What if Hallmark movies showed us the cracks in the snow globe
In the prologue, what if the teacher, writer, baker didn’t lose her husband in some tragedy
But instead went through a messy divorce and has a stalker for an ex
What if the prodigious, pre-teen daughter of the teacher, writer, baker
Has lingering mental health issues because of the divorce
And had to change schools three times
But she gets better—in therapy
What if the teacher, writer, baker meets her new boyfriend
Carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner
At an AA meeting
She was serving cookies
He was getting clean
What if the carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner
Spent some time in the slammer, too
Just a minor felony — perhaps a bar fight that ended badly as he was
Defending his former girlfriend—the high school nemesis of the
Teacher, writer, baker
From her pimp
And the chair the carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner threw at the pimp
Hit him just right in the head and put him in a coma for a few weeks
He would pimp no more
So, the carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner can’t vote
But he has a great smile, learned some cooking skills in jail, and he loves animals
Bonus—the stalker ex of the teacher, writer, baker left town
Turns out he’s a wuss
He’s afraid of her new tough-guy boyfriend
What if the community fundraiser for the ‘Save the Orphanage/Family Farm Endowment’
Starts with laughter, cocoa, and cookies
But ends in semi-tragedy when an unexpected, rare winter tornado
Attributed to climate change
Blows through the town of Spencer Falls
Don’t worry—no one gets hurt except the snowman
Who gets a priority rebuild
What if, through all this adversity, there is no almost break-up
Between the teacher, writer, baker, and the carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner
They create an inseparable bond
What if, at the end, the snow begins to fall
The teacher, writer, baker and the carpenter, firefighter, orchard owner hold hands
Staring into each other’s sparkling eyes
Nothing bad happens
Toni Roucka is an emerging writer and lives in Kenosha with her husband and fur baby, Tula. She has had work published in the Roundtable Literary Journal and The Lake is Mother to Us All, a 2024 Racine/Kenosha Chapter project of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.