Early Surprise

I drove into the entrance of Irene's neighborhood feeling a mix of exuberance and nervousness that only served to amplify each other to an even more volatile mixture. 

For once, my teeth could rest easy in my mouth; the first evening in forever where the cold was somewhat bearable, and I won't have to worry about chattering my molars blunt. No snowfall inches deep to maneuver around, no patches of frozen puddles to skid across, like the cool, calm season before it, winter seems to be finally coming to an end. 

There were a lot of cars pulled up in a lot of lots, house after house I drove past, merriment after merriment echoed back at me in the driveways. The end of the year really does bring out the social butterfly in everyone… and after that certain fiasco a few months back, I'm sure lots of people were keen to move on to a brighter and better set of 365.