I Flipped

May 17, 2014

Throwing the jacket on and buckling up, I make a left turn out of my driveway. It is just a normal day as I try to stop being so tense. The windshield wipers steadily going back and forth, almost to the beat of my Prom CD Mix playing through the speakers. Lyrics coming out and gradually getting louder, the guitar's steady strum makes me tap my fingers on the steering wheel. "There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now, someday you'll look back on all these days, and all this pain is gonna be invisible."

I come to the stop sign at the end of Barker Road and make another left turn. Hunter Hayes' sweet melody calms me as I drive the familiar curves. The scenery is so gloomy with the light rain tapping on the roof of my yellow Bug. Approaching the last curve before making the right turn towards the bridge, my front wheel hits a small puddle. I slowly start to panic, I don't know what to do. I feel lost. The car takes a mind of its own and heads back in first to the hill. At the last minute, it changes direction and heads directly for the ditch on the left side of the road. At 40 mph, my front wheels hit the grassy ditch and my car starts flipping. All I see is blue, green, and brown. I hear the horrible sound of my own high pitch scream fill the empty space. I think my radio stopped playing.

I grip the steering wheel until my hands ache. The car makes three complete flips. I land right-side up facing the direction I came from just a few minutes earlier. When it comes to a complete stand still in the probably 2-inch-deep ditch. Did I hit my head? Or is my head naturally this tender with one little bump? I think as I touch my shaky hand to my head. Where is my headband? I had my huge black one on when I left the house, or did I? I start to question everything. The last thing I did was yell at my mom for nagging about a jacket. "Oh, my gosh, my mom! I need to call her." I say to the empty car.

I look all around as the world comes into focus. There is smoke coming out of the hood that is bent up from the rolling. My driver's side mirror is hanging limply from the holder with mud smeared on it. I turn my head to see that the back windshield has fallen out in one giant piece; all that is left is the corners with ragged edges. The roof just behind the sunroof and my head is caved in. Yet, I sit untouched. I question God's protection and reason for leaving me unharmed. "Why me? Why am I not hurt? I feel fine! I've only had my license two months, I just got comfortable driving. God, why did this happen to me? Why am I okay?" I scream to God, who I know is present in my passenger's seat listening to his child try to comprehend the outcome. He keeps me safe through everything, yet I feel so confused.

I look to the passenger side and start searching for my phone that I sat on the seat before leaving the house. Finally, I see the pink case facing up on the floor mat. I grab it and search for signal to call my mom, or anyone at this point. While I wait for the call to connect, I notice the time and date. It is around 1:30 p.m. on May 17th, 2014. I'm supposed to graduate in two weeks, and I wrecked my present. I'm only 18 and my world is crumbling. I hear the dial tone and her voice on the other end, she seems calm. "Momma, I just had a wreck." I say into the phone, as calmly as I can manage.

"What? I can't hear you."

"I had a wreck, Mother!" I scream and cry at her.

"Where are you?" I know she is trying to be calm for me, but I know she is worrying and hoping I am not badly hurt.

"The curve just before the 'Y'." In the country, the "Y" is a fork in the road. I grew up always calling it that, instead of the appropriate road names.

"Okay, I'm coming!"

While I am waiting, I notice someone drive by and then walk back up to my window. I roll the window down, surprised that it still works. "Ma'am are you okay? Have you called 9-1-1?"