Will Flake Tomorrow

Just as the weather starts to turn, we get a new classmate. She was born in our state, but grew up in the south, so she doesn’t know much about our weather patterns here up north.

One day, we’re on our way to another class, chatting idly about hurricanes and the bad weather we can get up here: tornadoes and storms and lightning and so forth. We pass by some of the school’s enormous windows. 

The new classmate stops in her tracks.

New Classmate: “Guys. It’s snowing.”

Cue the rest of us moaning, going:

Us: “Ugh. Gross. That means getting home is gonna suck. No one knows how to drive in this weather; it’s gonna be so stupid trying to get around. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment, how much you wanna bet it’ll be cancelled?”

Our new classmate stares at the falling flakes and then at us, wide-eyed.

New Classmate: “I’ve never seen snow.”

There are about ten of us in this group, and we all look at each other. Is this girl insane? Snow sucks. Snowing sucks even more, especially as it’s going on 2 PM and looks like midnight outside. We can see cars sliding around and going at least ten under the limit.

But… she’s never seen snow.

New Classmate: “Sure, I’ve seen it on TV and movies, but I’ve never, in my entire life, seen it actually snow.”

We explain to her that, yes, our respective commutes home are going to suck, but tomorrow? That’s when the snowball fights happen, and when the younger kids make snowmen. 

Of course, we have to explain why we don’t do it the day of (the snow needs time to freeze, otherwise it’s too fluffy to compact properly), and we promise to show her a good time.

I personally wasn’t involved in the shenanigans, but I heard it was one heck of a snowball fight, and even though she had a small bruise on her eyebrow from getting hit, she couldn’t wait to tell the rest of her family down south that not only did she participate in her very first snowball fight, she LOVED it. 

The rest of the year, we joked that, while she grew up in a warmer climate, she’s a native of a northern state: she’s a Midwesterner!