It’s funny how the smallest things can get you thinking about a story to tell.
So, today, I was getting a new car after spending Thursday and Friday of last week shopping. I know, I got one last year, but it was under extreme circumstances, and my dad said that if I wanted to, in 6-12 months’ time, I could trade it in if I wanted, so I took him up on it. I looked at about four cars at two different places, one in White Marsh and one in Timonium. I ended up finding a practically new used car (2014, only 6700 miles on it) at the place in Timonium. The salesmen was from the African nation of Burkina Faso, and while I waited the requisite several-hour wait for a new car, all the usual questions came up, including “tell me about the first time you saw snow.”
He didn’t have much to say, but it reminded me of when my family hosted these two girls for my high school’s basketball tournament. They came from Miami, and I’ll call them Meghan and Melissa, because both of their real names actually started with M. It was February, and it had snowed the week before, but most of it was gone. The first afternoon the girls arrived, the topic of snow came up. Meghan had visited New York in the winter before, so she had seen snow, but Melissa, who was born and raised in South America and had only recently moved to Miami, had never seen snow. When my dad mentioned that he saw some snow still on the ground at a local mall, Melissa went crazy, so my dad took her to see the snow.
They arrived at the mall at sunset, and indeed there was snow.
But it was the littlest, grossest mound of black parking-lot snow there ever was. Looking something like this.
Still, that didn’t stop Melissa.
She bolted out of the car, in her jacket, capris, and little hemp sandals, and climbed up the little mound of snow, and stood proudly on top. Her first ever snow. She thought that it was the most exciting snow ever, even when we told her it was probably the worst bit of winter. She asked if she could eat it, to which my dad was like…normally, yes, but not this black snow. Or yellow snow.
And that’s the story of Melissa’s first snow.
Oh, and I bought the car. It is new and cute.
That’s So Jacob 
That’s a cute story! 🙂
I imagine that snow in any condition looks amazing to anyone who’s only ever heard about it before. I’d have loved to have seen the two girls frolicking in that. It is very black, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing this little story.
Millie: That’s just a random picture I got off the Google machine.
I live in the Caribbean so snow is indeed a novelty to someone who sees sea and sand and sun almost every day. I remember when my mom took my sister and I as teenagers to Canada one Decemeber … yup, to spend time with family AND to see snow. It was sooooooo cold! And yes the snow was pretty – until cars drove through it or people walked on it. Was a long 2 weeks yet still a pretty cool trip but admit I’m not in a hurry to see any more snow (even more than 30 years later) 🙂
Gale: Welcome to the blog and thanks for the nice comment! Hope you will visit again soon; I have one regular visitor from the Caribbean, the lovely Nadine (liamiman) from Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda…you could be the second!
I recently drove back to the land of my birth (read Bend, Oregon) from the land of sunshine (aka California) with my three year old who was born in sunny California and had yet to experience snow. We stopped on the mountain pass in a mini snow storm in answer to his excitement, I slid his snow pants and puffy coat followed by a fleece hat…but I couldnot find the gloves. I set him free in an unadulterated patch then threw a couple of snow balls. He giggled wildly and reached down for his own handful…his lite naked hands scooped, he stood, looked at me as though he’d been betrayed and burst into tears! It was too cold! Haha
That’s adorable – thanks for sharing!
This story reminds me of the first time I saw snow. I didn’t want to look like a complete novice so there was no way I was going to let anybody know it was my first time seeing it. And since I was in New York of all places I was trying to fit in – not stand out.