Chapter Twenty-Six: Conversations of Wine and Snow

When we reached Trondheim, the ship's repairs had been nearly completed. This had set us back by a couple of weeks, but gave us time to explore the city. Once the repairs were complete, we boarded the ship and headed back home. Most days I spent in the galley since it had been the quietest room on the ship.

"So this is where you hide out every night." Milo said as he came into the galley, I set down my copy of Jane Eyre to give him my full attention, "I've been looking for you everywhere, I was hoping we could catch up. We haven't really had much time to talk since I got to the surface."

"We haven't." I acknowledged, and then asked, "So what's it been like living in Atlantis? Is it jarring coming back after five years of being down there?" These brief questions lead us down the rabbit hole of a several hour conversation. He had talked about the reconstruction of Atlantis and his relationship with Kida and I told him about the reconstruction of my childhood home and Ember Hollow and the Rescue Aid Society and the missions I had been on. Then Milo brought up the one topic I had been avoiding:

"What happened between you and Vinny?"

"You want something to drink?" I asked him in return, and then clarified, "I'm not changing the subject; it's just a story that's better told over a drink."

"I don't really drink." He reminded, "But if there's any wine, I'll indulge in a glass."

After searching the cabinets, I found a couple of bottles, "Red or white?"

"Depends, where are they from?

"They're French."

"Red." He responded. I poured myself a glass of the white and poured him a glass of the red, and then sat down. I took a sip from my glass and then went into the story of what had happened after we came back from Atlantis, why I left, Olivia, and how I got back in contact with Vinny. Most of it being a very long winded story about how I overreacted and let my pride get in the way. After I was finished, Milo had been quiet for a while before asking, "How are things now?"

I shrugged, "I think we're still figuring things out. We started working together on something in Ember Hollow and we're both working with my grandfather. We've talked here and there outside of that. I don't know where things are headed, but I can't say my feelings have really changed. At this point, I only regret letting my anger get in the way and not hearing him out when he was trying to explain. Things might have turned out differently if I had."

After a few weeks, we found ourselves back in Washington D.C. to be met with a blizzard. It was a bit of a heavy storm for December, but not too surprising given it was winter.

"Ugh, I hate snow." I groaned, tugging my jacket closer.

"Why would you hate this?" Kida asked in confusion, "This is wonderful."

I sighed and did my best to remind myself she probably had never experienced snow given where she was from before replying, "I've just never liked it." I did know why, but it had not been worth going into especially with someone so new to it. Just because I can't stand it and have bad memories attached to it, doesn't mean she has to dislike it.

After I got in the car with Mole and Vinny, Vinny asked, "So, is there a reason you don't like snow?"

"Bad experience with a nanny." I responded nonchalantly.

"Était-ce la nounou qui vous a laissé dans la neige ou celle qui vous a dit que le yéti était réel quand vous étiez au Népal?" Mole asked.

(Was that the nanny who left you out in the snow or the one who told you the yeti was real when you were in Nepal?)

"Both times were the same nanny." I responded and then said to Vinny, "Basically one of my nannies, who ended up quitting for no reason – I mean I did cut her hair a little and made her think doll of mine was possessed, both of which were hilarious, she had no sense of humor – and moving out of the country, decided a good punishment for a kid who would always run away from her was to leave that kid out in the snow and that was after she had already convinced the kid on a trip to Nepal that the Yeti exists and migrates throughout the year to different countries because it can't survive in warm climates."

"Was that before or after the doll possession?"

"Before." I answered, "The doll was revenge for being locked out in the snow. She was the last nanny I had. After she quit, my grandfather just had Branson look after me."

"Il aurait dû vous accompagner en tant que garde du corps pour le voyage à Atlantis." Mole responded, "Peut-être que les choses auraient mieux tourné."

(He should have accompanied you as your bodyguard for the trip to Atlantis. Maybe things would have worked out better.)

"Je n'aurais pas eu de temps seul." I reminded him. We had discussed this ad nauseam for the past few years among other things that concerned Vinny.

"Si vous voulez tous les deux continuer à parler en français, je préférerais que vous arrêtiez de basculer entre cela et l'anglais et de choisir l'un ou l'autre." Vinny told us to basically stop switching between the two and to pick a language to speak in, "C'est épuisant de basculer entre les deux."

"Since when do you speak French?" I stared at him in shock, he had understood the entire side conversation.

"You did mention I should learn." He responded. I looked down, hiding the small smile that found its way on to my face.