Back home:

The walk back to the car seemed to go by quickly, though not quite as quickly as you wanted. But soon you were in the car, taking solace in the fact that the winter sky was probably too dark to make out your features through the windows.

The drive back didn’t involve much talking, your mom turned up the radio and was singing along with the music most of the way. As you pull into the driveway you can see a few neighbors out in their yards putting up Christmas decorations.