I was a sophomore in college at Frostburg State University. There were four of us that decided that we wanted to go to one of the better mountains on the east coast for a skiing trip for spring break. Lee was the one who knew the resorts the best, and over the next two weeks we would travel to Stowe, Killington, and a few other smaller venues along the way. Lee made the plans, we packed the “Laurie”!

We had planned our outing around the Winter Games Expo at Stowe. It was primarily a snowboarding event, but there was extreme skiing events as well on tap for the weekend. Jason and I skied and Lee and Carson took their snowboards. We had also planned to find us some “snow bunnies” that week, as they would surely be out; and at the time, we were all eligible bachelors.

We rented a small lodge with four beds so that we would all have a comfortable place to lay down our “big” heads after long days of cold weather and “boozing” by the fire. We would eat at some fast food joints and have good dinners in the evening so as to lower our “blood alcohol levels”.

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, the slopes were already buzzing. We had traveled mainly up I-95 thru blustery winds and combed back snow banks along the interstate. We were ready to conquer the mountains at Killington; our first stop, at a moment’s notice. Jason did most of the driving in his Volkswagen Rabbit. It was an economical car of sorts, but none of us were comfortable for the eight-plus hour drive up thru Pennsylvania and Connecticut en route to Vermont. It would be the first time that I visited a resort of this magnitude.

After a few minutes of donning our attire, we hit the slopes. After a few runs, we decided to pack it in for day one, and go searching for a steak and later on the ladies. It would not take long, and we would; luckily, each find a partner for the weekend. Mine was a fiery redhead from Boston College. It was the first time that she had visited such a resort as well. Samantha immediately caught my eye. With her curly hair, blue eyes and fiery personality, I surmised we could definitely have a good “run”; both on the slopes and off for the weekend.

Samantha was a senior and had studied biochemistry. She was unsure to the fact as if she would enter graduate school, industry, med school or law school. What I did know is when she talked, the gaze of her soft blue eyes were unmistakably attractive. That first night, we opened a bottle of “two-buck chuck” and sat by the fireplace in our cabin for hours. Jason and the others had decided to paint the town, so it was just Samantha and I. While I was only in a Division-3 school, I felt as if I was getting a comparable or perhaps even better education than she at Boston College. She may have had a better nite-life scene, but I had a better classroom experience.

Her father was a “bean counter” for a large pharmaceutical firm in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and her mother was a homemaker. We also had this in common, although my father’s paycheck always seemed to come up partly missing on payday. Samantha’s father, on the other hand, had always had discretionary income and shared every dime with the exception of his retirement savings with the family. Sadly, I knew that my education and experience thereafter would be my father and mother’s retirement plan. It mattered not.

We stayed up until the early dawn and laid down by the fire finally at 4:30 AM. The others had stumbled in; and I mean stumbled at around 3:00 AM. I looked forward to another day of skiing at Killington, as in two days we would travel to Stowe to watch the Winter Games. I wandered all thru the nite as we talked if I could possibly twist Samantha’s arm, or bully her into coming with my charm.

At 8:00 AM, I woke up to find my arm wrapped around Samantha’s mid-section. It mattered not that I had cuddled her, and her hair glistened with an eerie patina from the fireplace. We had spent our first nite together and quietly that morning, I prayed for it to be the first of many. Breakfast was conducted at a small café, The Liquid Art Coffeehouse. This is a place known for breakfast by the locals. As for me, when I plan a vacation, it is first about food and then about the activities. The Liquid Art Coffeehouse lived up to the hype from the apps on my iPhone such as Yelp! And Urban Spoon.

After breakfast, Samantha suggested that we swing by the cabin, as she mentioned she had left something there. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Our cabin had a detached hot tub and outside shower. She took me by my hand to the latter and ushered me in. She very calmly, but with vigor kissed me on the lips. She proceeded to undress me as the hot water ran over our soon to be naked bodies. It was my first attempt at a shower in 15 degree weather and I was even more enthralled by the company. We must have stayed in there for an hour.

Once clean, we headed to the north side of the slopes to the double black diamond facades. It would be a long day of skiing, but I kept focused on the coming evening. Dinner and…whatever, as long as Samantha was also part of the equation. She had captured me, and my heart!