Chapter 14: The Coldest Week In Milan
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Dinner was one of the best meals to date. Tammy found it strange that Glenda and one of the female mice, Marisa would be down stairs helping to clean out the dining and kitchen area.
"You think that all this talk about global warning, that we would not have much snow or cold weather.", Marisa tries to make conversation.
"Its just winter.", Tammy replies.
"Well in Lower Italy, we don't have this much snow, maybe in the mountains but not in the cities and villages.", Marisa adds.
"It snows like this in Boston, sometimes." Glenda throws in.
Tammy does not want to say as she puts away the last of the washed utensils.
"The problem is when all that snow freezes to ice during the night.", Marisa tells them, "We might get stuck here and freeze."
"We should have enough oil for the boiler to keep us warm.", Glenda replies, "And Mr. Marino has those logs for the fireplace to keep us warm. Not many places have a working fireplace like we do."
"Look. I'm done. I'm going to my room and hibernate.", Tammy tells them.
Tammy leaves the area and goes to her room. Grabbing the doorknob to put in her key, she finds the door unlocked. She opens the door and steps into her room while holding her door open. She checks the locking mechanism, and then turns the key in the lock. It mechanism inside the lock is activated in Locking Mode. She checks the outside doorknob to make sure it's locked and closes the door. She goes into her bed and lies down.
The temperature in her room has notably dropped. She goes through the dresser to find another possible blanket then layers it on top of the other. Sitting on the bed she takes off her sneaker, sox, and jeans, then leaving on her t-shirt, bra and panties before crawling under the blankets to stay warm. Taking the blankets almost over her head, she huddles with the pillow and takes a light nap.
Like most of her dreams as of late were not finding Bink despite being to so close to her and seeing her that she could reach out and grab her but something takes her away before she could. Along in the dreams are Johan Polancco chasing and shooting at her, and the men and girls on the photograph keeping her from approaching Bink. It is so daunting that her conscious and subconscious worlds sometimes collide on it.
She wakes up suddenly as she does sometimes, sitting up and throwing off the blankets. She looks around the room.
"It's just a dream, Tammy.", she tells herself.
She looks around and finds the clock. The numbers just switch to twelve midnight. She shakes her head for a moment. A slight tingling deep inside tells her what time of year it is, though she refuses to pay attention to her biological rhythms. It is a matter of ignoring it as the cycle takes her through its motions. She goes to the kitchen, finding the air chilly and the floor cold enough to make her fur stand up on end as she steps into the hallway. She goes downstairs in little what she was wearing.
The living room was empty but the fire in the fireplace burned brightly, keeping this section of the house warm. She thought about putting the fire out because of a possible safety hazard but finds a thin screen protecting the house from the flying embers. Kneeling in front of the fire to check the screen, she gets a warm rush over her. She pushes away the feeling of being wanting to be receptive to a certain someone's hold. But she can't have that and like in years before, she pushes that feeling away and tries to ignore it.
"You've been alone too long, and when you meet somebody who you want to share your time with, this has to happen...", she thinks to herself. She slowly gets up and goes for the kitchen for some water. But in rinsing out the glass, she looks out the window and the howling winds churn up the snow to a near whiteout condition outside. She could only think about being stuck in the house for more days than she would like when she should be out searching for Bink.
She drinks her water and washes out the glass she drank from to put it away with the others. Back in the living room, she takes a chair and puts it in front of the fireplace and sits down for a moment. There she could only think about what do and how to do it. Taking cabs to and from the Library is going to be expensive, but if she has to do that, then she will do it. It would just mean taking out more money from Johan's card.
She wakes herself up as she feels herself wanting to go to sleep. Getting up and putting the chair where she found it, she goes upstairs to her room and back into her bed. Crawling under the covers, she goes to sleep in a short while.
Though the sun rises at 6:30AM, the sun could not come out from the clouds. The day starts as a dark gray and making its way to a middle shade of grey, but it was not enough to wake up Tammy with its brightness until after 10:30.
Similar to a friend she knows, she curses the light coming in from the window. She stretches and slowly opens her eyes. Reality sets in as she gets used to the light, like a bright fog coming in from the window. Looking at the clock she soon realizes how late is it. She sits up on the bed and realized it was cold but not yet freezing. Thankfully the backpack kept the clothes from getting too cold, as putting them on warmed up from her body heat quickly.
She searches for her sneakers and puts them before she gets up and out the room. The house was a bit warmer than her room but not by much. She takes her time going about the floor, listening to the noises of the others in their rooms but not hearing much of anything. Much the activity's sound was coming from the main floor down stairs.
Going down the stairs she finds everyone downstairs in the living room, all of them studying and wrapped around in their blankets. She walks into the kitchen, knowing that Glenda would come out of her blanket and follow her. In the kitchen she finds Mrs. Marino making hot chocolate and sandwiches. She turns around and sees Tammy.
"Good Morning Tammy.", Mrs. Marino says to her, "Want me to make you breakfast?"
"I can make it myself, but thank you.", Tammy replies.
"You sure?", Mrs. Marino asks.
"Alright. I would like a simple omelet and cheese sandwich, please.", Tammy replies.
"I'll get it done for you, just as soon as I get these to the others. You sit down and rest. Mrs. Marino tells her. She then picks up a tray with cups of hot chocolate and a pile of half cut sandwiches and makes her way to the living room and serves the others. She comes back in less then five minutes without the tray.
Mrs. Marino gets the eggs, cheese, bread, a bowl and the frying pan to start on Tammy's meal. In a couple of minutes she was putting the cheese omelet sandwich in front of Tammy on a plate.
"Enjoy my dear. You need to bring your strength up.", Mrs. Marino tells her, putting a cup of hot chocolate in front of her and another in front of Glenda. She then leaves the room.
"Hibernating again?", Glenda asks.
"There is nothing to do. I don't have a TV or Radio, and the one down here is all about the storm.", Tammy answers, "not having a laptop does not help either."
"Well, maybe after this storm is over we can go to the apple store and pick up a Macbook for you. You can buy for me so I can se my student ID and get a hug discount. And then I could connect it to the wireless internet from the school and you can have to use it here.", Glenda explains.
"What about software?", Tammy asks.
"Mac comes with a lot of software, but you can use my software. I'll install it and its yours.", Glenda tells her.
"I'll see if I have the money.", Tammy says to her.
"I can get it for you and you can pay me back in installments.", Glenda tries to convince her.
Tammy counts off on her fingers, "Five months?"
"Huh?", Glenda lets out.
"School end in early June, so I would have five months to pay you off.", Tammy explains.
"Well, pay me one-hundred euros every other week and it would be paid off more or less...", Glenda adds then asks, "You can afford one hundred euros every other week, right?"
"Its not that. It's the principle of the thing. You want us to be friends?", Tammy tries to explain, watching Glenda nods her head to the question. Tammy then says, "We can't be friends if I owe you money."
"Why not?", Glenda asks.
"Because friends don't owe things like money to hold over the each other.", Tammy tells her, then explains, "Look. It's not the money. It's the time. And I might have to leave soon to go find my family. Could be next week. Could be next month. Could be tomorrow. I just don't know when I will be leaving. And when I leave, I do not want owing anyone anything. Even if they are a friend."
"Alright then, how about we go check prices?", Glenda asks.
"Today?", Tammy asks.
"Why not? Its only a little bit of snow.", Glenda answers.
"Its almost over three feet of snow. No cab is going to come here.", Tammy states to her.
"We can walk it. It's what? Five, six blocks to the tourist center and the expensive stores where Apple Milan is in. Right?", Glenda tries to explain.
"Try eight blocks, and in three feet of snow.", Tammy complains.
"Mostly everyone shoveled out their sidewalks so we could do it.", Glenda tries to convince her.
"OK, after lunch then. But if it gets too rough out there, then we're heading back. And only to check the prices if the stores are open.", Tammy tells her.
"Only if the stores are open.", Glenda repeats Tammy's last words.
Tammy finishes off the sandwich and then the hot chocolate, but notices something not right with Glenda.
"Alright girl, what's wrong?", Tammy asks.
"Well, we're going to the stores, so I should be OK.", Glenda answers.
"What do you mean by that?", Tammy asks.
"Well, you know. You're a red squirrel too. Isn't it bothering you too?", Glenda asks.
"Oh. Well, yeah. But I'm ignoring much of it.", Tammy answers.
"What about... you know. Down there?", Glenda asks.
"Don't tell me you don't have any pads?", Tammy asks and then sighs.
"I thought I could get them a couple of days ago, but between the storm and studying, I forgot.", Glenda explains.
"Alright. I got a box upstairs but I don't know if it will last between the two of us.", Tammy replies.
"Can I have one now?", Glenda asks.
"Come on... I'll give you one, but then you are going to your room and put on some fresh warm clothes so we can go now so you wont be owing me anything.", Tammy answers.
"Its just a pad...", Glenda complains.
"I'm pulling your leg. Now lets go.", Tammy says.
Together they go upstairs to her room. Tammy goes into the dresser and pulls out her box of feminine pads for Glenda. She takes two wrapped pads from the box and heads out the room to hers. Tammy puts away the box but counts the number of pads that are left, figuring out the math in her head. If it lasts for two weeks, she should be fine. If it lasts for a month, then she would need to buy another box. She thinks to herself for an answer as to why Squirrel Mating Season must be a pain at times. Especially when it falls on Winter Hibernation season.
Tammy goes into her backpack and pulls out her boots, thermal underwear, and three pairs of sox. Taking off her outer layers, she puts on the thermal underwear over her t-shirt and panties, then she puts on her outer layers back on. Sitting on her bed, she puts on two pairs of sox and then wraps them in plastic from a plastic bag. The third pair of sox is put on then the Uggs boots. She remembers somewhere that wrapping one's feet in plastic to keep then dry if the boots leaks or snow/water comes in from the sides.
She gets up and checks her small carryall purse inside the heavy coat from the date they had days before the snowstorm. Inside she finds her money, credit cards, identification cards and the passport inside. She puts the carryall purse into a large pocket inside the coat. Checking the coat, she finally realizes that the large outside pocket and the inside pocket are the same pocket except with a flappable thin layer in between. Moving the flap gave access to the inside pocket from the outside, but if one just puts their hand inside, they would only access the outside pocket. How ingenious she thought it was.
She puts on the coat along with other things for the winter walk and steps out into the hall. Glenda was stepping out also dressed for the winter walk, or so she thinks. Unlike Tammy who has at least three layers under her coat, Glenda only had barely two. Nonetheless they go out together.
Though much of the sidewalk has been shoveled the day before, there were still a few inches of the white stuff on the ground. There were a few outside still shoveling the snow, but they continue on their way to the stores in the tourist section. They find that the closer to the tourist section they get, the cleaner it was from the snow. They also find that most of the stores were closed except for those trying to make money on such a bad day. At the convenience drug store was open, which they were able to buy a box of pads each along with a few other things for themselves. Strangely Glenda buys a few dolls.
They window shop for a while, looking over items and their prices. At the Apple Store they find a MacBook Air on sale at 800 Euros instead of 1200 Euros. But at across the street at the electronics store there was a Dell Inspirion for 400 Euros.
"Macs are much better than windows, and I have all the software for it.", Glenda says.
"But the Dell comes with all the software for free.", Tammy says.
After their little Mac vs. PC Laptops discussion, they start to head home. Glenda feeling a bit warm decides to open her coat to cool off. Tammy's boots have collected some snow but the plastic layer kept her feet dry. It takes them a little longer for them to get home.
Once in her room and after taking off her coat and winter items, Tammy sits on her bed to take off her boots. It takes some effort to get them off as the wet sock inside each of them held them in place. She finds the wet sock after taking off the boot and wonders why they are wet. She takes off the thermal layer while putting back on her outer layers again along with her sneakers and then cleans up her room from the puddles from the traces of melting snow from her boots and the wet socks. Glenda was in her room doing the same thing stripping down, dressing up and cleaning up as well.
Tammy gives her papers about her sister a look over and starts to plan an idea to find Bink. It starts with the hospital and the orphanage she was sent to. Looking over the papers the IRAS agent gave her she gets names and addresses. But there was too much snow to deal with to do such travels around the city. She writes down her notes on a notebook she has and then puts everything away. She still has a couple of hours before dinnertime.
She sits on the bed close to the window and looks outside. A young adult male mouse pushes a gas-powered snow blower down the block, throwing much of snow into the street. Unfortunately a snowplow truck goes through the street, throwing much of the snow back onto the sidewalk. The children go back to the streets with their sleds and throws snowballs at each other. A few walk by with their ice skates to a rink she does not know. Then she looks away and at the bed. Without thinking she lays down on her side. Without realizing it she falls into a light sleep.
A loud thud of a wrongly thrown snowball against her window wakes her up. She looks around and then out the window, seeing a group of children running away. Looking at the window, she sees no signs of breaking or cracking. She continues to look around, finding the clock on the dresser saying that it is a half hour before dinner. Tammy slowly gets her legs over the edge of the bed, finding the room chilly and the floor cold. Pushing the blankets off her, she goes about the room and puts on her clothes again. Before going down stairs, she had to the bathroom first where she washes her face. She wipes her face down with some tissue and checks herself again in the mirror. Once she thinks she's OK, she steps out of the bathroom.
Tammy gets downstairs and finds Glenda and Marisa assisting Mrs. Marino set up the table. The others in the living room were finishing up their studies.
"Oh. Sit down.", Mrs. Marino tells Tammy as she turns around to put one of the serving bowls on the table. Others begin to gather for dinner. Today's meal was a thick beef stew served over pasta. It was better than it sounded. A simple custard accent the meal as dessert along with the wine Mr. Marino was serving everyone.
After the meal, Tammy stays behind to help clean up. She was surprised that Glenda and both female mice stayed behind to help, making the job quick and easy.
"So, who are you?", Tammy asks.
"Me?", the other female mouse answers in question.
"I already know Marisa and Glenda.", Tammy answers.
"Well, my name is Lucinda. Its an old Italian name.", she replies.
"Well Tammy is supposed to be an old Irish or Welsh name but I never gave that much thought.", Tammy explains.
"You got any boyfriends?", Lucinda asks.
Tammy freezes in place in mid motion of wiping down a plate. She thinks about it for a moment before answering, "Yes. I do have a boyfriend but it's... he's in New York City."
"Is it serious?", Lucinda asks.
"What do you mean by that?", Tammy asks.
"You know. Romantic, intimate, sexually connected?", Lucinda asks.
"We're serious, he even proposed to me but I refused.", Tammy answers.
"Why?", all three ask together.
Tammy looks at them. "Look. I'm busy looking for a missing member of my family. Then I will return home in New York and finish school, and if he proposes again, I might accept. But until then, I have a lot to do.", she explains.
"What if you never find that missing family member?", Marisa asks.
"What if he moves on and marries somebody else?", Glenda asks.
"I'm going to do what it takes to find my missing family member.", Tammy says in choosing her words carefully, "As for him, I wish him the best if he moves on and then I'll move on."
"I'm just guessing, if you're 21 than you are at your prime right now. It does not get better than this.", Lucinda explains.
"I'm twenty.", Tammy replies, "But that is not important if I cant find my family."
"But you're missing out in making a family of your own. Isn't that what you want? I do.", Lucinda says.
"I do too, but I want to finish school first.", Marisa replies.
Tammy then puts the last plate she was wiping onto the rack. She starts walk away, holding in her emotions, "Excuse me, I got things to do."
Tammy walks up the stairs to her room and closes the door behind her. She throws herself onto the bed and grabs the pillow, crying into it. It takes her almost 20 minutes to bring herself up from her emotional crash. But when she looks around, she finds the place dark as night fell about the city.
There was also a light knocking on the door. She wipes her face with the blanket, and turns her pillow around to the other side before getting up and answering it.
Glenda and the two mouse girls were there behind Mrs. Marino, who hands Tammy a small cup with a spoon sticking out of it as she walks by her into the room.
"It's a custard. Enjoy, and while you're enjoying, the girls want to tell you something.", Mrs. Marino tells her.
Tammy looks at the custard and then at the girls, almost knowing what they were going to say.
"We're sorry.", Marisa begins.
"Yeah. We didn't mean to insult you or your family or your life's decisions.", Lucinda adds.
"I didn't mean to question your boyfriend's intensions.", Glenda throws in.
Tammy sighs as she steps further into the room.
"You should accept their apologies.", Mrs. Marino points out to her.
"I just want to be left alone, Mrs. Marino. I thank you for all you done and given me, but that is all I can say.", Tammy says.
"Can I ask why that is all you can say?", Mrs. Marino asks.
"I'm just tired. Tired of people thinking they know about my situation and making comments as if they live my life. I got things to do, and they do not involve being involved in petty talk about me, or the things I do. I do not comment on their lives, tell them how to live it, so why should they do that to me? That is what I am tired about. So if you don't mind, I want to be let alone.", Tammy tells her and the others. She puts the cup of custard on the dresser before sitting down on the bed.
"We will deal with this tomorrow then.", Mrs. Marino says, then signals for the others to leave with her.
Glenda steps away with the others and heads into her room. She comes out ten minutes later and knocks on Tammy's door. In a couple of minutes Tammy answers.
"What do you want this time?", Tammy asks.
Glenda holds out an adult female squirrel doll at her, "It's not a red squirrel like us, but she has a fluffy tail."
"Huh?", Tammy lets out.
"She's wearing a Rescue Ranger Uniform. Well, the start of one.", Glenda explains.
"Oh. Is that all?", Tammy asks.
"I thought you would like it.", Glenda comments.
"I'm just tired.", Tammy replies.
"Going to sleep soon?", Glenda asks.
"I'm guessing that you want too?", Tammy answers in question.
"Well. I do have a broken window that needs to be fixed. Its covered in plastic but Mr. Marino wont fix it until he gets the glass to replace it.", Glenda answers.
"Sounds far fetched to me.", Tammy says almost to herself. After a while she tells her, "Come inside before the others see you and start asking questions."
Glenda walks into the room once Tammy steps to her bed and sits down on it. She puts the doll on the dresser, seeing the cup of custard still uneaten.
"You going to eat that?", Glenda asks.
"Maybe.", Tammy answers.
"If you are not going to eat it, its going to turn bad if its left out like that.", Glenda explains.
Tammy lets out a sigh before reaching for the custard, and then eats it in a couple of gulps. She then puts the cup back on the dresser and sits down on the bed.
Once sitting down she takes off her sneakers and sox, then undoes her belt and unbuttons the pants.
"You sleeping with your clothes on?", Tammy asks.
"No. Wait. Never mind.", Glenda replies before taking off her sneakers.
Tammy gets up and shimmies out of her jeans and then sits on the bed to get them off her ankles. She looks at Glenda for a second.
"How are you in your squirrel rituals?", Tammy asks.
"What you mean?", Glenda answers in question.
"Friends and family gathering together to keep warm on the coldest of winter days.", Tammy explains.
"My family did that until I started to develop, stupid brothers couldn't keep their hands off my breasts.", Glenda replies.
"Then you know. Touch me in such a way that could be consider sexual, I'm breaking that nose of yours in your sleep.", Tammy says.
"But... nothing is going to happen.", Glenda replies.
"Then keep it that way.", Tammy says as she gets into the blankets. She curls up in a ball on the side furthest from the wall. "Now turn off the lights and get into bed."
Glenda gets up and turns off the lights in the room, and finds her way in the blankets. Once under the blankets, she curls up into a ball next to Tammy.
"Tammy, is this making you uncomfortable?", Glenda says next to her ear.
"My mother and sister used to sleep together during the cold winters nights, so I'm used to having a girl next to me.", Tammy answers.
"How about a friend?", Glenda asks.
"A friend too, but she was a mouse and not squirrel.", Tammy answers.
"Can you tell me about it?", Glenda asks.
"What's to tell? We were on a training mission on a mountain and we got caught in a storm. And for some reason she was beginning to freeze, so we stayed together inside two sleeping bags like we are now to stay warm. But that was the only time with anyone outside of my family.", Tammy explains.
"What about your boyfriend?", Glenda asks.
"Alright, I slept with my boyfriend once. It was a few weeks before I left to come here.", Tammy answers.
"You think that if you didn't leave, would you be sleeping more often with him?", Glenda asks.
"Maybe.", Tammy answers. She turns around to face Glenda. "Don't take this the wrong way.", Tammy tells her before turning around and giving her a kiss on the forehead. She then turns back around on the bed.
"What was that for?" Glenda ask.
"It used to put my sister to sleep, maybe it can do the same for you. Now go to sleep.", Tammy tells her. She forces herself to go to sleep.
After a couple of minutes, Glenda tries to ask Tammy another question but Tammy was not saying a word.
"Alright. Good night Tammy.", Glenda says before trying to put herself to sleep.