A nightmare that became reality...

I've had this nightmare for nearly ten years. A constant dream in which I find my self sitting in a drivers seat meandering around the city of Charlotte. The same streets I've traveled my entire life make themselves ever present in these dreams, where nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing in the slightest bit different. Each dream holds a different element of surprise, a miniscal detail such as a shirt I might not ususally wear, ruby red polished finger tips, a passagner seat companion, or the vividness of a familiar song on the radio that has made each lyric and verse crystal clear in memory. However different and surprising each detail is in the dream there is one great similiary that has caused perhaps the greatest fear imaginable in me. Each tale tells of a left hand turn that results in a t-boned domino effect of pain and terror. The vivid reality of glass shattering, as an unimaginary vechile slams into my side, air bags ripping into my face as I gasp for air, a treckle of blood falling on my once prestine sweater. I have dreamt this dream for almost ten years and on Monday that dream nearly came true.

Like so many of those nightmaresh nights, I traveled home that day on the very same route I've traveled for the past year, the same speed, patience, and caution as always, yielding to traffic when neccessary. Nothing was different. Anxious to get home and begin a fun afternoon by the pool, I did as I have always done while approaching my neighborhood, I turned my left signal on, slowed my speed down, and then came to a complete stop as I waiting for traffic in the opposite lane to slow down and create an opening for me to drive through. I even looked to see my house over my shoulder, noting that my younger brothers bright red car was strangley parked one tire up on my lawn. Then it happened, the unevitable. The nightmare.

I heard the unforgetable slam of brakes, the squeel of tires, and within an instant the boom and pain as I was propalled forward several yards. I screamed out in pain, "Ouch! Ouch!" My mind began to swirl around all the possiblities of what just happened. "Did I do something wrong? Was my turn signal not on? Where's my phone? I can't call 911 until I find my phone! My car, my baby car, she's ruined! Dad is going to be so angry. The insurance company! Ouch! My neck, my neck hurts! Oh dear God, can I feel everything? Why does it hurt so bad? Where's my phone? Is she going to get out of her car? Why did this happen? It's going to be okay right? I'm going to feel fine right? It'll be okay, just got to find my phone, oh dear Lord where is that bleeping phone?"

The rest is a quick blur as the past 72 hours has been a sprial effect of information and chaos being thrown left and right. One ER visit later, a bottle of not so effective pain meds, and the super genorisity of friends, I am left wondering how quickly someones world can be turned upside down, and how quickly my fear came true. While rather small in reality, the ripple effect that this accident has had in the previous days is well noted. It seems every detail of my life is affected, from fun plans suddenly being cancelled to the constant ringing of my phone from insurance agents, body shops, lawyers, and of course that creepy rental car agent, to so much more.

It may seem dramatic or exaggerated, but when one is scared and frightned as I was, one's comfort and peace is smashed as quickly as one's car. Even a quick trip down the road to the grocery store leaves me shaken and in constant fear that the accident will be reenacted, perhaps a sedan instead of an SUV. I'm thankful that it could have been worse, that I'm able to walk away simply bruised and beaten. I just want to advise anyone who reads this to drive safely, always be on alert, pay attention to everything around you on the road. Please be careful. Accidents can be prevented.