Fire and Ice Both Burn

1998

Only silence filled the drive home. The man kept his eyes on the icy road as the woman stared down at the hospital band on her wrist. He had clicked off the radio the minute they had gotten into the car as if he was going to speak. He did not.

The house was cold, quiet, and dark when they arrived home. It had been several days since either of them had been in it. The mailbox was full. The bananas were overripe. The garbage emitted a smell strong enough to make the woman gag.

He laid in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the streetlight on the bedroom wall, broken up by the half-open blinds. He did not move when she walked through the room. His eyes stung, his face burned, but he did not cry.

She stood in the shower, letting the hot water turn her skin a fiery red. If it was hurting her, she didn’t notice. Tears streamed down her face, her hands gently rubbing her swollen stomach. When she finally got to bed, she laid down on top of the comforter, towel still surrounding her, with her back to the man.

2008

Laughter filled the living room, bursting it at the seams, spreading all the way to the kitchen where the woman stood frosting a bright purple cake. She smiled as she placed a large candle in the middle shaped like the number six. Reaching into the freezer, she grabbed a gallon of vanilla ice cream.

Ten children sat around the dining room table. Eight of them stared at the boy and girl at the head of the table as they prepared to blow out the burning flame of their birthday candle. Each year it was a race to see who could blow it out faster. She usually cheated, blowing it out before their parents finished singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ This year was no different.

The boy ate two bites of his ice cream before his teeth started hurting from the cold. He shoved the bowl at his sister with frustration. He hopped down from the table, and, leaving his polka dot party hat on his chair to save his seat, wandered into the kitchen. The woman followed closely behind him with a smile.

The girl watched her brother walk carefully back to the table with a big mug. He held it with both hands, a look of absolute concentration on his face. As he seated himself back in his chair, she scooted down a little bit, not wanting a replay of the other night when he had spilled hot chocolate all over her.

2018

The woman watched her two children fight over who got to drive the car from the front window. Hot tears filled her eyes as she watched her daughter get into the driver’s seat with a big grin on her face. She watched her daughter carefully adjust the mirrors, and, just as she was about to back out of the driveway, she gave her mother an enthusiastic wave.

The boy sat in the passenger seat shivering. The AC roared on full blast, and every time he went to turn it down a little bit, his sister batted his hand away. He cracked his window, little enough that she wouldn’t notice, and embraced the warm air that blew in.

The girl sighed as she stepped out of the cool car and onto the hot asphalt of the high school parking lot. She wore flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt - the coolest she could get without disobeying dress code. Pulling her long, dark hair back into a ponytail, she started towards her friends, ignoring her brother with which she’d drove.

Sixth period was the boy’s favorite class of the day. Everyone laughed at him when he took cooking, but who was laughing now as he ate warm brownies or homemade lasagna right out of the oven. Not them.

The girl checked her watch once more before starting the car and screeching out of the parking lot. Sweat caused her hair to stick to her face and neck, and she couldn’t sit in the heat for a minute longer. Besides, he was going to make her late for her salon appointment.

2028

The boy, now technically a man, looks up at his sister through the open bathroom door. She stood in front of the mirror, touching up her eye makeup for the third time. She shouldn’t have worn any if she knew she was going to continually cry it off. He glances at his watch. Knowing they’re going to be late while driving through the snow, he decides not to say anything.

She fidgets with everything: her hair, makeup, jewelry, and dress. She can feel her brother watching her, waiting for her to be ready to leave. His patience was unprecedented: with her, with mom. Her eyes started to burn yet again, but she ignored them. Standing up straight, she turned towards her brother.

He chose not to comment on her choice in attire. The dress looked nice, but she hadn’t bothered with a jacket despite the snow. He shivered as he watched snowflakes land on her bare arms and melt.

She let him drive for the first time. They hadn’t been in a car together in years, and she had definitely never let him drive. The moment he started the car, he turned off the air. No heat, no cold. Just their breathing.