THE WORST OF LOVE CONTESTANT
Tony woke to dappled light glowing through the curtains. Tessa was still asleep. He watched, wanting to stroke her hair but just let his hand hover for a moment, before drawing back and slipping from the bed.
In the chalet’s kitchen corner he made pancakes and coffee. Crisp sunlight filled the nook, making every surface sparkle, and the snow outside smoothed the ground, almost blending the pines into the slope.
As the coffee percolated, he took cups from the mantle next to the urn and sighed. Such an exquisite woman, and he had the ring, but she could be so quirky. The yard sale obsession, buying old junk every weekend when she had all the money in the world. And now this idiosyncrasy. Who brings their grandmother’s urn on vacation to Aspen?
“Hey you,” Tessa said when he brought breakfast in. She’d parted the curtains a little and the light made her skin glisten like the snow. She was sitting up, reading Dickens.
“Hi yourself.”
“How’s the snowbase?”
“Fifteen inches, I’m guessing.” He put the tray on her knee and she grinned, taking the plate of pancakes.
“Ha! We can ski all day.” She poured maple syrup over the stack.
“That’s the plan.” He had other plans, well, he would still get some skiing, but he’d been waiting for this perfect moment.
“Then let’s get going.” She crammed a forkful into her mouth, making her cheeks bulge and her eyes bug out. She reached forwards to kiss him.
“You’re insane,” he said as she grabbed him and they tumbled laughing to the floor.
She swallowed then grabbed the bottle and pulled his robe open.
“Don’t you da-”
She poured a thin stream of the sticky liquid onto his chest. He grabbed her wrist.
“Cut it out,” he said, but he was still laughing.
She didn’t try to escape his grip, just bent down.
“Mmm,” he said, releasing her.
Tessa poured again, smeared it around him then licked it away while he moaned.
*
Later, after showering, they dressed and warmed the Cherokee’s engine. Her parents’ chalet was up a long steep drive, and the snow was deep.
“I don’t want to dig all that out,” he said.
“Don’t worry.” She racked their skis. “I’ve been coming up here for years. Since I was a kid. I can drive us down.”
Tony raised his eyebrows, but didn’t argue, as they climbed in. “Back up,” he said.
She grinned. “Don’t need to.”
The vehicle edged forwards.
“Hey,” he said.
“It’s okay.”
The Cherokee bucked then slipped and turned a little. Tessa plunged the accelerator and the back end shuddered, fishtailing. Tony clutched his seat. The drop was right there. Hidden by the softening snow.
The tires gripped and the car jerked. Then they were speeding down the driveway, the wheels sluicing snow away, Tessa laughing. “God, I love that,” she said. “Love that raw power.”
“You’re terrifying.”
“That’s okay, sweetie,” she said, glancing over.
“Eyes on the road.”
“I watch you on the slopes ,” she said, correcting the little slide that was developing. “And that scares me lots.”
“I’ve been skiing since I was a kid,” he said.
“Yeah, me too.”
“I know, but …”
“It’s okay, I’m timid on skis, but I have fun.”
They reached blacktop and bumped down, the snow tires thrumming on the tarmac.
*
They parked at the Highlands lot and showed their passes. Tony held her close as they waited for the lift. He could hardly bear it, waiting for the moment.
On the chair they sat next to a couple who barely noticed them, they were so busy with each other. Tessa winked at him and mouthed, “Young love.”
He didn’t reply. The ring felt heavy in his pocket.
In the chill vaporous air at the top they jumped off the chair. The couple skied away, leaving Tony and Tessa alone.
Tessa pointed towards the trees. “I guess you’ll head that way?”
“I …”
“I’m taking the beginners’ run.” She turned to the main slope. “At least until I get a better feel.”
“Sure … that’s …”
“You sound nervous.”
“Yeah …” He pulled out the ring box. Suddenly he felt the cold, and the world had gone quiet.
“Oh,” Tessa said.
“I was … kind of, well, thinking that …”
“Shhh, silly,” she said. She reached up to kiss him. Her lips were cold, but warmed quickly. Then she pulled back and smiled. “Even though I can’t work a cell phone?”
“Yeah.”
Tessa pulled her goggles over her eyes, and turned to begin her run.
“Aren’t you going to-”
She pushed away and hollered back over her shoulder. “Tell you at the bottom.”
He watched her go, tempted to follow, then glanced at the trees. She needs a moment, he thought. Even though the waiting would kill him, he decided on the more challenging run.
Setting off he picked up pace on the prepared snow, then moved off-piste and flew near the trees. He twisted and turned, glad he’d bought Dynastars.
The pines went by at ninety and for a moment he forgot about Tessa and fell into the moment.
Something blurred across his path. A fox?
He turned, lurched. His ankle wrenched and he tumbled. He was flung back upright and smacked head-on into a tree.
*
Tony woke on the fur rug by the fire in Tessa’s family chalet. Sitting up he touched his head. No mark.
He looked around and saw Tessa sitting cross-legged with her back to the fire. She was cradling the urn.
“Tessa?” he said.
She held up the urn. “Not my grandmother’s.”
“What?”
“In 1953 I flipped my father’s Plymouth on the drive.”
He thought of the 1950s radio she’d bought at a sale. A ghost. She’d touched him. “How can I see you?”
“That takes practice,” she said.
“Practice?”
“Mmm,” she looked up, smiling now. “But we’ll have plenty of time. This was by your body.” She held up the ring. “My answer is yes.”
Sean Monaghan can ski about as well as he can cook (which is to say, poorly). He can, however, build a mighty fine (and frankly pretty scary) snowman. More information about Sean’s writing can be found at his website www.venusvulture.com.
December 4th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Oh, I love a good ghost story and this is no exception. In fact, this might be favorite I’ve read in a long time. Clear, clean, excellent writing.
Thanks for writing this!
December 4th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Great story! At least they’re together now.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
You have to love how Tessa takes it for granted that this man REALLY, Literally wants to be with her FOREVER.
December 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Thanks for the comments - I really appreciate them.
December 6th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
[...] the Dark My latest story ‘Fiancées Among Us’ has been published in the fabulous Flashes in the Dark. It was intriguing to write something more supernatural again, lots of my recent stories have been [...]
December 10th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
urg, sorry about the trackback comment above - I thought I’d finally tricked wordpress into turning them off. Apparently not.
January 14th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Sean this was great, lovely pacing, beautiful build up and I didn’t see the end coming at all which almost NEVER happens to me. I’m one of those people who shout conclusions out during movies in the privacy of my own livingroom….
I’d never heard the name Tessa until I met a woman at Christmas named Tessa and I liked the name so much I used it in a story and now here it is in your story too. Maybe the woman I met was a ghost too…. and she’s trying to get back in…..
:0)
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Thanks Karen - glad you liked it. I had a crush on someone called Tessa when I was at high school, I’ve stolen the name from her. Let me know when your story comes out.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Hey Sean,
It’s called Fresh is Best it was published here at Flashes in the Dark on Jan 14th 2010.
So did your hs crush see this story?
:0)