Well Sprung

“The ice is finally melting on the river,” Holly observed and then pointed her coffee cup towards the water just in case Aaron didn’t know how to locate it on his own.

“There’s still plenty left,” Aaron replied in a contrarian manner before taking a long sip of his Snapple.

It was Sunday.  The best friends were seated on their favorite bench overlooking the river.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the male half of this dynamic duo was in one of his moods.

“It’s Spring!” Holly announced excitedly and flashed a million dollar smile that would have turned heads in any part of the world.

In this little portion of Maine, however, that gorgeous smile only earned her a shrug.

“That’s rest of the world Spring,” Aaron corrected her.  “As a native Mainer, you should know that Maine Spring doesn’t start until April 1 at the earliest.  More likely, though, it won’t start until sometime in May.  And that’s if we’re lucky.  For all we know, it will snow tomorrow.”

Holly sighed and took a long sip of her coffee.  He could be such a downer at times.  All she wanted to do was celebrate the first day of Spring, but her date for the occasion was the death of the party.  You know, rather than the life of it.

“Still, it’s a reason to celebrate,” she insisted because she was a glutton for punishment.

“Hey, I’ll celebrate when the running path is completely clear of snow and ice, I don’t have to turn on the heat when I’m home, and I can finally take the snow shovel out of my car.”

Holly rolled her eyes.  “I hate it when the cynical New Yorker in you comes out for a visit.”

This earned her the first smile of the day.  “Why’s that?  I thought you liked my roots.”

“Not when they try to strangle me with their doom and gloom,” she quipped.

She stuck out her tongue at him to emphasize her point.

That made Aaron chuckle.

“Fear not, my beautiful, eternally optimistic friend,” he advised.  “Happy go lucky Aaron will emerge from hibernation soon enough.  Baseball is only a few weeks ago.  Then the smell of backyard barbecues will fill the air.  Soon after, I’ll be wearing shorts and opening windows in the house.”

Holly smiled.  “Praise Zeus because I don’t know how much more of Winter Aaron I can tolerate.”

“He’s just like Spring Aaron, only paler and bundled up under multiple layers,” he explained with a mischievous grin.  “Once you unwrap him and let the sun melt away the icy remnants of his least favorite season, all will be well with the world.”

“Hopefully that includes no longer speaking in the third person,” she snickered.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he replied with a playful wink.