The Most Terrifying Second And A Half Of My Entire Life
My sister totalled her car yesterday. A Ford Taurus was slowing down to take a left turn while she was on her way home from track practice and she thought it would be fun to give it's rear bumper a bit of a smooch. Only she didn't think it would be fun, and instead of a smooch it was more like a headbutt.
The front foot and a half of the car has been squished to a few inches and the radiator (along with several other pieces found under the hood that apparently rack up to over $1500) was smashed to pieces.
She's fine, wasn't hurt or anything. She is, however, the kind of girl who was so distraught over the fact she failed her drivers test on the first go she wouldn't talk about it for days, nevermind get back in a car, so one can imagine she isn't in the best of shape after completely biffing the family's new vehicle.
I just heard about it a couple hours ago and the phone call from my mother held within it the most terrifying second and a half of my entire life.
I could tell from her voice that something was wrong and she hurried through the "how are you"s to get to whatever it is she called about.
"Your sister was in an accident," she says.
And my heart leaps a mile into the air.
The most terrifying second and a half of my entire life.
"She's fine," she adds. "The Camry's totalled."
My heart takes longer to fall back into place once it has jumped so far upwards, but it finds its way.
To get right down to it, the news could have very easily been "Your sister was in an accident... she's in the hospital" or worse "She's dead" and just like that, after one phone call, I'd be down one sister.
What would I have done? Honestly. What would I have felt? How would I have acted? What would have happened to me?
I've never gotten news like that. Not so sudden, not so unexpected, and not in regards to someone so close.
Lately I've spent time outside sitting in the grass staring out a window up at the sky down to the street, trying to look at the world through the eyes of someone who believes in God. I can't do it. These eyes are not mine.
But I can't help but wonder... how would it be different?
The front foot and a half of the car has been squished to a few inches and the radiator (along with several other pieces found under the hood that apparently rack up to over $1500) was smashed to pieces.
She's fine, wasn't hurt or anything. She is, however, the kind of girl who was so distraught over the fact she failed her drivers test on the first go she wouldn't talk about it for days, nevermind get back in a car, so one can imagine she isn't in the best of shape after completely biffing the family's new vehicle.
I just heard about it a couple hours ago and the phone call from my mother held within it the most terrifying second and a half of my entire life.
I could tell from her voice that something was wrong and she hurried through the "how are you"s to get to whatever it is she called about.
"Your sister was in an accident," she says.
And my heart leaps a mile into the air.
The most terrifying second and a half of my entire life.
"She's fine," she adds. "The Camry's totalled."
My heart takes longer to fall back into place once it has jumped so far upwards, but it finds its way.
To get right down to it, the news could have very easily been "Your sister was in an accident... she's in the hospital" or worse "She's dead" and just like that, after one phone call, I'd be down one sister.
What would I have done? Honestly. What would I have felt? How would I have acted? What would have happened to me?
I've never gotten news like that. Not so sudden, not so unexpected, and not in regards to someone so close.
Lately I've spent time outside sitting in the grass staring out a window up at the sky down to the street, trying to look at the world through the eyes of someone who believes in God. I can't do it. These eyes are not mine.
But I can't help but wonder... how would it be different?
posted by AHaynes at 11:43 PM
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