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[10:58 p.m.]
“Hey! Thanks
for the ride home!” he yelled against the wind and into the window
as he bent over, blocking the rain from the red-striped cloth seats.
As the
lightning flashed I could see his eyes smiling down at me. “Are you
sure you’ll be ok? It’s getting pretty late. Maybe you should just
come back with me?”
“I’ll be fine,
I’m a big boy,” he stated proudly as I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Nobody’ll mess with me. You on the other hand…” My smack to his
shoulder effectively stopped the rest of the comment but did nothing
for the smirk on his lips.
“Are you sure?”
I tried again.
“Honey,” his
deep brown eyes, crinkled at the corners, grinned into mine, “it’s
just a two minute walk. I have to get into the building and up to
my apartment.”
“Ok…ok”, I
grumbled with a grin as I shifted into first gear. He already knew
it was a crappy part of town. No need to remind him. “Don’t think
I won’t haunt you if I die on the way home because somebody
wasn’t here to keep me awake!”
“Pucker up
gorgeous, I’m getting soaked out here,” stated my brown-haired,
overgrown teddybear of a boyfriend. He leaned in and gave me a kiss
that was warm despite the cold weather. How I got so lucky as to
find him I’ll never know.
As he pulled
out of the window I gave him my best smile. “I love you baby and
I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Please drive safely and go slow.
I don’t want you hydroplaning.”
“I love you
too, Ben, and thanks for worrying about me. It’s not that far.
I’ll be good.”
I watched his
beautiful bubble butt wrapped up in his favorite pair of 501’s trot
away as I slowly counted to fifteen. “Thirteen…fourteen..."
as I approached fourteen-and-a-half I watched as Ben paused and
glanced around. I couldn’t help but squirm to get a better view as
I waited impatiently for my “air-born” kiss. Laughing at his
antics, I watched with lovestruck awe as he slowly and meaningfully
stared at me and gave me the kiss I wanted. He laughed as I
screeched and grabbed my kiss from the air before he bent low into a
beautiful bow. He flashed one last smile at me and then turned away
once more, trotting quickly into the rainy night.
I had one last glance at his beautiful smile as he grinned over his
shoulder at me from fifty feet away. ‘Damn I love that man!'
I couldn’t help but think as I pulled onto the street and towards
the intersection of Grover and Jackson.
Listening to
the blinker as it sharply announced my left-hand turn at the
stoplight, I had to stifle a yawn as I watched the cars go past me.
I couldn’t help
but be a little bit miffed about Ben’s decision to go to his
apartment. ‘Alone,' I thought with a somewhat snippy sigh.
So what if I agreed that we both were far more productive alone
than when together. ‘I sleep better when he’s with me!’ my
mind silently argued, and it was true. I always felt so much safer
when Ben was near me, and it was only a few more weeks until I
graduated and ‘we would move in together' I thought with a
tired smile.
As the light
turned green, I pulled out into the intersection without looking.
Thank God the other driver was! Hearing the horn blaring, I slammed
on my brakes.
"You
dirty little son of a monkey’s dad-blasted green uncle!" I
swore at the fiery red Trans Am as it flew past me. "Holy
Fucking Shit!" I screamed as I thought about taking down
their license plate number, but the rain must have blurred the
plates because I couldn’t make it out. "I’m calling Ben as
soon as I get home!" I continued my rant as I thought of all
the things Ben would be saying right now as I finished my turn onto
Grover.
Adrenalin
pumping, I had a sudden urge for a non-fat mocha from Starbucks. ‘Why
not?' I thought to myself. ‘It’s a twenty minute drive home
with a ton of homework waiting for me when I get there. Besides, I
almost just died. I could definitely use the caffeine,' I
thought with a smile.
"Wow!
There must be a game somewhere or something,"
I muttered to myself as I took note of the heavy traffic. Good
grief, this was going to take forever and all I wanted was my
latte!
'Bloody
Hell!'
I nearly jumped
out of my skin as I glanced into the car next to me. The driver was
dressed as a werewolf and his passenger was a vampire!
"What
on earth is…"
Looking to my
right I saw a gaunt man walking a bloodied child wearing a hospital
gown.
‘Oh!’
I couldn’t help but
laugh as my epiphanized light bulb nearly blinded me. ‘It’s
October! I bet there’s an early Halloween party somewhere! That’s
why the traffic’s so heavy!’
Slapping my
forehead I quickly turned my blinker on and took a right. As I
turned under the big green and blue sign that proudly stated
“STARBUCKS”, I thought about calling Ben again when I got home. I
was just bursting with the need to talk to him! I could hear his
laughter as I imagined telling him how scared I was when I first
looked into that car’s window! He always watched the news so I was
sure he would have heard of some party going on in the city tonight.
'Come
on! Why the hell is there a line at 11:15 p.m.! Go to bed,
people! I need to call Ben!'
Bouncing in my
seat, I debated my promise to Ben about cell phones. A long time
ago, when we first started dating, he made me promise to never talk
on my cell phone while driving. He was horribly afraid I’d become
distracted by him 'oh the ego' and get into some big
accident. Laughing to myself, I knew he’d hang up on me 'the
twit!' and that I would be better off waiting.
“What can I get for you tonight?” clamored the mechanical voice,
effectively ending my cell phone battle.
“Hi! I’ll have
a Grande, non-fat Pumpkin Spice latte please. Oh! Can I have that
with sugar-free syrup please?” My taste buds began to tingle at the
thought, anticipating the smooth, warm concoction that would soon be
coating my tongue.
“I’m sorry
ma’am, but we don’t carry that syrup as sugar-free.”
“That’s ok.
Can I have that without whipped cream as well?”
“Certainly.
That’ll be $4.11. Please pull around.”
After paying
the pimple faced teenager and gulping my first mouthful of pumpkin,
I pulled out onto the highway and headed home. Thinking of home
reminded me again of the work I needed to get done yet before I went
to bed. I was nearly finished with my Bachelors degree in Business
Management and as soon as I put the finishing touches to this last
project I’d have my minor in Art History. Ben had been promising
me, alright teasing me, for months that as soon as I graduated we’d
get married. Smiling again, I thought of how I teased him, 'no
moving in together unless there was a bright shiny object on my
finger!'
Ben.
Why did all of
my thoughts always lead to him? I stifled another yawn with a
giggle as I thought 'All roads lead to Ben!' It’s just that
I’d never imagined I’d find someone so perfect for me.
Sometimes I
thought I’d wake up and find it all a dream. I used to worry about
being alone forever or even worse, I thought with a shudder,
'having to settle'. Then I met Ben, my very own “tall, dark,
and handsome”. He had all of the qualities that I felt were
important; he was incredibly kind and gentle, protective but so very
sweet, and always made me laugh. 'Not only was he sexy as hell,’
I thought with a grin, 'but he got bonus points for always
opening doors for me!' That was such a rare quality in men
these days.
I asked him
once, fully expecting a flippant answer, 'how many kids he wanted
when he grew up', but he looked at me with a serious expression
and said “At least two, maybe more. I don’t want them to be lonely
or to grow up spoiled.”
'So yes!'
I thought, 'I will marry him when he asks me!'
I don’t know
how many times now I’ve told myself that.
'That
is so odd!'
I thought as I noticed how the traffic seemed to just disappear. I
wasn’t that far out of town, maybe only a mile or so, but now there
wasn’t a soul to be seen. I would definitely have to ask Ben if
he’d seen anything about a party or concert going on tonight.
Feeling a
little spooked about the lack of cars on the road, I notice a twinge
in my lower back. 'Good thing I kept that chiropractor
appointment,' I thought as I polished off my latte,
rubbing my lower back.
'Where’s the
yard light?' I
asked myself.
I lived about
fifteen miles outside of town and by now I should be able to the
yard light. If there was a power outage there was no way in hell I
was staying out here by myself! Ben knew I was scared of the dark.
Grinning shakily, I thought how he’d react if I told him 'he’d
just have to suck it up and let me stay with him!'
'Ouch!'
my mind hollered
as a pain stabbed into my back.
'Gallstones?'
I wondered.
Wasn’t I too
young for those?
Ok, next
intersection I would turn around. If I was going to be sick, I knew
I’d rather be with Ben. He always knew how to make me feel better.
Whether it was soup, massages, or just holding me, somehow he always
made the pain go away.
“Son of a gun!”
I moaned out loud as the pain suddenly became more intense.
“I don’t care
about that promise, honey I have to call you,” I said, stretching
for my purse and ultimately my phone.
I knew if I
could just reach my phone, he’d come and find me and make this all
better. Tears running down my face I couldn’t reach my purse…
* *
*
[11:02
p.m.]
“Noooooo! Oh
my God! Vanessa!”
Ben? Why was
he screaming? I didn’t call him, I couldn’t reach him. So why was
he here? Maybe he followed me? No, I know he didn’t. What’s going
on?
"Oh
God! Please make that pain go away!" I moaned into Ben’s
warm hand.
Feeling him tap
on my cheek, “Vanessa! Speak to me honey!”
I tried to open
my eyes and tell him to stop it.
“Honey, please
wake up!”
I tried to do
as he asked, but my eyes were just too tired. I smiled softly,
hearing the sirens in the distance. I knew my Ben was with me. He
must have stopped shouting as I could no longer hear him, but I knew
he’d hold me till my back felt better, he always did.
* *
*
On the front
page of The Herald the following morning it was stated that
at precisely 11:02 the night before, a fatal two vehicular accident
occurred at the intersection of Grover and Jackson Street. Driver
Vanessa Raymehn was struck on the driver’s side by a vehicle driven
by a minor male whose identity is being withheld. It is believed
that Raymehn pulled out in front of oncoming traffic and that
alcohol did not play a part in this accident. Both drivers were
reported to have been wearing seatbelts.
Raymehn was
pronounced dead at the scene with cause of death listed as severe
head trauma and multiple blunt force injuries. The driver of the
second vehicle was transported to Memorial Hospital where he is
listed in fair condition.
Services for Raymehn are pending.
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