November 26, 2009

Excitement was in the air that morning, the day was crisp.  The sun was more of an illusion because it let off no heat.  I had picked up Hannah on my way to Josh's house.  We were cruising down the street, the radio blaring and we were belting out the lyrics. She was a morning person, and when her and I were together, so was I.  

The morning air blasted our faces as we stepped out of my truck, she ran inside the house as I grabbed our bags. In the back of my truck sat four bags, one suitcase was mine, the duffel bag and other two suitcases were hers.  When I went to pick her up that morning I went to the door and saw three bags waiting on the porch.  I couldn't help but laugh, we were only going to be gone four days.  

I brought our bags inside and sat on the couch with Hannah and Evan as we waited for Mike and to show up and for Josh to finish closing up the house.  We were going to Josh's cottage for the weekend, his parents and sisters were already up there.  Hannah asked me how comfortable all eight of us would be in the cottage. She had never seen the cottage before. It is probably bigger than my house.

When Mike finally arrived, a half our late as expected, Josh had locked the house up, and I had packed the van, we all piled into it and Josh backed out of his driveway. We were on the road ready for the five hour drive to the cottage.  Little did we know that our trip would be cut short barely two hours down the road.

We were cruising down the road again, We had stopped for a coffee break at Tim Hortons, and without meaning to, pissed off the drivethru lady because we all wanted different coffee, different muffins, different donuts.  In hindsight we probably should have gone into the store to buy our food.  We had stopped for gas, and even though we were off to a slow start our spirits were high.  We sang songs, we made jokes, we laughed at eachother, and we played the alphabet game, Harry Potter style.  Just after we thought of Y-Yaxley, I remember the world slowing pace while my heart beat quickened. Josh's head resting on his shoulder as he peacefully slept in the driver seat, how could he look so peaceful while our worlds were falling apart? The car started to veer left into opposing traffic.  Evan, in the front seat quickly unbuckled and grabbed the steering wheel.  Attempting to pull the van back into its proper lane.  As we were turning, I looked to my left and saw  Hannah, horror overtook her face, drained of all blood, her eyes turned gray with fear and they locked with mine.  Then behind her, I saw the truck approaching from the opposite direction, heading straight for the van, straight for Hannah.  The lights from the truck illuminated her from behind giving her an almost angelic look.  
And then it happened, the collision.  The truck that looked so similar to mine crashed right into the side of the van.  The van crumpled instantaneously. Crushing everyone on that side of the van as well.  Hannah was on that side.  Shards of glass attacked my face for what felt like hours, though I now know it was only a second. I was disoriented, completely confused, I forced the van door open and fell out.  I stood up, brushed my shirt off and stood there in shock for a few seconds.  Without thinking I pulled out my phone and called for 911.  Dazed I talked with the woman on the phone, still not comprehending what had really happened.  A firetruck pulled in and no one was left on the other side of the phone.  When I realized what had happened.  
I tried to run back to the van, to pull Hannah out, to see how everyone else was.  I had just made it to the van and was getting my first glimpse of what I saw, it still haunts my sleep.  My knee let out and I fell into the van,  and then I felt warm liquid roll down my leg, the adrenaline and shock from the crash was wearing off and I could feel my shattered knee.  The pain was unbearable. I blacked out.
When I woke, I found myself on a stretcher, waiting for the next available ambulance. A paramedic looked at me and my first question was about Hannah, he moved aside and there she was on the stretcher beside mine.  She was unconscious, I asked if she'd be alright. The paramedic lied, whether on purpose or not, I'll never really know.  I watched her as she rose and fell with her shallow breaths. The ambulance came and we both were put into the same one. As I was being lifted into the ambulance, I caught a glimpse of two other stretchers, white sheets pulled over their heads. Sirens blaring I grabbed her hand and no matter how hard I gripped her hand I still let her slip through my fingers and into the hands of death itself.
I lived, I remember what happened.  Evan, Josh and Hannah are dead.  Mike is alive and doing well though he was knocked unconscious in the crash.  Doctors are still in awe as to how he lived.  I was to worried for Mike and to busy mourning the dead to bother to wonder what happened to the man in the truck.  Nobody I ask ever seem to have an answer. But that could leave me as the soul person who remembers the crash for what actually happened.  Not as to how the police recreated the scene. Not as to how the reporters retold the story. But as to what tragedy actually occurred on November 26, 2009 at 10:46AM.
Do not regret growing old, many are denied the privilege.