Chapter 19 - The First SnowfallDecember brought an unexpected gift to Texas: a thick, powdery blanket of white snow that transformed the estate into a magical winter wonderland.
When I woke up on a Saturday morning and pushed open my bedroom curtains, I gasped in sheer delight. The gardens, the pathways, and the old iron gates were buried under a foot of pristine, sparkling snow.
“Mama! Wake up! It snowed!” I yelled, scrambling out of bed and pulling on my thickest winter coat and red boots.
Ten minutes later, Mama and I burst out onto the east wing lawn, armed with plastic snow shovels and endless energy. We immediately started rolling massive snowballs to build our very first snowman.
Suddenly, a heavy snowball sailed through the air with surprising aerodynamic precision, landing with a soft thump right at Mama’s feet.
We both spun around.
Standing a few yards away was Alejandro Moretti. He had unbuttoned his heavy wool coat, his dark hair lightly dusted with snowflakes, and a rare, genuine grin spread across his face.
“Did you just declare war, Mr. Moretti?” Mama laughed, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold.
“I merely established a tactical advantage,” Alejandro retorted smoothly, quickly scooping up another handful of snow.
Before Mama could retaliate, I formed a lopsided snowball and hurled it with all my might—striking Alejandro squarely in the chest.
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Alejandro froze, looking down at the wet snow clinging to his fine wool sweater, before looking up at me with feigned shock. “Oh, so it’s a two-front war now?”
For the next half hour, the estate’s pristine lawns echoed with laughter, snowball fights, and the joyful chaos of a family that had finally found its peace. Standing there in the freezing winter air, surrounded by white snow and golden sunlight, I knew we were completely, wonderfully safe.
