The snow falls gleefully to the ground, dancing around one another in exuberance. They seem to twinkle in the streetlights. I look up into the dark night sky, open my eyes wide to take all the beauty in, and let out a sigh.
I don’t want to fucking shovel again.
Instead I prolong the inevitable, set my shovel against the garage, and walk back into the warmth of my house.  All the lights are off inside. I kick of my boots and shove them into the corner.
“The snow is pretty,” she says as I’m unbuttoning my jacket. “It looks like it’s a million little stars falling to the earth.” She’s sitting in the chair by the window with just a blanket on. Just sitting and staring out into the darkness. I place my jacket on the sofa and take off my hat and scarf.
“Yeah,” I say, “I got your car out.” I tuck my scarf into my hat and throw the combination on to the sofa as well.
“Maybe not stars. And maybe not falling at all. Maybe they’re like souls. Rising out of the ground and going into the sky.” She reconsiders. “If you look at them like this,” she squints her eyes, “They look like they’re going up.” Next I take off my snow pants and leave them in a crumpled mess on the floor.
“Maybe,” I say as I lean over her and squint out the window into the blizzard. I straighten up and pull my sweater over my head and throw it onto the couch.
“No, you’re not doing it right,” she says, “You have to do it like this.” She squints again and tilts her head a little. I take off my socks and push them with my foot over to where my snow pants are still laying. “Try it again, you’ll see what I mean.”
“Yeah, I can kind of see it.” She seems satisfied with this answer. I pull my tee shirt off and toss it onto the couch. “ I thought you didn’t like the winter?”
“I don’t,” she says while she sakes her head ‘no’, ”I just like the lights” I undo my belt and start unbuttoning my pants. “ I like the way the light reflects off of the snow. I like the way the street lights have a halo around them.” I pull down my pants and push them over into the pile on the floor.
“ Yeah, they’re nice,” I tell her and pull down my boxer-briefs. I brush her hair back and stroke her cheek with my finger.
“You’re hands are cold,” she says without looking at me. I slide onto the chair next her. I lift her up a little and swing her legs around so they’re across my lap. She readjusts the blanket so it’s covering both of us. My hands go to her back and I place my head on her shoulder.
We sit like that for a while. Just sitting. She’s still staring out the window and we’re both still naked. Both wrapped up in the blanket. I kiss her shoulder and she squeezes a little closer to me. I start to drift slowly to sleep.
I cast another glance out the window and it’s still snowing majestically. Still the little souls that she see’s going upwards. But they’re not. They are little flakes of ice. Drifting to the ground, covering the earth in a white blanket.
I don’t want to fucking shovel again.