Barney’s Diner

At two o’clock in the morning, Barney’s Diner sat on the snowy Trans-Canada Highway like an island of light and warmth. At that time of the morning, the diner usually catered to long haul truckers needing a coffee as they headed to or from Calgary, an hour down the road. But the diner’s parking lot was empty tonight, as was the highway. The snow had only recently let up after a solid eight hours and ten inches. And now the prairie wind had risen, sculpting snowdrifts in the parking lot and making Julie cold, despite the chunky navy sweater she