If Not For

Friday night was supposed to be just me and Ana. Saturday, the Christmas shopping trip to Munich. Then Tobi’s class reunion party at the beer tent. Rebecca was making cookies Sunday morning to cure the hangover, and some blockbuster would close it out. The whole thing was supposed to be great.

Then reality showed up, gray and cold, like it always does.

Ana was too wrecked from studying by Friday. I’m starting to understand that school is her best friend, not me. Tobi got swallowed by his move and canceled the party. Rebecca spent Saturday killing turkeys for Christmas, which isn’t exactly a vibe that carries into the evening, and the TV schedule that night was miserable. The whole plan collapsed into nothing.

What I actually did was less impressive. Sarah and Laura took me to the Christmas market in Bad Wörishofen. No hot chestnuts, but plenty of Sarah’s exes showing up. My cousin arrived with her MP3 player, determined to torture me with every song on it. Bianca stopped by for a bit. A few guys and I played Super Smash Bros. I watched a couple of documentaries about the world ending and Berlin going bankrupt. Just another weekend.

And then I saw snow, which somehow became the actual high point of the whole thing.