so, kevin, mollie and i were out walking the other day; we made it across the windy cold soccer field and into the pathway through the little bit of woods next to a tiny sliver of lake, and we were talking about snow.  well, i was talking about snow – well, complaining, mostly.  i was saying that even though it was very cold, AT LEAST THERE WAS NO SNOW.  and then kevin said, all casual-like, “i don’t mind the snow.”

WHAT?  HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?

he said, “i’ve mentioned that i liked skiing, before i hurt my knee.”

BUT THAT’S SKIING, NOT JUST BEING OUT IN THE HORRIBLE SNOW.

“I like it.”

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.  HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR SIX WHOLE YEARS AND YOU’VE BEEN KEEPING THIS FROM ME???

“I dunno.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A  LOT OF SNOW?

“yeah.”

A FOOT OF SNOW???

“sure.”

TWO FEET OF SNOW????!!!!

“yep.”

And it went on like this for quite a while as we walked and mollie raced around looking for bunnies and deer and whatever else she smelled and hoped to capture and devour, oblivious to the domestic drama swirling around her.

Kevin likes the snow.  Always has.  Never revealed it.

“well,” i said, after i’d calmed down a bit, “i guess snow is pretty.  if you don’t have to go out in it.”

“it is pretty!”

BUT YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GO OUT IN IT.  PLUS I HATE DRIVING ON THE SNOW MORE THAN ANYTHING.

he likes the snow.  i feel that even if it’s bitterly cold (which it has been earlier in the week and will be again on sunday, down to 13 or something like that), at least i can look out and pretend it’s not really that bad because there’s no snow.  plus the likelihood of me slipping and falling is lessened, although i have been known to fall on smooth pavement in the middle of summer for no apparent reason except my complete lack of grace even though that happens to be my name.  oh, the irony.

i dropped the matter for a while because my mind was reeling with this shocking revelation.  what else could he be keeping from me?

NOTHING WORSE THAN HIS LOVE OF SNOW.

when we were crawling into bed last night (his side of the electric blanket set to HIGH), i said “but what about the cold?”  and he said “yeah, i could do without the cold.” I said “BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE SNOW WITHOUT COLD!!”  and he started in on some long rambling thing about being in the mountains in colorado and there would be snow on the ground and it’d be seventy degrees.  BUT WE’RE HERE, WHERE THAT’S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN.

the thing is, if we have a discussion after we’ve gone to bed, he’s actually, technically, already asleep.  he keeps talking for a while just because i keep talking, but i know that eventually he’ll wind down and stop because he is, after all, asleep.  so i guess this balderdash about having snow AND warm weather is just his already-asleep way of trying to  salvage this VERY DEEP RIFT in our solidarity as a couple.

or maybe he wants to go to colorado.

I’m sorry he can’t ski again, but really, skiing is a terrible sport.  people die from it (sonny bono!).  it’s very treacherous.  you fall a lot.  you’re out in the cold.  and there’s ALL THAT DAMN SNOW.

this morning kevin was sitting by the window reading, holding up his hand to block the sun from hitting his face.  i got up and closed the shade because he shouldn’t have to sit there with his hand up trying to block the sun.  so i guess i DO love him still, despite his SERIOUS SNOW-LOVING SECRET which has now been revealed.

we’re supposed to have a lot of snow saturday night.  maybe it won’t happen.  just in case, i’m doing everything i can think of outside-wise now, so i can stay inside and admire the snow if it comes.

but hopefully it won’t.

ok then,

mrs. thursday morning grace.

p.s. my husband, mr. kevin hughes, is certainly welcome to post his side of the story, or “snow tragedy,” as i think of it, here.