I was fairly selective these days on the company I kept. Three years into veterinary school and I was determine to graduate the top of my class, or at least top ten. Freshman year held me up with a bit too much partying and less than favorable grades.
No more staying out late with distractions of friends I'd only met in college and would not get to hang out with much longer once I graduated and moved Illinois. Long term, I wanted to work in zoos and in wild animal shelters there.
Predatory animals intrigued me. Many of them were misunderstood and not studied thoroughly. I wanted to study them abroad in Africa and Asia. Animals kept in zoos set my soul on a path towards working hard. I want to learn how to improve their living conditions. I could learn about them in their natural habitats over seas, then bring new techniques and medicines back to zoos in the U.S.
My older brother by three years, Shawn, lived in my college town and let me stay with him. This saved us both money. He was single and had graduated from the same college I was going to, but was already an established veterinarian and doing quite well for himself. He drove a Mazda MX5 convertible and had a Dodge Ram truck he used for work.
Transportation is where my problem begins. I was within walking distance from my college and owned a bicycle.
It was the tail end of summer. I had taken summer classes in order to graduate early. Fall classes had not yet begun.
An old friend of mine from high school invited me to an all day rock concert in a city three hours away. I begged my brother to let me use his convertible, to which he stated there was no way, because a blind and deaf monkey could drive better than me. I was 22 and had been driving since I was 15. Only, I hadn't been driving much in the past three years.
I punched Shawn in the arm and told him my driving was up to snuff, that I would call him when I got there, and park his car at my friend's house. We would take her car to the concert.
Shawn seemed reassured by this but told me there was no way. He'd just bought the car six months ago and hadn't even worn the tires in yet. I again promised to be super safe with it, a promise I'd regret later. This tactic wasn't working so I tried another. I told him I'd come do cleanup duty and help him with his case load for a month at his veterinary office.
He hesitantly agreed, handed me the keys, whilst looking at the ceiling like he'd just made a bad decision. I thanked him and was so excited I grabbed my purse, overnight bag, and was out the door.
The seats were a dark grey and were a bit warm in my jean shorts. The 80 degree weather had warmed them with the top down. I put my purse beside me in the passenger seat and left for the highway. Once I got out of town the highway glided through fields and patches of forest. A very minimal amount of traffic.
I grabbed for my purse so I could grab my cell phone to check the time. I would call Shawn in the next city. Oh crap! I forgot my phone...Crash! Right into the back of a red car jacked up on a tow truck. I hadn't seen it slow down. They had been traveling in the same direction. I didn't notice them slow down and had run into the back of them in my lost-cell-phone haste.
The tow truck driver pulled off down a dirt road in the forest. I knew it was my fault and pulled off behind them. Damnit! I knew my brother had insurance but I also knew I'd have to do cleanup duty for a year now. He was going to be pissed.
Shawn's anger was not the same kind of angry I was about to deal with. The man stepping out of the tow truck looked livid. I didnt have my phone to call my brother, so whoever this guy was, I was hoping he'd show kindness.
This guy was saying every expletive I'd ever heard someone say. He appeared to be in his mid to late 20s, had a black workmans jacket on, a white but greasy shirt on with the same greasy mess on his ragged jeans. He wore some sort of work boots and had dark but tall slicked back hair. As I watched him assess the damage to the car he was towing I noticed how handsome and fit he actually was. Although angry, he looked smart and dependable.
All of the admiring melted away however when his piercing rageful eyes met mine. I was still seated in the driver's seat when he walked briskly up to the side of my now, very damaged, brother's car. I immediately re-thought about pulling down the side road without my phone.
Expecting shouting I grimaced as he said, "Just what the hell were you thinking!" But he didn't shout very loudly, almost the opposite. He spoke in an eerily reserved tone.
I couldn't speak just yet because I was still processing the whole series of events. I looked away, then looked back at him hoping he had gone back to looking at the damaged car.
Nope, he was still staring right at me. I blurted out, "I didnt see you slow down." Anger again swept across his face. After a few seconds he calmed. In a softer tone he asked if I was all right. I had my seat belt on and the force of the crash wasn't too bad since we had both been going in the same direction. I looked at him and nodded yes. He opened the door and said, "Stand up." I hesitated, he was intimidating. He said, "I'm going to make sure you are ok. Can you stand?" I again nodded yes. He grabbed my hand and helped me out of the car.
He looked me over quickly and asked, "What is your name?" I told him, "Lucy, I know it's old fashioned but my parents liked the..." my voice trailed off in useless blabber.
He said, "I'm going to need all your information for the police report and for my insurance."
'How the heck are you going to get yourself out of this one?' I told myself. First my brother is going to kill me, second a police report?! I had never been in a crash before and did not want a record, in case I had to drive large vehicles to haul injured animals around in the future.
"Look," I said, "Isn't there some other way we could handle this? I can get the money to pay for any damages."
He looked annoyed then he slightly smiled a hint of a grin, looked at me sideways and asked, "What do you suggest exactly? I tell my boss at the auto shop that you knocked off one of the bumpers of his client's car? But it's ok because the lady said she was sorry. By the way you haven't even said you're sorry!"
