“Seriously, mom. It'd be good for you.” her daughter said.
“I don't want to go to Florida. I refuse!” Olivia replied.
“I worry about you up there, mom. You're not getting any younger, and there isn't anyone up there if you get hurt.”
“So come up here, then! I refuse to associate with those hideous casino people.”
“Casino people? Mom, what are you talking about?”
“Don't try to fool me, missy! Florida's full of 'em. No matter where you look, old men and women sitting in casinos, gambling all their money. It's disgusting!” Olivia said.
“They're here because it's safe down here. Besides, there's no way I can even visit regularly with all the snow you've been getting.”
Olivia gave a short bark. “It's not that much! The kids would love it!”
“Mom, the airports are closed across the east coast. It's that much. Besides, they live on their own now.”
“What? Back in my day we would never have allowed them to marry so young!” She began to cough.
“Are you alright, mom? Do I need to call an ambulance?” her daughter said.
“I'm fine, Jillian.” Olivia spat out a glob of mucus onto the floor. “Why are they married so young?”
“Are you sure you're alright, mom? The youngest of them is twenty three.”
“Really? Hmmm...” she replied. “I could've sworn they were younger than that.” She said under her breath, carefully stepping around the dusty vacuum that stood in her living room.
“Mom? I've got a call on the other line. I'll talk to you later. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Don't worry, I will.” Olivia smiled as she hung up the phone, and walked into her kitchen.
She looked around the room. The dishes hadn't been done for a week, and the cupboard was open. She gently opened the door, and jar of coffee grounds fell onto the counter, spilling onto the floor.
She looked over the mess. “Oh dear. That'll need to be cleaned up, right after the dishes.”
“Where's a dustpan?” she said, “I know I had one around here somewhere.” She began to rifle through the junk on the seats. “Ah! Here it is!” She said, leaning down to pick up the offending object.
“Ah!” She shouted, grabbing her back, leaning against the nearby vacuum cleaner. Panting, she slowly brought herself back to a proper standing position, groaning as she did so.
“I'll clean it up later, I guess.” She said, staggering into the kitchen and picking up the spilled jar. The grounds had a wonderful earthy tone to them. She quickly placed the grounds next to the coffee machine, and scrambled to place a filter in the slot. She carefully picked up the jar, and tapped the grounds into the machine, before closing it shut. Slowly, she picked up a pitcher lying by the sink, and filled it with water, before pouring it into the machine as well. She gently turned the machine on, flinching away when it started to gurgle.
She pulled a thermos from the sink and washed it out, leaving it on the counter next to the coffee machine. She stood in front of the closet, and tugged on the handle, letting the debris inside spill out into the room. Her coat was hanging from the inside door, and she pulled it on., ignoring the clutter around her feet.
The coffee machine in the kitchen began to beep. Olivia carefully stepped across the minefield that her living room had become, and entered the kitchen to pour some of the freshly brewed coffee into a thermos. She grabbed her purse from the top of the couch, and walked out the door.
The plows had done a good job this year. There were trenches formed from snow throughout the city, but pedestrians could move easily enough, which was a good thing for Olivia, as she made her way to the park. The snow had kept most people away from the park, but there were paths helpfully dug across the area, and the benches were clear. Very helpful of them.
She sat down in one of the benches, and looked up at the sky. Some small clouds were obscuring the sun, but it was a fairly bright day. She gently unzipped her purse, retrieving a small pistol. Taking care not to drop the gun from her shaking hands, she loaded a single round into the magazine, and clicked the safety off. She rested the gun against the side of her head, above the ear.
Her daughter was screaming. But her daughter wasn't there. A little girl was screaming. Olivia blinked, and looked at the girl, before looking up at the sky again. The cloud had moved away, and the sun was shining directly on the park. She took a deep breath, stood up, and flung the pistol away, onto one of the huge snow piles. It wouldn't get down until spring.
Olivia walked out of the park, her purse under her arm. Without breaking her stride, she walked out to the bus depot. Amazingly enough, they had decided to run despite all the snow. She walked up to the ticket counter. “Excuse me miss?”
“Just a moment, ma'am.” The woman at the counter replied. “No! I'm at work, and a customer just showed up! No, I'm not making her up, just call back later!” She looked sheepishly at Olivia. “Boyfriend can't believe the buses are running in this weather.”
“I can barely believe it myself.” Olivia replied. “Do you know if there's a bus going down to Florida anytime soon?”
“There's one leaving for Florida in half an hour with seats open. Do you want me to try and get you one?”
“Yes please. Here's my credit card.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.” she punched a few numbers into the computer on the counter, and swiped the card. “This should only take a moment... Yup, here you go. Why do you want to go to Florida so suddenly? You don't look like you planned to.”
“No, It was kind of spur of the moment. I'm visiting my daughter, because she can't come up here.”
“Wish my mom was willing to do that. You're nice.” The clerk smiled. “That really makes my day. Wait here for a bit. The bus is warm enough, but it's warmer in here.”
Olivia laughed, surprised at herself. “Thank you. I forgot to ask, what's your name?”
“Sorry. I'm Jill. Your name?”
“Olivia. Nice to meet you, Jill.”
They chatted for another twenty five minutes, before Olivia had to get onto the bus.
The view from the bus was beautiful, being able to see the city shining behind her, and the road ahead of her was clear. Suddenly, a thought passed through her mind. “Ah! I forgot to call her, and tell her that I was coming over! Oh well, I guess it'll be a surprise.” She smiled, just as an out of control car slid into the side of the bus, killing her instantly.
It was the next day when the phone rang in Florida. “Mrs. Baker?”
“Speaking.”The daughter replied, “Who is this?”
“Sergeant O'Malley, from the team investigating the pileup in New York. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we need you to come over here to identify a body. We believe she was your mother.”
Olivia's daughter broke down into tears.
