LITMIR.BIZ

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the coolest one of the bunch, sat on the sofa and propped his feet up against the rustic coffee table. “Listen, if you can’t get out of here today—” he turned his attention from the TV to Hunter “—just chill for another day or so and head home when the weather calms down a little. You’re the boss. Who’s going to scold you for not going to work on Monday? Your dad?” His shoulders shook when he laughed.

      Sam’s casual demeanor was starting to get on Hunter’s nerves. “I need to get home ASAP. You wouldn’t be saying that if your flight was delayed.”

      “That’s why I moved to sunny Atlanta. We don’t have those problems. The weather is hot and the women are, too.”

      All four men laughed at Sam’s last comment. Eric, who lived in Miami, simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say Sam’s point was completely valid.

      Dave was the only one who offered any kind of sympathy. “Maybe you should just come to the airport and see if you can possibly get another flight. Maybe they could reroute you.”

      “I don’t think it will make a difference. This storm is quickly moving from the Midwest to the East Coast. It’s pretty bad. We would be flying right into it. If it weren’t for the fact that you were heading to LA before going home to Chicago, you’d be dealing with the same delays.”

      “Wait! Turn that up?” Sam put his feet down and sat straight up as he pointed to the TV.

      Hunter tossed Sam the remote. He didn’t want to be the one cranking up the volume on his own misfortune.

      “What did he just say?” Sam inclined his ear toward the television.

      The four of them abruptly turned their attention to the reporter delivering the breaking news as Sam raised the volume even more. The talking head delivering local news told them that several flights out of Salt Lake City were being canceled.

      “Time to go!” Sam jumped to his feet. “I’ve got some honeys waiting for me back home. I can’t be stuck in this place for another day.”

      “I haven’t seen you move this fast since you thought you saw your ex in that restaurant with another man the last time we were in Atlanta,” Eric said, doubled over in laughter.

      “Didn’t you just tell me not to worry—just take another day?” Hunter mocked, then tossed him a skeptical look.

      “I can’t get stuck here. Let’s get to this airport now!” Sam was at the door with his bags within seconds.

      Each body moved with a heightened sense of urgency. Within minutes, all of their bags were at the door. “What are you going to do, man?” Dave asked. “Are you coming with us to the airport?”

      “Let me call the airlines. Up until now, I’ve just been receiving email and text alerts. I need to speak to someone.”

      Eric looked at his watch. “Get on the horn, man. We can all ride together. I’d hate to leave you here stranded.”

      “We should all call our airlines to confirm whether or not our flights have been changed or canceled.”

      They all called their respective airlines, and moments later Eric, Sam and Dave were able to confirm that although there were slight delays, their flights were still scheduled to depart. Hunter, unfortunately, had been told that his flight was canceled and if he was lucky, he might be able to get it rescheduled for some time the next day.

      “Aw, man. That sucks,” Dave said.

      “Hey. It’s better to be safe,” Eric added.

      “You’ve got another day to chill. Find a way to enjoy yourself,” Sam said.

      A moment later Eric’s phone rang. Their car service had arrived. The men grabbed their bags and headed out of the villa. The cold greeted them with fierce whipping winds as they made their way toward the waiting car. Hunter squinted and turned his head away from the fast-falling snow. A small old man with weathered hands hopped out of the minivan and popped open the back.

      With a head nod and a raspy hello, he greeted them one by one as he tried to take their bags to put them in the car. All three of them smiled politely and laid their own bags inside the cargo area.

      “What do you think, I’m an old man? I could have done that for you guys,” their driver teased.

      “We should be driving you around, my man,” Eric responded. They all laughed.

      When the car was all stocked with their luggage and gear, they turned to Hunter.

      “Are you going to be all right by yourself?” Sam asked.

      “I’ll be fine. I’m going to reception and ask if I can extend my reservation for one more day.”

      “Don’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation,” the driver interjected. The guys looked at one another and smiled. “But did I hear you say you were going to stay one more day?”

      “Yes, sir.”

      He shook his head hard enough for a wisp of gray hair to fall along his brow. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, son. These roads are getting kind of bad. Pretty soon they’re gonna close them off. It’s dangerous trying to get up and down the mountain when the weather gets really rough.”

      “But my flight was canceled. I have no choice.”

      The old man took a deep breath. “Well, just try to make the best of it. They’ll probably have room since after a while people won’t be able to get up the mountain to get to their lodging. Be safe.” Tipping his imaginary hat, he bid Hunter farewell.

      Saying their final goodbyes, Hunter tapped the car as they pulled off. Back inside, he called his brothers and parents to update them on the changes in his travel plans. As expected, his mother, Joyce, was worried about him staying overnight in the mountains without a way out.

      Hunter headed to the reception area nestled in the center of the villas. He needed to secure accommodations for one more night. When he reached the main cabin, which housed the registration desk, a small café, a full restaurant and a souvenir shop, he realized for the first time that he wasn’t the only one on the mountain who had been stranded. The space was filled with frustrated energy. Several people walked circles in the wood floors with cell phones pressed against their ears. Exasperated mothers tried to calm screaming babies, and desk clerks desperately tried to hang on to their dwindling patience as they tried to help riled vacationers.

      Hunter spent nearly an hour in line waiting to speak to a clerk, just to find out what he already knew—there was no more room at the inn. However, the clerk agreed to help him as best she could, but he’d have to wait until the arriving guests were placed in rooms. She couldn’t guarantee that all of the guests they were expecting would actually make it, but they had to hold their rooms until the evening just in case. Eventually, the road had been shut down, as the old man had predicted, but several guests had indeed made it up the mountain in time. Once the clerks waded through the mayhem, they would have a better idea of whether or not they would have vacancies.

      Hunter braved the blistering cold and increasing snowfall as he trudged his way back to the villa to get his bags. He still had his room key. The others had been turned in by his frat brothers. When he got inside, he noticed that housekeeping had already cleaned the room. Instead of rushing back into the cold and waiting around the crowded lobby filled with angry people, he decided to stay in the room. If he was lucky, the person renting his villa might be one of those who hadn’t made it up the mountain in time.

      After leaving his bags by the door, Hunter flopped on the couch and turned on the TV. The news became graver and after a while all Hunter heard was the droning on of the newscasters as images of maps and heavy snow punctuated their rumblings. Bored, he started flipping through his social media profiles on his phone. When he tired of that, he called and spoke to his brothers again.

      For a split second, he thought about calling Tricia and decided against it. He needed to make a clean break when he got back home and didn’t

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