The Crash

I was wearing light blue jeans over my bathing suit and an old band tee that I grabbed from my hamper this morning. i was in a rush to get Melanie to school. One of my black chucks was missing from my left foot. I don’t recall putting socks on before I left the house; you don’t need socks at the beach. The sun visor hung down and the mirror cover was ripped off. I looked myself over, the debris showed no remorse on my body as it pierced through my flesh. My mascara was hardly running (even though it was left on from last night). Blood dripped out of a gash on my forehead; A long strand of my red hair stuck to my wound and the rest, smelling like coconut, hung down with me. I tried to take a deep breath of that sweet coconut smell but the smell of my skin burning and the stench of gasoline was overwhelmingly pungent. I was alone, all alone. My range was tires to the sky and Was stuck inside. “HEEELP! Some one please… HELP!” I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me. Could anyone here me? 

Evaluating my surroundings, I assumed the glass shards impaling my body were from my two front windows and windshield, because they were missing. I turned to check the back of my wounded car to find two smashed windows, a missing rear windshield, and a missing carseat. Damn am I grateful my daughter was not here. I could see the coffee mug she gave me for Christmas last year outside of the car, still in tact. The silver lining in an otherwise catastrophic storm. All I could think was how peaceful it all was. I knew my daughter was safe because she wasn’t here and I held hope that help would find me. 

There was no sound, I could only see what was happening around me. I couldn’t fight for my life, and for some reason it felt okay. I could see hands reaching through the broken windows reaching to help me but I could not move to reach back. I sat hanging upside down in the drivers seat watching as feet scurried around the crash sight. A strangers head popped down next to me, I could tell they were trying to tell me something urgent but I couldn’t make it out. My vision was blurred so I couldn’t even make out their face, I wish I had had my glasses. My eyes felt swollen and blood dripped over them from my head wound. The longer I sat upside down the more blood rushed to my head and bled out of the gash. Suddenly the strangers arm reached across my body and unbuckled my seat belt. Was that what he was trying to tell me? This seat belt was the only thing keeping me from crushing my skull on the roof of the car. I wasn’t ready for this fall, I knew I couldn’t support myself. I immediately fell from the seat and let out an agonizing scream as my body folded on top of itself. Everything stopped around me. Unable to hear and feeling completely trapped in a death box, I began to lose that sense of serenity. Pain flooded my body; I felt every cut, scratch, bump and bruise. My head started to feel lighter as the blood flowed away from my head and my hearing slowly emerged as the pain flooded my nerves. 

I heard a ticking from my ignition and gasoline dripping from the car. Flames cracked and glass broke. I waited and waited, for what felt like hours, to be pulled out of this wreck. Finally, my rescuer came back and pulled me out. The rescuer pulled me by my ankles. Pieces of glass punctured and scraped me, and puddles of gasoline soaked my lesions.

Although I knew night had fallen quickly, everything around me was so much brighter than the inside of the car. A flash light was beaming at me (Oh, maybe that was why it was so bright) and my vision came back into focus. I tried to sit up, but my rescuer gently laid me down. My body stretched out vertically and he rested my head on his lap. He whispered to me as he laid me back down, “Try not to move, you were in a bad car accident and help is on the way.” I rested my head back onto his lap, “Were you in the accident, too?” I asked. “No,” he answered, “you were the only one who was in the accident.” There was a calming familiarity about his voice. “It was lucky we chose the same way home tonight, otherwise you would still be in your car.” His features were musty from the debris around us and he was covered in blood and black soot. He looked like a super hero from where I was laying. His shoulders were broad and his jaw was strong and sharp like a  razor. His light brown hair was rustled from the commotion and deep blue eyes matched with mine. Even though the air reeked of gasoline, with a slight breeze I could faintly smell his cologne. I recognized the smell from a faint memory that I couldn’t conjure in the moment. I was about to ask him who he was when he told me to rest until help came. We waited and waited, “Was help even coming?” I thought to myself. All I wanted to do was go home and climb into my big, soft bed and fall into a deep sleep. I fought to keep my eyes open in order to stay as alert as possible in this dreadful place. The man stroked my hair and only moved his eyes away from mine to ensure we were still safe and to search for any help that may be coming. Our souls were connecting and this man was a stranger to me. “I am here,” he whispered, “I will not leave you.” I reached my hand to his cheek and he covered my hand with his, I smiled.

“Why are you smiling?” he asked with a inquisitive giggle. he had good reason to ask me that question, why was I smiling? I had just been in a terrible car accident. I can barely breath but, here I am laying on this handsome man’s lap, whom I have never met before, smiling up at him. “You just risked your life to save mine. Of course I am smiling.”

I wanted to close my eyes but he urged me to keep them open. “Keep talking to me, I am still here,” I gently reassured him, “I just need to rest my eyes for now.” My hand fell limp on his face but he pressed it on to his face. I felt the tear streaming down my hand as he struggled to hold himself together. I was drifting fast and he knew it. I could hear his wavering voice trying to hold a conversation but, I was gone. He felt my heart stop but I was still listening. He spoke of our life together and  The man held me and rocked me, “Hang on, Baby! Please! Help is coming…” he cried out to me. 

A crew of ambulances, firetrucks, and police cars swarmed the crashed site in that moment…