The highway patrolman peeked in the window, taking in the driver, a man of about twenty-seven, his wife, a pretty red head with sparkling blue eyes, and three small children, one hardly more than a baby. He shook his head, "You can't go that way. Highway through the mountains is closed for the winter. You'll have to take a detour." He paused, shaking his head again, "It's a lot farther, and you'll need chains on this vehicle. I want you to pull into that service station right over there," he said, pointing a short distance ahead, "and get the chains put on there. Do you have chains?" He peered again at the children in the back seat.

"No, I'll have to buy chains," the driver said.

"I'll follow you to the service station. Can't leave you here alone until you get those chains on the tires. You don't want to be stranded up there. May be spring before anybody'll be using that road again. Just take it easy until you get to the station, road's already gettin' slick. Not much traffic up this way this time o' year." He glanced once more into the back seat, then said, "Fine looking family you got here. Take care now and I'll see you at the station. They usually have a good supply of chains. Shouldn't be no trouble gettin' them put on. Business is slow when there's no travelers on the road. Old Nate'll be plum pleased to get your business."

"See you at the station, then." Curtis switched on the ignition. Snow was whirling outside. His brain whirled, too. They'd already been on the road three days. It had snowed on them most of that time, and the roads had been slick. The young solder had to get to the northwest corner of Montana and report for duty on Monday, else he would be counted AWOL, absent without leave. He sure didn't want that to happen. What a way to spend Thanksgiving Day, he thought, as he watched the patrolman run toward his car brushing the snow off himself as he went.

When the patrolman was settled in his own vehicle Curtis pulled the car onto the road, switching on the windshield wipers as he did so. But they didn't work; he'd have to get them fixed, too. A worried frown creased his brow. Their money was running low and there was at least one more day of travel and lodging and food to pay for. Food on the road was expensive for five people.

The patrolman pulled in front of him and led the way. They had only gone a short distance when the patrolman stopped again and ran back to the car. Curtis rolled the window down part way to hear the patrolman saying, "I see your wipers ain't workin'. Better turn them on or I'll have to give you a ticket," he grinned, noticing the children in the back seat had begun to cry. "Now, now," he said, "there's nothin' to cry about. You're goin' to be all right." He sounded cheerful, but Curtis could see his patience was wearing thin.

"I just realized they were broke," Curtis said, then turning toward the back seat he said to little Eddie, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"He said he's going to give you a ticket. Is he going to take you to jail?" He wailed louder.

The patrolman reached into the back seat and patted Eddie on the shoulder, "It's all right, son. You're daddy's doin' fine. I changed my mind about givin' him a ticket. He ain't goin' to jail either." The patrolman reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny replica of his badge. Handing it to Eddy he continued, "Here, pin this on your shirt and you'll be a patrolman just like me." He smiled at the boy.

Eddie stopped crying, then said, "I'm tired of riding. Can't we stop and get out of this car? Maybe we can take a walk in the snow. Wouldn't that be fun?"

The patrolman rubbed the stubble on his chin, then looked at Curtis and said, "You know it's gettin' late. I'd feel a lot better if you stayed in town tonight and started out all fresh in the mornin'. I think the little fellow has a good idea. There's a nice motel just up the way a bit. I'm sure they have a vacancy. Don't get many people up here in this kind of blizzard. What about it? Would you do it as a favor to me? I can't make you do it, but it sure would ease my mind a bit iffen you did." He smiled a half-frozen smile, then chucked little Eddie under the chin.

"Sure, I was thinking about stopping soon anyway. The rest of us are as tired as Eddie and this little town is as good a place as any. By the time we get the wiper fixed and the chains installed it'll be suppertime. Anybody hungry?"

Three yeas came loud and clear from the back seat.

"That's what we'll do, then." He cranked up the car and said to the patrolman, "See you at the station."

At the station the manager came out and filled the gas tank, checked the oil, then said, "It'll take a while to get the chains installed and the wiper fixed. You won't get far on that road through the mountains without them. You're lucky. I just have one set of chains left. Probably won't have no more until spring." He wiped his hands on his pants leg, watching the vapor his breath made curl into the air as he spoke. "Whew! It's cold out here. I'd sure hate to be stranded up there tonight." He pointed and nodded in the direction his customers were traveling.

"Maybe I should take the wife and kids on to the motel while you fix the car."

The patrolman had been taking it all in quietly. Now he said, "You stay here and take care of business. I'll see the family gets settled in, then I'll come back. Only take a few minutes. No need for them to stand out here and freeze. That'll be that much sooner you get the chains on. It's about closin' time and I know old Nate here wants to get home to his own family."

"Yeah, I sure do," Nate said. After a short pause he continued, "You're the first customer I've had all afternoon. Iffen you wuz just fifteen minutes later gettin' here I'd a been gone. Then you'd a been flat out o' luck. Ain't no other station within fifty miles." He brushed the snow off the windshield, then slipped the new wipers into place as he spoke.

"Well, I'm sure glad we made it in time." Curtis glanced around the shop. It was still and quiet. Nothing moving but the snow that was coming down hard and fast. "Do you reckon we'll have trouble getting over the mountains tomorrow?"

"I can't say. But one thing's fer sure. You'll be better off in the daylight when the sun's a shinin' than you would at night. That's a very narrow winding road and it ain't got no shoulder to speak of. It's five miles straight down and you sure don't want to get off the highway. Best to be able to see where you're a goin'. These chains wouldn't help you none if you and the wife and kids was a layin' down in that canyon where you wouldn't be discovered until the spring thaw. Nosirree, I'd sure hate that." He stood up, groaning and holding his back, after fastening the first chain.

Curtis stomped his feet on the cement trying to warm his toes. "That kind of work sort of gets you in the gitalongs, don't it?" Curtis asked with a grin a mile wide.

"Ain't a bit o' fun, but that's one down and three to go. We'll have you outten here pretty soon. I know Molly's waitin' fer me to git home to supper. She'll be a worryin' about me. I'm not usually this late gettin' home. She'll have a big pot of fresh homemade stew. That'll sure taste good and warm my insides." He squatted down to fix the other chain.

The trooper pulled into the station just as Nate finished the last chain. Nate stood up, groaning again, and said, "You're all ready to go now. Come into the station and I'll tally up your bill."

When the bill was paid the trooper led the way to the motel, stopping along the way while Curtis bought some food to take to their motel room, then said, "Have a good trip tomorrow. Don't take no chances on that road. It's awful treacherous up there, but if you take it easy you should be okay. I don't want to have to come out tomorrow and pull you out of that canyon."

©2000 LaVonne Boruk (copyright) All rights reserved.