I squeezed my eyes shut as the screaming continued from the other room. After being stuck in this godforsaken motel for the past 4 days, I still wasn’t used to it. I flinched and opened my eyes as I heard something shatter next door. Then more screaming. I couldn’t be the only one who was hearing this. I was only supposed to be staying here for the night, a brief rest stop during my failure of a road trip from Connecticut to Maine. When the snow started, I thought little of it. But what started as a few inches led to a foot, and a foot led to a few feet, and now it’s been 5 days and we’re all stuck here.

The motel itself wasn’t bad, it was actually pretty nice. The food was excellent, there was free Wi-Fi, and the beds were soft, warm, and welcoming. My only genuine issue was the couple staying in the room next to me. I did not know what they were fighting about, nor did I care, I just wished they would shut up so I could at least get 5 minutes of sleep.

I checked the time on my phone. It was noon. I should eat. I shrugged on my coat and boats and headed outside towards the communal building of the motel. As I trudged through the deep snow, I silently cursed at myself for not packing my snow boots. By the time I get to the building, my converse will be frozen and filled with snow.

As I entered the building, I noticed everyone seemed in high spirits, making conversation and laughing with each other. I turned to the nearest person next to me, a girl sitting in a chair reading a book. “Hey, not to sound rude, but why is everyone so happy?”

She cocked her head to the side, looking at me with a small smile, then laughed. “What do you mean? Did you not notice the snow had stopped? It’s been like this for a little over two hours now.”

I looked outside again and realized that she was right. I had been so focused on getting through the snow that I didn’t even realize it had stopped. Relief rushed through me. If the snow stopped, that means the plows will be out clearing the roads soon; which means I can leave this place and continue on with my trip. I thanked the girl as I continued towards the dining area. Maybe this trip would not be a failure after all.