Crash!
“No I want rock!” Jason said as he glared at his sister hoping she wouldn’t say anything.
“No I think we should listen to country” Madison shouts just to make her brother upset.
“No way, we’re listening to jazz,” their parents recite at the same time in a cheerful voice
“Jazz it is,” both the children say in an annoyed tone. Mom puts in the CD when all of a sudden, crash! The car hits another car coming straight at them in the opposite lane.
It is a cold winter day and it had just freshly snowed the night before. The families car spun out of control and landed in a ditch about half a mile away from where the other car stopped. An older man named Ed was left in the car that was hit head on, however; the other family was ejected fiercely from the car. The driver in the opposite car,Ed, passed out from the force of the airbag and was laying there for 20 minutes before he regained consciousness and called 911. He could hardly move but he was alright with just a few minor scrapes and bruises. As he was on the phone waiting for the officer to answer, he saw three people spread out on the concrete. An older man sprawled out across the pavement amongst the fresh sheet of snow was the first person he spotted. Then, another boy, much younger than the first, was the same way unconscious and not moving. The last he spotted was an older woman lying on her side.
When the operator finally answered Ed the older man took a deep breath then said, “Please hurry, we need a bus, I think they are gone but the faster you can help me the better chance this family has.” he told them exactly what was going on and they came within 10 minutes. As they cleaned everything up, all three that he had seen before were in white body bags, but quickly his vision went to the young girl who was being put into the ambulance on a stretcher.
When they got to the hospital the girl was only partially conscious. Even though it was not Ed’s fault, he would now have to live with this for the rest of his life. When Madison’s family arrived to the hospital, Ed, the older man hit in the car, said he was sorry and wished them all well then went home. First it was only her grandparents who were there to see her but she was in surgery so they had to wait. Later, as the night went on, more and more of Madison’s family showed up to see her. Madison was asleep when she had come out of surgery and with many problems from the accident they were not sure if she was going to make it or not. Her family, as well as the nurses, all worked as hard as they could to keep her alive. The more they saw her and the more they talked to her, the stronger she got. She was very bruised, she had some bleeding in her brain, and her legs were broken severely, but they all hoped she was going to be okay.
When she woke up they took things very slow and gradually told her the bad news and what had happened. This was the hardest time in her life and she didn’t know if she would ever overcome it. She didn’t have any close family because they all lived in different states including her grandparents. A thousand questions came to her mind. Who will she live with? Where will she live? What will she do about her life here at home, and most importantly, how will she ever be able to live without her parents and younger brother. As she thought about all the things going on she became more and more stressed out. Her grandparents tried to comfort her but nothing could settle her down.
“I really think I better get some rest. I am certain I will feel a bit better when I have slept through the night,” Madison explains to her company as they all leave the room. Madison then thinks to herself, it will be much easier to think things through with the quiet by myself.
That night when she was finally alone, she was too tired to think about much, though the tremendous amount of thoughts raced through her mind therefore she couldn’t fall asleep. She laid in the uncomfortable hospital bed thinking about all the possibilities and what could happen or what would happen to her. So many people came and went and a whole month went by before they let her go. She had to eat the horrible food, smell the murky, dusty smell of the hospital, and by the time she went home she missed everything. She couldn’t stand thinking of having to leave her home. She had lived there her whole life and it meant the world to her. So many memories, things that had happened and things that went on in her house that she couldn’t stand to leave.
When she got home she began packing while still sore from the accident, she moved very slowly. About an hour after she rode home from the hospital, her grandparents arrived. They walked around the house looking at everything until they came to Madison’s room.
“Oh Madison, we were wondering where you might be. We have some things to go over and talk to you about if you’re in the right mind and mood to do so?” Her grandmother questioned.
“Yes, I would love to talk. I will be out as soon as I get changed.” Madison replied in a rather relieved manner. In about five minutes Madison walked slowly out to the table where her grandparents were both sitting waiting for her to arrive. As she sat down they began talking to her.
“I know you have been so overwhelmed and busy with packing but we have decided to move here to stay with you that way you don’t have to adjust to anything more than what you have to already. Your house is in much better condition and it would fit all of our needs so we see it working out very well.” Her grandparents tell her.
“Oh my gosh, I cant believe this is happening this is great! I am so excited that you guys are doing this for me. It means so much and it will help this whole situation a little more. There is no way I can make them come back but it will help to stay in a comfortable and familiar environment. Thank you so much! I love you guys with everything I have!” Madison excitedly says.
When everything got a little settled down she began thinking about her parents and younger brother. She realized what had gone on and though she was still in denial, she realized she would now have to live with it. She then began thinking about the other car. She had immediately blacked out and was not sure if it was another family or one person or what so she decided to find out. She walked out to find her grandparents unpacking their belongings.
“Hey Madison, what are you up to?” her grandma asks as she sits down taking a break from her hard work.
“Not much just getting settled back down. I have been thinking a lot and although I have a lot on my mind there is one thing that has overcome me the most. I was wondering if there was any way I could contact the family or person who was in the other car if you had any idea who they were.” Madison explains. She is shy when she talks to her grandparents not sure of their response but hopes they will have an idea or some way she can contact the people in the other car.
“Well, actually it was a single man who is quite a bit older. He was not hurt nearly as bad and only suffered a few bruises and cuts. He was very sympathetic at the hospital and I am sure he wouldn’t mind hearing from you.” Her grandmother explains.
Madison sighs in relief then insists, “I really would like to talk to him or maybe even go and see him. I just want him to know that I am doing better and that i am not blaming him by any means. Do you happen to have his phone number?”
“Yes we were given his phone number and address it is on a card right by the phone in the kitchen.” Her grandfather tells her. She walks into the kitchen as quickly as she can and thinks about when she wants to call him. She thinks it will be considerate to call him and maybe see him after a while. She is not sure how it will turn out but she knows it’s the right thing to do.
The next day Madison decides to give him a call.
“Hello?” Ed, the older man hit in the car accident answers.
“Hi. My name is Madison and I believe you were in the car accident I was in about two months ago?” Madison asks with agony in her voice.
“Yes! Yes Madison my name is Ed and I was the single passenger who was in the other car. I am so glad to hear from you! How are you doing?” Ed exclaims in an anxious manner.
“I am actually doing much better and have healed quite well. I am so glad I had the right number to talk to you. I would love to talk more if you would maybe like to meet with me someday?” Madison says with a little less agony.
“Yes! I would love too. How about tomorrow? We can meet down town tomorrow around noon at the local coffee shop if that’s alright with you.”
“Yes that will be nice. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon! See you there.” Madison hangs up the phone and is very relieved with their conversation. She goes to bed getting a full night sleep so she will be ready for what comes tomorrow.
In the morning she gets up and gets ready excited to see what happens. She shortly leaves her house to meet Ed at the coffee shop where they had planned. When he sees her arrive, he gets out seeing her then immediately gives her a hug and tells her he is sorry. They walk inside and sit down to talk. She told him that it was not his fault and that she had no hate towards him. Both Madison and the old guy seemed to connect very well and they agreed to see each other every once in a while and stay connected in each other’s lives. This took a huge burden off of her life just knowing she had someone who understood and someone she could simply talk to.
That night when she got home, everything seemed to be going well. She was going to start school again in about a week, as soon as her grandparents were back and had moved everything into the house. Each and every day she got stronger and stronger and things seemed to be healing well. She wasn’t sure how well she could understand this later and how having no parents would be but she continued to try and stay as strong as she could. With the help and support she had everything fit in like it was supposed to. Although something so tragic had happened in her life and it hadn’t seemed like she could ever overcome it, she clearly did and had moved on with her life. She has found new ways to overcome many things and although her grandparents are not the same as her parents were, she is glad she stayed close to them so it was not as hard of a transition.In the beginning she never believed she would be able to live without her parents and her only brother but with the support and help from her family and friends she has became strong enough to defeat this battle. No matter how hard things can get in life she has became very strong and can overcome almost any obstacle that comes her way.