I get myself into this?

Once again it seems that he recognizes my stress because he pauses before we walk inside, “Do you want to call and let someone know where you are?”

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