She is at home
Alone
On a Saturday night
Waiting for her mother to call,
To come home,
To tell her it’s alright.
To hold her close,
To whisper in her ear
All the words that she needs to hear.

She is worried, afraid,
Uninformed.
Her mother is still not home;
Out shopping with friends,
Expected two hours ago.
She waits on the couch,
By the phone
Questioning,
Fearing,
Believing
That the worst has happened:
She’s dead,
She’s hurt,
She’s sick.
She is right.

He is naïve,
Young,
Impressionable.
Trying to make friends,
Not considering the implications
That his actions,
The drinking,
The drugs,
Have on himself,
His family,
And others.
He wouldn’t give up his keys,
His car,
His pride,
His drinks.

It was dark,
December,
Icy and cold.
The roads were slippery,
Winding,
Not very busy.
He hit the ice and lost control
Of the wheel,
Of the car,
Of his life.
There was a bright light,
A horn sounding,
A crash,
A scream,
An ambulance,
A paramedic,
A doctor.
Then there was nothing.
Just silence.

It woke her up
From her sleep
And her peaceable dreams.
There was a ringing,
An apology,
Condolences,
And tears.
Sorrow,
Anger,
Disbelief,
All passed through her head.
She just couldn’t believe
That her mother was dead.

Her car had been hit
While she was coming home,
By a young male driver
Who insisted on driving alone
Under the influence of
Alcohol,
Drugs,
He was impaired
But she paid the price
For his stupidity,
Stubbornness,
And poor decision.
And now the girl was motherless,
Alone,
Distraught,
Depressed.

He went to court,
Was handed a DUI,
The girl couldn’t stay,
She started to cry.
A charge is not equal to the price of a life,
This could have been avoided if he didn’t drink and drive.