Snow
朱莉安娜·C.納什/JulianaC.Nash
IknewitwassnowingbeforeIopenedmyeyes.Icouldhearthesoundsofshovelsscrapingagainstthesidewalks,andtherewasthatspecialquietintheairthatcomeswhenthecityisheavilyblanketedwithsnow.Irantothewindowsinthefrontroomtohavealookattheblock—mydomain.Itmusthavebeenveryearly.Noneofmyfriendshadmadeittothestreet;onlyjanitorsweremovingaboutintheknee-deepsnow.RelievedthatIhadn』tmissedanything,Ibecameawarethatmysistersandbrotherswerenowawake.Ihadnotimetowaste.IfIhurried,Icouldbeouttherebeforeanyofmyfriends.
Idressedmyselfinanassortmentofhand-me-downwinterwoolens,buttherewouldbenomittenstokeepmyhandswarm.Ihadlostthemearlierintheseason.Iwasinarealditherastowhattoputonmyfeet;myshoesnolongerf?itintomyrubbergaloshes.Icouldwearshoesorgaloshes,butnotboth.Idecidedtogowithtwopairsofsocksandthegaloshes.
AsIwasbucklingthem,Ifeltthepresenceofsomeonestandingoverme.Itwasmybigbrother,Lenny.HeaskedmeifIwantedtogoice-skatingattheindoorrinkinMadisonSquareGarden.Iimmediatelyscrappedmyotherplans.Mythirteen-year-oldbrotherwasactuallyaskingme,hisnine-year-oldsister,togoice-skatingwithhim.Go?OfcourseIwouldgo.Butwherewouldwegetthemoney?Lennysaiditwouldcostadollartogetinandrenttheskates.Onlytwoobstaclesstoodbetweenmeandgoingskatingwithmybrother—theblizzardof1948andonedollar.TheblizzardIcouldhandle—itwasthedollarthatpresentedtheproblem.
Thequestbegan.Wereturnedsomemilkbottles,askedourmotherforanickel,beggedourfatherforaquarterapiece,collectedapennyortwofromcoatpockets,discoveredtwocoinsthathadrolledunderthebeds,andspottedararestraydimenestledinacornerofoneofthesixroomsinourcold-waterrailroadf?lat.
Eventually,fortif?iedwithabowlofhotoatmealandjammingthehard-earnedcoinsintoourpockets,wesetoutonthetwenty-blockjourney—acitymile.
Thewind-drivensnowclungtoeverysurface.LennyandIpretendedthatwewereintheAlpsasweclimbedoverthethree-footmoundsofsnowthathadbeenshoveledtothecurbs.Itwasourworldnow—amyriadoftinysnowf?lakeshadshutdownthecityandkepttheadultsindoors.Theskyscraperswereinvisiblebehindawhiteveilofsnow,andwecouldalmostimaginethatNewYorkhadbeenscaleddownforus.WecouldwalkrightdownthemiddleofThirdAvenuewithnofearofbeingrunover.Itwashardtocontainourjoy,theincrediblesenseoffreedomwefeltoutthereinthesnow.
ThetwelveblockstoForty-ninthStreetweren』tdiff?icult,butthelongcrosstownstreetsprovedtobechilling.TheharshwestwindsblowingofftheHudsonRivermadeitalmostimpossibletopushforward.Icouldnolongerkeepupwithmybrother.Myplayfulimaginingswerereplacedbythegnawingcoldofmyfeet.Myheadwasuncovered,mymittenlesshandswereclenchedinmypockets,andafewoftheclaspsonmygalosheshadworkedloose.Ibegantocomplaingently,notwantingtomakeanuisanceofmyselfbecauseIwasafraidthatLennywouldn』taskmetogoanywherewithhimagain.